Benefits of WSUS in our weird network

[swpmre]

We've got a weird network setup. Our Adult Ed service piggy backs onto the city council's network. We have multiple sites, with a handful of PCs at each place. Each site has a cache pilot as the interface between the PCs and the outside world.

 

Currently we have our PCs connect to the internet over night and get updates. I've just learnt that the outside party responsible for our network admin, has a WSUS server which we could connect to. However I've been told that the WSUS server simply downloads all updates, there is no checking or testing process.

 

My question is, is there any benefit to us using their WSUS. I'm not convinced that we'll be reducing network traffic, because the updates will still effectively have to come from "outside" each site. We're not getting any benefit of testing, because they don't do any. My only potential saving is that if the updates website fails, we can still get our updates from their server. But that's more likely to happen the other way around.

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks

 

Martin

[djones]

I wouldn't bother.

[glennda]

wsus is only really good if you want to be able to pick and choose the updates you want so i wouldnt bother

 

Toby

[FN-GM]

I would do it. That way you can control what the machines install. You wont get things such as the Microsoft Browser choice.

[glennda]

I would do it. That way you can control what the machines install. You wont get things such as the Microsoft Browser choice.

 

if its there wsus server he might not have control over which updates are distributed therefore seeming pointless to me - if they filter them out to only security updates etc then its worth it

[localzuk]

I would do it. That way you can control what the machines install. You wont get things such as the Microsoft Browser choice.

 

If he's just using an upstream provider's WSUS, it wouldn't do any of this. He would have to have a WSUS server of his own to do this, connecting to the upstream one.

 

The only reason I can see to use it would be to help your ISP to reduce their bandwidth costs, and therefore pass this saving on to customers...

[FN-GM]

if its there wsus server he might not have control over which updates are distributed therefore seeming pointless to me - if they filter them out to only security updates etc then its worth it

 

If he's just using an upstream provider's WSUS, it wouldn't do any of this. He would have to have a WSUS server of his own to do this, connecting to the upstream one.

 

The only reason I can see to use it would be to help your ISP to reduce their bandwidth costs, and therefore pass this saving on to customers...

 

Yer i know, but he will have control of his system

[swpmre]

In summary, I think I won't bother. Seems like a large task to point each PC on the network to the WSUS server. For extremely minor benefits, if any. Thanks guys.

[glennda]

you can do it via GPO Configure Automatic updates Via Group Policy

[swpmre]

you can do it via GPO Configure Automatic updates Via Group Policy

 

Ah.... if only we had AD!