Skip to main content

SharePoint Server 2016: New feature - Zero downtime patching

By

Introduction

One of the big news with the arrival of SharePoint Server 2016 was the ability to patch your machines without any end-user side disturbance. Many of us - including myself - had understood that the new topology design called "MinRole" was necessary and a prerequisite to use ZDP.  NO! To my surprise I have seen a section - a superb article elsewhere - on how to patch the SharePoint farm without any break. Let me explain…

With SharePoint Server 2013

Downtime is caused during patching SharePoint Server binary during installation and during execution of the Product Configuration Wizard.

During the IIS Server process is ground and / or recycles and hotfix installation can take hours - and I mean 5H, by the time - because each installation of an MSP recycle the SharePoint services and is for this reason exactly why the SharePoint patching is super painful. Russ Maxwell explains everything in detail here: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/russmax/2013/04/01/why-sharepoint-2013-cumulative-update-takes-5-hours-to-install

Also note that the transactions phone data changes in the database configuration or in the content database, the views, the Stored Procedures, etc ... are triggered by the same SharePoint server; and therefore the time of patching is even longer and this may still cause "failures" during the patching.

With SharePoint Server 2016

During the patching SharePoint Server 2013 everything was in "read-only" mode; and it was not possible for you to add documents for the patching of servers. SharePoint Server 2016 uses the ideology "go-local" meaning that you can - FINALLY - add documents while you patch your machines. The local authorities are taken into consideration ...

Remember the old server with SharePoint; even if your machine was on the floor the call UPS tried to return, until he realized that the server was down. Well, it's all over now, thanks to the go-local!

Another big change is that; in the back end, finally SharePoint Server works with different versions. A stored procedure on one server can have the 1.5.1.1 version of the 1.4.1.1 version on the server2 ... The backward compatibility mode

Soon can we conclude that the old and new X X can coexist together and this in the same SharePoint farm.

In this video: https://technet.microsoft.com/EN-US/library/mt767550(v=office.16).aspx explains how the downtime patching is fêtable without MinRole; but with the ideology of MinRole, Having a duplicate infrastructure. Make sense, right?



Imagine your topology consists of 2 front, 2 Application, 2 and 2 Distributed Cache Search .. Here are the steps to follow to have your patching without headache (after seeing the video of course)


  1. Remove WFE 1 Loadbalancer
  2. Patch the WFE 1
  3. Restart the Web front end 1
  4. Add the WFE 1 to Load
  5. Remove the front-end Web server 2 of Loadbalancer
  6. Patch the WFE 2
  7. Restart the Web front end 2
  8. Patching the following servers: APP01, DC01 and SEARCH01 in parallel, and then restart the servers
  9. Patching the following servers: APP02, DCH01 SEARCH02 and in parallel, and then restart the servers
  10. On the Web front end 2 is not to load, open the Management Shell and run the following command PSConfig: psconfig -cmd -upgrade inplace b2b
  11. Once the upgrade is complete, add the WFE 2 to Load. Once the front-end Web server 2 was added to the Load, delete the Web front end 1 of the load
  12. On the Web front end 1, run the PSConfig control step 10
  13. Add the WFE 1 to load
  14. On APP01, run the PSConfig control step 10
  15. On PSConfig DC01 run the command in step 10
  16. On SEARCH01, run the command PSConfig Step10
  17. Once the upgrade has completed repeat steps on APP02 servers, DC02 and SEARCH02

I hope this video and my explanation will benefit you during your upgrade machines https://technet.microsoft.com/EN-US/library/mt767550(v=office.16).aspx
References: 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

GPT-5.2 Lands in Microsoft 365 Copilot: Smarter Reasoning for Workflows

By
 Today Microsoft announced that GPT-5.2 is now available in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Studio , bringing two tuned variants: GPT-5.2 Thinking for deep reasoning and strategic work, and GPT-5.2 Instant for fast writing, translation, and skill-building. In Copilot, the model connects to Work IQ to surface insights across your meetings, emails, and documents—helping you turn scattered information into actionable plans. If you use Copilot Chat or Copilot Studio, you can pick GPT-5.2 from the model selector and try prompts like asking for strategic takeaways from a meeting, building comparative tables of market leaders, or preparing focused talking points for upcoming conversations. Microsoft emphasizes model choice , so teams can select the model that best fits the task while keeping security, compliance, and privacy controls in place. Rollout starts today 11-Dec-2025 for users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license and will expand over the coming weeks; Microsoft 365 Premium...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why MFA Matters in Microsoft 365 (and How to Enforce It the Right Way)

By
If you’re still relying on passwords to protect Microsoft 365, you’re leaving a critical gap in your security. A single phished credential can be enough to access email, files, chats, and sensitive business data. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) adds a second verification step—such as an Authenticator prompt, a one-time code, or a security key—so a password alone can’t grant access. As a Microsoft 365 administrator and technology enthusiast, I’ve seen firsthand how implementing MFA dramatically reduces account takeover risk and strengthens organisational security. Who this is for This guide is aimed at Microsoft 365 administrators, IT teams, and business leaders looking for practical steps to bolster tenant security with consistent MFA enforcement. Whether you’re managing a small business or a larger enterprise, the principles here apply to everyone seeking to protect critical business data. The goal: require MFA for interactive sign-ins Enforcing MFA for all interactive use...
Post a Comment
Read more

6 ways to check SharePoint Usage reports

By
Introduction SharePoint administrators always want to know which user is accessing any site or site collection extensively and which user has access to the site but not using it. The other site details required are related to traffic, access, edit, etc. The user's behavior changes as per the nature of the site and their working department like project team site, department site, and managerial workspace. Fortunately, Microsoft 365 has given multiple methods to generate or view various reports related to SharePoint usage. We will check all the methods one by one and see how they provide the required results. Several options are available at different parts in SharePoint Site or Admin Center where the Administrator can check status or create reports. Method-1. Check Site Usage in Site Contents Page. The Site contents page shows the analytics data like their unique visitors, total site visits, average time spent by the user, etc. The report can be generated for multiple days like 7, 3...
Post a Comment
Read more