<div>
Do an IISRESET /NOFORCE from command prompt. Probably one of the Application Pools crashed which should be reflected in your event logs. 
 
Try again after the IISRESET and see how you go. This would be on the WSUS server btw.
</div>

<div>
Sorry - that didn't resolve the issue.
</div>

<div>
Is the WSUS working at all and you're just having a hard time connecting or WSUS is broken? 
 
If WSUS doesn't work and/or if there are too many things wrong with it then your best bet is to reinstall it. 
 
<a href="http://www.channelpronetwork.com/article/reinstalling_wsus_on_sbs_2008_and_2011_too" rel="ugc">http://www.channelpronetwork.com/article/reinstalling_wsus_on_sbs_2008_and_2011_too</a> 
 
<a href="https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/24646666/How-do-I-fix-repair-WSUS-3-0-SP1-on-SBS-2008.html" rel="ugc">https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/24646666/How-do-I-fix-repair-WSUS-3-0-SP1-on-SBS-2008.html</a>
</div>

<div>
In your event logs, have a look for warnings and errors related to WSUS on the WSUS server, see if it mentions anything in particular. 
 
Also have a look at whether <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2761925" rel="ugc">this </a>article applies. If nothing apparent in logs and article does not work you could indeed look at repairing WSUS in full.
</div>

<div>
Log Name: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Application 
Source: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Windows Server Update Services 
Date: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;26/11/2015 5:25:12 PM 
Event ID: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;7032 
Task Category: None 
Level: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Warning 
Keywords: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Classic 
User: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;N/A 
Computer: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;TMGS02.contoso.local 
Description: 
The WSUS administration console was unable to connect to the WSUS Server via the remote API. 
 
Verify that the Update Services service, IIS and SQL are running on the server. If the problem persists, try restarting IIS, SQL, and the Update Services Service. 
 
System.Net.WebException -- The operation has timed out 
 
Source 
System.Web.Services 
 
Stack Trace: 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at System.Web.Services.Protocols.WebClientProtocol.GetWebResponse(WebRequest request) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at System.Web.Services.Protocols.HttpWebClientProtocol.GetWebResponse(WebRequest request) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.DatabaseAccess.ApiRemotingCompressionProxy.GetWebResponse(WebRequest webRequest) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapHttpClientProtocol.Invoke(String methodName, Object[] parameters) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.ApiRemoting.ExecuteSPGetUpdateServerStatus(Int32 updateSources, Boolean includeDownstreamComputers, String updateScopeXml, String computerTargetScopeXml, String preferredCulture, Int32 publicationState, Int32 propertiesToGet) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.DatabaseAccess.AdminDataAccessProxy.ExecuteSPGetUpdateServerStatus(UpdateSources updateSources, Boolean includeDownstreamComputers, String updateScopeXml, String computerTargetScopeXml, String preferredCulture, ExtendedPublicationState publicationState, UpdateServerStatusPropertiesToGet propertiesToGet) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.BaseApi.UpdateServer.GetStatus(UpdateSources updateSources, Boolean includeDownstreamComputers, UpdateScope updatesToInclude, ComputerTargetScope computersToInclude, UpdateServerStatusPropertiesToGet propertiesToGet) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.BaseApi.UpdateServer.GetReplicaStatus(UpdateSources updateSources) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.UI.SnapIn.Common.CachedUpdateServerStatus.GetFreshObjectForCache() 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.UI.AdminApiAccess.CachedObject.GetFromCache() 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.UI.SnapIn.Pages.ServerSummaryPage.backgroundWorker_DoWork(Object sender, DoWorkEventArgs e) 
Event Xml: 
&lt;Event xmlns=&quot;<a href="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event" rel="ugc nofollow">http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event</a>&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &lt;System&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;Provider Name=&quot;Windows Server Update Services&quot; /&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;EventID Qualifiers=&quot;0&quot;&gt;7032&lt;/EventID&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;Level&gt;3&lt;/Level&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;Task&gt;0&lt;/Task&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;Keywords&gt;0x80000000000000&lt;/Keywords&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;TimeCreated SystemTime=&quot;2015-11-26T06:25:12.000Z&quot; /&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;EventRecordID&gt;5137000&lt;/EventRecordID&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;Channel&gt;Application&lt;/Channel&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;Computer&gt;TMGS02.contoso.local&lt;/Computer&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;Security /&gt; 
&nbsp; &lt;/System&gt; 
&nbsp; &lt;EventData&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;Data&gt;The WSUS administration console was unable to connect to the WSUS Server via the remote API. 
 
