Microsoft Configuration Manager new feature Express Update

From ConfigMgr version 1702 there is a new feature called Express Update. The new feature will support Windows 10 Cumulative Updates. The new thing Express Update will enable (only) for Windows 10 clients to download only the differential files from the previous month's Cumulative Update.

If you want to test this you must have at least ConfigMgr v1702 or higher. The windows client should run Windows 10 v1607 with April 2017 CU or Windows 10 v1702 or higher.

It might be good to know that the size is approximately 3 times bigger for the Express CU file than for a regular CU file for Windows 10. So check the disk space on your DP´s.

To set up the new feature, open your ConfigMgr Console, and go to “Administration / Site Configuration / Sites / Configure Site Components” and select Software Update Point (see pic 1).

pic 1 ConfigMGR software update point

Chose the Update Files tabs and select the new setting for express update. Download both full files for all approved updates and express installation files for Windows 10 (see pic 2).

pic 2 select download both full files and express files…

The next settings that you should configure is the client settings (see pic 3).

pic 3 Client Settings

Edit your client settings for Software Updates. Set Yes in the box for Enable installation of Express installation files on clients. Also configure the port, I use the default port “8005” for my test (see pic 4).

pic 4 Client settings for software updates

The next thing that you can do is to create a Software Update. Go to Software Updates and chose a Cumulative Update for Window 10 and create a deployment for the CU.

If you look at your new CU packages you will see the name “Express_” at the beginning of the folder. The size of the file is roughly 3 times bigger for the Express update file (see pic 5).

pic 5 new cu packages

That’s it!