Step 1: Review WSUS Installation Requirements for Windows SBS

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2, Windows Server Update Services

This guide tells you how to install WSUS on Windows SBS.

The following requirements are the minimum you need to install WSUS with the default options. You can find hardware and software requirements for installations that do not use the default options in “Deploying Microsoft Windows Server Update Services” at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=41171).

Hardware Requirements

WSUS has higher hardware requirements than Windows SBS. If your computer has the minimum system requirements for Windows SBS, you might notice decreased performance in WSUS. The minimum and recommended hardware requirement for WSUS are as follows:

  • 750 megahertz (MHz) processor (1 gigahertz (GHz) recommended)

  • 512 megabytes (MB) RAM (1 gigabyte (GB) recommended)

Software Requirements

To install WSUS with the default options, you must first install Windows SBS 2003 with SP1. Windows SBS 2003 with SP1 includes all of the software that you need to install WSUS. For more information about the software requirements for WSUS, see “Deploying Microsoft Windows Server Update Services” at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=41171). For more information about installing Windows SBS 2003 with SP1, see "Getting Started" at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=51143).

Disk Requirements and Recommendations

To install WSUS, the file system of the server must meet the following requirements:

  • Both the system partition and the partition on which you install WSUS must be formatted with the NTFS file system.

  • The system partition must have a minimum of 1 GB free space.

  • The volume where WSUS stores content must have a minimum of 6 GB free space; 30 GB is recommended.

Note

The 30 GB recommendation is only an estimate based on a number of variables, such as the number of updates released by Microsoft for any given product and how many products a WSUS administrator selects. Although 30 GB should work for most customers, a worst-case scenario might require more than 30 GB of disk space. If you require more than 30 GB of disk space, see "Windows Server Update Services Operations Guide" for guidance on how to point WSUS to a larger disk. "Windows Server Update Services Operations Guide" is available on the Tech Center site for Windows Server Update Services at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=41171.

  • The volume where WSUS Setup installs Windows SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (WMSDE) must have a minimum of 2 GB free space.

Automatic Updates Requirements

Automatic Updates is the client component of WSUS. Automatic Updates has no hardware requirements, other than the client computer must be connected to the network. You can use Automatic Updates with WSUS on computers that are running any of the following operating systems:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional with Service Pack 3 (SP3), Service Pack 4 (SP4), or Service Pack 5 (SP5); Windows 2000 Server with SP3, SP4, or SP5; or Windows 2000 Advanced Server with SP3, SP4, or SP5.

  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional, with or without Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2.

  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition, Datacenter Edition, or Web Edition, or any of these operating systems with SP1.

Note

For operating systems not listed above, you can try to download updates manually by going directly to the Download Center at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=51471.