Central Windows Update Management

[Budgetclocker]

I'm looking for a way to centrally manage and deploy Windows updates for multiple servers/VMs, specifically a way to download updates once and then deploy them locally across my network. Sort of like how a Steam cache works. Are any good systems out there for doing that?

[Oshino Shinobu]

Windows Server Update Services. Role for Windows Server. 

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-server-update-services/get-started/windows-server-update-services-wsus

[leadeater]

Windows Server has a role you can install just for this functionality, it's called Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). You'll also need to configure appropriate Group Policies to point your clients and servers to this server for their update and reporting source.

 

There are some really good guides online how to set this all up.

[Budgetclocker]

8 minutes ago, leadeater said:

There are some really good guides online how to set this all up.

Any links to some tutorials? might spin up an instance later to see if I can get it working on my cluster.

[Oshino Shinobu]

3 minutes ago, Budgetclocker said:

Any links to some tutorials? might spin up an instance later to see if I can get it working on my cluster.

I'd just go with Microsoft's guide. It's fairly straight forward and if you have at least some basic knowledge of group policy, it's easy to configure clients and general settings. 

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-server-update-services/deploy/deploy-windows-server-update-services

 

EDIT: That's assuming you have a domain configured. Even if you don't, you can configure clients through local group policy as well. 

[leadeater]

11 minutes ago, Budgetclocker said:

Any links to some tutorials? might spin up an instance later to see if I can get it working on my cluster.

Go with @Oshino Shinobu Microsoft link for now, it has all the step by steps in it including Group Policies.

[Budgetclocker]

Only issue here is I'm running this in a ProxMox cluster, how would that work when selecting the server pool?

[Electronics Wizardy]

40 minutes ago, Budgetclocker said:

Only issue here is I'm running this in a ProxMox cluster, how would that work when selecting the server pool?

I have a wsus server working fine in a proxmox host. It will only do updates for windows though. The hypervisor won't affect it.

[Ubuntu is love]

You can also do it with a simple ansible script. Then you don't need to setup a home wsus machine. But when the wsus machine is running it's easyer to control if the update get's pushed or not.