Windows Servicing Branches and Delivery of Updates

This article discusses Windows 11/10 servicing branches and how the model works in terms of providing features, options, and security updates to different consumer groups.

Microsoft would be delivering updates in two ways for benefit of consumers of Windows 11/10. The first type of consumer set was called Current Branch (CB) and would receive updates as soon as the updates are published. The second type of consumer set was named Long Term Servicing Branch (LTSB) and they would be able to defer updates to reduce downtimes.

In its blog post, Microsoft has mentioned the third set of consumers – Current Branch for Business (CBB), which will be able to wait for a while, like 4 months, and check the adaptability of the new Windows Updates before implementing them in their network. This article talks about the serving and servicing options of Windows 10 updates.

Windows 11/10 Servicing Branches

The Home User falls under the Current Branch (CB) and will get the Windows 11/10 updates as soon as they are published. Some Pro and Enterprise users will also be included in this category so that they too can get the updates when published. The CBB (Current Branch Business) excludes the Home edition and allows network admins to assess the updates before deploying them.

The updates are published after the Windows team tests them internally and after they are served to Windows Insiders. Microsoft claims that over a million testers are active as Insiders. They will receive updates as soon as the internal team is satisfied. The team then waits for a certain period of time to receive feedback from Insiders. Based on the Insiders’ experience, the update may be modified or can be published to the Current Branch directly.

The updates will be ready for download to the Current Branch for Business (CBB) and Long Term Servicing Branch, too, but they can defer them to a date and time that suits them. The delay helps assess the impact of the updates on their network systems before they actually push them into the network.

The benefits are that CB can get the published Windows 10 updates – feature updates or security updates – as soon as they are published to Windows Update. The benefit of delaying facility for CBB and LTSB is that they can check out the updates before actually implementing them.

For Current Branch (CB), the minimum lifetime for servicing is 4 months.
For Current Branch for Business (CBB), the minimum length for update servicing for CBB is 8 months.
For Long Term Servicing Branch, the servicing period is 10 years.

Windows 11/10 Update types

There are two types of updates –

Security updates and
Feature updates.

Security updates are published when needed and on Patch Tuesdays. According to Microsoft, there will be a maximum of three feature updates per year. Each type of release will be released to Insiders first and, based on their feedback, modified or released to other consumers: CB, CBB, and LTSB. Security updates may be patches to existing operating systems or additions to them so that the OS is better secured.

Feature updates, on the other hand, are entire operating systems. Feature updates replace the current build of operating systems and hence can be used on even new computers from that point. The aim is to keep Windows updated so that whenever anyone downloads and installs it on an old or new machine, they do not have to waste time downloading all the previous updates. The feature updates will contain all the previous features and security updates. Since this means a downtime of at least five hours, the feature updates will be limited to two to three per year.

In Windows 11/10 you can Pause or Delay/Defer Updates for up to 365 days via Settings.

Delivery of Windows 11/100 Updates to Enterprises

The most common method of getting updates is the Windows Update feature in Settings. While the Current Branch—the normal users—can use Windows Update to install updates, enterprise network admins have to defer and select updates that need to be applied to their systems.

This selective installation and delay are impossible using Windows Update as it has more control over updates than admins.

To address this problem, IT admins can disable Windows Updates and use the Windows Server Update Service. The Windows Server Update Service pulls out the applicable updates from Windows Update and presents them to the IT admins. Then, the admins can test the updates on one or two machines and, if satisfied, push them into the business network.

The following table sums up the article and compares the servicing options in Windows 10 for different types of users. Click on the image to see its larger version.

For more details, please visit Microsoft.com.