I was just catching up on my reading when I stumbled across this gem of a link:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsvista/bb927794.aspx

Now, as it doesn’t identify itself via the URL, it is a windows service pack blocking tool.

The blurb from the Microsoft web page is as follows:

A blocking tool is available for organizations that would like to temporarily prevent installation of Windows Service Pack updates through Windows Update. This tool can be used with:

• Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (valid through March, 2008)
• Windows XP Service Pack 3 (valid for 12 months following general availability)
• Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (valid for 12 months following general availability)

I can see the value of such a thing, as organizations do want to control when they roll out patches. The curious thing is that it isn’t just built in to the pro versions directly. You would expect them to be set to follow a default policy, not patch immediately, but on a regular schedule.  Look at how many things break through automated patches already.

I guess that it is a good thing to have, but you would expect it to be a little better known. I doubt my windows admins know about it.