Express Installation

Windows Server Update

Last Updated on Thu, 22 Dec 2022

The express installation files feature distributes updates that are geared toward limiting the bandwidth consumed on your local area network (LAN), which it does by increasing the bandwidth consumption over your Internet connection.

Updates typically consist of new versions of files that already exist on the target computer. On a binary comparison level, the existing files are similar to the new versions. The express installation feature is a way of identifying only the changed sections within the old updated versions of the files, creating and distributing updates that include just these differences and not the entire file package, and then merging the original file with the update on the client computer. This method is called delta delivery because it downloads only the differing sections, or the delta, between two versions of a file.

Distributing updates using express installation requires more than the usual amount of bandwidth over your Internet connection, because files designed to be used with this method are larger than the updates they send out. The express installation file must contain all of the possible variations of each file it is meant to update, rather than just a complete, unaltered version of the target file.You will generally incur an initial download expense that is approximately triple the size of a normal update. In most cases, however, this cost is mitigated by the reduced amount of corporate network bandwidth required to update client computers. Conversely, if you do not use this feature, your initial download of updates is smaller. Whatever you download must then be distributed to each of the clients on your corporate network.

Not all updates are good candidates for distribution using express installation files. If you select this option, you obtain express installation files for any updates being distributed this way, and by default, WSUS does not use express installation files. To enable this option, use the following procedure:

1. On the WSUS console toolbar, click Options and then click Synchronization Options.

2. Under Update Files and Languages, click Advanced.

3. Acknowledge the warning that appears by clicking OK.

4. In the Advanced Synchronization Options box, under Update Files, check the Download express installation files box. To disable express installation, clear the check box (see Figure 5.6).

Figure 5.6 Disabling Express Installation

3 Advanced Synchronization Options — Web Page Dialog

Update Files

You can specify where to store the update files when you synchronize. Storing locally requires sufficient disk i? (*) Store update files localy on tins server n Download ipdate files to this server only when updates are approved.

Only iniormatnn about the updates wil be ctownbaded during synchronization. 0 iiownbad express iistaiation files.]

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O store updates locally, dients instal from Mcrosoft Update

Languages

If you are storing update files kxsllyr you can limit the updates downloaded to your WiTdows Server update Services server by language.

Q Download only those updates that match ihe locale of this server (English) 0 Download updates in all Languages, induing new languages O Download updates only in the selected languages

□ Chinese (Hong Kong S.A.FU) | | Chinese (Simplified)

Chinese (Tradiboral)

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Q French I I German | | Greet [ | Hebrew [ | HLr”93rian □ Italian Q Japanese [ | Japansse (NEC) Q Korean

Norwegian q pofeh

| Portuguese Q! Portuguese (Brad) Q Russian Spanish (~ Swedish r Turkish

Best Practices According to Microsoft_

■ Use the deferred downloading feature to save network bandwidth and to make downloading updates and accompanying meta-information more efficient.

■ Limit downloading updates localized for languages that do not exist on your network. There is no need to waste network throughput and disk storage space for a foreign version of a security update, when all of your users are native English speakers.

■ If you change language options after downloading the updates, you should manually synchronize these updates between a master server and its subordinate replica members.

■ Use express download on busy internal networks only if you can afford significantly larger initial downloads over the Internet from Microsoft Update.

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