Cumulative Updates

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Cumulative Updates

Staggerlee

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Points: 5272
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March 1, 2011 at 4:04 am

#231951

Hi all,
I have a couple of questions regarding CU that i was hoping you could help with.
1: On the download page there a multiple versions... When are these different versions meant to be used? im taking it the RMT is the default version to download?
2: If you don't have a test server would you suggest still updating to the latest CU?
I've had few different views from people in work, most don't like the idea of updating a system unless they know it will fix a certain problem, then others say if a CU is out, then there's problems that needs to be fixed and the update may improve performance!
How do you all feel about them?
Any advice appreciated
S

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george sibbald SSC Guru Points: 104210 More actions · Answer 1

in the CUs themselves MS say only apply if you have experienced one of the problems it resolves, so thats the rule to follow.

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Staggerlee SSCertifiable Points: 5272 More actions · Answer 2

george sibbald (3/1/2011)
in the CUs themselves MS say only apply if you have experienced one of the problems it resolves, so thats the rule to follow.

Hi George,

Just to poke, here is a link for Brent Ozar a MVP MCM saying to put them on anyone else have a preference and whats there reasoning for going each way!?

Install not just the service packs, but also the cumulative updates.

Starting with SQL Server 2005's Service Pack 2, Microsoft releases hotfixes in cumulative packs. These updates do more than just fix bugs: they improve how SQL Server performs. These updates are free performance benefits – and who doesn’t like that?

Read more: http://www.brentozar.com/archive/2008/03/sql-server-2005-setup-checklist-part-2-after-the-install/#ixzz1FN2lxmcG

george sibbald SSC Guru Points: 104210 More actions · Answer 3

MS say they are not fully tested so don't give a cast iron guarantee and say not to install if you don't need to. Thats good enough for me. Whos to say which CU gives a performance benefit for YOUR system.

I have over 100 instances. If I rolled out every CU it would be a never ending job (they would need testing in dev first). So SPs are good enough upgrade points for me.

I have installed CUs but only to fix particular issues. At one point SQL2008 SP1 CU1 was my default position for all new installs, but I had a reason for that. As a production DBA responsible for keeping systems up my stance is if it aint broke don't fix it!

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Staggerlee SSCertifiable Points: 5272 More actions · Answer 4

Hi Geroge,

Have to say I think im coming around to your point of view.

Found another post this time by Glenn Berry, who again seems to be in favour of upgrading to the latest CU.

http://sqlserverperformance.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/how-to-obtain-and-install-sql-server-service-packs-and-cumulative-updates/

Thanks for your input

Stephen

calvo SSChampion Points: 12930 More actions · Answer 5

I go with what MS says.

"A supported cumulative update package is now available from Microsoft. However, it is intended to correct only the problems that are described in this article. Apply it only to systems that are experiencing these specific problems. This cumulative update package may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by any of these problems, we recommend that you wait for the next SQL Server 2008 R2 service pack that contains the hotfixes in this cumulative update package."

The reason you just don't want to go and install every CU that comes out is not only because they aren't fully tested but also as George said they don't always apply to YOUR system/setup/environment. Take note of the "fixes" in CU6. Many of the fixes pertain to BI tools or foreign language fixes. Yes, there are some that pertain to things you might be doing, such as the row_number fix or restore database fix. But if you aren't experiencing the issues that warrented those fixes, it is recommended you not install the CU.

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Brent Ozar SSCrazy Points: 2451 More actions · Answer 6

Ha! Had to reply since my name got thrown in here, heh.

I'm usually all for including the CUs with one exception - I try to keep the production, QA, development, and DR servers for a particular application always at the same build number. For example, my BI servers (prod/qa/dev/dr) will all have the same build number if possible. When I need to test a new build to see if it fixes a particular issue, I can replicate the issue in development more easily, then apply the new build to see if that fixes the issue. If possible, I use snapshot backups (especially in virtual environments) to quickly roll back the CU if it didn't fix the issue.

Summer90 SSC-Dedicated Points: 32891 More actions · Answer 7

The way I view CUs is this. Only go with Service Packs for upgrading current systems. If you build a new server environment I usually start off fresh with the latest CU at the time.

As a few of the threads above state... Microsoft states that they are intended to fix reported issues but will receive additional testing and be rolled into the latest service pack. However, when I found an issue and called Microsoft about it the fix was in CU5... they suggested applying CU9 as that was the latest CU at the time.