SharePoint: Do you turn off auto update on your SharePoint servers?
/Cross Posted from Do you turn off auto update on your SharePoint servers?
A recent Security Hotfix has broken SharePoint WSS3 stand-alone installations. This has prompted Microsoft SharePoint team to quickly release information regarding how to fix the issue.
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sharepoint/archive/2010/06/22/installing-kb938444.aspx
This again reminds us that it is always not a good idea to have Windows Update automatically updating your servers. There are a few reasons.
- The previously mentioned problem - where the hotfix could bring down a production environment.
- In fact, even in a development environment this could be hours of lost work as the development team struggles to understand why only some of the developers' SharePoint magically and mysteriously broke overnight.
- Windows Update could restart your server, or put your server in a state where it requires restarting - preventing any urgent MSI installs without bringing down the server.
Windows Update remains the best thing for end-users to protect their systems. But in a server, especially a production server environment - Windows Update patches are just like any new versions of the software that's built internally. It should be tested and then deployed in a controlled manner.
So recommendations:
- Windows Updates may be critical and should be kept relatively up to date.
- Have a plan where your awesome Network Admins schedule time to keep the servers up to date - including testing that the servers still perform its functions.
- Turn off Automatic Windows Update on Windows Servers
