Notice that both of these solutions used WSUS as the patch engine and not System
Center Configuration Manager, which has a powerful patching solution that is utilized
by many organizations. To use Configuration Manager for the patching, a custom
solution using PowerShell or Orchestrator would have to be utilized; that is, until
Configuration Manager 2016. Configuration Manager 2016 introduces cluster-aware
settings related to updates. This new capability enables configuration that specifies
not only the patches to deploy and when, but also the percentage of servers that need
to remain online during the patching process, which enables the cluster to be patched
must faster compared to one node at a time. With the ability to specify the percentage
that must remain online, multiple nodes can be patched simultaneously, thus
speeding up the overall patch process without impacting the ability to deliver services
beyond your desired metrics. Additionally, the update configuration allows pre- and
post-configuration tasks to be linked to the update application. Note that while this
functionality works for software updates, it is not limited to software updates and
applies to the various maintenance operations directed to the nodes in the cluster.
This functionality is enabled as follows:
1 . Add all the nodes in the cluster to a new collection.
2 . Select the properties of the collection, and under the General tab, select the “All
devices are part of the same server cluster” check box, which will enable its
associated Settings button. Click the Settings button.
3 . In the Cluster Settings dialog box, shown in Figure 6.3, you can specify the
percentage of the cluster that can go offline, a specific order of sequencing for the
cluster, and the optional script content for the pre- and post- actions. It is also
possible to configure the script action to take should the patching require a reboot
of the nodes.