How to update your Windows Server

This documentation describes the patch management process for STACKIT Windows Servers. You will learn how to manage Windows updates for your server, which updates are installed and details about the internal monthly image release cycle.

Prerequisites

• Create a new server: Step 1: Create a new instance -Windows-
• Enable the Server Update Management Service: Server Update Management Service

If the update service is not enabled, the customer is responsible for managing patches to keep the operating system updated and secure!

Updates

Please refer to our detailed Server Update Management documentation, which describe the processes of how to use and configure the Server Update Management Services of your Windows Servers: Server Update Management service

Which Windows Updates will be installed?

Below is an overview of the update categories covered by the Server Update Management Service.

STACKIT only provides and installs the OS updates.

Update classification:

Security updates

• These updates address vulnerabilities in Windows that could be exploited by attackers.
• They are released regularly on Patch Tuesday (the second Tuesday of each month) or as out-of-band updates if a severe vulnerability is discovered.
• Security updates can be standalone or included in cumulative updates.

Critical updates

• These are updates that Microsoft considers critical for system stability or functionality.
• They do not necessarily address security vulnerabilities but fix significant bugs or issues that could cause system crashes, data loss, or other major problems.
• Critical updates might be released outside the regular Patch Tuesday schedule if needed.

Update rollups

• A cumulative package of multiple updates bundled together.
• Update rollups typically contain a mix of:
  • Security fixes
  • Critical updates
  • Performance improvements
  • Bug fixes
• They can be monthly rollups, which include all updates since the last rollup, or specialized rollups for specific features/components.

Updates

• A general category that includes non-security improvements such as:
  • Bug fixes
  • Feature enhancements
  • Driver updates
  • Optional updates (e.g., enabling new Windows features)
• These updates may not be classified as “critical” but improve the overall Windows experience.

Monthly recurring image release process

Every second tuesday of the month, Microsoft releases new Windows updates on its official patch day. Following this, new images incorporating the latest monthly updates are created and thoroughly tested to ensure system stability. This guarantees that any newly created server from these images is up to date, eliminating the need for manual updates immediately after deployment.

Deprecated server images have a retention period of one year and will be permanently deleted once that time limit is reached.

Therefore it is recommended that customers should always ensure they are using the latest active image when creating Windows Servers with the API. For more details, please refer to the following documentation: Step 1.2: Create a Server from the CLI/API -Windows-