Windows Server 2003 SP 1

[Martin Dettbarn]

Ok - who is going to be the first to take the plunge? :) I actually read somewhere on the HP/Compaq site with regards to the ML series of servers and RC1 of SP1 that customers should NOT install it as it will cause their server not to boot.

I am searching for the link right now but am unable to locate it, I would hope this was have been corrected with the actual release of SP1 though.

Also, I was speaking with a server tech recently about upgrades in general and he recommended this upgrade path (pertains to nt4, 2000, 2003)

-Install the Windows Service Pack
-do not reboot
-Install the smart start disk (psp) drivers etc.
-reboot

Well I for one would not have done this, I likely would have installed SP1 and left it at that.

Anyhow - I'll still be waiting for quite some time before I roll out SP1 on any production servers. Though as I prep for the ineveitable day when I do - does anyone have a URL to the hp/compaq recommended deployment / upgrade path?

Thx.

[e4services]

I have heard this also. The SP writes over the drivers and hoses the system up. The path you describe is to correct that fact, allowing the SS CD to re-wright the drivers AFTER Windows has corrupted them with what IT thinks are the correct ones.

[Pat Flanagan]

Martin,

It certainly won't be me. I agree with you fully about waiting.

Server 2003 SP1 is much like XP SP2. It's going to break a lot of applications (according to an article I read last week on eweek, but can't find again).

They're still sorting out the effects of XP SP2, and by no means have they found all the issues yet. I've had 2 users with major application issues after SP2, and there is no documentation on these issues at MS. One with Money 2002 (MS has a KB article on this, but the instructions do NOT work), and one with Citrix client. In both cases, it took a couple of hours of searching forums to find answers to the problems. We've stopped applying SP2 to our XP machines for now, and I certainly won't consider SP1 for Server 2003 for at least a year until it's effects are documented. I think anyone doing it now on anything other than a test machine would be nuts.

[Stephen Kebbell]

Hi Martin,

I also noticed some difficulties with SP1. It seems SP1 does not like the array controller driver from Support pack 7.10 (cpqcissm.sys, which is for all 5x and 6x controllers). We had an unattended RIS installation using this driver, and as soon as SP1 was applied to these install files (slipstream), setup could not find any hard disks any more. The script used the OEM driver instead of the one in SP1. After telling it to use the driver from SP1, everything was OK. I don't think there's any problem with the Support Pack 7.20 driver, but test to make sure. I also didn't get round to applying SP1 to an existing Win2003 installation to see what happens, but the info you got from the server tech is good (apply latest support pack before reboot). It was the the rule when I was on the Compaq server support hotline a few years ago, guess it still applies.

Regards,
Stephen

[Mike Strako · Accepted solution]

I have found this related article:

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=PSD_CB0204W

[Martin Dettbarn]

That's the exact link I was searching for Mike - thank you!

Martin

[Mike Strako]

Your welcome. Good luck. :-)

[neil barker]

Took the plunge and installed SP1 on one node of a test Exchange Server 2003 Cluster. Node will not come back up! Support call with Microsoft on going. If anybody is interested I will update here when resolved.

[Martin Dettbarn]

I'd be very curious to hear about this as it unfolds. Keep us updated and good luck ;)

[John Adelman]

I've had mixed luck.

Using RDP, I deployed a Windows 2003 Gold/RTM scripted install to a BL20P G3. After it was up, I deployed SP1 to it without any problems. The scripted install was based on SS 7.10, but I don't remember whether I upgrade to SS 7.20 before or after SP1.

However, using RDP to deploy a slipstreamed WS03 SP1 scripted install, using SS 7.20, Windows Setup blue-screens on reboot.