[dba-SQLServer]Is it just me?

John Colby wrote:

> Hmmmm...
> 
> I will be running IIS, just haven't gotten around to re-installing it.

Seems like a perfectly good reason to install SP4, but only after going 
through Sql Server install, and I'd even look at installing IIS before 
the SP


> 
> AFAIK I can't "roll it back" though.

When you Install SP4 you are asked if you would like to backup the 
critical files so you can roll back the installation.  You simply visit 
Add/Remove programs and run the Roll back from there.


> I can just do a reinstall of Windows.  This is a clean install from last
> weekend, nothing else but SQL Server installed yet.  I install the latest SP
> just to avoid all the bajillions of files the Windows update wants to
> install if you don't apply the service packs.  So is SP5 on the way to fix
> the SP4 issues?  ;-)

Not an SP5 per se, but I've heard rumors that an SP4a or 4b will be 
making rounds to fix the Sql Server connectivity problems, (AFAIK).

> <rant mode on>
> 
>>MR WindowsUpdate ;o)
> 
> 
> I have never made any claim that SPs don't cause new problems, only that it
> isn't generally worth my time to spend the weeks required to understand the
> issues re what the fixes are, what gets broken, what gets fixed, whether the
> fixed outweighs the broken etc.  My job is to write databases, not spend my
> life researching SPs.

I never implied otherwise... I don't like to spend time researching SP's 
and whether they or any other critical update file is going to fix or 
break my pc.  I like a stable OS... which is why I run Win2k Pro on SP2

> It seems ludicrous to me that a company the size of Microsoft would spend
> their time fixing bugs, tell me that I should install the SPs so that
> whatever bugs they have found and fixed are taken care of, then I either
> refuse (and don't get the bugs fixed) or spend my life researching whether
> or not to trust them.  Of course they screw up, so do I (VERY occasionally).

oh c'mon John ;o)


> But I can't spend my time being paranoid that they have screwed something up
> in fixing their original bugs or spend my life being paranoid that because I
> haven't applied the bug fixes something nasty is going to happen.  With all
> the nasty viruses floating around, it seems that applying service packs just
> makes sense.  And I haven't seen ANY dire warnings not to apply any given
> Win2K SP in all of the MANY EZines that I scan over the average week!


sure there has.. win2kNews.com
http://www.w2knews.com/index.cfm?id=434&search=sp4



> I really don't much care whether you apply the SPs, but having been in this
> business as long as I have, I certainly expect MY customers to apply MY
> service packs!  And if they refuse... it's on their heads.  Your head is
> your business.  I'm applying the damned service packs!
> 
> And I truly get annoyed when it's implied that I'm being silly (or stupid)
> in doing so.

Not implying your are silly or stupid in doing so, I did question your 
loyalty before, for trusting Windows Updates so dearly.  And you are 
talking about 2 diffrent types of updates... first, your sp to YOUR 
customer is much more customized and YOU will respond much quicker than 
a large organization like MS.  Please bear in mind I dont' HATE 
microsoft, I just beleive that they have reached a point where they are 
soooo big that your request is lost in the midst of MILLIONS of emails. 
      Ceratain errors that you see and someone else does not, is not 
easly addreasable by the company because there are either more pressing 
problems or they are willing to accept that x% of the pie is having 
problems and that's just the way it's gonna go.  MS's OSes support about 
the widest range of hardware than any other OS out there (I realize 
linux supports most hardware too but if that hardware hasn't been 
written for it'll probably be hard to find).

So SHOULD you blindly install an SP given to you by MS w/o TESTING it 
first?  NOOOOOOooo, test it on another system, or join a newsgroup and 
find out if they are having any issues w/ that SP... if so then you'll 
know before you install, should you do this? YES, because SP's DO cause 
problems.  Some are more worth it than others is all.

> <rant mode off>
> 
> John W. Colby
> www.colbyconsulting.com
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dba-sqlserver-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:dba-sqlserver-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of
> Francisco H Tapia
> Sent: Monday, September 22, 2003 12:56 PM
> To: dba-sqlserver at databaseadvisors.com
> Subject: Re: [dba-SQLServer]Is it just me?
> 
> 
> John Colby wrote:
> 
> 
>>2k Pro (Desktop) SP4.
>>
> 
> 
> MR WindowsUpdate ;o), you should roll back SP4 and try the install of
> SQL again... there are KNOWN problems w/ SP4 and SQL Server spcifically
> in connectivity... in fact SP4 really only ought to be installed when
> running IIS on that same server, in any case only after a SQL install
> has been made anyways...



-- 
-Francisco
  IE <----- Is that even a browser?