Important update for WSUS 4.0 – KB 3095113

by | Dec 5, 2015 | Patch Management, Patch Releases

WSUS 4.0 Update

Ensuring Seamless Deployment of Windows 10 Feature Upgrade (Version 1511) with KB 3095113

If you are looking for a comprehensive Windows management tool that provides a centralized location to manage and deploy software updates, then the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) is a valuable tool to have in your IT arsenal. With the latest feature upgrade for Windows 10 (version 1511) released, it is essential to keep your WSUS up-to-date to ensure seamless deployment of the latest Windows 10 feature upgrade to your clients.

To this end, Microsoft has released a crucial patch for WSUS for WS12 and WS12R2 (KB 3095113), which enables WSUS to deploy the Windows 10 feature upgrade (version 1511) to your clients. In this article, we will take a closer look at the features and benefits of this latest WSUS update and how it can help you manage your Windows updates more efficiently.

Upgrading to Windows 10 Feature Upgrade (Version 1511)

The release of the Windows 10 feature upgrade (version 1511) marked a significant milestone for Windows 10 users, as it was the first-ever in-place upgrade for the operating system. This update offered various new features, including improvements to Cortana, Microsoft Edge, and the Start Menu, to name a few. However, to deploy this update to your Windows 10 clients, you need to ensure that your WSUS is updated with the latest patch, KB 3095113.

KB 3095113 – Enabling WSUS to Deploy the Windows 10 Feature Upgrade

The KB 3095113 patch for WSUS is critical for enabling WSUS to deploy the Windows 10 feature upgrade to your clients. This update is available for download from the Microsoft website and is easy to install, making it an essential tool for IT professionals looking to manage and deploy Windows updates seamlessly.

WSUS Upgrade Classification for Windows 10 Feature Upgrade

Once you have installed KB 3095113, you will notice that the Windows 10 1511 feature upgrade is available via WSUS. It will show up with a new Upgrades classification, making it easy to identify and deploy the feature upgrade to your Windows 10 clients. Moreover, this update applies not only to Windows 10 RTM but also to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 machines.

The hot fix for WSUS is available to download from this link.

 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3095113.

 

Benefits of Upgrading WSUS to KB 3095113

Updating your WSUS to KB 3095113 offers various benefits, including:

  1. Easy deployment of the latest Windows 10 feature upgrade to your clients
  2. Centralized management of Windows updates
  3. Faster and more efficient management of Windows updates
  4. Enhanced security and stability of your Windows environment

KB 3095113 Conclusion

Updating your WSUS to KB 3095113 is essential if you want to ensure seamless deployment of the latest Windows 10 feature upgrade to your clients. This update offers various benefits, including centralized management of Windows updates, enhanced security, and stability of your Windows environment. Moreover, it is easy to install and use, making it an essential tool for IT professionals looking to manage and deploy Windows updates more efficiently. So, what are you waiting for? Download KB 3095113 today and experience the benefits of seamless Windows update deployment.

 

 

Microsoft’s October 2015 Patch Releases

by | Oct 14, 2015 | Patch Management, Patch Releases

Microsoft’s October 2015 Patch Releases

The following six Patch Tuesday patches have been released by Microsoft for deployment.
Are you ready to start deploying and remove the patching risk using SnaPatch?
MS15-106 – Critical
Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (3096441)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. The most severe of the vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted webpage using Internet Explorer. An attacker who successfully exploited these vulnerabilities could gain the same user rights as the current user. Customers whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than those who operate with administrative user rights.
MS15-107 – Important
Cumulative Security Update for Microsoft Edge (3096448)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Edge. The most severe of the vulnerabilities could allow information disclosure if a user views a specially crafted webpage using Microsoft Edge. An attacker who successfully exploited these vulnerabilities could gain the same user rights as the current user. Customers whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than those who operate with administrative user rights.
MS15-108 – Critical
Security Update for JScript and VBScript to Address Remote Code Execution (3089659)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in the VBScript and JScript scripting engines in Microsoft Windows. The more severe of the vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if an attacker hosts a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit the vulnerabilities through Internet Explorer (or leverages a compromised website or a website that accepts or hosts user-provided content or advertisements) and then convinces a user to view the website. An attacker could also embed an ActiveX control marked “safe for initialization” in an application or Microsoft Office document that uses the IE rendering engine to direct the user to the specially crafted website.
MS15-109 – Critical
Security Update for Windows Shell to Address Remote Code Execution (3096443)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted toolbar object in Windows or an attacker convinces a user to view specially crafted content online.
MS15-110 – Important
Security Updates for Microsoft Office to Address Remote Code Execution (3096440)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office. The most severe of the vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Microsoft Office file. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerabilities could run arbitrary code in the context of the current user. Customers whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than those who operate with administrative user rights.

MS15-111 – Important

Security Update for Windows Kernel to Address Elevation of Privilege (3096447)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows. The more severe of the vulnerabilities could allow elevation of privilege if an attacker logs on to an affected system and runs a specially crafted application

VMWare – Snapshot Consolidation

VMWare – Snapshot Consolidation

by | Oct 9, 2015 | VMWare

What is VM Snapshot Consolidation and Why it is Important?

