Microsoft released Update Rollup 5 (RU5) for Exchange 2010 Service Pack 1
in September 2011, but unfortunately they did not including a fix for an
Outlook problem that stalled its earlier RU4 update.
RU5 fixed an Outlook problem on Exchange Server 2010 where users
could not not delete folders starting with special characters.
Talking of special charachters, the problem with Outlook Web App
Premium and Exchange Server 2010 was fixed, email attachments which
start with a special character can now be saved.
Microsoft will make RU5 available via Microsoft Update in late
September, until then you can get a copy at the Microsoft Download
Center now. Watch out for RU6 in October, also SP2 is due for release
this autumn.
SP Rollups
A service pack rollup is contains a cumulative set of security
updates, critical updates hotfixes. A feature of RUs is the
contain itsy-bitsy updates all packaged together for easy deployment.
Guy
Recommends You Try SolarWinds Patch Manager (SPM)
With SPM you can push out patches,
which companies such as Mozilla Firefox or Adobe Acrobat provide. The point
is that because WSUS does not do this for non-Microsoft software
updates, you need a good add-on to take care of this task. With
the Patch Manager you can even create your own packages to apply to your
servers or clients.
The July Roll up (RU4) played nasty tricks for those who tried to move
public folders in Outlook using Exchange 2010 SP1. The files wound up in the
recoverable items folder. If you did this and are having trouble
contact your local Microsoft Customer Support to get an Interim Update.
Microsoft said it would include a fix for this public folder copy problem
with RU5. However, although RU5 was released at the Microsoft Download
Center on Tuesday, the copy and move problem is still being worked on,
according to a Microsoft Exchange team blog post.
"With regard to the ability to recover a deleted public folder, this fix
was not included in RU5 as further testing revealed a problem with the
identified fix," stated Brent Alinger of Microsoft, in the comments section
of the blog. "We are still working on a resolution to this issue and it will
be included in a future Rollup or Service Pack when it resolves the issue
satisfactorily and has been fully validated."
Apparently, the Interim Update solution provided by Microsoft Customer
Support also did not fix the public folder recovery issue. Those who did
install the Interim Update must uninstall it first before applying RU5,
according to the Exchange team blog.
"Interim Updates are build specific," explained Ross Smith IV of
Microsoft in the comments section of the blog. "You cannot install a newer
rollup if you have an IU installed. You have to first uninstall the IU
before installing a newer rollup."
There are two opposing view about applying service packs. The timid
never apply the latest service pack, they always stay one at least one
iteration version behind. The problem with this approach is that
you miss on new features and fixes for existing problems. The timid
take the view it's best to let gung-ho techies discover the bugs before they
apply the service pack.
At the other extreme there are administrators who apply the service pack
as soon as it's released. They are addicted to looking for new features.
For once I recommend a middle line. Do not apply service packs
before you research the internet in general, or your favourite forum in
particular.
The problem is that no-one, not even Microsoft, could test every possible
of combination of hardware, software before they release a service pack.
Consequently there will rare occasions when an unusual combination of
hardware and software combine to cripple a server. The only way to find if
the gremlin has your number is to test the service pack on a test machine.
Testing need not be risky, take obvious precautions such as backing up
BEFORE you apply the service pack. If the worst comes to the worst, try safe
mode, uninstall. Failing that, restore from backup.
It was back in NT 4.0 days that I first came across the idea that odd
numbered service packs are always good (1,3,5), whereas even numbers (2,4,6)
always give problems.
Perhaps this effect extends to RU numbers! Certainly RU4 seems to
be a duffer.
There may be a grain of truth in this service pack myth, the
release of any product will unearth lots of problem, therefore SP1 has lots
of fixes and will be most welcome. Thus we have the perception that the
first number (1) is a good version.
There is little doubt that in the service pack fraternity, SP1 will be a
hard act to follow, thus SP2 will inevitably be disappointing. By the time
we get to SP3 the product will be mature, the company may even have
developed features not ready for the initial release, thus SP3 is likely to
be better than SP2. If SP3 is perceived to be good, then SP4 is likely to be
anonymous.
Here is a
free tool to monitor your Exchange Server.
Download the utility, then inspect your mail queues, monitor Exchange server's
memory, confirm there is enough disk space and check the CPU utilization.
