Understanding Windows bundled updates

Topic

New Reply

Motivation: Windows 10 update March 22, 2018—KB4088891 (OS Build 15063.994) states:

“Important When installing both the SSU (KB4088825) and the LCU updates from the Microsoft Update Catalog, install the SSU before installing the LCU.”

SSU=Servicing Stack Update. LCU=Latest Cumulative Update.

The reason that SSU update KB4088825 should be installed first perhaps is because it fixes a severe issue with older SSUs.

Why isn’t this an issue if you install KB4088891 via Windows Update? I believe the answer is because KB4088891 perhaps bundles update KB4088825. Even if that’s not the case, abbodi86 stated that for Windows 10 v1709, SSUs are bundled with CUs.

So what exactly is a bundled update? BundledUpdates is one of the data items asssociated with a given Windows Update. From Relationships Among Updates: “Bundle – A container for updates. Updates that declare a bundle relationship cannot have applicability rules or payloads. If update A bundles updates B and C, then installing A will install B and C if both are applicable on the client machine. In general, a bundle is offered for installation if the client detects at least one bundled child as Needed. During installation, all applicable child updates are installed in the order specified by the bundle. If an installation failure occurs for any of the children, the install of the bundle stops at that point (with no roll-back).”

Per WSUS : Bundle update hierarchy in IUpdate, one of the uses of update bundles is to ensure that a given update is installed before another given update. Windows Update perhaps solves the update order issue in the motivating example by using a bundled update. However, the Catalog downloads for KB4088891 don’t even list the (perhaps) bundled update KB4088825.

Conclusion: Regarding bundled updates, it’s better to install a given update via Windows Update than from the Catalog.

1 user thanked author for this post.

georgea

Reply | Quote

Replies

Another recent update bundling example: .NET Framework 4.7.1 is bundled with .NET Framework 4.7.1 Update (KB4054856) per this post. The term “co-installed” is used instead of “bundled” at .NET Framework 4.7.1 is available on Windows Update, WSUS and MU Catalog.

Reply | Quote

Per this post, Windows Update MiniTool can list the bundled updates (if any) of a given update.

Reply | Quote

Using Windows Update MiniTool, it appears that KB4088891 doesn’t bundle KB4088825.

This is Windows Update MiniTool’s clipboard-copied text for .NET Framework 4.7.1 (KB4033342) x64:

http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/updt/2017/05/windows6.1-kb4019990-x64_bcc5a1d0e9afec8c01c745f7b88f511a3269bc21.cab
http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/updt/2017/05/windows6.1-kb4019990-x64_32a80b2adccfe009a0b46af06b8525f2362a27e8.psf
http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/updt/2017/05/windows6.1-kb4019990-x64-express_d3ef4af4276058fdda1708e20ce14b3da47e30f3.cab
http://download.windowsupdate.com/d/msdownload/update/software/ftpk/2017/11/ndp471-kb4033341-x86-x64-enu_9b2e090771d6a46b89dce8e27001fca204128c86.exe
http://download.windowsupdate.com/d/msdownload/update/software/ftpk/2018/01/ndp471-kb4054852-x64_5857288c78a7aa49276f7d69942a818300bc5547.exe

.psf (patch storage file) files are involved with Express updates.

Reply | Quote

Using the script at https://github.com/jimbotten/VBScriptDump/blob/master/workstation/SearchForSoftwareUpdates.vbs lists these as bundled updates for .NET Framework 4.7.1 (KB4033342) x64:

Bundled update: D3D-Windows6.1-kb4019990-x64
Bundled update: ndp471-kb4033341-x86-x64-enu
Bundled update: KB4054852 - .NET 4.7.1 ZDP-Win7/WS08 x64

Reply | Quote

The Catalog listing for .NET Framework 4.7.1 (KB4033342) x64 gives all of the bundled updates, but they’re in the wrong order!:

ndp471-kb4054852-x64_5857288c78a7aa49276f7d69942a818300bc5547.exe
windows6.1-kb4019990-x64_35cc310e81ef23439ba0ec1f11d7b71dd34adfe5.msu
ndp471-kb4033341-x86-x64-enu_9b2e090771d6a46b89dce8e27001fca204128c86.exe

Recall from the first post that one of the uses of bundled updates is to ensure that certain updates are installed in a certain order.

1 user thanked author for this post.

walker

Reply | Quote

This is in WSUS

Reply | Quote

Do you get tired of waiting for Windows Update to download something if it is not a delta update package?

Reply | Quote

Is there an easy way to know if the delta or full update is being used?

Reply | Quote

Without trying to further observe any behavior, I do not know. You might can guess the type by the time used while windows update finishes a download.

I was just thinking about the time spent waiting for Microsoft or getting the packaged thing yourself from the catalog.

Reply | Quote

Good news for users of Windows Update MiniTool: When I installed .NET Framework 4.7.1 (KB4033342) x64 on Windows 7 x64 using Windows Update MiniTool, its bundled updates were also installed :).

1 user thanked author for this post.

walker

Reply | Quote

Given MS’s recent history (six months of botched/ problematic roll-up patches for Win7 and Win10), and given that the roll-ups have lots of patches in them (to break) rather than one patch at a time: What are the dangers of simply denying 100% of all roll-ups as a policy in favor of sending out individual patches (via the VSA we use, Kaseya, and sending in the correct order where applicable) to the field? Are there ever patches in the roll-ups that are not broken out individually?

EDIT: Removal of HTML, please use text tab for copy & pasting HTML.

Reply | Quote