WSUS 3.0 SP2 Lifecycle Support has been Extended, too

Initially, the lifecycle support for Windows Update Service (WSUS) in the version 3.0 SP2 was scheduled to end in July 2017. Now it was extended by Microsoft to January 14, 2020. WSUS 3.0 SP2 is the last version which is compatible with Windows Server 2008 R2 and System Center Configuration Manager 2007 (SCCM). The lifecycle support for Windows Server 2008 R2 will end on January 14, 2020. In a consistent way, Microsoft matched the lifecycles of both products with one another.

The originally planned deadline for the WSUS 3.0 SP2 support would have been extremely tight as it is not possible just to migrate to the new version of the update management system. The follow-up version of WSUS 3.0 SP2 is named WSUS 4.0 and is no longer a stand-alone product, but an integral part of Windows Server 2012 (R2). Therefore, upgrading to WSUS 4.0 also means to migrate to a new server operating system.

Customers using SCCM 2007 will also be relieved by the information that the WSUS lifecycle support has been extended. As previously mentioned, SCCM 2007 is not compatible with WSUS 4.0. Thus, an upgrade would be much more extensive, because in that case System Management would have to be updated, too.      

However, for enterprises thinking about a client upgrade to Windows 10 while keeping an existing patch management with WSUS 3.0, the extended lifecycle support won’t be a comfort. In this case, an upgrade to Windows Server 2012 R2 or 2016 is obligatory. The Content Type Feature Updates, coming with Windows 10, are not supported by WSUS 3.0 SP2. For WSUS 4.0 however, Microsoft has already provided a hotfix some time ago, what probably won’t happen for WSUS 3.0 SP2.

Quellen: WindowsPro Microsoft