Virtual machine snapshots have become an essential tool for managing virtual machines, but they can also present some challenges. VM Snapshot Consolidation is a process that helps address these challenges by merging multiple snapshots into a single file, reducing disk space consumption, and improving performance.

In this article, we’ll dive into the details of VM Snapshot Consolidation and explore why it’s an important part of virtual machine management.

Introduction to VM Snapshot Consolidation

VM Snapshot Consolidation is a process that is used to consolidate multiple snapshots of a virtual machine into a single snapshot file. This process helps reduce the number of snapshots stored on a virtual machine, freeing up disk space and improving performance.

Snapshots are used to capture the state of a virtual machine at a specific point in time. They can be used for backup and recovery, testing, and other purposes. However, snapshots can quickly consume a large amount of disk space, especially if multiple snapshots are taken over time.

The Benefits of VM Snapshot Consolidation

There are several benefits of consolidating snapshots in a virtual machine:

  • Reduced disk space consumption: Multiple snapshots can consume a significant amount of disk space, and the more snapshots you take, the more disk space they will consume. By consolidating snapshots, you can reduce the amount of disk space they consume and free up valuable storage resources.
  • Improved performance: As snapshots accumulate, they can negatively impact the performance of a virtual machine. By consolidating snapshots, you can reduce the number of snapshots stored and improve the overall performance of the virtual machine.
  • Easier management: Managing multiple snapshots can be a challenge, especially if you are dealing with a large number of virtual machines. By consolidating snapshots, you can simplify the management process and make it easier to keep track of snapshots and the state of virtual machines.
  • Reduced risk of data loss: If a virtual machine has a large number of snapshots, the risk of data loss increases. By consolidating snapshots, you can reduce the risk of data loss and ensure that the virtual machine is protected in the event of a failure or disaster.


SnapShot Master Home Screen

How to Consolidate Snapshots in a Virtual Machine

The process of consolidating snapshots in a virtual machine will vary depending on the virtualization platform you are using. However, the basic steps are typically as follows:

  1. Identify the snapshots you want to consolidate.
  2. Power off the virtual machine.
  3. Open the virtual machine’s configuration settings.
  4. Choose the option to consolidate snapshots.
  5. Wait for the consolidation process to complete.
  6. Power on the virtual machine.

The consolidation process may take some time to complete, depending on the number of snapshots and the size of the virtual machine. It is important to be patient and let the consolidation process complete before attempting to power on the virtual machine.

Alternatively, rather than using the VMware console, open SnapShot Master, highlight the VMs you want to perform the task to, right click and choose consolidate. SnapShot Master will automatically consolidate all those VM snapshots


Schedule VM Snapshot Selection

VM Snapshot Consilidation FAQ

  1. What is the difference between a snapshot and a backup?

A snapshot is a capture of the state of a virtual machine at a specific point in time, while a backup is a copy of the entire virtual machine or data stored on the virtual machine. Snapshots are often used for short-term backup and recovery, while backups are used for long-term data protection.

  1. Can snapshots be used as a replacement for backups?

No, snapshots should not be used as a replacement for backups. While

snapshots are useful for capturing the state of a virtual machine at a specific point in time, they do not provide the same level of protection as a full backup. Snapshots can be lost or corrupted if there is a failure or disaster, whereas backups are stored separately from the virtual machine and can be used to restore the virtual machine in the event of a failure or disaster.

  1. How often should I consolidate snapshots in a virtual machine?

The frequency with which you consolidate snapshots in a virtual machine will depend on several factors, including the number of snapshots taken, the size of the virtual machine, and the amount of disk space available. It is a good idea to consolidate snapshots on a regular basis to ensure that they do not consume too much disk space and impact the performance of the virtual machine.

  1. What happens to the snapshots that are consolidated?

When snapshots are consolidated, they are merged into a single snapshot file. The original snapshots are deleted, and the consolidated snapshot file becomes the new current state of the virtual machine.

Consolidate your VM Snapshots

Snapshot consolidation is useful when snapshot disks fail to compact after a Delete or Delete all operation or if the disk did not consolidate. This might happen, for example, if you delete a snapshot but its associated disk does not commit back to the base disk.

The snapshot Consolidation  searches for hierarchies or delta disks to combine without violating data dependency. After consolidation, redundant disks are removed, which improves virtual machine performance and saves storage space.

When initiating a snapshot delete action, the delta disk changes are then written to the base or parent VMDK file and the snapshot is deleted. With vSphere 5, a new option called consolidate was introduced. The purpose of consolidate is if the snapshot deletion process was not successful. In the past there were incidents where a user would initiate a snapshot deletion thinking the snapshot got deleted, yet to find out later that that’s not the case. With the consolidation option, when you initiate a snapshot deletion, if the snapshot fails to delete, the VM will then generate a warning letting you know that a consolidation is required. You would then run the snapshot consolidation option and the snapshot would get committed.

Be warned however, that this can create increased load on the VM and would be best performed outside of business hours

VM Snapshots Consolidation FAQs

What is VM Snapshot Consolidation?

