[WinPartners] Microsoft releases SP2 for Windows XP

[Deb Bowser]

Date: Thursday, 12 August 2004
To: MIT Community:  itpartners, winpartners, sw-release-announce, ed-tech
From: Software Release Team <winxp-release at mit.edu>
Subject: Microsoft releases SP2 for Windows XP
Cc: is&t, itag, it-leads
---------------------

Good morning,

Microsoft released Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP on Monday, August 9, 
2004 to the general public.  Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) contains major 
security improvements designed to provide better protection against 
hackers, viruses, and worms. While recognizing the security benefits of 
Windows XP SP2, we recommend that system administrators test XP SP2 in 
their environment before deploying to all Windows XP machines within a 
department.

Unlike previous Service Packs, Microsoft will deploy XP SP2 via Microsoft's 
Automatic Update service. Machines configured to use Microsoft Automatic 
Update will start to receive XP SP2 on Monday, August 16 unless 
preventative measures are taken.  For more information on ways to prevent 
SP2 from automatically installing on Monday, see:

	http://web.mit.edu/swrt/releases/win-xp-sp2/whattodosp2.html

Machines configured to use MIT's Windows Automatic Update (WAUS) will not 
receive the service pack on Monday, August 16.  Based on testing and 
feedback from the community, SP2 will be made available through the WAUS at 
a later date. If MIT testers of XP SP2 report serious problems, the release 
via WAUS will be delayed. However, based on our current knowledge we do not 
anticipate a long delay.

If you do not have local IT support, we recommend that you configure your 
machine to use WAUS, and therefore take the update after testing has 
concluded.  To configure a machine to use WAUS, follow the instructions at:

	http://web.mit.edu/ist/topics/windows/updates/

Known Issues
--------------------------------
While our testing to date of SP2 has been very positive, it does make very 
major changes and could cause unforeseen problems.

Many vendors have already released new or updated versions of their 
products to ensure compatibility with this new service pack. If you 
encounter any problems with an application while testing XP SP2, you should 
attempt to determine if your vendor has provided a solution or a free 
upgrade from their web site.  We will maintain information regarding MIT's 
supported suite of applications and their compatibility with SP2 on the 
release notebook.

Testing
--------------------------------
IS&T tested earlier versions (betas) of the service pack to ensure that MIT 
services and software functioned properly with all parts SP2 including the 
Windows Firewall. Our testing with the pre-released versions did not 
indicate any major problems, contrary to what was reported by various news 
agencies.  To the best of our current knowledge all of our supported 
applications should work with Windows XP SP2. Testing with the final 
release continues at this time. Currently we have encountered no 
insurmountable problems.

In the meantime, we recommend that you not install SP2 on production 
machines until we make our recommendations or you are able to test your 
critical applications in a test environment.

The latest information on SP2 testing at MIT, including any ongoing bugs, 
can be found in the release notebook at:

	http://web.mit.edu/swrt/releases/win-xp-sp2/

If you are testing SP2, we would appreciate hearing from you regarding your 
experience with SP2, both problems encountered as well as successful 
application and service usages so that we can share information broadly.

You can contact the release team with questions or feedback at 
winxp-release at mit.edu.

Regards,
Deb Bowser
SP2 for Windows XP Release Team PRC