WSUS 3.0 is also available via the Beta Microsoft Update Catalog!

The new beta MU Catalog provides access to all content in the Microsoft Update service, and also includes integration with WSUS 3.0.  This will enable you to import drivers, generally distributed hotfix releases (like 927891), and other content into WSUS from the MU Beta Catalog! Keep in mind the Catalog is beta, but give it a whirl on a test server.   If you are looking to download WSUS 3.0, give the MU Catalog Beta a try…

http://test.catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/ScopedView.aspx?updateid=e05bf1ad-259e-4433-aeca-cdbcd067dd73 (x64)

http://test.catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/ScopedView.aspx?updateid=402d9e03-f6b2-4cac-9e21-57e3f17ca264 (x86)

Note… you can also go to the Catalog and search for “WSUS”.

Thanks!

For those of you who may have not "synched" yet today, I'm also pleased to let you know the latest MSI.dll fix addressing it's portion of the Svchost/msi issue (KB927891)  is also available via WU and WSUS today!

-Bobbie

Hi Folks-

Just wanted to let you know - today is the day two updates will be available to you to assist in your management and deployment of WSUS 3.0.

First ,we are making an update available for WSUS 2.0 SP1, which will create a 3.0 "self update tree" on your WSUS 2.0 /SP1 servers.  The self-update tree update contains the code for the WSUS 3.0 client.  That means, once this update is approved and installed on your WSUS 2.0 SP1 server, 2.0 clients "mapped" to that server will be "self updated" to the 3.0 client the next time the client 'checks in' with the WSUS 2.0 SP1 server.  The server remains WSUS 2.0 SP1, while the clients are able to update themselves from the server, to the 3.0 version.   We did this to ensure customers had a distributable method to update their clients and realize  new performance optimizations, but still manage the plan and timing to upgrade the servers to WSUS 3.0.  This update is classified as a critical update for all server categories on which WSUS 2.0 SP1 is supported, with the exception of SBS R2.

Additionally, WSUS 3.0 will available via WSUS today, classified as an "update" and targeted at Windows 2003 SP1 for WSUS 2.0, WSUS 2.0 SP1 products.  There will be 2 updates since 3.0 now natively supports x64bit. They are:

Windows Server Update Services 3.0 (KB935524)
Windows Server Update Services 3.0 for x64-based Systems (KB935524)

Again, this update will be classified as an “update” targeted at Windows 2003 SP1 for WSUS 2.0 and WSUS 2.0 SP1.   Also the update will be used to upgrade WSUS 3.0 RC to RTM on the Windows 2003 server. 

Hope this helps and happy updating!

-Bobbie Harder

Hi - Touching base back on our testing results in reproducing the "svchost/msi issue" system hang, lock and/or unresponsive behaivor reports.  After installing the new 3.0 client, and the MSI fix (KB927891) referenced in yesterdays' post, we tested scan times, system responsiveness and CPU utilization on a variety of systems running multiple applications simultaneously.

Baselines were run on Single Processor 733 Mhz systems with 256Mb Ram, with XPSP2 and Windows Server 2003 SP1 operating systems and Office 2003 installed.  Multiple instances of IE, Office apps, and AV utils were run during scans.  In these cases there was the expected CPU usage spike in the task manager, however all the systems remained responsive.  

I have not yet had anyone report and send information to me on locked or unresponsive systems after installing and verifying the new 3.0 client and the MSI fix are on the systems. Still open to recieving the WindowsUpdate.log and system HW/SW configuration if you are continuing to experience these issues.  However,  we are seeing many more posts in blogs, forums and newsgroups where users are reporting these installs alleviate these issues, while the CPU consumption does temporarly spike as expected. 

We will continue to monitor this issue.

thanks -

Bobbie Harder