1.1 Glossary
This document uses the following terms:
anchor: An opaque data element generated by an update server to identify the occurrence of a software update-related event in a manner that distinguishes temporally separate occurrences of the event.
autonomous DSS: A downstream server (DSS) that obtains updates from its upstream server (USS) but manages the deployments of the updates to its client computers independently from its USS.
base64 encoding: A binary-to-text encoding scheme whereby an arbitrary sequence of bytes is converted to a sequence of printable ASCII characters, as described in [RFC4648].
category: A logical grouping of updates identified by a GUID and described by metadata. A category can be treated as an update with no associated content.
client computer: A computer that instigates a connection to a well-known port on a server.
content: A package that contains all the associated files for an update that is to be installed on a client computer.
deployment: An administratively specified decision to make a specific update revision available to a specific target group.
detectoid: A logical condition that is evaluated on a client computer to detect the presence of software, drivers, or their updates. A detectoid is identified by a GUID and described by metadata. It is represented as an update with no associated content.
Domain Name System (DNS): A hierarchical, distributed database that contains mappings of domain names to various types of data, such as IP addresses. DNS enables the location of computers and services by user-friendly names, and it also enables the discovery of other information stored in the database.
downstream server (DSS): An update server that synchronizes its updates from another update server.
DSS Authorization Web Service: A web service on the upstream server (USS) used to authorize the release of updates to downstream servers (DSSs).
End User License Agreement (EULA): A textual description of the terms that a user or administrator accepts before an update is installed. Each EULA is identified by a GUID, and each update revision might be associated with a EULA.
fully qualified domain name (FQDN): An unambiguous domain name that gives an absolute location in the Domain Name System's (DNS) hierarchy tree, as defined in [RFC1035] section 3.1 and [RFC2181] section 11.
globally unique identifier (GUID): A term used interchangeably with universally unique identifier (UUID) in Microsoft protocol technical documents (TDs). Interchanging the usage of these terms does not imply or require a specific algorithm or mechanism to generate the value. Specifically, the use of this term does not imply or require that the algorithms described in [RFC4122] or [C706] must be used for generating the GUID. See also universally unique identifier (UUID).
metadata: XML-formatted data that defines the characteristics of an update, including its title, description, rules for determining whether the update is applicable to a client computer, and instructions for installing the update content.
Microsoft Update: A Microsoft-hosted website located at http://update.microsoft.com.
patch storage format (PSF): A version of a content file that includes only changes in binary content from a previous version of a software/driver binary.
replica DSS: A DSS that obtains both updates and update deployments from its USS.
revision: A specific version of an update that is identified by a combination of an UpdateID GUID and a 32-bit revision number.
Server Sync Web Service: A web service on the upstream server (USS) that provides updates of metadata and deployment information to the downstream servers (DSSs).
SHA-1 hash: A hashing algorithm as specified in [FIPS180-2] that was developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Security Agency (NSA).
SOAP: A lightweight protocol for exchanging structured information in a decentralized, distributed environment. SOAP uses XML technologies to define an extensible messaging framework, which provides a message construct that can be exchanged over a variety of underlying protocols. The framework has been designed to be independent of any particular programming model and other implementation-specific semantics. SOAP 1.2 supersedes SOAP 1.1. See [SOAP1.2-1/2003].
SOAP fault: A container for error and status information within a SOAP message. See [SOAP1.2-1/2007] section 5.4 for more information.
SOAP message: An XML document consisting of a mandatory SOAP envelope, an optional SOAP header, and a mandatory SOAP body. See [SOAP1.2-1/2007] section 5 for more information.
target group: A named collection of client computers whose members are defined administratively.
update: An add, modify, or delete of one or more objects or attribute values. See originating update, replicated update.
update classification: A scheme to classify updates such as Critical, Security, Service Pack, and so on. An update classification is identified by a GUID and described by metadata. It can be treated as an update with no associated content.
update server: A computer that implements the Windows Server Update Services: Server-Server Protocol or the Windows Server Update Services: Client-Server Protocol to provide updates to client computers and other update servers.
upstream server (USS): An update server that provides updates to other update servers.
web method: A discrete operation exposed by a web service, called using a single SOAP message.
web service: (1) A unit of application logic that provides data and services to other applications and can be called by using standard Internet transport protocols such as HTTP, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), or File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Web services can perform functions that range from simple requests to complicated business processes.
Web Services Description Language (WSDL): An XML format for describing network services as a set of endpoints that operate on messages that contain either document-oriented or procedure-oriented information. The operations and messages are described abstractly and are bound to a concrete network protocol and message format in order to define an endpoint. Related concrete endpoints are combined into abstract endpoints, which describe a network service. WSDL is extensible, which allows the description of endpoints and their messages regardless of the message formats or network protocols that are used.
Windows Server Update Services (WSUS): An optional component that enables a machine to operate as an update server.
MAY, SHOULD, MUST, SHOULD NOT, MUST NOT: These terms (in all caps) are used as defined in [RFC2119]. All statements of optional behavior use either MAY, SHOULD, or SHOULD NOT.