Can the 3 shares that WSUS creates be hidden?

[James]

I installed WSUS 3.1 on our print server, and noticed the 3 visible shares
that it creates called UpdateServicesPackages, WSUSContent, and WSUSTemp.
I've removed those shares, then recreated them with a $ to hide them, and
have not noticed any strange behavior so far. Nothing weird in Event Viewer,
and although I am just starting to test the server and only have 2 clients
reporting so far, it seems to be working. However, at some point within a
week after hiding the shares, it recreated the non-hidden share on 2 of the 3
folders. I've removed them again, leaving only the hidden shares, rebooted,
and the non-hidden shares have not reappeared...
Does anyone know how to permanently hide them, or if hiding them will cause
problems? I currently have no other place to put the shares, and don't want
them to show when users UNC to the print server to install printers. Many of
them still use this method...

Thanks much!
James

[Lawrence Garvin (MVP)]

"James" <Ja...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2BED69DD-5A7A-4333...@microsoft.com...

As documented in the WSUS Deployment Guide on p136:

The WSUS subdirectories UpdateServicesPackages, WsusContent, and WsusTemp
created as shared directories (for WSUS Administrators and the Network
Service account) as part of WSUS setup. These directories can be found by
default under the WSUS directory at the root of the largest partition on the
WSUS server. ***Sharing of these directories may be disabled if you are not
using local publishing***.

(emphasis added)

--
Lawrence Garvin, M.S., MCITP(x2), MCTS(x5), MCP(x7), MCBMSP
Principal/CTO, Onsite Technology Solutions, Houston, Texas
Microsoft MVP - Software Distribution (2005-2009)

MS WSUS Website: http://www.microsoft.com/wsus
My Websites: http://www.onsitechsolutions.com;
http://wsusinfo.onsitechsolutions.com
My MVP Profile: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/Lawrence.Garvin