Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
The software update point is a Configuration Manager site system role that supports software
update management. It integrates WSUS with the Configuration Manager infrastructure. In
multisite Configuration Manager deployments, each site usually contains a software update
point. You typically configure the software update point at the hierarchy's top-level site to
synchronize updates from Microsoft Update. Then, you configure the software update points
in each child site to synchronize updates from the upstream update server in the parent site.
The deployment of software update points in secondary sites is optional. It is generally
a good idea to deploy a software update point in a secondary site when there is limited
network bandwidth between client computers and site systems in the primary site. When you
configure a software update point in a secondary site, the WSUS installation is configured as
a replica of the WSUS instance located in the primary site. Clients located within the second-
ary site boundaries are configured to communicate with the local software update point in
the secondary site. In this configuration, you continue to manage all deployments from the
primary site.
System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager supports multiple software update points
in each site. When you deploy multiple software update points in a site, those software
update points are automatically load balanced in the following way: Configuration Manager
initially assigns a client to a software update point. The client retains that assignment unless it
experiences a software-update failure such as the WSUS server being unavailable or unre-
sponsive. The client retries to connect to the software update point a minimum of four times
at 30-minute intervals. After the fourth attempt, the client waits an additional two minutes
and then chooses another software update point randomly from the site, with a priority of a
software update point that resides in the same forest.
If you deploy the software update point on a computer that hosts additional site system
roles, you can support up to 25,000 clients. If the software update point site system role is
deployed by itself, it can support up to 100,000 clients.
Deployment
When you install a software update point, you must configure it to communicate with the
WSUS through the appropriate ports. By default, when you install WSUS on a computer run-
ning Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2, it creates a dedicated website for
WSUS and configures ports 8530 for HTTP and 8531 for HTTPS.
A Configuration Manager software update point has the following prerequisites:
WSUS 3.0 SP2 or newer
The Software Updates feature requires WSUS 3.0 Service
Pack 2 (SP2) or newer for software-updates catalog synchronization and client scan-
ning for compliance assessments with respect to software updates. For Windows
Server 2008 R2, you must download and install WSUS and related prerequisites on a
system before configuring that system as a Configuration Manager site system for a
software update point. From Windows Server 2012 onward, WSUS is a built-in role.
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