Verify that the Update Services service, IIS and SQL are running on the server. If the problem persists, try restarting IIS, SQL, and the Update Services Service. 
 
System.Net.WebException -- The operation has timed out 
 
Source 
System.Web.Services 
 
Stack Trace: 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at System.Web.Services.Protocols.WebClientProtocol.GetWebResponse(WebRequest request) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at System.Web.Services.Protocols.HttpWebClientProtocol.GetWebResponse(WebRequest request) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.DatabaseAccess.ApiRemotingCompressionProxy.GetWebResponse(WebRequest webRequest) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapHttpClientProtocol.Invoke(String methodName, Object[] parameters) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.ApiRemoting.ExecuteSPGetUpdateServerStatus(Int32 updateSources, Boolean includeDownstreamComputers, String updateScopeXml, String computerTargetScopeXml, String preferredCulture, Int32 publicationState, Int32 propertiesToGet) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.DatabaseAccess.AdminDataAccessProxy.ExecuteSPGetUpdateServerStatus(UpdateSources updateSources, Boolean includeDownstreamComputers, String updateScopeXml, String computerTargetScopeXml, String preferredCulture, ExtendedPublicationState publicationState, UpdateServerStatusPropertiesToGet propertiesToGet) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.BaseApi.UpdateServer.GetStatus(UpdateSources updateSources, Boolean includeDownstreamComputers, UpdateScope updatesToInclude, ComputerTargetScope computersToInclude, UpdateServerStatusPropertiesToGet propertiesToGet) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.BaseApi.UpdateServer.GetReplicaStatus(UpdateSources updateSources) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.UI.SnapIn.Common.CachedUpdateServerStatus.GetFreshObjectForCache() 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.UI.AdminApiAccess.CachedObject.GetFromCache() 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.UI.SnapIn.Pages.ServerSummaryPage.backgroundWorker_DoWork(Object sender, DoWorkEventArgs e)&lt;/Data&gt; 
&nbsp; &lt;/EventData&gt; 
&lt;/Event&gt;
</div>

<div>
Log Name: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Application 
Source: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Windows Server Update Services 
Date: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;26/11/2015 5:25:13 PM 
Event ID: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;7053 
Task Category: None 
Level: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Error 
Keywords: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Classic 
User: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;N/A 
Computer: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;TMGS02.contoso.local 
Description: 
The WSUS administration console has encountered an unexpected error. This may be a transient error; try restarting the administration console. If this error persists, 
 
Try removing the persisted preferences for the console by deleting the wsus file under %appdata%\Microsoft\MMC\. 
 
 
System.NullReferenceException -- Object reference not set to an instance of an object. 
 
Source 
Microsoft.UpdateServices.UI.SnapIn 
 
Stack Trace: 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.UI.SnapIn.Pages.ServerSummaryPage.backgroundWorker_RunWorkerCompleted(Object sender, RunWorkerCompletedEventArgs e) 
Event Xml: 
&lt;Event xmlns=&quot;<a href="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event" rel="ugc nofollow">http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event</a>&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &lt;System&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;Provider Name=&quot;Windows Server Update Services&quot; /&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;EventID Qualifiers=&quot;0&quot;&gt;7053&lt;/EventID&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;Level&gt;2&lt;/Level&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;Task&gt;0&lt;/Task&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;Keywords&gt;0x80000000000000&lt;/Keywords&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;TimeCreated SystemTime=&quot;2015-11-26T06:25:13.000Z&quot; /&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;EventRecordID&gt;5137001&lt;/EventRecordID&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;Channel&gt;Application&lt;/Channel&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;Computer&gt;TMGS02.contoso.local&lt;/Computer&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;Security /&gt; 
&nbsp; &lt;/System&gt; 
&nbsp; &lt;EventData&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;Data&gt;The WSUS administration console has encountered an unexpected error. This may be a transient error; try restarting the administration console. If this error persists, 
 
Try removing the persisted preferences for the console by deleting the wsus file under %appdata%\Microsoft\MMC\. 
 
 
System.NullReferenceException -- Object reference not set to an instance of an object. 
 
