Updating Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 has several options available that help make your deployment of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 run optimally, reliably, and securely. In most situations where Microsoft Dynamics CRM is running in a production environment, we recommend that you apply the latest update for all Microsoft Dynamics CRM applications shortly after the update becomes available.

On-premises versions of Microsoft Dynamics CRM use two kinds of update technology, Setup update and Update Rollups.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Setup update

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Setup update, also known as self-healing Setup, makes sure that you have the latest version of Setup. This is a feature where you can update the Setup program for Microsoft Dynamics CRM server applications (Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2011, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting Extensions, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Report Authoring Extension, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Language Pack, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router) before Setup installs anything on the computer. To use Setup update, select Get updates for Microsoft Dynamics CRM during Setup.

For Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook, when you select Get updates for Microsoft Dynamics CRM the latest published Update Rollup is applied at the end of Setup.

For more information see How to obtain the setup updates for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 application Update Rollup

Microsoft Dynamics CRM regularly publishes updates in an Update Rollup format. An Update Rollup is a collection of software updates for a particular Microsoft Dynamics CRM application. Microsoft fully tests and supports installing any Update Rollup for Microsoft Dynamics CRM at the time of its release.

Distribution and application of Microsoft Dynamics CRM updates

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 is engineered to use Microsoft Update. Microsoft Update is a service that can automatically download and install updates to Microsoft applications, such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Server, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting Extensions, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Report Authoring Extension, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 for Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Language Pack, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 E-mail Router.

During installation or upgrade of a Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 application, Setup presents you with the option to opt in to Microsoft Update. If you do not opt in during Setup you can opt in later by turning on automatic updates in the Windows Update area of Control Panel. For more information see the following articles.

• Turn automatic updates on or off
• Change how Windows installs or notifies you about updates

Updates are downloaded automatically for Microsoft Dynamics CRM and any other Microsoft applications that are enabled to use Microsoft Update.

If you decide not to use Microsoft Update, Update Rollups can be downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center and installed manually or pushed out to the appropriate computers by using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).

For more information about how to apply an update manually, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article for the specific Update Rollup that you want.

For more information about WSUS, see Windows Server Update Services.

Removing an Update Rollup

In most cases, you should not have to remove an Update Rollup. However, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Update Rollups typically can be uninstalled after they are applied.

Important

The following Update Rollups cannot be uninstalled.

• Update Rollup 4 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 (for all applications including, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2011, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting Extensions, Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Language Pack)
• Update Rollup 5 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 (for all applications including, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2011, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting Extensions, Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Language Pack)

If an Update Rollup cannot be uninstalled, rolling back to a previous Update Rollup requires you to uninstall the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 application, reinstall the application, and then apply the previous Update Rollup.

Frequently asked questions about Update Rollups for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011

1. How are Update Rollups packaged?

   Each update package file corresponds to a Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 application and uses the form CRM_version-KB_Article_Number-platform-application-Language.exe. For example, the following list describes the Update Rollup 3 package files for the English version.

   • CRM2011-Server-KB2547347-ENU-amd64.exe. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2011 Update Rollup package.
   • CRM2011-Srs-KB2547347-LangID-amd64.3exe. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting Extensions Update Rollup package.
   • CRM2011-Bids-KB2547347-LangID-i386.exe. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Report Authoring Extension Update Rollup package.
   • CRM2011-Client-KB2547347-LangID-amd64.exe. Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook Update Rollup package for x64-bit editions.
   • CRM2011-Client-KB2547347-LangID-i386.exe. Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook Update Rollup package for 32-bit editions.
   • CRM2011-Router-KB2547347-LangID-amd64.exe. Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router Update Rollup package for x64-bit editions.
   • CRM2011-Router-KB2547347-LangID-i386.exe. Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router Update Rollup package for 32-bit editions.
   • CRM2011-Mui-KB2547347-LangID-amd64.exe. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Language Pack Update Rollup for x64-bit editions.
   • CRM2011-Mui-KB2547347-LangID-i386.exe. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Language Pack Update Rollup for 32-bit editions.

2. What is the latest Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 update rollup?

   The latest Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update Rollup is described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

   Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 updates and hotfixes

3. Should I apply the latest Update Rollup to my deployment?

   In most situations we recommend that you apply the latest Update Rollup. Microsoft fully tests and supports installing any Update Rollup for Microsoft Dynamics CRM at the time of its release. If issues arise after the release of a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Update Rollup, Microsoft will work to address the issue as quickly as possible. For help and support contact information, see Microsoft Dynamics CRM Customer Service and Support.

4. Does an Update Rollup require additional configuration after I install it?

   Some individual updates may require a Windows registry modification or require you to run a script to finish. For information about additional configuration that may be required after you install an Update Rollup, see the “Hotfixes and updates that you have to enable or configure manually” section of the corresponding Update Rollup Microsoft Knowledge Base article.

5. Are the Update Rollups cumulative?

   Yes, Update Rollups are cumulative. This means that the problems that are fixed in an Update Rollup are also fixed in later Update Rollups. For example, Update Rollup 3 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2011 contains all the fixes and feature improvements that are included in Update Rollup 2 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2011.

6. Do I have to apply the previous Update Rollup before I can apply a later one?

   No, because Update Rollups are cumulative. For more information, see the answer in the previous question in this topic.

7. How frequently can I expect a new Update Rollup to be released?

   The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Sustained Engineering team is committed to releasing Update Rollups approximately every 8 weeks.

8. How can I be notified when an update is released?

   If you want to know when updates are released for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, you can sign up to receive email notifications. Notifications may include information on security updates, updates to Microsoft Dynamics CRM that address feature requests from customers, or the release of a new version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. There are two ways to do this.

   From a computer that is running a Microsoft Dynamics CRM client application:

   1. In the Navigation Pane, click Settings, click Administration, and then click Product Updates.
   2. In the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Product Updates form, sign in to the Windows Live ID service.
   3. Select the Subscribe box, confirm your email format, email address, and privacy options, and then click Continue.

   Alternatively, you can receive notifications from the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog by using really simple syndication (RSS). Although posts to the blog are published almost daily with a variety of topics, when an Update Rollup is released, a corresponding blog post is usually published.

9. In what order should I apply an Update Rollup?

   All server roles or server role groups must have the same update rollup applied within the same period of time before going live. Similarly, if you have Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2011 installed on multiple computers, such as a Network Load Balanced (NLB) configuration, the nodes in the NLB cluster must all be updated before they are brought back online. A mixed deployment of Microsoft Dynamics CRM servers or server roles that are running different Update Rollup versions is not supported.

   Generally, Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook clients will function correctly when you connect to a Microsoft Dynamics CRM server in the following Update Rollup deployment configurations:

   • Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook computers that have a previous Update Rollup than the server, which is running the next Update Rollup. For example, Update Rollup 2 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook connecting to Update Rollup 3 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2011.
   • Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook computers that have a later update rollup than the Microsoft Dynamics CRM server, which is running the earlier update rollup. For example, Update Rollup 3 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook connecting to Update Rollup 2 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2011.

   Notice that, for the best experience we recommend that you apply the Update Rollups on the clients as soon as possible to be consistent with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2011 system.

10. How can I check my computer to see if an Update Rollup is applied?

    There are two ways to see whether an Update Rollup is applied:

    • Click Start, open Control Panel, open Programs and Features, click View installed updates and look for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Server in the list.

    Note

    For Windows XP computers use similar steps to start Add or Remove Programs.

    • View the details of a binary file in the drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Dynamics CRM\Server folder, such as CrmVerServer.dll. To do this, right-click the file, click Properties, click the Version tab, and view the file version.