Scheduling reboots for auto updates

[HereIGoAgain2601]

Hello all,

 

We run Server 2012 R2 on the majority of our servers, and 2016 on some of the newer ones. I am wondering what you all do with regards to scheduling updates on the servers. We currently have around 200 servers across the network and are looking for a way to schedule reboots.

 

We use SCCM predominantly, but some sites only use WSUS. What is the best way to get these servers to reboot, but only at night i.e. the early hours of the morning so nobody notices. I was considering a scheduled task but this could cause issues if the Hyper V host shuts down at the same time as the VMs?

 

Open to suggestions on the best way forward

 

Thanks

[googlemad]

I am also interested in the answer to this as we have a mix of 2008 / 2008 R2 / 2012 / 2016 virtual servers that the boss has now requested get a reboot every 2 weeks! Don't really want to have to go around setting up a scheduled task on every single one manually, and also would be nice to have a solution where it sends a nice email or something off to my boss once successfully rebooted

[Tefters]

Hello all,

 

We run Server 2012 R2 on the majority of our servers, and 2016 on some of the newer ones. I am wondering what you all do with regards to scheduling updates on the servers. We currently have around 200 servers across the network and are looking for a way to schedule reboots.

 

We use SCCM predominantly, but some sites only use WSUS. What is the best way to get these servers to reboot, but only at night i.e. the early hours of the morning so nobody notices. I was considering a scheduled task but this could cause issues if the Hyper V host shuts down at the same time as the VMs?

 

Open to suggestions on the best way forward

 

Thanks

 

Well your solution is rather easy, SCCM maintenance windows and device collections.

 

Need some more info on your setup. You say network (singular) and multiple sites (plural) with some sites running WSUS.

 

Is this all one network (MAT) or do you support several different school sites with different networks that have no link/relation?

 

Reason I ask is why you don't consider pushing SCCM across all sites.

[Tefters]

I am also interested in the answer to this as we have a mix of 2008 / 2008 R2 / 2012 / 2016 virtual servers that the boss has now requested get a reboot every 2 weeks! Don't really want to have to go around setting up a scheduled task on every single one manually, and also would be nice to have a solution where it sends a nice email or something off to my boss once successfully rebooted

 

As for your question, SCCM or WSUS? One site or multiple? How many servers?

[markwilfan]

I use a simple bat file run from a server on a schedule a day after patch Tuesday. Runs at 2 in the morn but reboots servers in a specific order of my choosing to avoid backup windows and to prevent everything from restarting at once. Can't imagine having all dcs at once restart is good for AD for example.

[HereIGoAgain2601]

Hello,

 

Thanks for your answer. Yes we are a MAT and we use SCCM at all MAT sites, but you guessed correctly we also support some local schools who are not in the MAT and run their own networks with no links back to the main network. These smaller schools don't use SCCM and rely on WSUS instead.

 

I have looked into the SCCM maintenance windows before - is there any configuration we need to do with GPO's on the server side in terms of allowing them to reboot if admins are still logged on remote desktop etc or will SCCM just force it? At the moment the updates go onto the servers with ADRs but they just stay on forever pending a manual restart.

 

Thanks in advance

[HereIGoAgain2601]

I use a simple bat file run from a server on a schedule a day after patch Tuesday. Runs at 2 in the morn but reboots servers in a specific order of my choosing to avoid backup windows and to prevent everything from restarting at once. Can't imagine having all dcs at once restart is good for AD for example.

 

That's not a bad idea, think I was over complicating things. If I write a BAT file to schedule the shutdowns in an order this would solve the problems at site where we can't use SCCM.

 

Cheers

[Tefters]

Or just site to site VPN the local schools via your router (hoping itts half decent being a MAT and drop in SCCM on them too?