Get Windows Update client configuration

One of the first things I do when provsioning a new server is:

• configure the network card, assign an IP address
• define a proxy
• configure Windows Update settings
• Download and install all security udpates

Every IT-pro has his own list. The Microsoft PowerShell MVP Jeffery Hicks says for example on this page: Windows Server 2012: First Five Fixes

I assume you will do the following tasks by default when setting up a new Windows Server 2012 system:
* Configure computer name
* Configure networking
* Install features and roles
* Run Windows Update
I’m not going to cover those as I think they are pretty self-evident in the Server Manager GUI, but I do have 5 additional “fixes” that I’ve been using.

He’s right for a GUI environment but it isn’t very straight forward for the Core Edition or when you’ve to automate it.

I’ve already presented how to get and set a proxy server using powershell on this page: https://p0w3rsh3ll.wordpress.com/2012/10/07/getsetclear-proxy/

Recently the Microsoft MVP Jan Egil Ring presented on the Hey Scripting guy’s blog how to Use PowerShell to Configure the NIC on Windows Server 2012

For listing and configuring Windows updates settings, currently I only know the excellent work done by Boe Prox for corporate environments. Here are some links to the great resources Boe shared and still maintains:

• Learn how to use the WSUS Update Scope with Windows PowerShell to get update status information for client computers
• The Get-ClientWSUSSetting script that:
  

  allows you to query a system or systems to find the wsus client settings. This performs a registry lookup for both the Environment and Configuration keys and allows you to specify if you prefer to view one of the other.

• The Set-ClientWSUSSetting script that
  

  allows you to configure one or more system’s automatic updates client by manipulating the registry settings assoicated with each setting.

• PoshWSUS,
  

  a module designed to help fill in a gap where a System Administrator can perform WSUS commands against the server via the command line vs working using the GUI.

• On the Hey Scripting guy’s blog he shows how to use Windows PowerShell to install WSUS and configure clients for updates.
• He also recently demonstrated the Client and patch management using the UpdateServices module on a PowershellMagazine blog post.
• PoshPAIG (PowerShell Patch Audit/Installation GUI)
  

  allows you to easily audit and install patches on your servers in the network by providing a graphical interface to select which servers to audit/install and to generate reports for the systems.

But this isn’t exactly what I was looking for, espcially for Non–Active Directory environments. I also wanted a console output where I don’t need to know that AUoptions represents the behavior of Automatic udpates notifications and that a value of 4 means that it should “install updates automatically”.

I didn’t want a script for Managing Windows Update with PowerShell that doesn’t take into account group policy (GPO) settings.

Even the module written by Michal Gajda and presented by Ed Wilson in the following Hey scripting guy’s blog post didn’t propose a solution to read the Windows update settings.

So I’ve been using the following resources to write my own function.

• Configure Automatic Updates in a Non–Active Directory Environment
  http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc708449%28WS.10%29.aspx
• How to configure automatic updates by using Group Policy or registry settings
  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/328010

I also wanted the function to work on a freshly installed computer where Windows Updates settings haven’t been configured yet.

Function Get-WUSettings {            
[cmdletbinding()]            
Param(            
[switch]$viaRegistry=$false            
)            
Begin {            
    # Get the Operating system            
    $OSVersion = [environment]::OSVersion.Version            
            
