Installing SP AND CU on Cluster

  • What is the best practice for installing a SQL Service Pack and a Cumulative Update on a clustered index during the same downtime? We have a production SQL 2008 R2 RTM 2-node cluster and want to upgrade to SP2, CU3.

    Is it

    1) Install SP & CU on the passive node

    2) Failover

    3) Install SP & CU on the other node.

    OR

    1) Install SP on the passive node

    2) Failover

    3) Install SP & CU on the other node.

    4) Failover

    5) Install CU on the 1st (now passive) node

    OR

    1) Install SP on the passive node

    2) Failover

    3) Install SP on the other node.

    4) Failover

    5) Install CU on the 1st (now passive) node

    6) Failover

    7) Install CU on the (now passive) node.

    My concern: Is there a significant risk in installing a CU before the instance is brought online (and completes the script upgrade) for the previous Service Pack?

  • removed -may be incorrect

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  • something i've never tried actually, but i would follow this

    dan-572483 (4/25/2013)


    1) Install SP on the passive node

    2) Failover

    3) Install SP on the other node.

    4) Failover

    5) Install CU on the 1st (now passive) node

    6) Failover

    7) Install CU on the (now passive) node.

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    "Ya can't make an omelette without breaking just a few eggs" 😉

  • I have also never had to try this either so I would have to agree with Perry that thats the only safe, guaranteed way to do it.

    also the fact that I could find nothing on this would suggest you have to do it that way.

    Having to apply an SP and a CU (and maybe a security patch as well) cannot be that unusual so you would have thought some guru or microsoft would describe the process for a cluster, but they just stick to how to apply a single upgrade.

    You could experiment for us but I wouldn't recommend it except on a sandpit server! 🙂

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  • You can apply an SP and CU when slipstreaming an install, but the PCUSource and CUSource parameters do not apply to straight SP or CU installs.

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    "Ya can't make an omelette without breaking just a few eggs" 😉

  • Unfortunately the Microsoft documentation for installing CUs is sparce. Also on our nonProduction server the SP and CU were installed on different dates, since the CU is to fix a bug introduced by the SP.

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