A Look into the Future: Service Packs

Microsoft regularly releases updates and fixes for its products, called patch releases . It did so for Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 and will do so for Windows 2003. Because the patches released by Microsoft correct all kinds of bugs , problems, and other issues, you should assume that some of the patches address problems related to security. Therefore, it's important to keep yourself informed about the release and content of these patches.

Microsoft releases patches in two forms: service packs and hotfixes. A hotfix is a patch for a single problem. A service pack is many hotfixes combined into a single Band-Aid. There are more significant differences as well. Hotfixes are not fully tested or supported by Microsoft. A hotfix should be applied only if you're actually experiencing the problem it corrects, because a hotfix can sometimes cause other problems. Service packs are thoroughly tested and therefore safer for deployment. However, we recommend that you delay application of a new service pack until it's about two months old. This gives the rest of the Windows 2003 community the time to install and test the patch for you. It's always better to learn from the mistakes of others than to fall into the pit yourself.

Service packs are cumulative, meaning that each new release of a service pack includes the previous service pack plus all hotfixes and other improvements since that time. You need to apply only the most current service pack and any required hotfixes.

Before you apply any patch to Windows 2003, you should read the documentation included with the patches. Then make the following preparations :

Back up the system or at least your data and the Registry.
Reboot the system.
Close all applications and stop any unnecessary services.

If you don't know which level of a service pack you applied, you can check by looking at the Help About page from any native Windows 2003 application (such as Windows Explorer, Control Panel, or My Computer).

In the past, the Microsoft Web site has been secretive about the location of service packs and hotfixes, but recently they've been much more forthcoming. The best place to find service packs is through the Windows Update tool (it's in the All Programs section of the Start menu and appears as a command in the Tools menu of Internet Explorer). You can also check out the download section of the Windows 2003 Web area at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/.