Implementing Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) Cleanup in Server 2022
Posted on 19th June 2023
Implementing Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) Cleanup in Server 2022
WSUS is a crucial part of any Windows Server deployment, and is responsible for patch management within an organization. As such, it is important to ensure that WSUS is properly configured and maintained. One of the most important aspects of WSUS maintenance is cleanup.
Performing WSUS cleanup is essential to keeping WSUS running smoothly. WSUS cleanup involves removing unused and obsolete updates, as well as redundant update files. Additionally, WSUS cleanup can help reduce the size of the WSUS database, which can improve WSUS performance.
There are two main ways to perform WSUS cleanup: manually or using a WSUS cleanup tool. Manual WSUS cleanup is a time-consuming process, and requires in-depth knowledge of WSUS and its database. Additionally, manual WSUS cleanup can be risky, as it is easy to accidentally delete needed updates or files.
WSUS cleanup tools automate WSUS cleanup, and can be a safer and more efficient option for performing WSUS cleanup. WSUS cleanup tools can be run on a schedule, and can be configured to email reports of their actions. Additionally, WSUS cleanup tools can often be configured to perform other WSUS maintenance tasks, such as creating backups or compacting the WSUS database.
When choosing a WSUS cleanup tool, it is important to select a tool that is compatible with the version of WSUS you are running. Additionally, it is important to select a tool that offers a trial or free version, so that you can test it out before purchasing.
Once you have selected a WSUS cleanup tool, the next step is to configure it. WSUS cleanup tools will typically require you to specify which updates and files you want to keep, and which you want to delete. It is important to be very careful when configuring a WSUS cleanup tool, as it is easy to accidentally delete needed updates or files.
After you have configured the WSUS cleanup tool, the next step is to run it. WSUS cleanup tools will typically provide a report of their actions, which can be helpful in troubleshooting any issues that may arise. Additionally, it is important to monitor WSUS after running a WSUS cleanup tool, to ensure that everything is working as expected.
Introduction
Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) is a server role included in Windows Server that enables you to manage the distribution of updates and hotfixes released for Microsoft products to computers in a corporate environment. WSUS can be used to automatically download and deploy updates for the operating system, as well as other Microsoft products such as Microsoft Office and Exchange Server.
In a WSUS deployment, there are typically two types of servers:
- The WSUS server itself, which is responsible for downloading updates from Microsoft and distributing them to client computers.
- Client computers, which receive updates from the WSUS server and install them.
Over time, the WSUS server can become cluttered with unused updates, update revisions, and computers that no longer exist on the network. This can lead to problems with WSUS synchronization, as well as decreased performance of the WSUS server itself.
To address these issues, it is necessary to periodically perform WSUS cleanup. In this article, we will show you how to perform WSUS cleanup in Windows Server 2022.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, you will need the following:
- A WSUS server running on Windows Server 2022.
- The WSUS console installed on a computer with administrative access to the WSUS server.
Performing WSUS Cleanup
To perform WSUS cleanup, follow these steps:
- Open the WSUS console and connect to the WSUS server.
- In the left-hand pane, expand the “Update Services” node and then expand the WSUS server.
- Right-click on the ” Updates” node and select “Cleanup Software Updates”.
- In the “Cleanup Software Updates” dialog box, select the options that you want to clean up. We recommend checking all of the options, as shown in the screenshot below.
- Click “OK” to begin the cleanup process.
Conclusion
In this article, we have shown you how to perform WSUS cleanup in Windows Server 2022. WSUS cleanup is an important part of maintaining a healthy WSUS deployment, and should be performed on a regular basis.
If you have a Server 2022 machine that is running the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) service, you may want to consider running the WSUS Cleanup Wizard. The WSUS Cleanup Wizard is a tool that can help you remove unused updates and computers from your WSUS database, and it can also help you reclaim disk space on your WSUS server. In this article, we will show you how to run the WSUS Cleanup Wizard in Server 2022.
Before you run the WSUS Cleanup Wizard, you will need to decide which cleanup tasks you want to perform. The WSUS Cleanup Wizard can perform the following cleanup tasks:
• Remove unused updates: This task will remove updates that are no longer needed by any computers in your WSUS database.
• Remove unused computers: This task will remove computers that have not contacted your WSUS server in the last 30 days.
• Remove unneeded files: This task will remove temporary files and files that are no longer needed by WSUS from your WSUS database.
• Decline expired updates: This task will decline updates that have expired and are no longer needed by any computers in your WSUS database.
• Decline superseded updates: This task will decline updates that have been superseded by a newer update.
To perform the WSUS Cleanup Wizard tasks, you will need to use the WSUS console. To open the WSUS console, click Start, then type “WSUS” into the search box, and click on the WSUS console shortcut that appears.
In the WSUS console, click on the “Options” node in the left-hand pane. In the right-hand pane, double-click on the “Cleanup Wizard” shortcut.
The WSUS Cleanup Wizard will now start. On the first page of the wizard, you will need to select the cleanup tasks that you want to perform. Once you have selected the desired tasks, click on the “Next” button.
On the next page of the wizard, you will be able to review the selected tasks. If you are happy with the selected tasks, click on the “Next” button.
On the final page of the wizard, you will be prompted to confirm that you want to perform the selected tasks. If you are sure that you want to perform the tasks, click on the “Finish” button. The WSUS Cleanup Wizard will now start performing the selected tasks.
