Upgrade SQL 2012 to SP4

Question

Hi Everyone,

we have 3 SQL 2012 servers in different versions 11.06.6020, 11.0.7001.0 and 11.0.5058.0. Our secure team want us upgrade to SP4, I am new to this, I see there is KB5021123 Sp4 GDR security update released back in Feb 14 2023, can I just install KB5021123 or do I need to upgrade one at a time and work my way up?

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks

Tim

Answer 1

Hi @Wang, Tim,

You do not need to install the previous Service Packs before installing SQL Server 2012 Service Pack 4 (SP4). SQL Server 2012 SP4 contains all the updates from the previous Service Packs.

Also, let me add the difference between GDR and CU.

GDR (General Distribution Release) is a security update release of SQL Server that focuses on patching known security vulnerabilities and bugs.GDR does not include any new features or fix known non-security issues, but rather focuses on patching and fixing known security vulnerabilities.GDR usually does not change existing features and feature behavior.

CU (Cumulative Update) is a feature update version of SQL Server that is primarily used to include new features, performance optimizations, and bug fixes. CU includes not only patches for known security vulnerabilities, but also fixes other bugs and improves performance. cU may also change existing features and feature behavior, and therefore requires more thorough testing.

Therefore, if your SQL Server has security vulnerabilities, you should first install GDR. if you need more feature updates and bug fixes, you should install the latest CU.

Best regards,

Seeya

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Answer 2

Install SQL 2012 SP4 frist and then apply the latest GDR. That GDR contains all the previous fixes as well.