Configure Computer Groups
Update Services automatically configures client computers and additional servers that are joined to the Windows SBS 2003 R2 domain so that they download updates from the computer on the network that is running Windows SBS 2003 R2 and not from the Microsoft Update servers.
When Update Services is first installed, Group Policy objects (GPOs) are created and linked at the domain level. When client computers and additional servers in the domain refresh their Group Policy settings, these GPOs are applied.
Note
If you already have Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 2.0 running when you install the Windows SBS 2003 R2 Technologies, and you have created custom GPOs to work with WSUS 2.0, you should delete your custom GPOs so that they do not conflict with the GPOs that Update Services creates. For more information, see Troubleshooting.
Note
The default cycle to refresh Group Policy settings on computers running Windows is 90 minutes. You can also refresh Group Policy settings on network computers immediately in either of the following ways:
- Log off the computer and then log back on.
- Use
gpupdate /force
at the command prompt on the computer. For more information, see Troubleshooting.
Update Services keeps track of which computers are registered with it, and it periodically compares this list with Active Directory. Computers that are listed in Active Directory but that are not registered with Update Services are displayed in a warning message in the Update Services home page status area.
Note
When Update Services is first installed, the list of computers that are in Active Directory but that are not registered with Update Services may include every computer in the Windows SBS 2003 R2 domain. This is because Update Services obtains the list of computers that are in Active Directory faster than computers in the domain can register with Update Services. Because client computers in the domain refresh their Group Policy settings every 90 minutes, they may not register with Update Services until some time after Update Services obtains the list of computers that are in Active Directory. To receive an accurate list of computers that are not registered with Update Services, you should either wait a few hours after installing Update Services or you should immediately refresh the Group Policy settings on the client computers by using the methods listed in the preceding Note.
Computer Groups
To ease administration of updates for computers that are joined to the Windows SBS 2003 R2 domain, Update Services classifies network computers into two groups: Server Computers and Client Computers. Using groups provides Windows SBS administrators the ability to manage updates for computers on the network differently, based on the role or usage of the computers.
Computer Group | Definition | ||
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Update Services Server Computers group |
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Update Services Client Computers group |
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In some cases, you may want to move a computer from one computer group to another, or you may want to exclude a computer from Update Services management altogether. For either task, use the Update Services Settings dialog.
Note
If you change the computer group membership of a network computer, (for example, if you move a network computer from the Update Services Client Computers group to the Update Services Server Computers group), it takes 90 minutes for this change to apply. This is because network computers refresh their Group Policy settings every 90 minutes.
Complete the following procedure to move a computer from one computer group to another
To move a computer to a different computer group
Click Start, and then click Server Management.
In the console pane of the Server Management console, click Update Services.
On the Update Services home page, click Change Update Services Settings. The Update Services Settings dialog appears.
Click the Included Computers tab. In the list of included computers, click the computer name of the computer you want to move.
Click the Modify button. The Change Update Group Membership dialog appears.
Click the Update Group that you want move the computer to, and then click OK to close the Change Update Group Membership dialog.
Click OK to close the Update Services Settings dialog.
Complete the following procedure to exclude a computer from Update Services management:
To exclude a computer from Update Services
Click Start, and then click Server Management.
In the console pane of the Server Management console, click Update Services.
On the Update Services home page, click Change Update Services Settings. The Update Services Settings dialog appears.
Click the Included Computers tab. In the list of included computers, click the computer name of the computer you want to exclude.
Click the Remove button. The computer name appears in the Excluded column.
Click OK to close the Update Services Settings dialog.
See Also
Concepts
Getting Started with Update Services Configure Update Services Troubleshooting