How can I check if a computer is configured to use WSUS?

Question

I'm the user of a computer (Windows 7) that is part of a domain and I want to make sure its configured to use WSUS (Windows Server Update Services) and download updates from a local server instead of downloading updates directly from Microsoft servers.

Is there a way to definitely assert if WSUS is configured and maybe even obtain information about the configured WSUS server if one exists?

Sidenote: I have no interest in setting up a WSUS server so I believe this question fits better in superuser than serverfault.

Answer 1

As it is part of a domain, it is most likely done through group policy, you can go to the desktop as an administrator and open up the Group Policy Editor (Go to Run and type MMC, then go to File > Add / Remove Snapin) and find Group Policy.

Take a look under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update.

If you are not using group policy, just take a look directly at the registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate

You should see the keys WUServer and WUStatusServer which should have the the locations of the specific servers.

There are far too many keys and entries for me to write, but if you are interested, Technet have an excellent article on all of them.

Answer 2

Run MMC, ADD/REMOVE SNap-in, choose Resultant Set of Policies

... run it, you will see all applied GPOs, including WSUS settings

Answer 3

All I ever do is open up Windows Updates from control panel. If the machine is being managed by WSUS it will say "You receive updates:" "Managed by your system administrator"