News

SQL Server 2012 SP2 Slipstream ISO Flaw Causing Upgrade Issues

• By Kurt Mackie
• 07/11/2014

Problems with the ISO releases SQL Server 2012 Service Pack 2 have surfaced, according to Microsoft this week.

Service Pack 2 for SQL Server 2012 was released last month. However, there's a problem that specifically concerns the slipstream ISO releases of SQL Server 2012 SP2 obtained by Microsoft's MSDN and TechNet subscribers.

IT pros who downloaded SP2 through the Microsoft Download Center aren't affected by the problem.

The slipstream ISO releases are supposed to install Service Pack 2 along with the release-to-manufacturing (RTM) version of SQL Server 2012. Instead, only the RTM version of SQL Server 2012 gets installed.

Jean-Yves Devant, a senior program manager for SQL Server, indicated in a blog post this week that the problem is the same one that affected the release of Service Pack 1 for SQL Server 2012, as described in this Knowledge Base article.

The same workarounds as described in that KB article can be tried to fix this current slipstream ISO problem with SP2. Essentially, users can just try installing the service pack in a non-slipstream fashion or they can uninstall SQL Server 2012 and then apply the new slipstream ISO images that are available via MSDN.

Microsoft is working to fix the slipstream ISO problem, but no timeline was indicated.

"We are working on fixing this issue. I will get back to you with more details and timeline as soon as possible," Devant promised.

In other SQL Server news, Microsoft announced this week that SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 have fallen out of their "mainstream support" phases. That change took place on July 8, 2014, although the server software is still covered under an "extended support" phase for another five years.

Losing mainstream support means that the server software falls out of warranty and organizations won't be able to request design changes or get no-charge support for problems, unless they pay Microsoft for such support. The nuances of Microsoft's support policy are described at this page.