Keeping up with the Updates

[himji]

GAH. I just found out my TMG 2010 is two service releases out of date.

I check the web and find SP1. But me not being trusting of a quick search, I then find there's an SP2. Hmmm, not good enough still, oh there's a SP2 RU1. I think I've found how deep this little rabbit hole goes... or do I.

 

Now here's the thing, I know the best way of keeping up with SR releases and updates is to either use automatic updates or to get RSS feeds from trusted community blogs. No way am I letting Windows update decide on what to install and SR's for individual products aren't always available in this way anyway. So I'm left with blogs. Ok, I look after well, I haven't enough fingers to count the number of Microsoft products I look after and I'm not going to subscribe and then keep up to date with all those blogs.

 

Is this a rant??? No there's a question.

 

How do you guys keep up? Is there a good all encompassing blog that gives you just useful posts?

Or is there a great wiki out there?

Or do you do what I've been doing up to now is just pick up snippets and expect it'll be fine, hell nobody other than me cares which service pack I'm on anyway, well until something goes wrong that is?

 

Thanks

[X-13]

Work or personal?

 

 

Personal - Windows updates. Just let it run and you'll be up to date. [auto - let me choose what to install]

 

Work - I don't. It's [currently] taken care of by our LEA.

 

But I would, personally, keep track of official OS developments and sort software/hardware as and when needed.

[himji]

Work. I don't have (no of?) any local authority help in this department. But I've got about ten physical and 40 virtual servers to keep up to date and there's no way I can keep up to date as well as keep things running hence the question. BTW, I'm not just talking Windows, SQL, Exchange, Forefront, SCCM, SCOM etc

[AngryTechnician]

I have a folder in Google Reader with the RSS feeds of about 50 different product blogs I have to keep track of updates for.

 

That doesn't include the products that are managed by WSUS. If you're using WSUS (pretty sure you will be since you have SCCM) then check you have all of the products that you use ticked in the Products and Classifications screen, if they are available. There is a whole section for Forefront, including TMG.

[jamesfed]

Know what you mean with TMG (we use it as well!) - the thing that realy gets me is Lync server updates as they arn't even on Windows Update (they have to be downloaded and installed specialy).

 

Subsribing to the relevent technet blogs via RSS is what I have done - its sloppy but it is nice when they post any useful hints and tips

[Michael]

WSUS will do most, if not all of those himji. If they're all in what location it's not so bad. If they were in 40 different locations, then yes, there's a lot of work to do but still do-able.

[himji]

Ok, well I've tweaked WSUS a little (don't look after it but notice service packs weren't set to download). That'll have to do for now.

I was just wondering if anybody had a slightly better method

[Michael]

WSUS really is ideal. If you download/install the Microsoft Report Viewer if you can see what your workstations/servers need, but you can also block updates of your choice too.

 

For example, when IE10 is released to Windows 7 in future, you may want to stop it being deployed for a month until you've properly tested it.

 

For a full guide on WSUS, check out a guide I wrote sometime ago here for 2003/2008/2008 R2