An error occurred trying to connect to the WSUS server

Windows Server Update Service (WSUS) handles the distribution of updates that are released by Microsoft Updates to computers on a network. It is a Windows service that will manage and deploy the updates, patches, and hotfixes for the Windows server and client operating system. However, some users complained that an error occurred when trying to connect to the WSUS server. This could occur due to several reasons. In this article, you will know how to fix this problem. Following is the exact error message users see.

An error occurred trying to connect the WSUS server. This error can happen for a number of reasons. Check connectivity with the server. Please contact your network administrator if the problem persists.

Fix An error occurred trying to connect to the WSUS server

There are many reasons for this said error and we can resolve this error by using different methods. If an error occurred trying to connect to the WSUS server then use the following prescribed solutions to fix this issue.

1. Delete WSUS files
2. Enhance Storage Space
3. Restart Node in the Console
4. Restart the Service
5. Increase the Private Memory Limit
6. Contact your network administrator

Let’s try to resolve your error by using these methods.

1] Delete WSUS files

WSUS database will grow if you are downloading and deploying patches for the different operating systems and different Microsoft products and if you delete expired WSUS files you will be freeing more space as a result of which your issue will be resolved. Follow the prescribed to delete redundant WSUS files.

1. Write %appdata% in the Search bar (you can find the search bar at the bottom) and click on Open.
2. Go to Microsoft > MMC directory in File Explorer.
3. Right-click on the WSUS file and click on the Delete option in the drop-down list.

After using this method, your said error will be resolved.

2] Enhance Storage Space

WSUS service needs an ample amount of storage space and if the storage space on your computer is insufficient then its administrator console won’t be able to store the data from the server, hence, it will be difficult to retrieve the information from the WSUS server and the service can’t work. To know what’s eating your storage, you should use the following instruction.

• Click on the Start button.
• Here, click on Settings > System.
• Click on Storage.
• Go to the required drive and click on Show more categories.
• Wait for a few seconds, once storage usage is loaded, here you can see which type of files use what amount of disk space.
• If you want to know more storage usage information about a particular type of file, then click on its option.

Once you know the storage space of the hard disk, delete all unnecessary files to free more space and you can also enhance more storage space if required. Hopefully, by adding more storage space your error will be resolved.

3] Restart Node in the Console

Restarting the node in the console will allow your computer to reboot the network and other services running alongside it. Follow the prescribed steps to do the same.

1. Click on the Start icon on your WSUS Server > All Programs
2. Go to Administrative Tools > Microsoft Windows Server Update Service to access the WSUS Administrative Console.
3. Go to the System Health page and then move to the Nodes page.
4. Select the particular PPM Server node, here click on the Restart
   button.

There are optional features such as Redeploy content folder, you can select it and click OK to restart the node. After using this method, your error will be cured.

4] Restart the Service

To fix the said error, you can restart the Internet Information Service. The IIS is required to host a website on your computer and for other network purposes. Follow the steps mentioned below to restart related services.

1. Press the Windows key + S, search for the Control Panel and open it.
2. Click on Programs and then click on the Programs and Features option.
3. In the left pane of the window, click on the Turn Windows features on and off option.
4. Select the Internet Information Service feature, expand select all the options under IIS, untick them, and click on the OK button.

Once the service is stopped, go ahead and restart them. Restarting the service will solve this issue.

5] Increase Private Memory Limit

The Private Memory Limit controls the memory usage of a web application. If you have manually configured this setting, it’s very likely that there is some kind of error in the configuration, as a result of which, you encounter the error code in question.

WSUS connection issue can be resolved by increasing the Private Memory Limit to 4-8 GBs. If you are not certain what to put in the option, you can put ‘0’ there. This will allow the program to decide how much memory it needs. To fix the said error, let’s try to tune our service so that it works fine.

1. Open the IIS Manager using the search bar.
2. Go to the Application Pools in the Connections list.
3. Select WsusPool and select Advance Settings
4. Here, you need to search the parameter named Private Memory Limit(KB), the default value will be here but you need to increase this value.
5. You then have to increase the Private Memory Limit and decrease the Regular Time Interval.
6. Click on OK and restart the pool to apply the new value.

Hopefully, after increasing the Private Memory Limit of WsusPool your said error will be resolved.

6] Contact your network administrator

If nothing worked and you are on a client computer, don’t fret about anything and contact your administrator. They might have made some adjustments on their end and reconfiguring it will resolve the issue for you.

How do I force Windows 10 to update from WSUS?

If you want to deploy Windows Client updates using the server, all you have to do is open the WSUS Administrator Console and then navigate to Update Services\Server_Name\Updates\All Windows 10 Upgrades. Right-click on the correct update and then select Approve from the context menu.

Read: Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) Troubleshooting.