WSUS: Read this before installing your next WSUS 3.0 computer

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We still gets quite a few support calls concerning problems caused by some sort of prerequisite issue so I thought it might be a good idea to post a link to the pre-install considerations you should be aware of before setting up a new Windows Server Update Services 3.0 box.  Some of these are obvious and some are not, and even if you're a WSUS veteran it probably wouldn't hurt to review these one more time.  For example:

  • Windows 2000 Server is not supported for WSUS 3.0 servers
  • WSUS 3.0 is not supported on servers running Terminal Services
  • If two or more Web sites are already running on port 80, delete all but one of them before installing WSUS
  • WSUS 3.0 requires the nested triggers option to be turned on in SQL Server

And so on and so on....

These are all documented in the Readme but we also have them on the web at https://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/94d1385f-4872-4c29-8822-3a4ec5e45ae41033.mspx?mfr=true.

Whenever you set out to install a new WSUS 3.x box I'd recommend taking 10 or 15 minutes to go over these one more time.  These few minutes of preparation can end up saving you hours of troubleshooting and frustration down the road.

J.C. Hornbeck | Manageability Knowledge Engineer