Windows 7 windows update question

[Jimbo22]

Here's one for you......Why is it when widows releases updates and you receive them, and you have more than one computer....networked or not......that each computer some running the exact same specs than others, that the updates for each computer arrive at different days and times? Very odd.....Just curious.

 

[Mike]

If every computer in the world checked for updates at the exact same time, it would overwhelm Microsoft's servers. Therefore, Windows Update, by default uses an Automatic Update detection interval. This mechanism can be manipulated using local or group policy in a document better detailed here: Configure Automatic Updates by Using Group Policy

One way that Microsoft has reduced the load on their update servers, and in doing so, reducing the load on business networks, was to develop WSUS (Windows Server Update Service), which allows single or multiple Windows Servers to function as Windows Update servers for client machines connected to a Windows domain network. The way this works is by installing the Windows Server Update Service (WSUS) role in Windows Server 2003 and/or Windows Server 2008 and using group policy to point clients to the local server(s). These servers retain a copy of whatever updates the enterprise administrative group deems are appropriate for the machines. Exceptions and rules can be put in place based on a number of criteria.

So instead of 200 computers downloading from Microsoft, they are using the LAN.

 

[cybercore]

Updates could be set to come in different times to reduce traffic to the update servers, and different PC's could be scheduled for different updates and at different times.