Content Release: ESU Patching Add-On for Windows 2012 published 2023-10-27

[SJPutman]

Content in the ESU Patching Add-on for Windows 2012 site has been added.
ESU Key Management: Install and Activate MAK - Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012R2
ESU Key Management: Deactivate and Uninstall MAK - Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012R2
ESU Key Management: Synchronize Client Setting to WMI - Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012R2
ESU Key Management: Add Client Setting to Minimize WMI Usage - Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012R2
ESU Key Management: Remove Client Setting to Minimize WMI Usage - Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012R2
Deploy Pre-Requisites for Installing Windows 2012 ESU Keys

Reason for Update:
Providing fixlets to automate installation/activation and uninstallation of MAK-based ESU keys, and fixlets to minimize use of the WMI query that checks ESU key status on systems using a MAK.
Patch fixlets will follow beginning on 14 November Patch Tuesday.
Please contact your BigFix representative for access to this Fixlet content.

Actions to Take:
None

Published site version:
ESU Patching Add-on for Windows 2012, version 4
(Site republished to include all announced content)

Additional links:
None

Application Engineering Team
BigFix

[IanDM]

We just activated and enabled Win2012 ESU and the external site gathered at version 6 but the included prep baseline is referencing superseded fixlets:

Anyone else see this/is this a general issue? Do we need to copy and fix the baseline ourselves?

[hp3]

Hi @IanDM

The prerequisites for Win 2012 ESU as described by Microsoft are listed in this bulletin:
https://support.microsoft.com/kb/5031043

The KBs referenced in the prereqs are all superseded in the Patches for Windows site. The servicing stack updates were superseded by other servicing stack updates, so we just followed the supersedence path for those and included those in the baseline. The licensing preparation updates were superseded by monthly OS rollups, though, so we manually altered the license prep fixlets in the baseline to remove the supersedence relevance and also included the last pre-ESU monthly OS rollups.

TL;DR: the licensing prep fixlets in the baseline differ from the source fixlets because they’re not superseded. So you should be able to use the baseline as is.

[IanDM]

Thanks @hp3.

We are/were late getting licenses sorted. As a result things were a bit unclear since the ESU site purpose and this process “started” last month. Much of the required content is already installed under our standard patching activities so we are in very good shape.

The handful of servers remaining in scope were likely excluded from patching or had issues.

[D.Dean]

We came across this issue last week. We opened a ticket with HCL to ask for the baseline to be synced and updated. They referred us to this post.

We have replied and asked them to make the corrections to the baseline and incorrectly marked “superseded” fixlet.

To prove my point I made a copy of the baseline then synced it.

So the first fixlet only needs to be synced
The second one shows superseded, but it is not superseded per the Microsoft Catalog.

I have requested that HCL sync the baseline and remove the superseded indicator on the second fixlet.

[davel]

Dean is there a case for this please? If not please open one.
Dave L

[D.Dean]

yes, it was opened last week

CS0437689