Update and Configure the Automatic Updates Client Computer
Applies To: Windows Server Update Services, Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1
Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 3.0 SP2 requires that client computers run a compatible version of Automatic Updates. For a list of supported client computer operating systems and software requirements, see WSUS client system requirements.
When Automatic Updates checks for updates, it also checks for and updates itself. You can direct Automatic Updates to self-update by accessing the Microsoft Windows Update site or the local WSUS server.
Warning
If a client computer is set up by using an image, the client computer might not display in the WSUS Administration Console, or it might display, but not correctly report update data. This issue occurs because the imaged client computer has a duplicate SusClientID value in the registry. To resolve this problem, you must clear the SusClientID and SusClientIDValidation registry values. For more information about this issue and for instructions about how to clear the registry values see article 903262 in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.
After you install and configure the WSUS server software, you must update Automatic Updates on the client computers. When you have the most current version of Automatic Updates running on the client computers, you can customize Automatic Updates.
The best way to configure Automatic Updates depends on the operating environment. In a non-Active Directory environment, you can use the Local Group Policy Editor or Registry Editor to configure Automatic Updates. In an Active Directory environment, you can use Group Policy or Registry Editor to configure Automatic Updates.
Administrator-defined configuration options always take precedence over user-defined options. When you use administrative policies to configure Automatic Updates (by using Group Policy or Registry Editor), the Automatic Updates user interface is disabled on the client computer.
Before you configure Automatic Updates, we recommend that you become familiar with the expected resulting behavior that you can achieve by setting the various parameters.
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