Recommended Hotfixes for Windows Server 2012 Failover Clusters
Today, Microsoft released Knowledge Base article 2784261, which describes the hotfixes we recommend being installed on all Windows Server 2012 failover clusters. This includes Exchange database availability groups that are running on Windows Server 2012, as well.
Although these hotfixes are generally recommended for all customers, we recommend that you evaluate each fix to determine whether it applies to your environment. If you determine a server in your organization is affected by the problem(s) that a fix addresses, install the fix on each cluster node by using the procedures that are described in Knowledge Base article 174799: Patching Windows Server Failover Clusters.
The recommended hotfixes include two important updates:
- 2848344 – This is an updated roll-up hotfix that replaces 2838669. This fix is most important for any Hyper-V deployment, and critical for any deployment using DPM for backup.
- 2838043 – This is a fix for NetName, that addresses a password synchronization issue. This has been a top CSS call generator, where Repair was used in the past.
The hotfixes we recommend for Windows Server 2012 failover clusters are as follows:
| Date added | Title and Link | Component | Why we recommend this hotfix |
|---|---|---|---|
6/14/2013 |
Update improves cluster resiliency in Windows Server 2012 | Failover Cluster Service, CSV Filter and NTFS.sys | This hotfix prevents a CSV failover by fixing an underlying issue in NTFS and by increasing the overall resilience of the Cluster service and CSV during expected pause states. Available for individual download. |
6/14/2013 |
Can't access a resource that is hosted on a Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012-based failover cluster | Failover Cluster Resource DLL | This hotfix prevents an error when accessing resources hosted on a Windows 8-based or Windows Server 2012-based failover cluster from a Windows XP-based or Windows Server 2003-based client computer. It also resolves an Event ID 1196 with error The handle is invalid when the cluster network name resource fails to come online and register in DNS. Available for individual download. |
1/23/2013 |
Failover Cluster Management snap-in crashes after you install update 2750149 on a Windows Server 2012-based failover cluster | Failover Cluster Management snap-in | Resolves a crash in the Failover Cluster Management snap-in after update 2750149 is installed on a Windows Server 2012-based failover cluster. Available from Windows Update or Microsoft Download Center. |
11/13/2012 |
Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 cumulative update: November 2012 | Multiple | Improves clustered server performance and reliability in Hyper-V and Scale-Out File Server scenarios. Improves SMB service and client reliability under certain stress conditions. Install update 2770917 by using Windows Update in order to receive the cumulative update as described in KB 2770917. |
11/13/2012 |
Error code when the kpasswd protocol fails after you perform an authoritative restore: "KDC_ERROR_S_PRINCIPAL_UNKNOWN” | KDCSVC | Install on every domain controller running Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 or Windows Server 2008 R2 in order to add a Windows Server 2012 failover cluster. Otherwise Create Cluster may fail when attempting to set the password for the cluster computer object with error message: CreateClusterNameCOIfNotExists (6783): Unable to set password on < ClusterName$> This hotfix is included in Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1. |
For more information, see https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2784261.