Update Service Client Service

The Update Service client service is a windows service running in the background which checks periodically for updates.

How to Install?

The client service is automatically installed with packages with update strategy set to automatic: For example, when installing a package with the Install-UscPackage PowerShell cmdlet and the update strategy (-UpdateStrategy) set to Automatic:

Install-UscPackage -Id 'example-package' -UpdateStrategy Automatic

During the installation, Update Service will check if the client service is already there. If not, it will be included in the installation. By default, the update strategy is set to manual. The update strategy can also be controlled via installer.

Client Service User

During the client service installation, a new local administrator user named GoCurrentUser is created by default. This user is created with a random password that isn't stored.

You can use Set-UscClientServiceUser to assign a different user to the service, the user must be a local administrator on the machine.

Client Authentication

When Require Client Authentication is enabled on the server, the client service must authenticate with the server to receive updates.

As the client service is a background service, it doesn't have a user interface to enter credentials. Instead, the client service must use a personal access token (PAT) to authenticate with the server. By default, PAT is automatically generated from the logged in user, who installed the client service. To use a specific PAT, you can use the Set-UscClientServiceAccessToken cmdlet or to generate a new one.

The access token that's generated is valid for 12 months before it expires. You can revoke token from the server at any time.