Performs a scan of cluster nodes for applicable updates and gets a list of the initial set of updates that are applied to each node in a specified cluster.
Windows Server · Risk: High · Documentation Verified
Last verified: 2026-10-26
Microsoft ClusterAwareUpdating reference: Performs a scan of cluster nodes for applicable updates and gets a list of the initial set of updates that are applied to each node in a specified cluster. The syntax and selected example below are adapted from the pinned Windows Server 2025 reference. Module availability, target configuration and delegated permissions determine whether it can run in your environment. Documentation and parameter text: Microsoft, CC BY 4.0; formatting adapted by Cmdlet World. No execution testing is claimed.
Use an account with the target resource permissions documented for Invoke-CauScan. Modifying administrative cmdlets may require elevation or delegated administration. This catalog does not assert that ordinary users can execute the command.
Supported environments
Windows / ClusterAwareUpdating · Windows Server 2025 documentation; feature/module prerequisites apply
Parameters
-AttemptSoftReboot
Indicates that command assumes a Kernel Soft Reboot (KSR) for the failover cluster. KSR bypasses BIOS/firmware initialization. You can only use KSR for updates that do not require a BIOS/firmware initialization.
-CauPluginArguments
Specifies a set of name=value pairs, as arguments, for each updating plug-in to use. For instance, to specify a Domain argument for one plug-in: - @{Domain=Domain.local} You can specify multiple pairs in a set separated with semicolons. For instance: - @{name1=value1;name2=value2;name3=value3} These name=value pairs must be meaningful to the CauPluginName parameter that you specify. If you specify arguments for more than one plug-in, provide the sets of name=value pairs in the order that you pass values in CauPluginName, separated by commas. For instance: - @{name1=value1;name2=value2;name3=value3},@{name4=value4;name5=value5} For the default Microsoft.WindowsUpdatePlugin plug-in, no arguments are needed. The following arguments are optional: - 'IncludeRecommendedUpdates'='\': Boolean value to indicate that recommended updates will be applied in addition to important updates on each node. If not specified, the default value is False. - A standard Windows Update Agent query string that specifies criteria used by the Windows Update Agent to filter the updates that will be applied to each node. For a name, use QueryString and for a value, enclose the full query in quotation marks. If not specified, then the Microsoft.WindowsUpdatePlugin plug-in by default uses the following argument: - QueryString="IsInstalled=0 and Type='Software' and IsHidden=0 and IsAssigned=1" For more information about query strings for the default Microsoft.WindowsUpdatePlugin plug-in and the criteria such as IsInstalled that can be included in the query strings, see IUpdateSearcher::Search method. For the Microsoft.HotfixPlugin plug-in, the following argument is required: - HotfixRootFolderPath=\: The UNC path to a hotfix root folder in an SMB share with a structure that contains the updates to apply and that contains the hotfix configuration file. The following arguments are optional for the Micr
-CauPluginName
Specifies one or more plug-ins to use when performing scans. You can specify multiple values separated with commas. The default is the Microsoft.WindowsUpdatePlugin plug-in. This plug-in coordinates the Windows Update Agent software resident on each cluster node, the same software that is used when updates are downloaded from Windows Update or Microsoft Update, or from a Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) server. For more information about how plug-ins work with Cluster-Aware Updating (CAU), see How Cluster-Aware Updating plug-ins work.
-ClusterName
Specifies the name of the cluster which should be scanned for applicable updates. This parameter is only required when this cmdlet isn't run on a failover cluster node, or this cmdlet is used to reference a failover cluster different from where the cmdlet is run.
-Credential
Specifies the administrative credentials for the target cluster.
-OsRollingUpgrade
Indicates that the CAU cluster role scans for upgrades to the operating system of the cluster nodes without stopping the Hyper-V or the Scale-Out File Server workloads.
-RebootMode
Specifies the type of reboot to use for each node in the cluster during the update. The available values are: - ClusProp - FullReboot - SoftReboot - PluginCustomReboot - OrchestratorDefault
-RunPluginsSerially
Indicates that CAU scans each cluster node for applicable updates and stages the updates for each plug-in in the plug-in order passed into the CauPluginName parameter then multiple plug-ins are used during a scan for updates. By default, CAU scans and stages the applicable updates for all plug-ins in parallel. This parameter is valid only when multiple plug-ins are specified in the CauPluginName parameter. If a single plug-in is specified, a warning appears.
-StopOnPluginFailure
Indicates that if a failure occurs during a scan on a node by any plug-in, subsequent scans on the node that are coordinated by the remaining plug-ins are stopped when multiple plug-ins are used during a scan for updates. The parameter is valid only when multiple plug-ins are specified in the CauPluginName parameter. If a single plug-in is specified, a warning appears.
Prerequisites
Windows with the ClusterAwareUpdating module and the Windows feature or management tools that provide it. Confirm target connectivity and version compatibility using the linked Microsoft reference.
Security considerations
This cmdlet changes system state. Review every target and parameter in the official reference, test outside production, and prepare an appropriate backup or rollback. Do not execute the example automatically.
Examples
Example 1: Get a detailed list of the initial set of updates on the specified cluster
This command gets a detailed list of the initial set of updates that would currently be applied to each node in the cluster named CONTOSO-FC1. The list is based on the updates that would be applied by the Microsoft.WindowsUpdatePlugin plug-in, which is the default plug-in. The preview list includes only an initial set of updates, and doesn't include updates that might become applicable only after the initial updates are installed. Source: Microsoft, CC BY 4.0; transcript prompt/output removed. This example was not executed.