Synchronizing updates from Windows Update with Administration Server

If you have selected Use Administration Server as a WSUS server in the Update management settings window of the Quick Start Wizard, the Windows Update synchronization task is created automatically. You can run the task in the Tasks folder. The functionality of a Microsoft software update is only available after the Perform Windows Update synchronization task is successfully completed.

The Perform Windows Update synchronization task only downloads metadata from Microsoft servers. If the network does not use a WSUS server, each client device downloads Microsoft updates from external servers independently.

To create a task for synchronizing Windows Updates with Administration Server:

1. In the Advanced → Application management folder in the console tree, select the Software updates subfolder.
2. Click the Additional actions button and select Configure Windows Update synchronization in the drop-down list.

   The Wizard creates the Perform Windows Update synchronization task displayed in the Tasks folder.

   The Windows Update Center Data Retrieval Task Creation Wizard starts. Follow the instructions of the Wizard.

You can also create the Windows Update synchronization task in the Tasks folder by clicking Create a task.

Microsoft regularly deletes outdated updates from the company's servers so the number of current updates is always between 200,000 and 300,000. In Kaspersky Security Center 10 Service Pack 2 Maintenance Release 1 and earlier versions, all updates were retained: no outdated updates were deleted. As a result, the database continuously grew in size. To reduce disk space usage and database size, deletion of outdated updates that are no longer present on Microsoft update servers has been implemented in Kaspersky Security Center 10 Service Pack 3.

When running the Perform Windows Update synchronization task, the application receives a list of current updates from a Microsoft update server. Next, Kaspersky Security Center compiles a list of updates that have become outdated. At the next start of the Find vulnerabilities and required updates task, Kaspersky Security Center flags all outdated updates and sets the deletion time for them. At the next start of the Perform Windows Update synchronization task, all updates flagged for deletion 30 days ago are deleted. Kaspersky Security Center also checks for outdated updates that were flagged for deletion more than 180 days ago, and then deletes those older updates.

When the Perform Windows Update synchronization task completes and outdated updates are deleted, the database may still have the hash codes pertaining to the files of deleted updates, as well as corresponding files in the %AllUsersProfile%\Application Data\KasperskyLab\adminkit\1093\.working\wusfiles files (if they were downloaded earlier). You can run the Administration Server maintenance task to delete these outdated records from the database and corresponding files.

Step 1. Defining whether to reduce traffic

When Kaspersky Security Center synchronizes updates with Microsoft Windows Update Servers, information about all files is saved in the Administration Server database. All files required for an update are also downloaded to the drive during interaction with the Windows Update Agent. In particular, Kaspersky Security Center saves information about express update files to the database and downloads them when necessary. Downloading express update files leads to decreased free space on the drive.

To avoid a decrease in disk space volume and to reduce traffic, you can disable the Download express installation files option.

If this option is selected, express update files are downloaded when running the task. By default, this option is not selected.

Step 2. Applications

In this section you can select applications for which updates will be downloaded.

If the All applications check box is selected, updates will be downloaded for all existing applications, and for all applications that may be released in the future.

By default, the All applications check box is selected.

Step 3. Update categories

In this section, you can select categories of updates that will be downloaded to the Administration Server.

If the All categories check box is selected, updates will be downloaded for all existing updates categories, and for all categories that may appear in the future.

By default, the All categories check box is selected.

Step 4. Updates languages

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In this window you can select localization languages of updates that will be downloaded to Administration Server. Select one of the following options for downloading localization languages of updates:

• Download all languages, including new ones

  If this option is selected, all the available localization languages of updates will be downloaded to Administration Server. By default, this option is selected.

• Download selected languages

  If this option is selected, you can select from the list localization languages of updates that should be downloaded to Administration Server.

Step 5. Selecting the account to start the task

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In the Selecting an account to run the task window, you can specify which account to use when running the task. Select one of the following options:

• Default account

  The task will be run under the same account as the application that performs this task.

  By default, this option is selected.

• Specify account

  Fill in the Account and Password fields to specify the details of an account under which the task is run. The account must have sufficient rights for this task.

  • Account

    Account under which the task is run.

  • Password

    Password of the account under which the task will be run.

Step 6. Configuring a task start schedule

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On the Configure task schedule Wizard page, you can create a schedule for task start. If necessary, specify the following settings:

• Scheduled start:

  Select the schedule according to which the task runs, and configure the selected schedule.

