Scheduling Updates

Applies To: Windows 7

Ben’s requirements include keeping computers healthy and protecting users from security risks. A key way Ben can do that is by applying security updates regularly. One option is to manually configure Automatic Updates. To do that, he simply clicks Start, types windows update, and clicks Windows Update. Then, he clicks Change settings and chooses which type of updates to install and when to install them.

To configure Automatic Updates for shared computers, Ben can use Group Policy settings. Because Blue Yonder Airlines uses Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) to install Windows updates, Ben will create a GPO in Active Directory that configures his shared computers to automatically download and install approved updates from WSUS.

You can also configure an LGPO or a GPO in Active Directory to automatically download and install updates from Windows Update. As shown in Figure 7, Windows Update settings are located at:

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Update

Figure 7  Group Policy settings for Automatic Updates

Group Policy settings provide a great deal of flexibility for scheduling updates. Not only can you configure which types of updates to install and when to install them, but you can choose whether Automatic Updates prompts users to restart their computers, whether Automatic Updates installs recommended updates in addition to important updates, and so on. Automatic Updates in Windows 7 allows you to schedule updates on shared computers similarly to Windows SteadyState.

The second document in this set, Steady State Reference Document, describes the Group Policy settings that you can use to schedule and configure Automatic Updates in Windows 7. That document also lists recommended values for these settings. You can apply these settings by using an LGPO or a GPO in Active Directory.