In November 2006, a new version of the Microsoft Windows Update (WU) offline scan file is being released. This new offline scan file will be available in addition to the existing WU offline scan file, Wsusscan.cab. The new offline scan file, Wsusscn2.cab, has a new format.
You must update any scanning solution that uses the existing offline scan file by March 2007 so that it uses the new CAB file. Microsoft solutions that use the existing offline scan file include Microsoft Systems Management Server Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates (SMS ITMU), the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA), and the Windows Update Agent (WUA).
New releases of SMS ITMU, MBSA and the Windows Update Agent (WUA) stand-alone installer will be released in November, at the same time with the new offline scan file Wsusscn2.cab.
Some non-Microsoft solutions that use the existing WU offline scan file for offline security update detection will also have to be updated.
In November, the existing WU offline scan file will continue to be updated when new security bulletins are released. However, older updates will be removed, over time, from each subsequently published version of the Wsusscan.cab file. This will be done so that the file stays within the size limits.
By March 2007, the existing WU offline scan file will no longer be maintained. Customers will have to migrate to using the new Wsusscn2.cab file. At that time, attempts to scan by using Wsusscan.cab will return an error. This error will indicate that the Windows Update Agent must be upgraded.
The Wsusscan.cab file has grown with each new security release, and it is now approaching the maximum number of files that can be included in a single CAB file. Microsoft is upgrading the internal format of the CAB file to resolve this issue.
All products, tools and solutions that use the Wsusscan.cab file will have to be updated by March 2007 to use the new offline scan file. The existing cab file will continue to be updated and published until March 2007. However, Microsoft will reduce the size of the existing CAB file by removing some security update content. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
924513 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/924513/) Changes to the WSUSScan.cab file
New versions of the following software will be made available on November 2006. These new versions will use the new WSUSscn2.cab file.
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Windows Update Agent for Microsoft Windows XP, for Windows 2000, and for Windows Server 2003 (all supported processor architectures) |
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SMS ITMU |
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MBSA |
Information for specific customers
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Customers who use Windows Update or Windows Server Update Services but who do not use products that use the Wsusscan.cab file
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These customers do not have to make any changes. The next major release of Windows Update will include the updated CAB file.
Customers who use SMS ITMU
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These customers will have to download an updated version of SMS ITMU. This updated version will include an updated Windows Update Agent stand-alone installer. The new version of SMS ITMU will be available in November 2006, and it must be deployed before March 2007.
Customers who use the MBSA 2.0 offline scan feature
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These customers will have to download and an updated version of MBSA and of the Windows Update stand-alone installer. These will be available November 2006. Customers must deploy them before March 2007.
Customers who use the MBSA 2.0 online scan feature or the MBSA 1.21 online scan feature
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Customers who use MBSA and who use only the online scan capabilities of MBSA do not have to make any changes.
Customers who use a non-Microsoft solution that uses the Wsusscan.cab file together with the supported Windows Update Agent public API
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These customers must download the stand-alone installer for the updated Windows Update Agent on computers that use this solution. These customers must modify the solution so that it downloads the updated CAB file, Wsusscn2.cab, from the new URL.
There are no changes to the Windows Update Agent public API because of the CAB file format change.
These customers will have to deploy the updates before March 2007.
Customers who use non-Microsoft solutions that read the Wsusscan.cab file directly
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These customers will have to obtain updated solution software that can read and process the new CAB file format.
Microsoft does not publish the schema to this file because the internal format is subject to change. We do not recommend solutions that read the CAB file directly. However, Microsoft will provide additional information about the format changes to any customer or solution provider that has an existing solution. Customers who need more information should join the WU Offline Scan public forum or contact Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS).
Customers will have to deploy these updates by March 2007.
Updates to this article
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We will update this article when there is any new information about these releases.
For more information about these updates and about other Microsoft security updates, visit the following Microsoft Web site: