Today we're super pleased to announce the release of our first public beta for WSUS 3.0.  Pre-ceeded by a private TAP beta, beta 2 went live today, August 14th at 9:30 PDT. 

Windows Server Update Services 3.0 delivers new features enabling administrators to more easily manage and deploy updates across your organization. Now contained within a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 3.0. snap in, WSUS 3.0 lets you efficiently manage updates using advanced filtering, sorting, shortcut menus, and robust reporting. WSUS 3.0 enables you to get started quickly with an easy setup and configuration wizard. Plus you can manage the WSUS console on remote computers as well as maintain multiple WSUS servers from a single console. Improved deployment options allow you to synchronize updates every hour, set rules to auto-deploy specific updates, and provide read-only reporting access on the WSUS server.

Other new capabilities include NLB support and the ability to change the management model of a downstream server from a replica model to an autonomously managed server, (and vice versa) on the fly.  You can also choose to download just a subset of update languages to a downstream server, even if it is a replica.

We look forward to your feedback and suggestions on the WSUS 3.0 beta 2 release.  We have dedicated PSS personnel and folks from the product team to augment the peer support and the WSUS 3.0 MVP expertise you can find in the WSUS 3.0 public beta 2 newsgroups.  

You can register for and participate in this beta via the main WSUS product page link at or directly via the Microsoft Connect Site by choosing the WSUS beta 2 program. 

The Connect beta site has all the information you need to register, download the documentation and the beta, file bugs and suggestions directly, and access the beta newsgroups.  We look forward to your feedback on WSUS 3.0 beta 2!!!

The WSUS 3.0 team