Why does enabling the OpenSSH server feature take so insanely long?

[robertstrom]

I haven't actually timed the install (but I will be doing that), but I have installed the feature MANY times using the PowerShell command line and it always takes a ridiculous amount of time. The OpenSSH-Win64-v10.0.0.0.msi download is 6.28MB. I clicked on the link and downloaded the file in a few seconds (literally).

I haven't dug into exactly how enabling Windows features work, but my impression is that it is crazy inefficient.

I have installed OpenSSH on many, many Linux systems and it takes no time at all. On a Windows system enabling the feature it takes ~ 15 - 20 minutes. Similar crazy long install times for the RSAT tools feature. The system is Windows 11 25H2 Enterprise, Proxmox virtual machine 4 vCPU's and 8GB RAM. Increasing RAM or cores does not seem to make a difference. Neither does being a physical machine.

Why the ^I&%% does this take so long?

Microsoft - please explain because this bloated feature install function is broken IMHO. Why is this so crazy slow and inefficient?

Microsoft - please make a simple install take a reasonable amount of time!

[robertstrom]

As a test, I just downloaded the OpenSSH-Win64-v10.0.0.0.msi and ran the install.

It literally took seconds to install. It was a blip.

I did an install via the PowerShell command line install of the OpenSSH "feature" and surrounded it by a couple of Get-Date commands

Install started at: Saturday, May 9, 2026 2:56:06 PM
Install finished at: Saturday, May 9, 2026 3:14:21 PM

PS /home/rstrom> $StartDate = Get-Date "Saturday, May 9, 2026 2:56:06 PM"                                                                                                                                                    PS /home/rstrom> $EndDate = Get-Date "Saturday, May 9, 2026 3:14:21 PM"
PS /home/rstrom> $Difference = $EndDate - $StartDate
PS /home/rstrom> $Difference

Days              : 0
Hours             : 0
Minutes           : 18
Seconds           : 15
Milliseconds      : 0
Ticks             : 10950000000
TotalDays         : 0.0126736111111111
TotalHours        : 0.304166666666667
TotalMinutes      : 18.25
TotalSeconds      : 1095
TotalMilliseconds : 1095000

18.25 minutes to install something that took seconds to install via a downloaded MSI package.

Does it really take that much longer to print out a bunch if progress circles? :-)

Same exact virtual machine restored to the same exact state via snapshot before performing either of the installs.

Mind boggling ... please explain ... cuz it wastes 0.0126736111111111 days of my life ...

Somebody really needs to fix this. See this regarding the RSAT tools. I'm sure it's the same crazy issue.

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/discussions/windows11/why-is-add-windowscapability-so-slow-for-rsat/4076732

[tgauth]

I have installed OpenSSH on many, many Linux systems and it takes no time at all. On a Windows system enabling the feature it takes ~ 15 - 20 minutes.

That is quite long. I will reach out to the Windows optional features team and see if they know why

[tgauth]

Unfortunately, it sounds like that's expected. They suggested performing the FOD install from a local source, as an alternative.

To do that, combine the "Language and Optional Features ISO" from here:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/languages-overview?view=windows-11#get-language-resources-languages-and-optional-features-iso

Along with the checkpoint update and currently install cumulative update from the "update catalog":

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/update/catalog-checkpoint-cumulative-updates

Roughly, the process would be:

Mount "Languages and Optional Features" ISO
dism /online /add-capability /capabilityName:OpenSSH.Server~~~~0.0.1.0 /LimitAccess /source:<path_to_mounted_iso>
dism /online /add-package /packagePath:<folder_containing_only_checkpoint_and_target_update><target_update.msu>

[robertstrom]

So is that really going to take any less time in the end? And ... that process isn't the slightest bit convoluted ... no ... not at all

This is the most inefficient process I think that I could ever imagine! Like who really dreamed this up and who approved it?

Why not just have the OS download the most current install version and install it? How would that be any different than my downloading and installing from the GitHub releases?

Please don't get me wrong here. I am not a Microsoft basher (not most of the time) but I will definitely call out what I see to be really awful stuff.

This is most certainly NOT following the KISS principle! Which is almost always the best principle to follow.

Tell me it should not be simpler. Tell me that it should not be faster.

I should time that RSAT install. I'll bet money that it's well over an hour. I should not have to mount an ISO image to install new software.

[binarycrusader]

Why not just have the OS download the most current install version and install it? How would that be any different than my downloading and installing from the GitHub releases?

DISCLAIMER: Speaking for myself only and not my employer or any other affiliate.

Features on Demand are a sort of vertical slice of the OS and are not standalone applications. This means that they are not packaged as a standalone application either, even though they might already be in an alternate form. As a result, the client is unable to download the newest version in the way suggested because it doesn't have access to that and it isn't in a form that's useable for it even if it could.

What the client does have access to is the "slice of the OS" that represents a given feature plus all of the update metadata and content required to service it with caveats as mentioned below. Content available for clients is based on what is available to a device in all environments, not just devices connected to the Internet and that have generally unrestricted network access.

Optional Features are optimized for smaller, faster OS updates at the tradeoff of slower, larger initial installs. Additional constraints currently place a limit on optimizing for initial install.

While current performance reflects existing constraints and limitations, performance is constantly being evaluated and improved whenever possible. Thanks for understanding.

[robertstrom]

So @tgauth - as per a post of mine in the Issues section - #2433

How about lessening the burden on us users and admins and giving us back 18 minutes of our life each time we install OpenSSH and provide us with blessed versions of OpenSSH that are not labeled Beta or PreRelease or anything else that is not a fully supported deployable version of the bits that we can download and install quickly.

Those versions would have to be installed in such a way that they got upgraded by the monthly patches if they saw OpenSSH installed.

PowerShell 7 installs have this option. So should OpenSSH installs when downloading the soon to be available fully supported and blessed MSI downloads ... please!

Please explain why, for years now, there is this convoluted beta and preview release garbage when everyone that asks about it told that they are totally ready for production. Pay no attention to the lawyers behind the curtain ...

Why are PowerShell 7 releases available to download and install as supported versions from GitHub and Win32 OpenSSH are not?

Infuriating!