SharePoint CUs and Windows Update – Important Update!

An important change has been introduced since my last post about the changed delivery strategy introduced with February 2015 CU.

We want to let everyone know of a change to the patch delivery strategy for Office server products. As of March 2015, all Office product updates will be offered via Microsoft Update except for non-security updates for server products. Individual and “uber” server product updates will be published only to the Microsoft Download Center and customers can download/schedule/plan/test accordingly. 

Please note that this does not affect security fixes for server products as they will continue to be available via Microsoft Update.

32 Comments


  1. How is this different from the last announcement you made? Is the keyword here "only" – meaning uber-Packages are not offered as Hotfixes anymore, but via Windows Update?

    Reply

  2. Looks like the last post is being backtracked, and now only security updates are going to be available for Windows Update. The rest you'll have to download manually from the Download centre

    Reply

  3. Hi Moontear, the first article mentiones that as well security and non-security related fixes are available via Windows Update.
    Now the decision was made to only release security fixes through Windows Update.
    Uber fixes were never released through windows update.

    Reply

  4. Hi Stefen – really good decision.

    Reply

  5. Stefan: I missed the most important part of the announcement. Maybe add some emphasis? So basically it means reverting the previous decision to push the individual patches via Windows Update. Thank you for the announcement – admins are cheering right now.

    Reply

  6. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

    Reply

  7. Thanks a lot for this!!
    Tears of joy are streaming down my face at this moment!

    Reply

  8. I have lost count of the number of clients impacted by having cumulative updates installed via windows update in February. I am rapidly losing faith in the ability of Microsoft to make sensible decisions. This should never have happened in the first place.

    Reply

  9. I got bit in Feb by the practice, glad they are rethinking it. So where is the best source to monitor to know when the non-security related fixes are posted to see if we need them?

    Reply

  10. Hi Nicole,
    I’m usually documenting all non-security related fixes on my blog on the same day.

    Reply

  11. free after the song "Oh! What A Day It’s Gonna Be" from Ray Davies:

    I can see
    Oh what a day it’s gonna be
    There’ll never be another like it
    As far as I can see

    ‘Cause the world’s gonna know
    When they see our good times grow
    Oh yes, today,
    Oh what a day it’s gonna be

    ‘Cause I can hear
    The birds are singing
    It seems a better life beginning
    And all the mist will clear

    ‘Cause the sun is gonna shine
    And keep shining all the time
    Oh yes, today,
    Oh what a day it’s gonna be

    I can see
    Oh what a day it’s gonna be
    It seems the very air I’m breathing
    Is bringing planability to me

    And then as our time is few
    We’ll remember things we’re doing
    Yes, today,
    Oh what a day it’s gonna be

    🙂

    Reply

  12. History repeating. I'll be printing this article and framing it, and sending copy of it to people when they again (third time) try this in the future and backtrack after a while. 😉

    Reply

  13. Buenas, Hemos considerado relevante escribir este post, donde comentemos los nuevos criterios usados

    Reply

  14. So, Security updates through Windows update and Uber (CU) through the download center, right?

    Reply

  15. This will be my first SP 2013, Project Server, Web Apps & SQL Server 2012 on two separate VM's. Just wanted to check the process is only; run the Project server CU as this contains the foundation and server CU, and I suppose my question is I have two cab
    files and 1 exe, is this the case of just running the exe and as long as the cab files are in the same folder as the exe it will run all CU's? Or as with some past CU monthly updates these cab files need to be extracted.

    Here comes the thank you part of the comment but this is really the best place to investigate and plan your SP CU's.

    Reply

  16. Hi Leighton,

    for the Project Server box: yes. for the Web Apps box you need to install the Web Apps server you need to install the Web Apps CU.

    The two CABs coming with SharePoint CUs never had to be extracted. They always have to reside in the same directory as the EXE.
    Extracting them would not work.

    Cheers,
    Stefan

    Reply

  17. Stefan – it's not clear to me why any SharePoint updates are ever published via Microsoft Update at all. Isn't it Microsoft's direction to always install updates via the SharePoint Setup User Administrator account? Particularly with regard to SharePoint
    2013? At least that has been my understanding. Same goes for Office Web Apps server: the Microsoft direction is to install these manually and not via Microsoft Update. My experience has been that when I have installed these updates via Windows Installer, unusual
    issues begin to occur – frequently permissions related. What am I missing? Can you clarify?

    Reply

  18. Hi Stephan,
    Microsoft Update is an optional feature to support automatic installation of security fixes for Microsoft Products. SharePoint is one of these products.
    It should not matter under which account the binaries are installed. The permissions are applied with PSConfig – and yes: that would best be run always with the same account.
    Cheers,
    Stefan

    Reply

  19. Hi Stefan
    In my company ( probably most of the companies ) the windows update done by a separate team who push the patches through SCCM etc . This will be happening different time according to the maintenance window . SharePoint patching required a PSCONFIG execution
    after the binary installation , which is not required in other OS patches . So PSCONFIG is now difficult if sharepoint patches are through Windows Update. Do you have any suggestion ?

    Regards
    Shany A K

    Reply

  20. Hi Shany,
    SharePoint 2010 and 2013 allow to continue execution without PSCONFIG after installing fixes. So you can schedule a maintenance window where you can run PSCONFIG.
    Cheers,
    Stefan

    Reply

  21. What is the most effective way to prevent SharePoint updates from being pushed to servers automatically? Are you not a SCCM admin as well, 'cuz I'm not. We have so many servers in so many environments that these auto-installs get out of alignment between
    servers within and between all of our farms (SP2010 and SP2013!). AND if we must move content DBs between farms, they should be the same version, so now what?

    Reply

  22. Hi Stephen,
    the simplest way is to switch from "Microsoft Update" to "Windows Update". Then only windows fixes are downloaded and installed.
    Cheers,
    Stefan

    Reply

  23. Although it is true that you could run PSCONFIG later we noticed that our Project Server 2010 PWA sites just died in February until we did the PSCONFIG.

    Reply

  24. Hi Peter,
    Project Server might have other requirements than SharePoint on this topic.
    Cheers,
    Stefan

    Reply

  25. I would agree that i would be better to not delivery any SharePoint updates through Microsoft Update, as was stated before different teams usually install the windows server patches and may accidentally install SharePoint security updates as well if they
    are there which would not be the desired process. SharePoint updates should be downloaded by the SharePoint admins and installed separately from the windows server updates to avoid issues and confusion.

    Reply

  26. SharePoint 2010 Build Numbers Cube Sheet
    As many times used in our daily business, we’re used

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  27. SharePoint 2010 Build Numbers Cube Sheet
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  28. SharePoint 2010 Build Numbers Cube Sheet
    As many times used in our daily business, we’re used

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  29. SharePoint 2010 Build Numbers Cube Sheet
    As many times used in our daily business, we’re used

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