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Microsoft Pulls Exchange Server 2010 SP3 Update
Update: Microsoft indicated on Friday, December 12 that it has fixed the problem described below. It has rereleased Update Rollup 8 for Exchange Server 2010 SP3 as version 14.03.0224.002.
Microsoft released a number of Exchange Server updates on Tuesday, but its Update Rollup 8 release for Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 3 has now been suspended.
The update has a problem that's associated with "the ability of Outlook to connect to Exchange" for those using Exchange Server 2010 SP3, according to a footnote added to an Exchange team blog post on Wednesday. Microsoft announced the following Exchange updates on Tuesday:
Microsoft is advising its Exchange Server 2010 SP3 customers not to apply Update Rollup 8 until it fixes the problem. It's not clear from the post when the fix will arrive.
For organizations that have already applied Update Rollup 8, Microsoft advises rolling it back. At press time, this update rollup was inaccessible via the download link listed above.
Update Rollup 8 for Exchange Server 2010 SP3 is described by Microsoft as a typical update that addresses issues reported by some customers, plus previously released security updates. Advice to IT pros regarding Microsoft's cumulative updates tends to stress that such updates should only be applied if an organization has experienced the particular issues being patched.
The items being fixed in Update Rollup 8 are a sundry lot, ranging from correcting Russian time zone information to fixing a problem with journaling in protected voice mail. Also, a December security bulletin fix (MS14-075) for a potential elevation-of-privilege issue is included.
Microsoft lists the Exchange Server 2010 SP3 fixes in Update Rollup 8 in this Knowledge Base article.
Microsoft's footnote to Update Rollup 8 stressed that only this update has issues. The "other [Exchange Server] updates remain valid and customers can continue with deployment of these packages," the Exchange team stated.
It might be understandable, though, if IT pros were to hold off a bit. Microsoft's Exchange patches lately seem to come with snags, at least for early deployers. However, Microsoft's announcement admonished hybrid users, or those organizations that use the Exchange Online cloud-based service along with premises-based Exchange Server products, that they are "required to deploy the most current Cumulative Update release."
Microsoft's announcement had a special note for organizations using Exchange Server 2013. It stated that Cumulative Update 7 should be applied "as soon as possible" and that IT pros should subsequently complete a full backup after adding the update. The reason is that Cumulative Update 7 is designed to improve the backup process itself. Microsoft's announcement noted that the update will "remove potential challenges restoring a previously backed up database."
About the Author
Kurt Mackie is senior news producer for 1105 Media's Converge360 group.