Source 
Microsoft.UpdateServices.UI.SnapIn 
 
Stack Trace: 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.UI.SnapIn.Pages.ServerSummaryPage.backgroundWorker_RunWorkerCompleted(Object sender, RunWorkerCompletedEventArgs e)&lt;/Data&gt; 
&nbsp; &lt;/EventData&gt; 
&lt;/Event&gt;
</div>

<div>
The two error messages in the event log are above. 
 
I've tried clearing : 
appdata%\Microsoft\MMC\. 
 
but it didn't solve the problem.
</div>

<div>
<div class="content wysiwyg-content">
Hi, 
When I run the MMC for Update Services on Small Business Server 2008 it times out with : 
Error: Connection Error 
 
Please see the screenshots below. 
 
The detailed error message is : 
 
The WSUS administration console was unable to connect to the WSUS Server via the remote API. 
 
Verify that the Update Services service, IIS and SQL are running on the server. If the problem persists, try restarting IIS, SQL, and the Update Services Service. 
 
System.Net.WebException -- The operation has timed out 
 
Source 
System.Web.Services 
 
Stack Trace: 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at System.Web.Services.Protocols.WebClientProtocol.GetWebResponse(WebRequest request) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at System.Web.Services.Protocols.HttpWebClientProtocol.GetWebResponse(WebRequest request) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.DatabaseAccess.ApiRemotingCompressionProxy.GetWebResponse(WebRequest webRequest) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapHttpClientProtocol.Invoke(String methodName, Object[] parameters) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.ApiRemoting.ExecuteSPGetUpdateServerStatus(Int32 updateSources, Boolean includeDownstreamComputers, String updateScopeXml, String computerTargetScopeXml, String preferredCulture, Int32 publicationState, Int32 propertiesToGet) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.DatabaseAccess.AdminDataAccessProxy.ExecuteSPGetUpdateServerStatus(UpdateSources updateSources, Boolean includeDownstreamComputers, String updateScopeXml, String computerTargetScopeXml, String preferredCulture, ExtendedPublicationState publicationState, UpdateServerStatusPropertiesToGet propertiesToGet) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.BaseApi.UpdateServer.GetStatus(UpdateSources updateSources, Boolean includeDownstreamComputers, UpdateScope updatesToInclude, ComputerTargetScope computersToInclude, UpdateServerStatusPropertiesToGet propertiesToGet) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.BaseApi.UpdateServer.GetReplicaStatus(UpdateSources updateSources) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.UI.SnapIn.Common.CachedUpdateServerStatus.GetFreshObjectForCache() 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.UI.AdminApiAccess.CachedObject.GetFromCache() 
&nbsp; &nbsp;at Microsoft.UpdateServices.UI.SnapIn.Pages.ServerSummaryPage.backgroundWorker_DoWork(Object sender, DoWorkEventArgs e) 
<a href="https://filedb.experts-exchange.com/incoming/2015/11_w48/1036422/WSUSCrash1.png" target="_blank" class="file-inline" title="WSUSCrash1.png (41 KB)"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512"><path d="M67.508 468.467c-58.005-58.013-58.016-151.92 0-209.943l225.011-225.04c44.643-44.645 117.279-44.645 161.92 0 44.743 44.749 44.753 117.186 0 161.944l-189.465 189.49c-31.41 31.413-82.518 31.412-113.926.001-31.479-31.482-31.49-82.453 0-113.944L311.51 110.491c4.687-4.687 12.286-4.687 16.972 0l16.967 16.971c4.685 4.686 4.685 12.283 0 16.969L184.983 304.917c-12.724 12.724-12.73 33.328 0 46.058 12.696 12.697 33.356 12.699 46.054-.001l189.465-189.489c25.987-25.989 25.994-68.06.001-94.056-25.931-25.934-68.119-25.932-94.049 0l-225.01 225.039c-39.249 39.252-39.258 102.795-.001 142.057 39.285 39.29 102.885 39.287 142.162-.028A739446.174 739446.174 0 0 1 439.497 238.49c4.686-4.687 12.282-4.684 16.969.004l16.967 16.971c4.685 4.686 4.689 12.279.004 16.965a755654.128 755654.128 0 0 0-195.881 195.996c-58.034 58.092-152.004 58.093-210.048.041z"/></svg>WSUSCrash1.png</a> 
<a href="https://filedb.experts-exchange.com/incoming/2015/11_w48/1036423/WSUSCrash2.png" target="_blank" class="file-inline" title="WSUSCrash2.png (27 KB)"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512"><path d="M67.508 468.467c-58.005-58.013-58.016-151.92 0-209.943l225.011-225.04c44.643-44.645 117.279-44.645 161.92 0 44.743 44.749 44.753 117.186 0 161.944l-189.465 189.49c-31.41 31.413-82.518 31.412-113.926.001-31.479-31.482-31.49-82.453 0-113.944L311.51 110.491c4.687-4.687 12.286-4.687 16.972 0l16.967 16.971c4.685 4.686 4.685 12.283 0 16.969L184.983 304.917c-12.724 12.724-12.73 33.328 0 46.058 12.696 12.697 33.356 12.699 46.054-.001l189.465-189.489c25.987-25.989 25.994-68.06.001-94.056-25.931-25.934-68.119-25.932-94.049 0l-225.01 225.039c-39.249 39.252-39.258 102.795-.001 142.057 39.285 39.29 102.885 39.287 142.162-.028A739446.174 739446.174 0 0 1 439.497 238.49c4.686-4.687 12.282-4.684 16.969.004l16.967 16.971c4.685 4.686 4.689 12.279.004 16.965a755654.128 755654.128 0 0 0-195.881 195.996c-58.034 58.092-152.004 58.093-210.048.041z"/></svg>WSUSCrash2.png</a>
</div>
</div>