VM Snapshot Consolidation is a process that merges multiple snapshots of a virtual machine into a single snapshot file. This process helps reduce disk space consumption and improve virtual machine performance.

Why is VM Snapshot Consolidation important?

Virtual machine snapshots can quickly consume a large amount of disk space, especially if multiple snapshots are taken over time. Consolidating snapshots helps free up valuable storage resources and reduces the risk of data loss.

How does VM Snapshot Consolidation improve virtual machine performance?

As snapshots accumulate, they can negatively impact the performance of a virtual machine. By consolidating snapshots, you can reduce the number of snapshots stored and improve the overall performance of the virtual machine.

How often should I consolidate snapshots in a virtual machine?

The frequency with which you should consolidate snapshots will depend on several factors, including the number of snapshots taken, the size of the virtual machine, and the amount of disk space available. It is a good idea to consolidate snapshots on a regular basis to ensure that they do not consume too much disk space and impact the performance of the virtual machine.

What is the difference between a snapshot and a backup?

A snapshot is a capture of the state of a virtual machine at a specific point in time, while a backup is a copy of the entire virtual machine or data stored on the virtual machine. Snapshots are often used for short-term backup and recovery, while backups are used for long-term data protection.

Can snapshots be used as a replacement for backups?

No, snapshots should not be used as a replacement for backups. While snapshots are useful for capturing the state of a virtual machine at a specific point in time, they do not provide the same level of protection as a full backup. Snapshots can be lost or corrupted if there is a failure or disaster, whereas backups are stored separately from the virtual machine and can be used to restore the virtual machine in the event of a failure or disaster.

What happens to the snapshots that are consolidated?

When snapshots are consolidated, they are merged into a single snapshot file. The original snapshots are deleted, and the consolidated snapshot file becomes the new current state of the virtual machine

Microsoft’s September 2015 Patch Releases

by | Sep 18, 2015 | Patch Releases

September Patch Release
Hi All,
Microsoft has released their latest round of Patches / Updates for September Month last Tuesday.
The following patches / updates have been released for deployment
  1. MS15-094 – Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (3089548)
  2. MS15-095 – Cumulative Security Update for Microsoft Edge (3089665
  3. MS15-096 – Vulnerability in Active Directory Service Could Allow Denial of Service (3072595)
  4. MS15-097 – Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Graphics Component Could Allow Remote Code Execution (3089656)
  5. MS15-098 – Vulnerabilities in Windows Journal Could Allow Remote Code Execution (3089669)
  6. MS15-099 – Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Could Allow Remote Code Execution (3089664)
  7. MS15-100 – Vulnerability in Windows Media Center Could Allow Remote Code Execution (3087918)
  8. MS15-101 – Vulnerabilities in .NET Framework Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (3089662)
  9. MS15-102 – Vulnerabilities in Windows Task Management Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (3089657)
  10. MS15-103 – Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server Could Allow Information Disclosure (3089250)
  11. MS15-104 – Vulnerabilities in Skype for Business Server and Lync Server Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (3089952)
  12. MS15-105 – Vulnerability in Windows Hyper-V Could Allow Security Feature Bypass (3091287
Microsoft patches KB3177725 & KB3176493 causing printing issues

Microsoft patches KB3177725 & KB3176493 causing printing issues

by | Aug 18, 2015 | How To, Patch Management, Patch Releases

Microsoft patches KB3177725 & KB3176493 causing printing issues

Stop Sign

Two recently released patches from Microsoft (in the August Patch Tuesday Release) seem to be causing some issues. The problematic security updates are KB3177725 and KB3176493 both which were to patch security vulnerabilities that could allow remote code execution on both Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 as well as server editions of their software, Windows server 2008, 2008 R2, 2012 and 2012 R2. The risk of not deploying these two security updates, could allow elevation of privileges, if an attacker finds an affected system and then runs some software which would then exploit these vulnerabilities and finally take control of the affected system.

So what is the issue?

The issue caused by these two security patches is the inability to print more than one page at a time. Others are reporting that it corrupts all print jobs with an error. Microsoft have reported initially that the problem is incompatibility issues between Windows and Printer Drivers, but have recently come out and acknowledged that it was in fact caused by these two updates.

Now this is quite a substantial problem, can you imagine having all your users calling your service desk with this issue???

Now, what is the fix?

Update

UPDATE:  Previously we mentioned the only work around is to uninstall either or both KB3177725 and KB3176493.

Well Microsoft have come through and have released another patch that will fix the issues caused by these two security updates. KB3187022 – Print functionality is broken after any of the MS16-098 security updates are installed

Patch is available to download from the Microsoft site https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3187022

There has been other issues this month, caused by the August Security Patches. Microsoft Patch KB3179575 causing authentication issues with Windows 2012 servers and KB3176934 breaks Windows 10 Powershell

Additionally, If you are lucky enough to be one of our many customers and are using SnaPatch, you can easily and quickly roll back your virtual machines to the prior security update deployment snapshot.

To learn more about what SnaPatch offers and how you can avoid further issues like this, click this link.

SnaPatch Console