November 30, 2015 at 9:26 am
Hi - I need to apply the latest service pack for SQL2008 R2 as the server is running SP1 which is well out of date. What are the best steps to undertake for applying this & where can I ontain the Service pack? Also what roll back options are available should there be an issue applying this.
I'm considering the following steps:
(1) Take a snapshot of the VM environment
(2) Backup all DB's
(3) Disable any sql jobs
(4) Run the Service pack as administrator
Many thanks
Dax
November 30, 2015 at 9:35 am
(1) Maybe, but bear in mind that performance may be affected because there will be a lot of modifications to the server, which will need to be written to the snapshot
(2) Definitely - especially system databases, since they will be modified
(3) Not necessary - SQL Server (and hence also SQL Server Agent) will be stopped as part of the upgrade process
(4) Yes, or any account that has admin access to the server
Use your favourite search engine to find the download - it'll be out there somewhere.
John
December 1, 2015 at 3:36 am
Thanks very much for that. Are there any issues installing this Service Pack or is it just a simple case of backup everything & run the exe?
Is it easy enough to roll back if any issues occur whilst installing?
Many thanks
Dax
December 1, 2015 at 3:56 am
Yes, just do your preparatory work and then run the exe. It's not easy to back out of. You'd need to reinstall SQL Server and then reapply the service pack you were on before, plus any cumulative updates. You really need to do this on a test server first, then simulate some production activity on it for a period (a week?) to see whether anything breaks.
John
December 1, 2015 at 6:55 am
you can uninstall SP3 via control panel - uninstall program (ensure view upgrdes is ticked)
Rollback depends really on what the error is. SPs are pretty robust nowadays. Just make sure account you are running it under has local admin and there is enough space on the C drive.
If you are applying SP3 also apply MS15-058 as well. No need for an extra set of backups as this patch does not update the databases.
Don't forget to copy off your resource database files.
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December 1, 2015 at 8:51 am
Thanks everyone for your advice. I've heard the Resources DB mentioned before, does this list configuration details & how can this be backed up as it isn't listed in the Management Studio tree?
Many thanks
Dax
December 1, 2015 at 9:09 am
resource database contains metadata on the instance. Back it up using file explorer copy and paste. It only changes when the instance is patched so only needs to be copied then as part of the patch process.
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December 1, 2015 at 9:26 am
I think I read somewhere from SQL 2008 onwards all SP's can simply be uninstalled without the need for SQL Server to be reinstalled.
Also be aware if you have any SSRS/report builder apps running before updating to SP3. But there is a workaround.
qh
December 2, 2015 at 3:14 am
Many thanks for the workaound information regarding Report Builder. I'm currently running Service Pack 1. Do I need to install SP2 before Installing SP3, or can I go straight to SP3?
Would I need to adopt this workaround if this is the case?
Many thanks
Dax
December 2, 2015 at 7:44 am
I all cases where you DON'T have any SSRS running, your good to go and apply SP3 regardless if it is RTM, SP1 or SP2. If you do have SSRS running and want to use Report Builder you have to remove whatever service pack is on there (if applicable), reboot, then apply SP3.
I did this for some production SSRS boxes and all installed fine.
However: I did perform a test remove of SP2 and install SP3 on a sandbox server before going anywhere near production. 😉
qh
December 2, 2015 at 8:21 am
there is a quick fix to the report builder problem which we have used successfully here so I am happy to recommend it. Basically install 2008R2 RTM then go straight to SP3 on a server somewhere. Then copy this one file to your server you applied SP2 then SP3 to -
ReportBuilder\RptBuilder_3\Microsoft.ReportingServices.ComponentLibrary.Controls.dll.deploy
detailed explanation from a URL we found somewhere
•Everything hinges on one file that got back-reved in SP3. The file of interest is ReportBuilder\RptBuilder_3\Microsoft.ReportingServices.ComponentLibrary.Controls.dll.deploy . The RTM version of that file is 10.50.1600.1 and dates from 4/3/2010. The SP2 version of that file is 10.50.3721.0 and dates from 5/19/2012. The SP3 version of that file (assuming one uninstalls SP2 first before installing SP3) is 10.50.1600.1 and dates from 4/3/2010 as well. Since install programs generally don't update files with newer version numbers, installing SP3 over SP2 results in that file being left alone, and thus violating the manifest that presumes the RTM file.
I was 95% certain mucking with the manifest wouldn't work, but on a whim I attempted splicing the dependentAssembly section from the SP2 MSReportBuilder.exe.manifest file into the SP3 MSReportBuilder.exe.manifest file. Reassuringly, this resulted in a failure to launch due to the digital signature in the manifest file not matching the contents.
There are a lot of RptBuilder_3 DLLs that get updated from SP2 to SP3, so I think the preferred route is to use the RTM Microsoft.ReportingServices.ComponentLibrary.Controls.dll.deploy file in order to get the benefit of the fixes in all the other files, especially since that is technically what Microsoft tested and validated. As an example the ReportBuilder\RptBuilder_3\MSReportBuilder.exe.deploy file in RTM is 10.50.1600.1 and dates from 4/3/2010. That file in SP2 is 10.50.4000.0 and dates from 6/29/2012. That file in SP3 is 10.50.6000.34 and dates from 8/23/2014.
It is sort of interesting that on an SP2 install, all of the files that reved for SP2 have a 06/29/2012 date, but this one file has a date of 5/19/2012. It's like somebody patched it and the update file made it into SP2, but they didn't do a fresh build of this file from the source tree before packaging like they did all the others. That might explain why this file got missed in SP3.
In any event, copy the 10.50.1600.1 ReportBuilder\RptBuilder_3\Microsoft.ReportingServices.ComponentLibrary.Controls.dll.deploy file with a date of 4/3/2010 and a file size of 669,536 into place on your SP3 machine and you're good to go.
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December 4, 2015 at 2:53 am
I have checked the recommended Security update. I've looked at the System Requirements & the supported Operating Systems listed doesn't contain Windows Server 2008 which we're running. I take it I'm unable to install the Security update?
Many thanks
Dax
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