Windows Server 2008 SP2 servicing changes

This blog post was authored by Sachin Goyal, Senior Program Manager, Windows Servicing & Delivery Team. 

Updated September 11, 2018: I’m pleased to announce that the monthly rollup for Windows Server 2008 SP2 is now available:

• Monthly Rollup Windows Server 2008 SP2, see KB 4458010.
• Security Only Windows Server 2008 SP2, see KB 4457984.

I recommend you bookmark KB 4343218 for details on the latest monthly releases.

Updated August 31, 2018: To help ensure a quality release, we will now start the rollup model on Update Tuesday in September, also known as “Patch Tuesday,” which is the second Tuesday of the month.

Updated August 17, 2018: To help ensure a quality release, the initial preview of the monthly quality rollup will be released on Tuesday, August 28, 2018.

We are moving to a rollup model for Windows Server 2008 SP2. The initial preview of the monthly quality rollup will be released on Tuesday, August 21, 2018.

Windows Server 2008 SP2 will now follow a similar update servicing model as later Windows versions, bringing a more consistent and simplified servicing experience. For those of you who manage Windows updates within your organization, it’s important that you understand the choices that will be available.

Let’s review what we will release each month following the initial preview of the monthly quality rollup release in August:

A security only quality update: Starting September 2018, this security only update will be released on Update Tuesday, commonly referred to as “Patch Tuesday”, the second Tuesday of the month.

A security monthly quality rollup: Starting September 2018, this monthly rollup will be released on Update Tuesday, also known as “Patch Tuesday”, the second Tuesday of the month.

A preview of the monthly quality rollup: Starting August 2018, the preview rollup will be released on the third Tuesday of the month.

For more details, please refer to the Windows for IT Pros blog.

Internet Explorer updates

• The monthly rollups will contain fixes for the Internet Explorer version 9 for Windows Server 2008 SP2. The security only, monthly rollup, and preview rollup will not install or upgrade to a version of Internet Explorer if not already present.

.NET Framework monthly rollup

• For more information on the changes to .NET Framework updates, please see the blog post .NET Framework Monthly Rollups Explained.

These changes will simplify the updating of Windows Server 2008 SP2 computers, while also improving scanning and installation times, and providing flexibility depending on how you typically manage Windows updates today.