Command Tool: Windows Update Stand-alone Installer

Hi,

you would like to install or uninstall updates with a command line tool?
Then you have to use this one:
wusa

This tool is included in Windows 7 and can do a lot of things for windows update, e. g. uninstall updates with a specific KB Number:
wusa /uninstall /kb:

For more parameters you can use this command:
wusa /? or wusa /help

There are a lot of more parameters which you can configure, e. g. the restart reaction after a command.
Here you can see a description of this tool too:
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb%3Ben-us%3B934307&x=11&y=13

So long

Can't delete a job in the printer queue

Hi,
if you have a problem with printing a document and you can't abort this print in the queue, you can do the following steps:
At first you should restart the spool service:
net stop spooler 
net start spooler

If it's not possible to remove the document from the queue after these step, you can remove the files in the following directory:
%WinDir%/System32/Spool/Printers
There are two files for each document in the printer queue which you can delete if you want for removing them from the printer queue.

Greets

Export DNS Cache to textfile

Hi at all,

for troubleshooting in networks sometimes it's good to know the local DNS cache for name resolution.
For example if you replace a webserver in your environment through another one and you want be sure that the correct IP will be used, then you have to look at the name resolution.

To export the local dns cache of a client you have to do the following steps:
1. start a command line with administrative privileges
2. type in the following command:
ipconfig /displaydns >C:\myDNScache.txt

"C:\myDNScache.txt" is the path for your export file

Now you are able to see if the name resolution works fine and the correct IP will be provided.

Additional:
To delete the DNS Cache you can use this:
ipconfig /flushdns

To deactivate the DNS Cache:
net stop dnscache

Greets

Completion of WSUS

Hi at all,

sorry that it took so long time for the next post, but I was busy because of learning for my certification for MCTS Windows 7 Configuring, which I've completed successfully.
So there was the problem of handling the mobile wsus clients. If you have an active directory environment you can configure a group policy with a startup and a shutdown-script.

In the startup script you can set the following registry keys to your internal wsus server:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"WUServer"="http://WSUS-Server-Name or instead of the Name the IP adress and Port"
"WUStatusServer"="http://WSUS-Server-Name  or instead of the Name the IP adress and Port"

And in the shutdown script you can configure these registry keys again but instead of your internal wsus server you have to set the microsoft update source in the internet (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com).


DON'T FORGET: The wsus client don't use the proxy configuration of your internet explorer. If you have a proxy in your environment and you didn't set the winhttp proxy settings, then the wua client won't receive updates.
You can configure the winhttp proxy settings with the command "proxycfg -u". With "proxycfg -d" you delete these entries.
Type "proxycfg" and you will see your current configuration of the winhttp proxy configuration.
So maybe it will be necessary that you include theses proxy commands in your start- or shutdown-scripts.

Don't wonder if it takes some time, that the wua client will work successfully, because if you have to configure the winhttp proxy configuration, the wsus service have to be restartet and maybe this will be done after a reboot. 
To force your changes you can use following commands:
net stop wuauserv (stop the windows update service)
net start wuauserv (start the windows update service)




If you have any questions, feel free to ask.


Regards

Editing the Windows 7 hosts file

Hi people,

I'm still over the problem of handling mobile wsus clients.
In the meantime I would like to change the hosts file. In Windows 7 with the UAC (User Access Control) it's not quite simple changing the file like in Windows XP, you have to use a workaround.

At first you have to start the editor with administrator privileges. Then you can open it in this directory:
%systemroot%\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

Do the changes you want to do and save the file through file - save.

This will work

Have fun

Regards

Handling of mobile wsus clients

Hi at all,

I'm sure that some of you are now watching the football world cup in tv but I'm thinking about the handling of mobile clients with wsus because I think that's an interesting theme too ;).

It's a problem in almost every company. There are clients, e. g. laptops or home office pcs, which aren't mostly connected to the company network through vpn or something like that.
So a IT Admin has ask himself about patching those clients.

If you have a wsus server for patching your clients, including laptops etc, there's a tricky possibility of patching these clients.

In my mind I would like to start a user script with a software deployment tool during the login on the client.
So you can see on the local IP adress of the client in which network the device is.

Based on this information you can run a script which will set a registry key of wsus. So you can define if the client should use the wsus of microsoft in the internet or the server in your company lan.
Of course you should not forget, that some mobile clients don't have a broadband internet connection so you should set the bits (Background Intelligent Transfer Service) in the registry too.

I'm planning this scenario and if I'm ready I'll post my solutions and experiences in this blog.

So stay tuned to this blog if you're interested in it and have a nice evening

Manuel

Create a group policy for the wsus clients

Before you can update clients with the wsus server, you have to configure them through a group policy in your domain.

So start the mmc for Group Policy Management and create a suitable OU in your ad structure, e.g. "WSUS Laptops".
After that you can start creating the Group Policy. In conjunction with your environment you have to decide which settings you want to use.
Here you can see my settings for my test environment:

Don't forget to link the gpo with the corresponding org unit.

If you have done these steps, you can have a look at the updates. In my case I've decided to aprove all updates with the "Default Automatic Approval Rule" (you can find this in "Options" --> "Automatic Approvals").

So you can start updating your clients in conjunction with your group policy.

Of course there are more options you can configure but at this point, for me it's enough to hold the clients secure.

Regards