KBA10018: Patch Status service error messages

The N-able N-central agent uses the Microsoft Windows Update Agent (WUA) as a basic component of Patch Management. The WUA scans and monitors for any software or hardware dependencies, keeps track of superseded Windows updates and other issues that need to be resolved before or during a scan and install.

Due to the extensiveness of this operation, the WUA can malfunction during updates. This can be a temporary issue that stalls the software, and the next scan runs without errors. If it is a persistent problem, manual intervention is needed to fix the WUA component.

N-able N-central monitors the health of the WUA component to ensure that there is a smooth patch management process. This monitoring includes a mechanism to install critical WUA updates automatically, a performance enhancement for the WUA scan, and an enhanced WUA status check using a new threshold. Patch Status service reports also include additional information for troubleshooting.

Microsoft is continually improving the WUA component and the update process in Windows. If you encounter an issue with the WUA, use the Microsoft Troubleshooter at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/10164/fix-windows-update-errors. It walks you through steps to fix problems for common error codes when installing updates.

It is also important to keep the WUA up to date. The Patch Status service displays the installed version of WUA.

For information on the Patch Status service, see the Patch Status service help topic.

Troubleshooting

See PME and Windows Update Agent Error Codes for detailed troubleshooting steps.

N-able N-central displays these common error messages when WUA is not working properly:

Additional Help

For further help in fixing errors and issues with WUA, see the following Microsoft help articles: