Patch Management Technology to Converge

As managing vice president, Rob Helm covers Microsoft collaboration and content management. His 25-plus years of experience analyzing Microsoft’s technology... more

In Aug. 2005, Microsoft posted a free update to Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 patch scanning and distribution tools. The update is designed to support SMS deployment of patches from Microsoft Update, the unified patch distribution Web service for Windows, Office, SQL Server, and Exchange launched in June 2005.

Among other things, the SMS update includes a new scanner for software inventory that relies on the Microsoft Update patch database. SMS gains the ability to download patches from Microsoft Update and repackage them for distribution, just as it can download the Windows-only patches from Windows Update today.

The same scanner and Microsoft Update service are also used by Windows Software Update Server (WSUS), an updated and renamed version of the free Software Update Server product. However, SMS will continue to have better reporting, targeting, and scalability than WSUS, and so it will be the typical choice for software inventory and patching in all but the smallest or most cost-sensitive organizations.

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