Success  MWUSSetup  Validating pre-requisites...
Success  MWUSSetup  Creating database backup...
Success  MWUSSetup  The SQL server instance is remote. No database backup will be created
Success  MWUSSetup  Removing Wsus...
Error  MWUSSetup  RemoveWsus: MWUS Uninstall Failed (Error 0x80070643: Fatal error during installation.)
Error  MWUSSetup  C UpgradeDriver::PerformSetup: Failed to remove earlier version of WSUS (Error 0x80070643: Fatal error during installation.)
Error  MWUSSetup  C SetupDriver::LaunchSetup: Setup failed (Error 0x80070643: Fatal error during installation.)

The solution is to make sure the following registry keys are set:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Update Services\Server\Setup]
"SqlInstanceIsRemote"=dword:00000001
"wYukonInstalled"=dword:00000000

If like me you don’t want to create packages for each and every windows update for your deployment image, here’s how you can point the build process at your WSUS server.

Firstly, create the following file and store it in your ‘Scripts’ folder, for example ” C:\Distribution\Scripts\CustWsusSettings.wsf”:


' //***************************************************************************
' // ***** Script Header *****
' //
' // File: CustWsusSettings.wsf
' //
' // Purpose: Deploy WSUS Settings
' //
' // Customer Build Version: 1.0.0
' // Customer Script Version: 1.0.0
' //
' // Customer History:
' //
' // ***** End Header *****
' //***************************************************************************
<job id="CustWsusSettings">
<script language="VBScript" src="ZTIUtility.vbs"/>
<script language="VBScript" src="WizUtility.vbs"/>
<script language="VBScript">
sWSUSServer = "http://london.nwtraders.msft:8530"
oShell.RegWrite "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\WUServer", sWSUSServer, "REG_SZ"
oShell.RegWrite "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\WUStatusServer",sWSUSServer, "REG_SZ"
oShell.RegWrite "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU\UseWUServer",1, "REG_DWORD"
' Return success.
wscript.quit 0
</script>
</job>

Be sure to change the sWSUSServer to point to your Wsus server. Now open up your task list in the Deployment Console and create a new command line task of the following:

cscript.exe "%SCRIPTROOT%\CustWsusSettings.wsf"

And as if by magic your updates will now come from your WSUS box from install.

Database configuration is all stored in:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\UpdateServices\Server\Setup
The keys you’re interested in are SqlServerName and SqlInstanceIsRemote. Microsoft only officially support Windows authentication, so that’s what i’ll cover here.

You’ll be able to connect the the Windows Internal Database using Microsoft SQL Server management studio Express (a free download), detach the database and re-attach on your new SQL server.

Once that’s done, add the computer account of the WSUS server as a database login (e.g. nwtraders\LONDON$) and give it the dbowner role on the SUSDB.

The last step is to set the SqlServerName and SqlIsRemote values as mentioned earlier. Once done, restart IIS and the UpdateServices service. Job done.