question

StefanFalk-3673 avatar image
0 Votes"
StefanFalk-3673 asked RitaHu-MSFT edited

How to disable WSUS local storage after it was active

Hello everybody,

A customer wants his WSUS server no longer to store updates locally. We have changed the GPO so that clients get updates directly from Windows Update, and we set the WSUS options so that updates are not stored locally.

However, the share to WsusContent is still active. What is the correct procedure to disable local storage in WSUS after it was once in use?

Best Regards,
Stefan

windows-server-update-services
· 2
5 |1600 characters needed characters left characters exceeded

Up to 10 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 3.0 MiB each and 30.0 MiB total.

Hello Stefan,

Thanks for your posting on this forum.

As learn2skills said below, ticking the Do not store updates files locally; computers install from Microsoft Update option is a direct and effective method. The WSUS server will not download updates files and computers will connect to the Internet to get updates.

1 Vote 1 ·

To follow-up, Please let us know if you have further query on this.
Please don’t forget to Accept the answer

0 Votes 0 ·
learn2skills avatar image
0 Votes"
learn2skills answered learn2skills commented

Hi @StefanFalk-3673

In WSUS, Options ->Update Files and Languages, you can select Do Not store locally.

85836-image.png




If the Answer is helpful, please click Accept Answer and up-vote, this can be beneficial to other community members.




image.png (95.0 KiB)
· 2
5 |1600 characters needed characters left characters exceeded

Up to 10 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 3.0 MiB each and 30.0 MiB total.

@learn2skills
Thanks for your sharing on this forum.

It's very kind of you.

Have a nice day.

1 Vote 1 ·

You're Welcome!

0 Votes 0 ·
StefanFalk-3673 avatar image
0 Votes"
StefanFalk-3673 answered learn2skills commented

Hello everybody,

Your suggestion is exactly what I had done. However, there is still the share active for the WsusContent folder. May we just remove this share manually? What else must we do?

Best Regards,
Stefan

· 1
5 |1600 characters needed characters left characters exceeded

Up to 10 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 3.0 MiB each and 30.0 MiB total.


However, since you are changing the setting for where updates are obtained, be sure to review the GPO setting Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > System > Internet Communication Management > Internet Communication Settings > Turn off access to all Windows Update features as well as the GPO setting Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Do not connect to any Windows Update Internet locations to ensure that the computers are allowed to communicate with the internet Windows Update.
https://serverfault.com/questions/1000874/possible-to-not-cache-updates-on-wsus-server


0 Votes 0 ·
AJTek-Adam-J-Marshall avatar image
0 Votes"
AJTek-Adam-J-Marshall answered
5 |1600 characters needed characters left characters exceeded

Up to 10 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 3.0 MiB each and 30.0 MiB total.

StefanFalk-3673 avatar image
0 Votes"
StefanFalk-3673 answered AJTek-Adam-J-Marshall commented

Hello everybody,

we are not exactly running out of space on the WSUS server. We want to remove its local storage entirely and have clients download everything directly from Windows Update.

We have removed the disks with the WSUS content and manualle removed the two file shares pointing there. However, WSUS now records a DirectoryNotFoundException for E:\WSUS\WsusContent\anonymousCheckFile.txt in the event log.

And this is what I am asking all the time: What to do to correctly turn off local WSUS storage...?

Regards,
Stefan

· 1
5 |1600 characters needed characters left characters exceeded

Up to 10 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 3.0 MiB each and 30.0 MiB total.

You need to KEEP the WsusContent folder in-tact and allow WSUS to still use it for certain things like you've found out with the anonymousCheckFile.txt, but it will not take up lots of space - it will be minimal.

Following my guide to wipe it clean, then running wsusutil reset will trigger it to re-download the 'little bits' that it needs to work and leave the rest of the content to Microsoft.

I understand your request - it's not a hard one to understand, but there are files that WSUS needs to work that are part of the checks/balances of the services. Right now you've removed one of them. When you put it back - either by E: or using Wsusutil movecontent to move it back to C:\WSUS, then WSUS will start to work properly.

Another guide you'll likely need since you went at this a little differently.

https://www.ajtek.ca/wsus/wsus-permissions-wsuscontent-registry-and-iis/

1 Vote 1 ·
StefanFalk-3673 avatar image
0 Votes"
StefanFalk-3673 answered RitaHu-MSFT edited

Hello Adam,

Thanks for your input, now I understand. Your link is also valuable. So we will put a small drive in place and get things up and running again. Thanks again!

Best Regards,
Stefan

· 2
5 |1600 characters needed characters left characters exceeded

Up to 10 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 3.0 MiB each and 30.0 MiB total.

Here is a useful link which I want to share with you. We could follow the link to delete the older WSUS folder which are be used to store the Binary update file and rebuild a new one.

Note that don't touch the database. This link is also helpful to reset the WSUS database.

Thanks for your time.

0 Votes 0 ·

Is there any updates of this case? Is there any other assistance we can provide?

Please consider marking the answer if the issue has been resolved.

Have a nice day.

Regards,
Rita

0 Votes 0 ·