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Windows Server Updates Improvements in Server 2019

Ben Erickson  April 3 2019 10:01:28
Ben Erickson
The update mechanism in Windows Server 2016 has been... what's the word? Disastrous. Whether it's a newly installed test machine or a production box that's been in service a while, the network administrator has fewer choices, less flexibility, and more problems. Most of this comes down to a cultural change where Microsoft feels it's their duty to push all updates to all computers all the time whether you like it or not. The official term for this is "Software as a Service" (SaaS).

The difference in success rates in installing updates between Server 2012 and Server 2016 is stark. The amount of time it takes to update servers has gone from minutes to hours. And the icing on the cake: the amount of useful information on the progress or status given to the person completing (or not completing!) the updates has been reduced to almost nothing. Anyone who's had to deal with this fiasco over the last few years with Windows Server 2016 likely knows exactly what I'm talking about, but in case you haven't, here's a sampling of some of the admins' experiences and rants:


Why do Server 2016 updates take SOOO LONG to install ... (spiceworks.com)

Windows Server 2016 Updates slow! (technet.microsoft.com)

what's with the really slow windows updates on 2016? (technet.microsoft.com)

Window Server 2016, very slow Windows Update : sysadmin (reddit.com)

Yes, there are some things you can do that will help (a little). But they only make a dent in the problem. For example, before downloading and installing you must check to see what updates are available and make sure that any Servicing Stack Updates (SSUs) get downloaded, installed and rebooted individually before anything else. You can manually download from the
MS Update Catalog or use sconfig for this. Disabling Windows Defender also seems to help. But even with these manual interventions, it's still a terrible experience where you're left in the dark for a long period of time without any status updates or even reassurances that the darn thing isn't completely frozen:
Image:Windows Server Updates Improvements in Server 2019




Enter Windows Server 2019. Yes, the same Windows Server 2019 that MS had to pull in October 2018 because it was deleting corporate files. No,
seriously. Pick your poision, I guess. The evaluation version was pulled from their website and only became available again recently.

Since the re-release, we've done some limited testing and our preliminary experience shows a huge improvement in how Windows Updates operate. Instead of stuck percentages and misleading phrases like "Preparing to Install", you actually get a moving percentage complete for each stage of downloading, installing, etc. on each update. Not only that, but it is capable of (gasp) multitasking and can work on more than update at once. Also, the amount of time to completion is actually reasonable (minutes instead of hours). Check out this brief screen recording (you can use the controls to fullscreen it) and see for yourself!






So while I'm not advocating jumping on the Server 2019 bandwagon or joining a crowd of lemmings just yet, it's good to know that some improvements have been made. Like a tax refund, where the IRS just lets you have some of the money they took from you back, it's not really anything to celebrate. All Microsoft has done is take something that they had broken beyond all recognition and make it functional again. But it's something to keep in mind as you consider your server upgrade strategies.

If you need help navigating the nightmare of Windows Server 2016 updates or figuring out a strategy for the future,
give us a call. We'll be glad to help!
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