Please forward this email
to the appropriate contacts at your campus.
Thanks,
Taylor
Just an important reminder: Windows Server Sp2 will be
advertised beginning June 12th on Windows Update, Automatic Update, and
consequently on Windows Software Update Services (WSUS). You should
use the SP2 Blocking mechanism SP2 blocker tool to keep this update from showing up on
your available updates list if you want more time to test or do not want SP2 to
be applied through this mechanism. Below is a preliminary FAQ for your
benefit.
Windows Server 2003 SP2 FAQ
To support customer inquiries about Windows Server 2003 R2
SP2 – the following FAQ section should provided the needed answers.
Why should I upgrade to Service
Pack 2?
In addition to packaging publically
released security updates and customer-requested updates into one convenient
package, SP2 provides several enhancements designed to heighten security,
reliability, and performance in Windows Server 2003. For more information, see
the Top Ten Reasons to Deploy Windows Server 2003 SP2 at: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsserver/sp2/top-reasons.mspx
How will I be able to apply
Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 to my computer?
There are two ways. 1) An update
will be available for free download for existing installations of Windows
Server 2003. 2) The SP2 updates will be incorporated, or slipstreamed, into
Windows Server 2003 moving forward. This will allow the upgrading of Windows NT
4.0 Server or Windows 2000 Server SP4
What operating systems does this
service pack apply to?
SP2 update applies to:
O Windows Server 2003 All Editions
(32-bit x86)
O Windows Server 2003
Itanium-based Editions
O Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions
O Windows Server 2003 R2 Editions
O Windows Server 2003 Storage
Server R2 Edition
O Windows Server 2003 Compute
Cluster Edition
O Windows Server 2003 for Small
Business Servers R2 Edition
O Windows XP Professional x64
Edition
Is SP2 a mandatory update
through Windows Update?
No, SP2 is an optional update from
Windows Update site. On June 12, SP2 will also be offered via Automatic Updates
(AU). Even on AU, SP2 will not install automatically until the End User
License Agreement has been accepted.
Customers who wish to test SP2 for
a longer period and would like to prevent SP2 from installing from AU can
download and install the SP2 Blocking Tool at the Microsoft Download Center.
The tool will ensure SP2 is not offered from AU for 360 days. Organizations do
not need to deploy the Blocker Toolkit in environments managed with an update
management solution such as Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) or Systems
Management Server 2003 (SMS). Organizations can use those products to fully
manage deployment of updates released through Windows Update and Microsoft
Update.
Does SP2 provide updates to the
new components that came with Windows Server 2003 R2?
Yes, SP2 applies needed updates to
the R2 components of Windows Server 2003 R2.
Do I need to upgrade to Windows
Server 2003 R2 or Windows Server 2003 SP1 First?
No, Service Packs are cumulative,
meaning SP2 contains all previously released Security Bulletin Updates and
installs all individual hotfixes released since Windows Server 2003 RTM.
Does SP2 change the non-R2
machines to R2 SP2 machines?
No, it will not upgrade Windows
Server 2003 to Windows Server 2003 R2
Why does this update the Windows
XP Professional x64 Edition?
Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions
and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition were introduced with the release of
Windows Server 2003 SP1, all sharing a common codebase. It is this common
codebase that allows SP2 to provide updates to all versions of Windows Server
2003 and the Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.
Since Windows XP SP2 was already
released long ago, what will Microsoft call this Service Pack for Windows
XP?
It is called Windows Server 2003
and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2.
In August 2004, Windows XP Service Pack
2 was released for the x86 editions of Windows XP. This was before the Windows
XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions were released
in March 2005, sharing a common codebase. Windows XP Service Pack 2
patches the x86 editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP
Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2 patches the x64 version of Windows
XP.
SP1 required a lot of
application testing? Should I expect the same from SP2?
No, customers can expect a much
simpler upgrade process with SP2. Windows Server 2003 SP1 addressed known
vulnerabilities to Windows Server 2003 by tightening the authorization needed
for some services and disabling others all together. In some cases these
security enhancements resulted in unexpected behavior from applications.
Are new editions available?
Yes. Volume-licensed customers
receive all Datacenter editions:
O Windows Server 2003 R2,
Datacenter Edition with SP2
O Windows Server 2003 R2,
Datacenter x64 Edition with SP2
O Windows Server 2003, Datacenter
Edition with SP2 for Itanium-based Systems
Korean Fair Trade Commission
order:
O Windows Server 2003 R2, Standard
Edition KN with SP2
O Windows Server 2003 R2,
Enterprise Edition KN with SP2
More information about the Korean
Fair Trade Commission order can be found at: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923408
Are additional localized
versions available?
Yes. Nine new localized versions
are available for Windows 2003 and x64: German, French, Korean, Chinese
Traditional, Chinese Simplified, Spanish, Italian, Russian and, Portuguese
(Brazilian). Windows XP Professional x64 Edition will continue to be supported
in only English and Japanese.
Will Service Pack 2 help me prepare
for Vista?
Yes. SP2 includes Windows
Deployment Services (WDS) that prepares your servers for deploying Windows
Vista. In fact, WDS will be required to support the deployment of Windows Vista
and Windows Server codename “Longhorn”
Are there security improvements
which allow me to segment my network and protect high-value computers?
SP2 offers firewall per-port
authentication, which secures traffic between the extranet environment and
internal assets that are protected via IPsec domain isolation.
Are there new Wi-Fi security
measures?
SP2 includes Wireless Protected
Access 2 (WPA2), which enhances the wireless client software with support for
the next generation of wireless security. WPA2 is FIPS 140-2 compliant,
utilizing Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption, 802.1x
authentication, and will cover all versions of 802.11 devices.
Are there performance
improvements?
Yes. You’ll see performance
improvements in the following areas:
O SQL Server 2005 under intensive
workloads.
O The Scalable Networking Pack
supports new hardware that allows customers to scale Windows networking to
multi-gigabit link rates and across multiple CPUs.
Is management easier with this
Service Pack?
Yes. You can take advantage of a
new event log event to address certain situations in which the Cluster Service
Account becomes excessively restricted by domain policy. Also included is the
new Microsoft Management Console 3.0 (MMC) which supports richer
functionality in snap-ins. Additionally, MSConfig now contains an additional
tab which provide a single launching point for common support tools that will
ease the discoverability of common diagnostic functionality
Will the enhancements to administrative
tools affect management of the local computer?
No. The purpose of the
administrative tools enhancements is to assist administrators who need to
manage their computer from a remote location. Administrators and users who are
using these tools to manage the local computer are not affected.
Does SP2 include the .NET
Framework 2.0?
No, it does not.
Should you have any
questions about this product update, please contact the following for support:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.mspx
http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/