On the last day at Tech-Ed Europe 2004, Microsoft demonstrated it"s Windows Update Services technologies to eager onlookers. The beta program for WUS (SUS 2.0) has been running since early this year and with only one build, the same build shown friday. The build in question lacks some promised features and functionality. For some reason Microsoft has put the beta program on hold since March and doesn"t seem to have developed any builds internally. Windows Update Services is due to be released later this year alongside SP2 for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 SP1. Although it"s not likely that WUS will be bundled into Windows Server 2003 SP1, it"s certain that it will be included with Windows Server 2003 "R2". R2 will debut late 2005 with a beta in early 2005 following on from Windows Server 2003 SP1.
The preview program for SUS 2.0 (WUS) has been promised by many on the SUS team since December 2003 but yet there is still no sign of the preview program starting or even a lot of development going on for Windows Update Services. Microsoft declined to comment on when the promised preview program will begin or when we"re likely to see a finished version of Windows Update Services. Let"s hope the lack of updates means something big is on the horizon.
Windows Update Services (WUS) is the new name for the next version of the update management solution currently known as Software Update Services (SUS). Windows Update Services will support updating Windows®, Office, SQL Server™, and other Microsoft products. Microsoft plans to allow for 3rd party apps to be supported using "update handlers".