Apply Software Updates
Applies To: Microsoft HPC Pack 2008 R2, Microsoft HPC Pack 2012, Microsoft HPC Pack 2012 R2, Windows HPC Server 2008 R2
Microsoft® HPC Pack integrates with Microsoft Update services to update the compute nodes on your cluster. The Maintenance phase of a node template can include an Apply Updates task, with settings that you configure for which updates to apply. To run maintenance tasks on compute nodes, you take the nodes offline and run the Maintain action. If the node template for the nodes includes the Apply Updates task, this task downloads updates to the compute nodes from the Microsoft Update Web site or the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) server in your enterprise, and then installs the updates. When you bring the nodes online, they can run jobs or accept new jobs. This method of applying updates is particularly appropriate if your cluster nodes are isolated on private and application networks.
Note
The Apply Updates task in the node template cannot install updates that include software license terms (also known as an End User License Agreement or EULA). This type of update requires the administrator of each node to accept the software license terms before the update can be installed. In this scenario, you have to install updates that include software license terms manually.
For more information about applying updates by using and enterprise WSUS server or by using a node template, see the Best Practices topic in the updating nodes step-by-step guide.
In HPC Cluster Manager, you can use the following steps to apply software updates to cluster nodes by using a node template:
Add the Apply Updates Task to a Node Template: This step adds a maintenance task to your node templates that specifies the category of software updates that you want applied to the compute nodes (None, Critical, or All), or that lists particular updates that you want applied.
Run the update diagnostics in the System Configuration diagnostic suite to monitor installed, required (as defined by the node template), and available updates on your cluster.
Run Maintenance Tasks on Nodes: You can apply the maintenance tasks (such as Apply Updates) specified in a node’s template by taking the node offline, then using the Maintain action on the node.
Periodically run the update diagnostics in the System Configuration diagnostic suite to monitor installed, required (as defined by the node template), and available updates on your cluster.
About Microsoft Update
Microsoft Update is a Web site that is used to publish updates (also known as patches) for Windows and Microsoft products. WSUS enables information technology administrators to deploy the latest Microsoft product updates to computers running a Windows operating system. By using WSUS, administrators can fully manage the distribution of updates that are released through Microsoft Update to computers in their network.