    # Initialize object            
    $WshShell = New-Object -ComObject Wscript.Shell            
            
    $polkey = 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU'            
    $stdkey = 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\Auto Update'            
}            
Process {            
    if ($viaRegistry) {            
        try {            
            $AUEnabled = $WshShell.RegRead("$polkey\NoAutoUpdate")            
        } catch {            
            # if this value is absent, it means it's turned on            
            $AUEnabled = 0            
        }            
        Switch ($AUEnabled) {            
            1 {$AUEnabled = $false}            
            0 {$AUEnabled = $true }            
        }            
        try {            
            $AUOptions = $WshShell.RegRead("$polkey\AUOptions")            
        } catch {            
            try {            
                $AUOptions = $WshShell.RegRead("$stdkey\AUOptions")            
            } catch {            
                $AUOptions = 0            
            }            
        }            
        Switch ($AUOptions) {            
            0 {$AUNotificationLevel = 'Not Configured'}            
            1 {$AUNotificationLevel = 'Never check for updates'}            
            2 {$AUNotificationLevel = 'Notify Before Download'}            
            3 {$AUNotificationLevel = 'Notify Before Installation'}            
            4 {$AUNotificationLevel = 'Install updates automatically'}            
        }            
        try {            
            $IncludeRecommendedUpdates = $WshShell.RegRead("$polkey\IncludeRecommendedUpdates")            
        } catch {            
            # if the value is absent we get it from            
            $IncludeRecommendedUpdates = $WshShell.RegRead("$stdkey\IncludeRecommendedUpdates")            
        }            
        Switch ($IncludeRecommendedUpdates) {            
            0 {$GetRecommendedUpdates = $false}            
            1 {$GetRecommendedUpdates = $true}            
        }            
       try {            
            $UseWUServerVal = $WshShell.RegRead("$polkey\UseWUServer")            
        } catch {            
            # if the value doesn't exist, it means that we don't use a WSUS server            
            $UseWUServerVal = 0            
        }            
        Switch ($UseWUServerVal) {            
            1 {$UseWUServer = $true}            
            0 {$UseWUServer = $false }            
        }            
        # Create a default object with a subset of properties            
        $obj = New-Object -TypeName psobject -Property @{            
            'Is Automatic Update Enabled' = $AUEnabled            
            'Use a WSUS Server' = $UseWUServer            
            'Automatic Updates Notification' = $AUNotificationLevel;            
            'Receive recommended udpates' = $GetRecommendedUpdates;            
        }            
        if ($OSVersion -lt [version]'6.2') {            
            try {            
                $ScheduledInstallDay  = $WshShell.RegRead("$polkey\ScheduledInstallDay")            
                $ScheduledInstallTime = $WshShell.RegRead("$polkey\ScheduledInstallTime")            
            } catch {            
                try {            
                    $ScheduledInstallDay  = $WshShell.RegRead("$stdkey\ScheduledInstallDay")            
                    $ScheduledInstallTime = $WshShell.RegRead("$stdkey\ScheduledInstallTime")            
                } catch {            
                    # Absent = Every Day @3 AM but I prefer to leave it blank in the returned object            
                }            
            }            
            Switch ($ScheduledInstallDay) {            
                0 {$InstallDay = 'Every Day'}            
                1 {$InstallDay = 'Every Sunday'}            
                2 {$InstallDay = 'Every Monday'}            
                3 {$InstallDay = 'Every Tuesday'}            
                4 {$InstallDay = 'Every Wednesday'}            
                5 {$InstallDay = 'Every Thursday'}            
                6 {$InstallDay = 'Every Friday'}            
                7 {$InstallDay = 'Every Saturday'}            
            }            
            if ($ScheduledInstallTime) {            
                $InstallTime = New-TimeSpan -Hours $ScheduledInstallTime            
            }            
            $obj | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name 'Install Frequency' -Value $InstallDay            
            $obj | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name 'Install Time' -Value $InstallTime            
        } else {            
            # These properties don't exist anymore on Windows 8            
        }            
        # Add extra properties            
        if ($UseWUServer) {            
            try {            
                $WUServer = $WshShell.RegRead('HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\WUServer')            
                $WUStatusServer =  $WshShell.RegRead('HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\WUStatusServer')            
            } catch {            
                # we silently fail            
            }            
            $obj | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name 'WSUS Server' -Value $WUServer            
            $obj | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name 'WSUS Status URL' -Value $WUStatusServer            
        }            
        try {            
            $OptinGUID = $WshShell.RegRead('HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\Services\DefaultService')            
        } catch {            
            # Fail silently            
        }            
        if ($OptinGUID -eq '7971f918-a847-4430-9279-4a52d1efe18d') {            
            $obj | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name "Opted-in Microsoft Update" -Value $true            
        } else {            
            $obj | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name "Opted-in Microsoft Update" -Value $false            
        }            
        # Return our object            
        $obj            
            
    } else {            
        # We use Com Object            
        $COMWUSettings = (New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.AutoUpdate).Settings            
        # Settings might be controlled by GPO            
        if ($COMWUSettings.ReadOnly) {            
            # Use the registry            
            Get-WUSettings -viaRegistry:$true            
            break            
        } else {            
            $UseWUServer = $false            
        }            
        Switch ($COMWUSettings.NotificationLevel) {            
            0 {$AUNotificationLevel = 'Not Configured'}            
            1 {$AUNotificationLevel = 'Never check for updates'}            
            2 {$AUNotificationLevel = 'Notify Before Download'}            
            3 {$AUNotificationLevel = 'Notify Before Installation'}            
            4 {$AUNotificationLevel = 'Install updates automatically'}            
        }            
        $isAUenabled = (New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.AutoUpdate).serviceEnabled            
        $obj = New-Object -TypeName psobject -Property @{            
            'Is Automatic Update Enabled' = $isAUenabled            
            'Automatic Updates Notification' = $AUNotificationLevel;            
            'Use a WSUS Server' = $UseWUServer            
            'Receive recommended udpates' = $COMWUSettings.IncludeRecommendedUpdates;            
        }            
        if ($OSVersion -lt [version]'6.2') {            
            Switch ($COMWUSettings.ScheduledInstallationDay) {            
                0 {$InstallDay = 'Every Day'}            
                1 {$InstallDay = 'Every Sunday'}            
                2 {$InstallDay = 'Every Monday'}            
                3 {$InstallDay = 'Every Tuesday'}            
                4 {$InstallDay = 'Every Wednesday'}            
                5 {$InstallDay = 'Every Thursday'}            
                6 {$InstallDay = 'Every Friday'}            
                7 {$InstallDay = 'Every Saturday'}            
            }            
            if ($COMWUSettings.ScheduledInstallationTime) {            
                $InstallTime = New-TimeSpan -Hours $COMWUSettings.ScheduledInstallationTime            
            }            
            $obj | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name 'Install Frequency' -Value $InstallDay            
            $obj | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name 'Install Time' -Value $InstallTime            
            
        } else {            
            # not available on W8            
        }            
        (New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.ServiceManager).services | ForEach-Object {            
            if ($_.IsDefaultAUService) {            
                $OptinGUID = $_.ServiceID             
            }            
        }            
        if ($OptinGUID -eq '7971f918-a847-4430-9279-4a52d1efe18d') {            
            $obj | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name "Opted-in Microsoft Update" -Value $true            
        } else {            
            $obj | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name "Opted-in Microsoft Update" -Value $false            
        }            
        # return            
        $obj            
    }            
}            
End {}            
}

Here’s what I get on the Windows 7 computer I use at home:

Here’s what I get on the Windows 8 computer I use at home: