Hot patching is a technology that allows patches to be applied without shutting down and restarting the system or the program. This addresses problems related to unavailability of service provided by the system or the program.
A patch that can be applied in this way is called a hot patch.
January 16, 2010
Asset Intelligence: Does it really works 100%
Announcing Asset Intelligence in SMS 2003 SP3 was a great initiative taken by Microsoft in early stages, but did it really worked as per expectations?
Virtual Scripting Session: Coming Soon
I am working to automate windows activties through scripts and as it's now being the administrator's skill requirements, I would share these scripts soon.
How many SQL Editions Microsoft Launched?
Editions
Microsoft makes SQL Server available in multiple editions, with different feature sets and targeting different users. These editions are:
SQL Server Compact Edition (SQL CE)
The compact edition is an embedded database engine. Unlike the other editions of SQL Server, the SQL CE engine is based on SQL Mobile (initially designed for use with hand-held devices) and does not share the same binaries. Due to its small size (1MB DLL footprint), it has a markedly reduced feature set compared to the other editions. For example, it supports a subset of the standard data types, does not support stored procedures or Views or multiple-statement batches (among other limitations). It is limited to 4GB maximum database size and cannot be run as a Windows service, Compact Edition must be hosted by the application using it. The 3.5 version includes considerable work that supports ADO.NET Synchronization Services.
SQL Server Developer Edition
SQL Server Developer Edition includes the same features as SQL Server Enterprise Edition, but is limited by the license to be only used as a development and test system, and not as production server. This edition is available to download by students free of charge as a part of Microsoft's DreamSpark program.
SQL Server 2005 Embedded Edition (SSEE)
SQL Server 2005 Embedded Edition is a specially configured named instance of the SQL Server Express database engine which can be accessed only by certain Windows Services.
SQL Server Enterprise Edition
SQL Server Enterprise Edition is the full-featured edition of SQL Server, including both the core database engine and add-on services, while including a range of tools for creating and managing a SQL Server cluster.
SQL Server Evaluation Edition
SQL Server Evaluation Edition, also known as the Trial Edition, has all the features of the Enterprise Edition, but is limited to 180 days, after which the tools will continue to run, but the server services will stop.
SQL Server Express Edition
SQL Server Express Edition is a scaled down, free edition of SQL Server, which includes the core database engine. While there are no limitations on the number of databases or users supported, it is limited to using one processor, 1 GB memory and 4 GB database files. The entire database is stored in a single .mdf file, and thus making it suitable for XCOPY deployment. It is intended as a replacement for MSDE. Two additional editions provide a superset of features not in the original Express Edition. The first is SQL Server Express with Tools, which includes SQL Server Management Studio Basic. SQL Server Express with Advanced Services adds full-text search capability and reporting services.
SQL Server Fast Track
SQL Server Fast Track is specifically for enterprise-scale data warehousing storage and business intelligence processing, and runs on reference-architecture hardware that is optimized for Fast Track.[22]
SQL Server Standard Edition
SQL Server Standard edition includes the core database engine, along with the stand-alone services. It differs from Enterprise edition in that it supports fewer active instances (number of nodes in a cluster) and does not include some high-availability functions such as hot-add memory (allowing memory to be added while the server is still running), and parallel indexes.
SQL Server Web Edition
SQL Server Web Edition is a low-TCO option for Web hosting.
SQL Server Workgroup Edition
SQL Server Workgroup Edition includes the core database functionality but does not include the additional services.
Microsoft makes SQL Server available in multiple editions, with different feature sets and targeting different users. These editions are:
SQL Server Compact Edition (SQL CE)
The compact edition is an embedded database engine. Unlike the other editions of SQL Server, the SQL CE engine is based on SQL Mobile (initially designed for use with hand-held devices) and does not share the same binaries. Due to its small size (1MB DLL footprint), it has a markedly reduced feature set compared to the other editions. For example, it supports a subset of the standard data types, does not support stored procedures or Views or multiple-statement batches (among other limitations). It is limited to 4GB maximum database size and cannot be run as a Windows service, Compact Edition must be hosted by the application using it. The 3.5 version includes considerable work that supports ADO.NET Synchronization Services.
SQL Server Developer Edition
SQL Server Developer Edition includes the same features as SQL Server Enterprise Edition, but is limited by the license to be only used as a development and test system, and not as production server. This edition is available to download by students free of charge as a part of Microsoft's DreamSpark program.
SQL Server 2005 Embedded Edition (SSEE)
SQL Server 2005 Embedded Edition is a specially configured named instance of the SQL Server Express database engine which can be accessed only by certain Windows Services.
SQL Server Enterprise Edition
SQL Server Enterprise Edition is the full-featured edition of SQL Server, including both the core database engine and add-on services, while including a range of tools for creating and managing a SQL Server cluster.
SQL Server Evaluation Edition
SQL Server Evaluation Edition, also known as the Trial Edition, has all the features of the Enterprise Edition, but is limited to 180 days, after which the tools will continue to run, but the server services will stop.
SQL Server Express Edition
SQL Server Express Edition is a scaled down, free edition of SQL Server, which includes the core database engine. While there are no limitations on the number of databases or users supported, it is limited to using one processor, 1 GB memory and 4 GB database files. The entire database is stored in a single .mdf file, and thus making it suitable for XCOPY deployment. It is intended as a replacement for MSDE. Two additional editions provide a superset of features not in the original Express Edition. The first is SQL Server Express with Tools, which includes SQL Server Management Studio Basic. SQL Server Express with Advanced Services adds full-text search capability and reporting services.
SQL Server Fast Track
SQL Server Fast Track is specifically for enterprise-scale data warehousing storage and business intelligence processing, and runs on reference-architecture hardware that is optimized for Fast Track.[22]
SQL Server Standard Edition
SQL Server Standard edition includes the core database engine, along with the stand-alone services. It differs from Enterprise edition in that it supports fewer active instances (number of nodes in a cluster) and does not include some high-availability functions such as hot-add memory (allowing memory to be added while the server is still running), and parallel indexes.
SQL Server Web Edition
SQL Server Web Edition is a low-TCO option for Web hosting.
SQL Server Workgroup Edition
SQL Server Workgroup Edition includes the core database functionality but does not include the additional services.
ITMU Fixes
Troubleshooting ITMU
There are 5 main reasons why ITMU doesn’t work.
•Microsoft Updates issues
•McAfee EPO issues
•WMI Issues
•System drive and Registry security
•Trusted Sites
Microsoft Updates issues
ITMU uses the same tools as MicrosoftUpdate.com, so we can treat it like we are trying to fix the website. Open internet Explorer and go to :
http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/muoptdefault.aspx?returnurl=http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate
This website will update the system that you are trouble shooting to the new Windows Update version 6.0. Follow the on screen prompts. When it asks you to setup automatic update set it to disabled. If the website works properly then ITMU should be functioning properly. If you receive an error then review the log below. Most of the errors can be fixed by running the Bat file that is listed below. In some situations you may need to search the internet for the error code that is listed in the log.
You can troubleshoot ITMU/ Microsoft Update by reviewing the following log.
Microsoft Update/ ITMU log:
C:\WINDOWS\WindowsUpdate.log
Note: You can view this log in real time by making the Log viewer in the SMS toolkit v2 your default log viewer.
System Security
One of the main reasons that ITMU fails is because someone removed the System\Everyone security group from the c drive and didn’t setup the new security properly. Error code 0x80070005.
ITMU uses the following account:
•NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
This account is used to install updates. If this account is missing then ITMU/ Microsoft Updates will not work properly. This account must have full control of the c drive and all folders to work properly. It will also need control of certain registry Keys.
Reset Permissions
This step will reset the permission settings on this system
Step 1: Download SubInACL (SubInACL.exe)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...inityDownloads
2. Install it on the system that needs fixed.
3. Select the C:\Windows\System32 as the Destination Folder during the Installation. Later we will use this tool to reset the permission setting on the current Machine.
Step 2:
1. Create a bat file with the following text:
@echo off
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE /grant=administrators=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CURRENT_USER /grant=administrators=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT /grant=administrators=f
subinacl /subdirectories %SystemDrive% /grant=administrators=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE /grant=systems=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CURRENT_USER /grant=system=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT /grant=system=f
subinacl /subdirectories %SystemDrive% /grant=system=f
@Echo =========================
@Echo Finished.
@Echo =========================
2. Execute the Bat file on the system with issues then run Windows Update again.
Mcafee EPO Exemptions
In order to get ITMU working correctly you will need to add the following exemptions to McAfee EPO:
•%Windir%\SoftwareDistribution\
•%Windir%\system32\VPCache\
•%windir%\system32\ccm\cache\
•*.cab
Some of the exemptions are listed in this KB article:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=922358
ITMU System Setup
You will need to make sure that the Automatic update service in enabled. You will also need to make sure that the Automatic Update schedule settings are disabled. It should look like this:
You can disable this setting though a group policy. For ITMU to work properly we do not need automatic updates running. If it is setup to run it will cause false proxy errors in the log. This can cause some confusion so just disable it. Disabling it will not harm the system because ITMU will be doing the patching.
ITMU Common Fix
The most common issue with ITMU is an improperly register WU or XML dll.
Running the following bat file fixes most systems. Copy the lines of text between the **** into a txt file called ITMU_fix.bat . After you manually test this script on a few machines you can delete the “pause”, this will make the script silent if pushed though SMS.
ITMU_fix.bat
***************************************
@echo on
net stop wuauserv /Y
net stop bits /Y
CD /D %SystemRoot%\System32
regsvr32 /S Msxml3.dll
regsvr32 /S Wuaueng.dll
regsvr32 /s wuaueng1.dll
regsvr32 /S Wuapi.dll
regsvr32 /S Atl.dll
regsvr32 /S Wucltui.dll
regsvr32 /S Wups.dll
regsvr32 /s wups2.dll
regsvr32 /s wuweb.dll
rd /s /Q %SystemRoot%\SoftwareDistribution
net start bits
net start wuauserv
Rem Delete or Rem the Pause to make script run silent with SMS.
pause
***************************************
Trusted Sites
You may also need to add the following to a GPO for trusted sites:
This doesn’t usually FIX ITMU, but it is needed in some cases to get MicrosoftUpade.com working.
http://*.windowsupdate.microsoft.com
http://download.windowsupdate.com
http://update.microsoft.com/
https://*.windowsupdate.microsoft.com
https://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
Known issue with ITMU
Microsoft has reports of systems that are running at 100% when running ITMU but in most cases this has been resolved. As per expert's understanding, machines that are still experiencing this problem are usually very old slow machines to begin with.
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=924148
There are 5 main reasons why ITMU doesn’t work.
•Microsoft Updates issues
•McAfee EPO issues
•WMI Issues
•System drive and Registry security
•Trusted Sites
Microsoft Updates issues
ITMU uses the same tools as MicrosoftUpdate.com, so we can treat it like we are trying to fix the website. Open internet Explorer and go to :
http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/muoptdefault.aspx?returnurl=http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate
This website will update the system that you are trouble shooting to the new Windows Update version 6.0. Follow the on screen prompts. When it asks you to setup automatic update set it to disabled. If the website works properly then ITMU should be functioning properly. If you receive an error then review the log below. Most of the errors can be fixed by running the Bat file that is listed below. In some situations you may need to search the internet for the error code that is listed in the log.
You can troubleshoot ITMU/ Microsoft Update by reviewing the following log.
Microsoft Update/ ITMU log:
C:\WINDOWS\WindowsUpdate.log
Note: You can view this log in real time by making the Log viewer in the SMS toolkit v2 your default log viewer.
System Security
One of the main reasons that ITMU fails is because someone removed the System\Everyone security group from the c drive and didn’t setup the new security properly. Error code 0x80070005.
ITMU uses the following account:
•NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
This account is used to install updates. If this account is missing then ITMU/ Microsoft Updates will not work properly. This account must have full control of the c drive and all folders to work properly. It will also need control of certain registry Keys.
Reset Permissions
This step will reset the permission settings on this system
Step 1: Download SubInACL (SubInACL.exe)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...inityDownloads
2. Install it on the system that needs fixed.
3. Select the C:\Windows\System32 as the Destination Folder during the Installation. Later we will use this tool to reset the permission setting on the current Machine.
Step 2:
1. Create a bat file with the following text:
@echo off
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE /grant=administrators=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CURRENT_USER /grant=administrators=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT /grant=administrators=f
subinacl /subdirectories %SystemDrive% /grant=administrators=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE /grant=systems=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CURRENT_USER /grant=system=f
subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT /grant=system=f
subinacl /subdirectories %SystemDrive% /grant=system=f
@Echo =========================
@Echo Finished.
@Echo =========================
2. Execute the Bat file on the system with issues then run Windows Update again.
Mcafee EPO Exemptions
In order to get ITMU working correctly you will need to add the following exemptions to McAfee EPO:
•%Windir%\SoftwareDistribution\
•%Windir%\system32\VPCache\
•%windir%\system32\ccm\cache\
•*.cab
Some of the exemptions are listed in this KB article:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=922358
ITMU System Setup
You will need to make sure that the Automatic update service in enabled. You will also need to make sure that the Automatic Update schedule settings are disabled. It should look like this:
You can disable this setting though a group policy. For ITMU to work properly we do not need automatic updates running. If it is setup to run it will cause false proxy errors in the log. This can cause some confusion so just disable it. Disabling it will not harm the system because ITMU will be doing the patching.
ITMU Common Fix
The most common issue with ITMU is an improperly register WU or XML dll.
Running the following bat file fixes most systems. Copy the lines of text between the **** into a txt file called ITMU_fix.bat . After you manually test this script on a few machines you can delete the “pause”, this will make the script silent if pushed though SMS.
ITMU_fix.bat
***************************************
@echo on
net stop wuauserv /Y
net stop bits /Y
CD /D %SystemRoot%\System32
regsvr32 /S Msxml3.dll
regsvr32 /S Wuaueng.dll
regsvr32 /s wuaueng1.dll
regsvr32 /S Wuapi.dll
regsvr32 /S Atl.dll
regsvr32 /S Wucltui.dll
regsvr32 /S Wups.dll
regsvr32 /s wups2.dll
regsvr32 /s wuweb.dll
rd /s /Q %SystemRoot%\SoftwareDistribution
net start bits
net start wuauserv
Rem Delete or Rem the Pause to make script run silent with SMS.
pause
***************************************
Trusted Sites
You may also need to add the following to a GPO for trusted sites:
This doesn’t usually FIX ITMU, but it is needed in some cases to get MicrosoftUpade.com working.
http://*.windowsupdate.microsoft.com
http://download.windowsupdate.com
http://update.microsoft.com/
https://*.windowsupdate.microsoft.com
https://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
Known issue with ITMU
Microsoft has reports of systems that are running at 100% when running ITMU but in most cases this has been resolved. As per expert's understanding, machines that are still experiencing this problem are usually very old slow machines to begin with.
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=924148
January 15, 2010
Managing Duplicate GUIDs in SMS
Follow the three important phase to fix them-
PhaseI: Identify & Access - Add the below three query rules to one collection and update the collection membership. You will find machines with duplicate GUIDs listed on the right pane of SMS console.
