Keeping systems up-to-date on patches for security and stability is a critical requirement for the data center, but it can also be a burden on administrators. With a cluster of Hyper-V Server 2012 systems, you can combine new capabilities with mature solutions to reduce the workload and eliminate the downtime involved with patching. This new capability is provided by CAU in conjunction with Windows Update. You can extend your control over patch acquisition and deployment using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) to act as an intermediary between your systems and Windows Update.

Typically, Windows Update and WSUS make sense to introduce first, since CAU relies on them as a source. However, these are both well-known technologies that most administrators already have at least some familiarity with. CAU will require a different configuration than most administrators are used to, so it will...