This has changed in Windows The main stream is called Current Branch or CB for short, that receives all upgrades new versions and updates patches from Microsoft within a few days of their release. CB is what all home users get and what most small business corporate Pro users will get. There are however, two other streams or branches. LTSB is slightly stripped down version of Windows 10 that Microsoft guarantees will be available for 10 years and will not require upgrades.
This is a separate download and acts much more like a full product than a branch. CBB allows you to delay upgrades new versions and updates patches where as CB does not. Once you have them in your Active Directory, you can expand:. If you are using WSUS you already control the updates so this setting is ignored. Microsoft has seen too many problems with IT staff no selecting critical updates to allow this pick and choose world to continue. An additional deferral of at least eight months is available to organizations that use tools to control the update process.
During this time, monthly security updates will continue to be made available to machines not yet upgraded. It also states that using the deferral GPO with WSUS results in declining the upgrade when it is offered within the 4 month deferral period.
And again speaking about 8 additional months for Installation after that:. The Defer upgrades setting can function as an additional validation check, so that Current Branch for Business machines that are targeted with a new upgrade prior to the end of the initial four-month deferral period will decline to install it; they can install the upgrade any time within the eight-month window after that initial four-month deferral period.
When set to 4 months, it waits an additional 4 month before installing the CBB update. This makes sure the CBB upgrade is installed before the succeeding CBB upgrade is available — which would be the second successor upgrade to the initial build that is installed on the PC and marks the end of servicing lifetime for the initial build.
If further states that the servicing lifetime of a CBB starts when it is first published for its corresponding build and that the servicing lifetime ends when Microsoft republishes the second successor feature upgrade as CBB for the initial build. Microsoft designed Windows 10 servicing lifetime policies so that CBBs will receive servicing updates for approximately twice as many months as CBs. This enables two CBBs to receive servicing support at the same time, which provides businesses with more flexibility when deploying new feature upgrades.
For more information, see Build deployment rings for Windows 10 updates. In addition to setting up multiple rings for your update deployments, also incorporate devices enrolled in the Windows Insider Program as part of your deployment strategy. For more information on this servicing model, see Windows 10 servicing options. After you configure the servicing branch Windows Insider Preview or Semi-Annual Channel , you can then define if, and for how long, you would like to defer receiving Feature Updates following their availability from Microsoft on Windows Update.
You can defer receiving these Feature Updates for a period of up to days from their release by setting the DeferFeatureUpdatesPeriodinDays value. You can also pause a device from receiving Feature Updates by a period of up to 35 days from when the value is set.
After 35 days has passed, the pause setting will automatically expire and the device will scan Windows Update for applicable Feature Updates. Following this scan, you can then pause Feature Updates for the device again. Starting with Windows 10, version , when you configure a pause by using policy, you must set a start date for the pause to begin. The pause period is calculated by adding 35 days to this start date. In cases where the pause policy is first applied after the configured start date has passed, you can extend the pause period up to a total of 35 days by configuring a later start date.
In Windows 10, version and later versions, you can pause feature updates to 35 days, similar to the number of days for quality updates. The local group policy editor GPEdit. Although the device will resume Feature Updates after 35 days automatically, the pause checkbox will remain selected in the policy editor. Starting with Windows 10, version , using Settings to control the pause behavior provides a more consistent experience, specifically:.
Quality updates are typically published on the second Tuesday of every month, although they can be released at any time. You can define if, and for how long, you would like to defer receiving Quality updates following their availability. You can defer receiving these quality updates for a period of up to 30 days from their release by setting the DeferQualityUpdatesPeriodinDays value.
When you do this, these Microsoft updates will follow the same deferral and pause rules as all other quality updates. You can also pause a system from receiving quality updates for a period of up to 35 days from when the value is set.
After 35 days have passed, the pause setting will automatically expire and the device will scan Windows Update for applicable quality updates. Following this scan, you can then pause quality updates for the device again. Starting with Windows 10, version , IT administrators can prevent individual users from pausing updates. Although the device will resume quality Updates after 35 days automatically, the pause checkbox will remain selected in the policy editor. Starting with Windows 10, version , you can set policies to manage preview builds and their delivery:.
The Manage preview builds setting gives administrators control over enabling or disabling preview build installation on a device. You can also decide to stop preview builds once the release is public. This policy replaces the "Toggle user control over Insider builds" policy under that is only supported up to Windows 10, version You can find the older policy here:.
The policy settings to Select when Feature Updates are received allows you to choose between preview flight rings, and allows you to defer or pause their delivery. Starting with Windows 10, version , you can selectively opt out of receiving driver update packages as part of your normal quality update cycle.
This policy will not apply to updates to drivers provided with the operating system which will be packaged within a security or critical update or to feature updates, where drivers might be dynamically installed to ensure the feature update process can complete. The following are quick-reference tables of the supported policy values for Windows Update for Business in Windows 10, version and later.
