Implementing a Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) infrastructure requires you to install and configure a WSUS server. In a previous series, I outlined the installation and configuration process for WSUS 3.0 SP1.

Once your WSUS server is set up, you then need to configure the software update infrastructure to support network clients.

In this series of articles, I’ll outline how to configure your software update infrastructure to support Windows Vista clients.

Configuring Vista for Windows Updates

Windows Vista does not require any additional software installed to use a WSUS server for obtaining updates. Windows Update is included with Windows Vista and must be turned on for Vista to automatically check for updates. When you install Vista, you are prompted to configure Windows Update settings. If Windows Update was not turned on at this time, you can do so using the steps below.

1. Click Start and click Control Panel.
2. Click the Security link.
3. Under Windows Update, click the Turn Automatic Updating On Or Off link.
4. Adjust the settings so updates are installed automatically and click OK.

Configuring Windows Update for WSUS

With Windows Update turned on, there are numerous settings you can use to configure how updates will be downloaded from a WSUS server. There are two different ways of configuring settings. The settings can be configured locally through the Local Group Policy. Alternatively, if your network uses Active Directory, you can deploy any settings through a domain group policy. In part II of this series, we’ll look more closely at both methods.