News

Microsoft SUS Gets 6-month Support Extension

• By Scott Bekker
• 08/24/2005

It was no secret that Software Update Services (SUS) 1.0 would be headed for the scrap heap once its much more functional successor, Windows Server Update Services, was released in early June.

However, some users were surprised that Microsoft had planned to turn off new downloads of SUS within a month of WSUS' release and were also irked that the older version of Microsoft's free organizational patch management tool wouldn't be updated after June 6, 2006. Users with the most potential to be affected by the decisions were those who had evaluated SUS and were midway through SUS rollouts.

"With the six-month extension, SUS deployments will now provide new security updates to computers until Dec. 6, 2006," a Microsoft spokesperson noted in an e-mail to reporters. "For new deployments, Microsoft strongly recommends that customers use WSUS to stay up to date with the latest patches and updates from Microsoft."

Meanwhile, a Microsoft spokesperson maintains Microsoft never actually turned off the SUS download link, although a Microsoft official was quoted defending the turn-off decision on June 30 when the link was set to expire.

"Microsoft announced it was going to take down the link, but gave customers a grace period. Microsoft has been monitoring downloads and customers have been downloading SUS 1.0 for existing deployment and support needs less and less over the past two months," the Microsoft spokesperson said.

Earlier this summer, Microsoft made an SUS-to-WSUS migration guide available here.

In addition to the features of SUS, WSUS allows users to update other Microsoft products besides Windows, provides reporting capabilities, provides targeting capabilities and gives administrators more control over the update process.

Microsoft updated a Knowledge Base article on Wednesday with details of the support deadlines and download locations for SUS 1.0 at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/905682.

Editor's note: This story was updated to add comment from Microsoft that the SUS download link was never turned off, and with additional detail about the feature set of WSUS.