  • Every N hours

    The task runs regularly, with the specified interval in hours, starting from the specified date and time.

    By default, the task runs every six hours, starting from the current system date and time.

  • Every N days

    The task runs regularly, with the specified interval in days. Additionally, you can specify a date and time of the first task run. These additional options become available, if they are supported by the application for which you create the task.

    By default, the task runs every day, starting from the current system date and time.

  • Every N weeks

    The task runs regularly, with the specified interval in weeks, on the specified day of week and at the specified time.

    By default, the task runs every Monday at the current system time.

  • Every N minutes

    The task runs regularly, with the specified interval in minutes, starting from the specified time on the day that the task is created.

    By default, the task runs every 30 minutes, starting from the current system time.

  • Daily (daylight saving time is not supported)

    The task runs regularly, with the specified interval in days. This schedule does not support observance of daylight saving time (DST). It means that when clocks jump one hour forward or backward at the beginning or ending of DST, the actual task start time does not change.

    We do not recommend that you use this schedule. It is needed for backward compatibility of Kaspersky Security Center.

    By default, the task starts every day at the current system time.

  • Weekly

    The task runs every week on the specified day and at the specified time.

  • By days of week

    The task runs regularly, on the specified days of week, at the specified time.

    By default, the task runs every Friday at 6:00:00 PM.

  • Monthly

    The task runs regularly, on the specified day of the month, at the specified time.

    In months that lack the specified day, the task runs on the last day.

    By default, the task runs on the first day of each month, at the current system time.

  • Manually

    The task does not run automatically. You can only start it manually.

    By default, this option is enabled.

  • Once

    The task runs once, on the specified date and time.

  • Every month on specified days of selected weeks

    The task runs regularly, on the specified days of each month, at the specified time.

    By default, no days of month are selected; the default start time is 6:00:00 PM.

  • On virus outbreak

    The task runs after a Virus outbreak event occurs. Select application types that will monitor virus outbreaks. The following application types are available:

    • Anti-virus for workstations and file servers
    • Anti-virus for perimeter defense
    • Anti-virus for mail systems

    By default, all application types are selected.

    You may want to run different tasks depending on the anti-virus application type that reports a virus outbreak. In this case, remove the selection of the application types that you do not need.

  • On completing another task

    The current task starts after another task completes. You can select how the previous task must complete (successfully or with error) to trigger the start of the current task. For example, you may want to run the Manage devices task with the Turn on the device option and, after it completes, run the Virus scan task.

• Run missed tasks

  This option determines the behavior of a task if a client device is not visible on the network when the task is about to start.

  If this option is enabled, the system attempts to start the task the next time the Kaspersky application is run on the client device. If the task schedule is Manually, Once or Immediately, the task is started immediately after the device becomes visible on the network or immediately after the device is included in the task scope.

  If this option is disabled, only scheduled tasks run on client devices; for Manually, Once and Immediately, tasks run only on those client devices that are visible on the network. For example, you may want to disable this option for a resource-consuming task that you want to run only outside of business hours.

  By default, this option is enabled.

• Use automatically randomized delay for task starts

  If this option is enabled, the task is started on client devices randomly within a specified time interval, that is, distributed task start. A distributed task start helps to avoid a large number of simultaneous requests by client devices to the Administration Server when a scheduled task is running.

  The distributed start time is calculated automatically when a task is created, depending on the number of client devices to which the task is assigned. Later, the task is always started on the calculated start time. However, when task settings are edited or the task is started manually, the calculated value of the task start time changes.

  If this option is disabled, the task starts on client devices according to the schedule.

• Use randomized delay for task starts within an interval of (min)

  If this option is enabled, the task is started on client devices randomly within the specified time interval. A distributed task start helps to avoid a large number of simultaneous requests by client devices to the Administration Server when a scheduled task is running.

  If this option is disabled, the task starts on client devices according to the schedule.

  By default, this option is disabled. The default time interval is one minute.

Step 7. Defining the task name

In the Define the task name window, specify the name for the task that you are creating. A task name cannot be more than 100 characters long and cannot include any special characters ("*<>?\:|).The default value is Perform Windows Update synchronization.

Step 8. Completing creation of the task

In the Finish task creation window, click the Finish button to finish the wizard.

If you want the task to start as soon as the wizard finishes, select the Run the task after the Wizard finishes check box.

The newly created Windows Update synchronization task will appear in the list of tasks in the Tasks folder of the console tree.