WSUS 3.0 Cleanup

The aim was to free up hard disk space on a Server running WSUS 3.0. Relocating the Windows Update Repository or WSUS Database wasn’t applicable as this relocates the data elsewhere and doesn’t remove it.

The WSUS Administrative Console (Found within Administrative Tools) has a built-in Server Cleanup Wizard (under Options) which allows you to remove any of the following:

• Unused updates and update revisions
• Computers not contacting the server
• Unneeded update files
• Expired updates
• Superseded updates

Before running the Server Cleanup Wizard, however, I recommend some WSUS repository housekeeping to maximise the amount of space you will reclaim:

1. Go to Administrative Tools > Windows Server Update Services > “Update Server Name” > Updates > All Updates.
2. Change the Approval option to Any Except Declined and the Status option to Any and click refresh.
3. Right-click one of the column headers and ensure that Supersedence is ticked, then order the list by Supersedence.
4. Select all updates that are superseded by another update (including those superseded updates that also supersede other updates) and Decline them. By declining the updates, the Server Cleanup Wizard will remove the updates from the repository when it’s ran.

With the housekeeping completed, run the Server Cleanup Wizard to reclaim storage.

There are two key points regarding the Server Cleanup Wizard:

• If you are running the Wizard infrequently or for the first time, it will take a long time to complete (potentially 48+ hours – regardless of whether or not you complete the WSUS repository housekeeping). Don’t panic, it is working, let it do its job. If time is an issue, run the Wizard in two parts – once with the top two Cleanup options selected and once with the bottom three Cleanup options selected.
• If WSUS forms part of a Microsoft Small Business Server 2008/2011 installation you will, by default, receive an email notification once every half hour informing you that the Update Service has stopped, while the Server Cleanup Wizard is running. You can turn this notification off by going to the SBS Console > Network > View notification settings > Services and deselecting the tick box for the Update Service.