WSUSCrash1.png

WSUSCrash2.png

Hi,
When I run the MMC for Update Services on Small Business Server 2008 it times out with :
Error: Connection Error

Please see the screenshots below.

The detailed error message is :

The WSUS administration console was unable to connect to the WSUS Server via the remote API. 

Verify that the Update Services service, IIS and SQL are running on the server. If the problem persists, try restarting IIS, SQL, and the Update Services Service.

System.Net.WebException -- The operation has timed out

Source
System.Web.Services

Stack Trace:
   at System.Web.Services.Protocols.WebClientProtocol.GetWebResponse(WebRequest request)
   at System.Web.Services.Protocols.HttpWebClientProtocol.GetWebResponse(WebRequest request)
   at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.DatabaseAccess.ApiRemotingCompressionProxy.GetWebResponse(WebRequest webRequest)
   at System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapHttpClientProtocol.Invoke(String methodName, Object[] parameters)
   at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.ApiRemoting.ExecuteSPGetUpdateServerStatus(Int32 updateSources, Boolean includeDownstreamComputers, String updateScopeXml, String computerTargetScopeXml, String preferredCulture, Int32 publicationState, Int32 propertiesToGet)
   at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.DatabaseAccess.AdminDataAccessProxy.ExecuteSPGetUpdateServerStatus(UpdateSources updateSources, Boolean includeDownstreamComputers, String updateScopeXml, String computerTargetScopeXml, String preferredCulture, ExtendedPublicationState publicationState, UpdateServerStatusPropertiesToGet propertiesToGet)
   at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.BaseApi.UpdateServer.GetStatus(UpdateSources updateSources, Boolean includeDownstreamComputers, UpdateScope updatesToInclude, ComputerTargetScope computersToInclude, UpdateServerStatusPropertiesToGet propertiesToGet)
   at Microsoft.UpdateServices.Internal.BaseApi.UpdateServer.GetReplicaStatus(UpdateSources updateSources)
   at Microsoft.UpdateServices.UI.SnapIn.Common.CachedUpdateServerStatus.GetFreshObjectForCache()
   at Microsoft.UpdateServices.UI.AdminApiAccess.CachedObject.GetFromCache()
   at Microsoft.UpdateServices.UI.SnapIn.Pages.ServerSummaryPage.backgroundWorker_DoWork(Object sender, DoWorkEventArgs e)

WSUS Update Services MMC Console - Error: Connection Error

Small Business Server (SBS) is a line of server operating systems targeted at small businesses by bundling the operating system with a number of other Microsoft products that would normally need to be purchased or licensed separately. The most notable inclusions are Exchange, SQL Server, SharePoint and ISA/TMG (Microsoft's firewall and proxy server).

Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2, based on the Microsoft Vista codebase, is the last 32-bit server operating system released by Microsoft. It has a number of versions, including including Foundation, Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Web, HPC Server, Itanium and Storage; new features included server core installation and Hyper-V.

Windows Server 2008

Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), previously known as Software Update Services (SUS), is a computer program developed by Microsoft that enables administrators to manage the distribution of updates and hotfixes released for Microsoft products to computers.