Upgrading from Exchange 2007 SP2 RU4 to SP3 w/ RU1 failed.
Greetings, I run a separate scaled down test lab for my production environment, and while it’s not a perfect replica of my production environment by any means, it is still a good way to test changes and updates most of the time. In this environment I have an all-in-one server running 64bit Windows 2008 SP2 with Exchange 2007 SP2 w/ RU4, and Exchange has the CAS/HTS/MBX roles installed. The others server is a 32bit Windows 2003 SP2 machine with 32bit Exchange 2007 SP2 w/ RU4 just for the Admin console as it was running DPM 2007 SP1. I have Exchange Forefront Protection for Exchange 2010 on the all-in-one server, and no file system antivirus on either server (I understand and accept the risks). After manually extending the schema for Exchange 2007 SP3, I tried to upgrade both servers from SP2 w/ RU4 to SP3 w/ RU1 in the SP3 Updates folder. I figured applying the RU at the same time as the SP was support and would save me time. On both machines I got the error of "Installing product exchagneserver.msi failed. Fatal Error during installation. Error code is 1603." when I did Setup /m:upgrade from SP3 w/ RU1. On the all-in-one Exchange server, most of the default files were removed as a part of the normal upgrade, but when the upgrade failed it left the server missing several files and services deactivated which prevented any further upgrades from even running. Fixing it required removing the RU1 from the Updates folder of SP3, manually copying over the SP3 CHM file to the correct Exchange Server Profile Files folder, restarting the web services, and re-running SP3. Once SP3 successfully applied, and I got a change of underwear, I applied RU1 separately. Note: I did disable Forefront protection before attempting SP3 w/ RU1 as indicated on the Exchange Team blog site, so I don’t think that had anything to do with it. The DPM server was left in a similar state where lots of files were missing. Copying over the CHM file onto the DPM server allow the upgrade to continue like it did on the all-in-one server, so I had to rip out the registry keys for Exchange and completely re-install the admin console from SP3, and then apply RU1. With the near-disastrous failure on one server, I was willing to chalk it up to something wacky about the server (either the build, or some legacy setting/app). However when the exact same failure occurred on two separate servers with 2 completely different scenarios (32bit Exchange 2007 versus 64bit, 32bit Windows versus 64bit, Windows 2003 versus Windows 2008), I have to think there is something wrong with trying to apply RU1 in conjunction with SP3. Maybe I was wrong to assume this is a supported process, or maybe it is supported normally but there is an issue with applying SP3 w/ RU1? Has anyone run into this?
October 22nd, 2010 10:18pm

Been there, done that, and I share your pain. You can't apply an RU at the same time you apply an SP. Including an RU in the Updates folder when applying an SP to an existing server will fail. Remove the RU from Updates, apply the SP, then apply the RU. You can include an RU in Updates folder of Exchange 2007 SP3 but only for new installations of Exchange. Ed Crowley MVP "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems."
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October 22nd, 2010 10:22pm

Thanks Ed, at least now I know something I had done wrong or something unique about my test lab. Out of curiosity do you happen to know was this "limitation" is documented anyway by the Exchange team and I missed it, or is this just a trial and error sort of thing? You would think that if it didn't work, that the Exchange team would utilize the /upgrade switch to tell the service pack install to ignore the Updates folder so people didn't have to run into this if it isn't supported. Referencing http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb676320(EXCHG.80).aspx, I guess will apply RU1 to NodeA after the documented SP update sequence is complete, and fail the online CMS from NodeB to NodeA, and then apply RU1 to NodeB. It's an extra failover step to get the RU after the SP, but we generally fail back to NodaA anyway for consistency. Thanks again Ed!
October 23rd, 2010 12:08am

It is documented here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff607233(EXCHG.80).aspx "Performing a Slipstream Installation of Exchange 2007 SP3 Exchange 2007 SP3 supports the installation of an update rollup during a new installation of Exchange 2007 SP3. However, Exchange 2007 SP3 does not support the installation of an update rollup during an upgrade installation of Exchange 2007 SP3. For example, Exchange 2007 SP3 does not support installing an update rollup during an upgrade from Exchange 2007 SP2 to Exchange 2007 SP3. For more information, see the "Slipstream Update Rollup Installation" section in How to Install the Latest Service Pack or Update Rollup for Exchange 2007." Tim Harrington - Catapult Systems - http://HowDoUC.blogspot.com
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October 23rd, 2010 12:32am

Thanks for the link, I just missed it somehow. Again though you would think they would build the logic into the /upgrade and /upgradeCMS switch to make the service pack ignore ANY updates.
October 23rd, 2010 12:35am

There is a text file in the updates folder that explains this - at least there is now. Not sure if it's always been there or if it got added in a SP or UR.
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October 23rd, 2010 1:34am

SP3 wasn't the first service pack with that limitation. I bumped into it before it was documented, and that's frustrating.Ed Crowley MVP "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems."
October 23rd, 2010 2:59am

There is a text file in the updates folder that explains this - at least there is now. Not sure if it's always been there or if it got added in a SP or UR. Yeah I see that now for SP3, but it was just a normal text file that read "Updates added to this folder will be installed during setup." for SP1 and SP2. Really the right thing to have done would have been to build logic in the service pack that if the /m:upgrade switch was thrown, that the Updates folder process was ignored outright. I take full blame for not fully reading the SP documentation, but honestly I think this is an unreasonable scenario to expect people to watch out for since apparently multiple people have run into it over the years.. My previous 2007 SP updates have all occured before the first RU came out so it wasn't an issue for now, and essentially I took things for granted that it wouldn't be an issue/was supported. /barg
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October 27th, 2010 6:46am

I don't disagree with you that it has been poorly documented. I also think that Setup ought to check for that and throw an error message if there's anything in the folder. Ed Crowley MVP "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems."
October 28th, 2010 6:43am

Just as an added note to this old thread - we recently tried to install some Exchange 2007 SP3 RU4 servers on some Virtual Windows 2008 R2 (since R2 is now supported in SP3) and it bombed out every time. We had to remove the RU from the SP3 Updates folder to get Exchange to install properly, and then apply the RU later. Not sure why this was an issue on a new install of Exchange, but it probably had something to do with Windows 2008 R2 being an afterthought for Exchange 2007 from the Exchange product group.
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September 21st, 2011 2:15pm

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