How do you keep your laptops upto date

[wilson2010]

Hi All,

 

I just want to find out how you manage to keep your laptops up-to date with Windows Updates etc. How do you overcome the issues when the laptops are shut down after school and you can't push updates to them? We have over 200 laptops around the school so walking around and turning them all on is not really ideal.

 

How are your updates configured, we currently have it so the updates install at 3pm. I have noticed on some occasions that when laptops are turned on the pupils have to wait as it's finishing configuring the updates, which can impact the lesson.

 

Any suggestions or ideas are greatly appreciated.

 

Garerg

[witch]

I don't. I'm term-time only and never here when the staff aren't

If I get a laptop to mend I will always update it then.

Same issue with pupil laptops - configuring is a real pain for the school.

Not ideal, I know, and I have flagged it but nothing will be done

I do keep the server up to date though!

[Chuckster]

I have updates configured and scheduled for 11am, which is when our break occurs. You don't notice any impact whatsoever if you have SSDs installed.

[DJ-1701]

With the primary it's configured to install updates at around lunch time when most of the pupils and staff aren't using the devices and when most of them are left on. They get informed that updates have been done and have an option to restart or delay it until end of day. Of course it does take some time to complete after reboot, but that is unavoidable unfortunately. With Windows 10 though you can set it to update in the background when the machine is not busy, so if it wasn't logged in generally it should automatically reboot and complete the process when not in use.

[mowgli82]

I have updates configured and scheduled for 11am, which is when our break occurs. You don't notice any impact whatsoever if you have SSDs installed.

 

^^ This

[3s-gtech]

By pure luck. And often not, they are frequently put away while still installing (we push out in batches) then break, requiring a re-image. Would be nice if MS could understand that over 1GB of updates per month is perhaps a little strong - maybe they could do some compression/optimisation or just stop releasing broken junk?

 

Rant over.

[vimagoes]

Through WSUS

 

Staff: Every time I have new updates, so almost everyday

 

Pupils: Term only, but I've got just 15 laptops, so no big deal. It's a PITA because every term I have to update tons of updates but my WSUS does it for me

[psydii]

Laptop Trolleys: From WSUS - Technician led, we attach a GPO the trolley OU that configures WSUS Client to download and notify. Technician hauls the trolley to our 'work room' (usually a classroom seconded for the purpose). Cracks them open, inspects for damage, logs on and kicks off the updates. Each trolly has a scheduled maintenance window of half a day once a month. We optimise ReadyBoot (Windows Enterprise Client Boot and Logon Optimization ? Part 4, An Aside on ReadyBoot - Mark Renoden?s Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs) to ensure optimum performance. (We don't have any student devices with SSDs). After updates are done the GPO link is disabled. The general WSUS GPO for student laptops sets updates to only download or install on demand. - This helps provide a consistent boot/logon time.

 

Staff Laptops: WSUS release a week before teh GPO scheduled restart, users are able to initiate installation. So Staff get a weeks grace to manually start the update. If a laptop is not updated before the well advertised deadline, the updates install and reboot them automatically.

 

Antii-Virus, Flash and Chrome updates can all cause reports of slow machines, but I've taken the view that keeping these right up to date is more important in the long run than the occasional slow boot / logon.

[JoeFulford]

I don't really. I deploy updates at lunchtimes and just after school hoping that it will get them updated but to be honest I'm not that bothered. I apply only the WSUS updates I deem necessary and then after that they just update when they can.

[clockend25]

With great difficulty. Scheduling any shut down during work hours wouldn't go down well, so we just push them out and ask staff to make sure they shut down and install updates on a regular basis. I've also shown them how to kick the install off themselves while logged on to try and get more people updated. Unfortunately some are a nightmare and need forcibly chasing down when updates pile up.

 

I had one member of staff bring a laptop in this week, and in the course of fixing the issue shut it down, at which point it started installing 127 updates. He wasn't happy at the subsequent delay, but was politely reminded that maybe it would be better if he shut the laptop down every now and again. That's about 5 months of updates I reckon.

[Blue_Cookeh]

I started deploying updates using SCCM.

 

Staff have updates deployed to them ASAP after they become available, with a deadline set to 1 week after Patch Tuesday. Updates are set to install OOH (8:30-15:30) but they'll get forced at the deadline.

 

Pupil netbooks are deployed to ASAP after becoming available, but the deadline is extended out to 1 month after Patch Tuesday and set to install OOH before this as above. Our teachers know this routine so once a month they'll set them all up for an hour after school to update.

Edited March 17, 2016 by Blue_Cookeh

[wilson2010]

With Windows 10 though you can set it to update in the background when the machine is not busy, so if it wasn't logged in generally it should automatically reboot and complete the process when not in use.

 

That sounds like a great idea. Do you know if this will be a computer setting or can it be set by Group Policy?