While Get-WULastInstallationDate and Get-WULastScanSuccessDate are used to examine previous updates, and Get-WUAVersion outputs the version of the client, the three remaining functions provide the actual update management. The functions of the WindowsUpdateProvider module use the methods of the CIM class MSFT WUOperations In addition, PowerShell is useful on Server Core because there is no GUI for managing updates.

This is useful, for example, if you want to secure a freshly installed computer by installing the latest patches. More control over updates ^Ĭommand line tools such as usoclient.exe, wuinstall, or PowerShell cmdlets give admins more control over the update process because they can explicitly request the scan, download, install, or restart. However, it is not possible to copy Microsoft's Windows Update Provider to older versions of Windows, such as Server 2012 R2 or 2016, because the CIM class required by the functions does not exist on those versions. In contrast, third-party modules must first be installed on every managed PC.

Therefore, when using it for remote management, you can assume that the required functions are already available on the target computer. The main advantages of Windows Update Provider are its official support by Microsoft and that all newer versions of the operating system already have it on board.

Windows 10 pending updates