I have 6+ years experience with Windows and Mac computers, but haven't had much experience with Server until my new job position. I'm now the sole Admin for a smallish company running a few very old Windows 2008 R2 server (we should be updating the whole shebang soon). I have almost no experience with Group Policy, and clearly nobody in the last 10 years had had much either, as the server is just about as default as possible. I'd like to change that and get this company server set up properly.
My first problem will be addressed in this post.
All Windows computers (mix of Win7 and Win10) fail to update using the traditional means. The only way I can update them is to join them to a workgroup, update, then rejoin the domain. I would love to update them straight from the domain. From the research I've done, it seems like the machines are likely trying to update from an image/file that should be stored on the server. I have no idea how to get this image/file or how to point the update service to it.
*side note, the server had not been updated in five (5) years when I got here. I had to run the update manually, and it took 2.5hrs to install all those updates/patches.
Could this be something with the firewall? I don't understand how both the server AND the computers cannot receive updates from Microsoft using the built in methods.
I've also been seeing a lot about WSUS. I am missing the wsus.adm file on my server, so I downloaded the Win7-2008R2-admx file from Microsoft that SHOULD install the update service controller. I have not installed the .msi file as of yet because I'm honestly not sure what it's going to do. Any suggestions as to what I can/should do? Any websites or videos I should watch to help me out? Group policy is very confusing...
Thank you for any assistance you can offer.
My first problem will be addressed in this post.
All Windows computers (mix of Win7 and Win10) fail to update using the traditional means. The only way I can update them is to join them to a workgroup, update, then rejoin the domain. I would love to update them straight from the domain. From the research I've done, it seems like the machines are likely trying to update from an image/file that should be stored on the server. I have no idea how to get this image/file or how to point the update service to it.
*side note, the server had not been updated in five (5) years when I got here. I had to run the update manually, and it took 2.5hrs to install all those updates/patches.
Could this be something with the firewall? I don't understand how both the server AND the computers cannot receive updates from Microsoft using the built in methods.
I've also been seeing a lot about WSUS. I am missing the wsus.adm file on my server, so I downloaded the Win7-2008R2-admx file from Microsoft that SHOULD install the update service controller. I have not installed the .msi file as of yet because I'm honestly not sure what it's going to do. Any suggestions as to what I can/should do? Any websites or videos I should watch to help me out? Group policy is very confusing...
Thank you for any assistance you can offer.