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Why Are WSUS Clients Failing to Report After February 2025 Patch Day?
A reader from Germany reached out recently with a frustrating problem. His Windows clients stopped reporting to WSUS (Windows Server Update Services) after February 12, 2025. This issue appeared right after the February patch updates were installed. He managed to fix it temporarily by restoring a backup, but the question remains—has anyone else experienced this? Or is this an isolated case?
The Setup: A Stable WSUS Environment
The reader manages a Windows Server 2016 with WSUS to handle updates for about 800 devices. These include Windows 10, Windows 11, and various server versions (2016, 2019, 2022). For years, everything worked fine. No major hiccups.
But on February 12, after applying the latest patches and rebooting the server, something went wrong.
What Went Wrong?
- Clients Stopped Communicating: Post-update, none of the clients contacted the WSUS server to check for updates.
- Visible in Logs: The “last status report” column in WSUS showed no activity after February 12 at around 8:00 a.m.
- Not Limited to Updated Clients: Even devices without the February security updates were affected.
It seems the update process itself caused the issue.
Temporary Fix: Restoring a Backup
To troubleshoot, the admin restored his server using a Veeam backup from before the update. This rollback worked:
- Clients Reported Back: After restoring the backup, client devices resumed communication with WSUS.
- Next Steps: He planned to monitor synchronization scheduled for February 13 to see if the issue reappears.
Open Question for Admins
Are you seeing similar problems in your environment? Specifically, did your WSUS setup break after applying February 2025 patches? If yes, share your experience—it could help others troubleshoot faster.
Key Takeaways and Advice
- Backup Before Updates: Always back up your WSUS server before installing patches. It’s a lifesaver when things go sideways.
- Monitor Logs: Check client communication logs regularly after updates to catch issues early.
- Test Updates on a Subset: Before applying patches widely, test them on a small group of devices to spot potential problems.
If you’re dealing with this issue yourself, consider rolling back using a backup as a temporary fix while investigating further.