Microsoft SQL Server Support Blog : SQL Service Packs

SQL 2005 SP2 is available now!

sqlblog — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 21:14:00 GMT

Finally, after rounds of CTPs (Community Technology Previews) and great feedback from customers, we have officially released Service Pack 2 (SP2) for SQL 2005.

Download SP2
You can download it by visiting the Microsoft website here.
Enhancements in SQL 2005 SP2
SP2 provides several new features and improvements. You can learn about them here.
Download SQL 2005 SP2 Sample databases
You can download the sample databases and learn about their enhancements by visiting here.
Download Books Online refresh for SP2
Books online gets updated with every release of service pack. Please download the latest version by visiting here.

As with every service pack, please make sure that you first test it out on your test and QA environment, before putting it to the production server.

Posted By: Sanchan Saxena

How can I limit the number of reboots when applying hotfixes and the like to SQL Server and OS?

sqlblog — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 20:16:00 GMT

Avoiding reboots after applying a Service Pack or a hotfix to SQL is a big concern to our customers.

In SQL 2005, we have made several enhancements to help you avoid a reboot after applying Service Packs and hotfixes.

To learn about these enhancements, read our MSDN article here.

Happy reading!

Posted By: Sanchan Saxena

Why is a SPID blocking itself in sysprocesses? How is it possible?

sqlblog — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 05:42:00 GMT

After you apply SQL 2000 Service Pack 4, you might observe that a SPID is blocking itself, as reported in the output of sysprocesses.

If your custom scripts/applications monitor blocking by relying on the output of sysprocesses column, they will start reporting extensive blocking on your server.

However, there is more to it than meets the eye.

Reason

SQL 2000 SP4 reports more diagnostic information than earlier versions. In addition to lock waits, SQL 2000 SP4 now reports latch waits as well.

It is this new monitoring which could lead to the situation described above – a SPID blocking itself.

In majority of the cases, you can ignore this condition if either the value in the waittime column is low OR the waittype of the SPID is a latch waittype.

For more information on this, please refer to the KB article 906344.

POSTED BY : Sanchan Saxena

ENHANCEMENT - Database Mail in SQL 2005 64 bit and SP1

sqlblog — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 23:11:00 GMT

Database Mail is a new feature in SQL 2005 that provides enterprise class mailing functionality in SQL 2005 32 bit and 64 bit versions. SQL Server 2005 RTM x64/IA64 In SQL 2005 RTM x64 and IA64 bit versions, you can use Database Mail features just as...(read more)

ENHANCEMENT - Maintenance Cleanup Task and SP1

sqlblog — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 23:05:00 GMT

Maintenance Cleanup Task can be used to remove files related to Maintenance Plans. You can learn more about it in BOL here . SQL 2005 RTM (32bit and 64bit) In SQL Server 2005 RTM, the Maintenance Cleanup Task doesn't allow you to delete maintenance plan...(read more)

Update on SQL 2000 Service Pack 4

sqlblog — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 22:20:00 GMT

If you are running SQL Server 2000 SP4 (build 8.00.2039), you might be interested in this blog. Since the launch of SP4 (build 8.00.2039), several hotfixes have been released publicly. At the time of writing this blog, the latest hotfix build available...(read more)

Update on SQL 2000 Service Pack 3 and 3a

sqlblog — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 22:01:00 GMT

If your SQL Server 2000 is running on Service Pack 3 (build 8.00.760) or Service Pack 3a, you might be interested in this blog entry. Since the launch of SQL 2000 SP3 and SP3a, Microsoft has released a number of hotfixes with resolutions to several known...(read more)

SQL 2005 Released Service Packs

sqlblog — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 05:06:00 GMT

Since the launch of SQL Server 2005 in November of 2005, Microsoft has publicly released the following service packs and hotfixes: SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 1 On 18 th March 2006, Microsoft released the first service pack for SQL 2005. For a list of...(read more)