Duplicate GUID Query#1
select SMS_R_System.ResourceID,SMS_R_System.ResourceType,SMS_R_System.Name,SMS_R_System.SMSUniqueIdentifier,SMS_R_System.ResourceDomainORWorkgroup,SMS_R_System.Client from SMS_R_System join SMS_GH_System_System on SMS_R_System.ResourceID = SMS_GH_System_System.ResourceID where SMS_R_System.Name <> SMS_GH_System_System.Name
Duplicate GUID Query#2
select SMS_R_System.ResourceID,SMS_R_System.ResourceType,SMS_R_System.Name,SMS_R_System.SMSUniqueIdentifier,SMS_R_System.ResourceDomainORWorkgroup,SMS_R_System.Client from SMS_R_System join SMS_G_System_System on SMS_R_System.ResourceID = SMS_G_System_System.ResourceID where SMS_R_System.Name <> SMS_G_System_System.Name
Duplicate GUID Query#3
select SMS_R_System.ResourceID,SMS_R_System.ResourceType,SMS_R_System.Name,SMS_R_System.SMSUniqueIdentifier,SMS_R_System.ResourceDomainORWorkgroup,SMS_R_System.Client from SMS_R_System where SMS_R_System.ResourceID in (select SMS_GH_System_System.ResourceID from SMS_G_System_System join SMS_GH_System_System on SMS_G_System_System.ResourceID = SMS_GH_System_System.ResourceID where SMS_G_System_System.Name <> SMS_GH_System_System.Name)
Once done, go to phase2
Phase2: Manage and Control
1. SMS client should either be repaired or client should uninstall first and then reinstall.
2. Swapping hard disk or renaming same computer name with another machine name should be avoided.
Phase3: Maintain and Record
1. Maintain a list of computers with Duplicate GUIDs
2. Categorize them
3. Record the reason why they get duplicate GUIDs
4. Compare the list of machines having duplicate GUIDs issue with how many machines are getting fixed.
5. Record the fix steps accordingly.
PhaseI: Identify & Access - Add the below three query rules to one collection and update the collection membership. You will find machines with duplicate GUIDs listed on the right pane of SMS console.
Duplicate GUID Query#1
select SMS_R_System.ResourceID,SMS_R_System.ResourceType,SMS_R_System.Name,SMS_R_System.SMSUniqueIdentifier,SMS_R_System.ResourceDomainORWorkgroup,SMS_R_System.Client from SMS_R_System join SMS_GH_System_System on SMS_R_System.ResourceID = SMS_GH_System_System.ResourceID where SMS_R_System.Name <> SMS_GH_System_System.Name
Duplicate GUID Query#2
select SMS_R_System.ResourceID,SMS_R_System.ResourceType,SMS_R_System.Name,SMS_R_System.SMSUniqueIdentifier,SMS_R_System.ResourceDomainORWorkgroup,SMS_R_System.Client from SMS_R_System join SMS_G_System_System on SMS_R_System.ResourceID = SMS_G_System_System.ResourceID where SMS_R_System.Name <> SMS_G_System_System.Name
Duplicate GUID Query#3
select SMS_R_System.ResourceID,SMS_R_System.ResourceType,SMS_R_System.Name,SMS_R_System.SMSUniqueIdentifier,SMS_R_System.ResourceDomainORWorkgroup,SMS_R_System.Client from SMS_R_System where SMS_R_System.ResourceID in (select SMS_GH_System_System.ResourceID from SMS_G_System_System join SMS_GH_System_System on SMS_G_System_System.ResourceID = SMS_GH_System_System.ResourceID where SMS_G_System_System.Name <> SMS_GH_System_System.Name)
Once done, go to phase2
Phase2: Manage and Control
1. SMS client should either be repaired or client should uninstall first and then reinstall.
2. Swapping hard disk or renaming same computer name with another machine name should be avoided.
Phase3: Maintain and Record
1. Maintain a list of computers with Duplicate GUIDs
2. Categorize them
3. Record the reason why they get duplicate GUIDs
4. Compare the list of machines having duplicate GUIDs issue with how many machines are getting fixed.
5. Record the fix steps accordingly.
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