Thanks, Microsoft!
I want to thank Microsoft for two things.
1. Giving me a compelling reason to write a blog post after nearly 3-years
2. Providing a convenience update that wreaks havoc for VMware customers
If you run “best practices” when building your VMware virtual machines in Type-1 or Type-2 hypervisor solutions, then you are all too familiar with the VMXNET3 network adapter and Paravirtual SCSI controller components.
It seems that Microsoft, in their loving ways, have provided a “Microsoft Convenience Update” that can wreak havoc in your virtualized home, proof-of-concept (POC) and work labs, as well as, and dare I say most importantly, your virtualized production environments – clusters, data centers and sites that run Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 and use the VMXNET3 network adapter.
RUSH POST: Microsoft Convenience Update and VMware VMXNet3 Incompatibilities
Link: http://vmw.re/1P8uXcA
Now, it would be a great time to evaluate and have discussions around your methodology around change control! Do you have a separate disaster recovery and test/dev virtual environment for vetting out and protecting your time and investment from “convenience updates” from industry leaders? Do you have good backups? Do you have a trusted advisor that you can leverage when and/or if something happens?
I can think of a million and one questions that should be asked, if you are impacted by the application of this “Microsoft Convenience Update” and more importantly if you apply the update after being informed.
Good luck and fly under the radar by holding off on applying this “Convenience Update”.
DSN: Turning a Mole Hill Into a Mountain
During a recent SQL configuration for a VDI deployment I found myself wasting cycles (thanks MD for the word) on why Microsoft does not include 64-bit DSN drivers in Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2.
Sure, downloading and installing the right SQL driver is not that much of a hassle especially if you have it readily available like I do, but it is an extra step.
If you forget to install the SQL Server 2008 Native Client driver, visit the following link to download it now: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=16177
What do you think? Is Microsoft causing more issues by not including the 64-bit drivers or am I just making a mountain out of a mole hill?
UPDATE 12-16-2016
Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Native Client
Microsoft SQL Server Native Client (SQL Server Native Client) is a single dynamic-link library (DLL) containing both the SQL OLE DB provider and SQL ODBC driver. It contains run-time support for applications using native-code APIs (ODBC, OLE DB and ADO) to connect to Microsoft SQL Server 2005, 2008, 2008 R2, and SQL Server 2012. SQL Server Native Client should be used to create new applications or enhance existing applications that need to take advantage of new SQL Server 2012 features. This redistributable installer for SQL Server Native Client installs the client components needed during run time to take advantage of new SQL Server code name ‘Denali’ features, and optionally installs the header files needed to develop an application that uses the SQL Server Native Client API.
X86 Package (sqlncli.msi)
X64 Package (sqlncli.msi)