Tag Archives: patching

The Combinations of Software

Posted on July 19, 2018 by

Security issues seem to be appearing more frequently, not less. I’d expect that we would be getting better at writing software, and I think many of us are. The problem is that more and more people are writing software and … Continue reading →

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Are You Patched?

Posted on January 25, 2018 by

It’s been a few weeks since the Spectre/Meltdown bugs were announced for most CPUs. Microsoft has been working hard to build patches, and they’ve provided fixes for Windows and SQL Server. Other manufacturers have released fixes for other platforms, though … Continue reading →

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No More Service Packs

Posted on October 3, 2017 by

The new servicing model for SQL Server is out, with a great explanation from Glenn Berry (there’s also a webcast). The summary is that going forward with SQL Server 2017, we won’t get Service Packs anymore. I’m somewhat sad, as I was always looking … Continue reading →

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The New CU Schedule

Posted on October 3, 2017 by

Is my math right? The new CU servicing schedule for SQL Server 2017 is: 1 CU per month for the first year 1 CU per quarter through mainstream support (5 years) That means by my count, we get this: WITH … Continue reading →

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Security and Patching Struggles

Posted on May 20, 2017 by

A couple weeks ago we had a huge security issue with the WannaCry ransomware racing across the world. I was out of the office, and mostly offline, so I was a bit out of touch. However, many organizations were affected, … Continue reading →

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Another Re-Release

Posted on June 2, 2016 by

If you haven’t noticed, SQL Server Release Services dropped an updated CU6 for SQL Server 2014 SP1 this week. This replaces a previous CU6 that had a NOLOCK bug in it, and the old KB article (and patch) have been … Continue reading →

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Install Cumulative Updates

Posted on May 1, 2016 by

For years I haven’t recommended installing Cumulative Updates (CU) as they are released. The main reason is that Microsoft has had language associated with their CUs that say customers should not install a particular CU unless they are experiencing the … Continue reading →

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Reasonable Timeframes

Posted on February 11, 2016 by

Many of us hear about problems with various systems on a regular basis. We report them in Database Weekly far too often, and I’m sure a few of you have been informed (or found) bugs, nagging issues, even vulnerabilities in … Continue reading →

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The Service Pack Fiasco

Posted on May 11, 2015 by

I remember getting a Service Pack years ago that caused a blue screen of death on Windows 2000 servers when it was installed. In fact, a quick search shows that quite a few operating systems (and SQL Server 2005) have had issues … Continue reading →

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The Final Service Packs

Posted on October 2, 2014 by

There was an announcement recently that Service Pack 3 for SQL Server 2008 R2 was released. This is the final SP for that version and is mostly a rollup of all the previous cumulative updates (CU), though there are a couple additional … Continue reading →

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