Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager After Cumulative Update 1 Cumulative Update 2 andĀ  for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager, Microsoft has released Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager. This hotfix fixes many issues in SCCM 2012 R2 related to Powershell, OSD, Software Distribution, Software Updates etc. I believe it would be redundant if I describe the issues that are fixed and functionality that is updated in Cumulative Update 3 (CU3) for Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager, Microsoft has documented about it very well. I will be mentioning few things which are really important and must read before you deploy this hotfix.

Where can I download the hotfix ?

You can download the hotfix from here.

What are Cumulative Updates for Configuration Manager ?

Cumulative updates for Configuration Manager are similar to cumulative updates for other Microsoft products, such as SQL Server. Cumulative updates include one or more fixes for a specific version of Configuration Manager. Each new cumulative update is described in a Microsoft Knowledge Base article. When you install a cumulative update for Configuration Manager, the update installs an update bundle. Update bundles contain the update files for one or more components of Configuration Manager. You can install a cumulative update on the site server of a central administration site or primary site.

What if I have not applied any CU till now ?

If you have not applied CU1 or CU2 yet on your SCCM 2012 R2,you can install CU3 directly without any issues.

After installing this hotfix, do i need to restart my SCCM servers ?

You do not have to restart your SCCM servers after you apply this update.

How to verify whether the hotfix is installed ?

This cumulative update changes the following Configuration Manager version numbers and installation properties. For Site Systems The CULevel value is located under the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftSMSSetup. The CULevel value is set to 3 for Cumulative Update 3. Administrator Console – The version that is displayed in the About System Center Configuration Manager dialog box is 5.0.7958.1401. Client – The version that is displayed on the General tab of the Configuration Manager Control Panel item or the Client Version field of device properties in the Administrator Console is 5.00.7958.1401.

 

To know more about this hotfix, you can click on the below buttons.

Download Cumulative Update 3 for SCCM 2012 R2

Windows Powershell changes in CU3 SCCM 2012 R2

Installing Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

Installing the CU3 is pretty easy. Before you install the CU3 hotfix, I recommend that you close the Configuration Manager Administrator Console. I will be applying this hotfix on my SCCM 2012 R2 server running in my lab setup. As mentioned earlier If you have not applied CU1 or CU2 yet on your SCCM 2012 R2 till now, you can install CU3 without any issues. Before we install the hotfix let’s check the version that is displayed in the About System Center Configuration Manager dialog box.

Do make a note of SCCM 2012 R2 version before you install the hotfix. Close the Configuration Manager console and install CM12-R2CU3-KB2994331-X64-ENU.

Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

 

On the Welcome page, Click on Next.

Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

 

All the prerequisite checks are successful. Click Next.

Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

 

This hotfix also installs the update for CM console, click Next.

Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

 

The update also changes the site DB. Click on Yes, update the site database. Click Next.

Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

 

We will include all the CM packages here, click Next.

Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

 

For each update the details are shown. Click Next.

Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

 

The installation of hotfix should take close to 2-3 minutes. Click on Next.

Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

 

The installation is complete. The hotfix has been installed successfully. Click Finish.

Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

 

You can view the progress of the installation by opening the log file located under C:WindowsTempCM12-R2CU3-KB2994331-X64-ENU.log.

Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

After the hotfix is installed you can launch the CM console and check the version. The version that is displayed in the About System Center Configuration Manager dialog box isĀ 5.0.7958.1401.

Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

Further, if you navigate to registry path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftSMSSetup you will see CULevel value is set to 3 for Cumulative Update 3. This verifies that the hotfix has been installed successfully.

Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

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Prajwal Desai

Prajwal Desai is a technology expert and 10 time Dual Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) with a focus on Microsoft Intune, SCCM, Windows 365, Enterprise Mobility, and Windows. He is a renowned author, speaker, & community leader, known for sharing his expertise & knowledge through his blog, YouTube, conferences, webinars etc.