Windows Server

Client Visibility Issues: Fix WSUS Clients appear then disappear in the console

WSUS client issues

In the corporate realm, the WSUS Update Services Console plays a pivotal role. Formerly recognized as Software Update Services (SUS). This Microsoft-developed program empowers administrators to efficiently oversee update distribution and hotfix deployment for Microsoft products across networked computers. For more articles I have written, see the following hyperlinks: Configuring WSUS Email Notification to Work With Office365, How to setup and configure Windows server update services (WSUS), Important Areas to Master on WSUS (Installed and not applicable, Install 1/4, and Installed / Not applicable 100).

Note: When I log in to each workstation and type in the CLI(CMD) the following command below. I am able to see these machines from the WSUS console but the others disappear.

wuauclt.exe /detectnow /reportnow

Reason for unexpected behaviour

When encountering cloned servers, a common occurrence arises due to identical SUSClientID. Each interaction with WSUS Update Services Console overwrites the entry with fresh server data, causing the existing machine to vanish.

Here are some interesting articles: How to Configure SSL between WSUS servers (Upstream and Downstream Servers). Handy WSUS Commands – Windows Server Update Services Commands, WAUACLT, PowerShell and USOClient, and how to Start, Stop and Restart Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) via PowerShell and CMD.

WSUS Update Services console Solution

Navigate to this registry path below and delete the “**SusClientID**” and “**SusClientIDValidation**” registry values in the key. Please see how to fix Windows 2016 Servers does not show up on WSUS console,

HKLMSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionWindowsUpdate
Update Services console

Restart the Windows update service

client connectivity

Perform or run the following from the CLI below. You may also be interested in these: How to configure WSUS Clients to get Updates from the WSUS server using Registry settings, and how to apply Windows Updates from WSUS to the server using AWS RunCommand.

wuauclt /resetauthorization /detectnow
wuauclt.exe /detectnow /reportnow

Since the WUACLT is deprecated and not available in the newer operating systems, take a look at this article on how to scan or force updates from WSUS using “usoclient.exe“.

FAQ on WSUS Client Issues

What would the next step be after forcing WSUS clients to re-register with the server and fail?

First, to force WSUS clients to re-register with the server, we have mentioned the steps above. You will have to launch the Windows PC and open an elevated Command Prompt. Then you will have to run the command: wuauclt /resetauthorization /detectnow. This command resets the client’s authorization settings and initiates a detection cycle.
Secondly, after running the command. Wait for a few minutes, and then check the WSUS console to see if the client reappears. If the client still doesn’t appear. Ensure that the Group Policy settings are correctly configured, and investigate network or firewall issues.

Can WSUS client issues be attributed to WSUS server issues?

Yes, WSUS client issues can sometimes be related to problems on the WSUS server. Examples of these are database corruption issues, out-of-sync servers, and inadequate Server Resources.

I hope you found this blog post helpful. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comment session.

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Graeme
Graeme
3 years ago

This exact problem has done my head in with some AWS servers running 2016
The wuauclt is deprecated but you can run usoclient.exe startscan to force a check-in to WSUS and get a new client ID generated too
Thanks regardless for the tip it’s going to save a lot of headaches

SysEnthusiast
3 years ago
Reply to  Graeme

Hi Graeme,

Thank you very much for your nice comment. I appreciate this. For more commands on usoclient.exe, see the following article
https://techdirectarchive.com/2020/02/05/handy-windows-server-update-services-commands-wauaclt-powershell-and-usoclient/

Mike
Mike
3 years ago

tks, you made my day 😉

Sergei
Sergei
1 year ago

Thanks a lot for the explanation, it has been very useful!

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