Windows Update Management is a software solution for automated Microsoft updates that can be configured entirely according to the individual needs of the user. This not only allows you to keep track of available Windows updates, but also to schedule updates (e.g. updates or upgrades to a new operating system), reject individual updates or create Windows Update Collections, thereby controlling distribution and determining which client should receive which update and when.

The configurable test and release process also allows you to test updates before distribution and installation, before they are distributed to all clients.

General information about Windows Update Management

Windows Update Management is part of Patch Management in ACMP (Patch Management > Windows Update Management) and is structured into different areas: In addition to the start page with the dashboard overview, there are various tabs where you can configure specific settings for your work. The other tabs show you the available Updates for the selected products and classifications (with additional information such as the number of clients that require the update) or give you an overview of declined Updates and allow you to compile Windows Update Collections, as well as providing insight into the managed clients (Managed by WUM).

Before you can work with the Windows Update Management, you must first complete the First Steps Wizard.

Download types in Windows Update Management

The Windows Update Management home page provides a better overview for versatile work with the plugin. Here you will find, among other things, topic-specific widgets that show you, for example, how many clients are managed via Windows Update Management, which updates have been released in the last 30 days, and the status of the respective jobs. You need the latter option to be able to manually start the various download types and clean up the jobs (status of WUM jobs). The distinction is as follows:

Within the widget, you can also view the current progress of the job, as well as the start and end dates and the result. If the job encounters an error, you can read about possible causes here (seeError messages during metadata and setup download).

Preparations for working with Windows Update Management

Windows Update Management supports you in the management and distribution of numerous updates and upgrades. However, before you start using it, there are a few preparations you should make. Read the following notes on how to best prepare your environments for working with Windows Update Management.