UPDATE:Â Microsoft has finally put out an updated SP2.
If you didn't already know.Â
Attention: Important Information on Service Pack 2
Wetake product quality seriously and make every effort to avoid andresolve issues that adversely impact our customers. Unfortunately, wehave recently discovered a bug with Service Pack 2 (SP2) that affectsall customers that have deployed it for SharePoint Server 2007.Â
During the installation of SP2, a product expiration date isimproperly activated. This means SharePoint will expire as though itwas a trial installation 180 days after SP2 is deployed. The activationof the expiration date will not affect the normal function ofSharePoint up until the expiration date passes. Furthermore, productexpiration 180 days after SP2 installation will not affect customerÂ’sdata, configuration or application code but will render SharePointinaccessible for end-users.
We are working to release a hotfix to automatically fix this issue.A manual work-around is currently available and involves customersre-entering their Product ID number (PID) on the Convert License Typepage in Central Administration. For more information and detailedsteps please read this KB article. (The KB link is not currently active, it will be available within the next 48hrs)
We want to assure our customers that this issue does not impact data integrity or their SharePoint deployment in any other way.
For your convenience, below are some answers to questions that youmay have and we will update this blog post with a link to the hotfix assoon as itÂ’s available.
We apologize for any inconvenience this issue may cause you.
Jeff Teper
Corporate Vice President
SharePoint.
Q&A
Which products are affected by this?
Applying ServicePack 2 to any of the following products will result in this issue:Office SharePoint Server 2007, Project Server 2007, Form Server 2007,Search Server 2008 and Search Server 2008 Express.
Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 is not affected by this issue.
What can I do to fix it?
To work around this issuecustomers will need to re-enter their Product ID numbers (PID) on theConvert License Type page in Central Administration. Please see this KB article for detailed steps. (The KB link is not currently active, it will be available within the next 48hrs)Â
Customers can also wait for the hotfix (available for free from http://support.microsoft.com) to resolve this issue.
Product ID numbers (PIDs) can be retrieved by logging into the Volume Licensing Service Center.
Note: For Search Server 2008 Express the only way to resolve this issue is to apply the hotfix.
What is Microsoft doing to fix it?
Microsoft is workingon a hotfix and public update for the product. We will update this blogpost with details and a link to the hotfix as soon as it is available.
Do I need to update all of the servers in my farm?
No. The Product ID number only needs to be entered once.
What if I havenÂ’t installed SP2 yet but want to? What should I do?
Youcan continue to plan for and install Service Pack 2 for SharePointServer 2007 with the additional step of re-entering your Product IDnumber after the installation is complete by following the instructionsin this KB article. (The KB link is not currently active, it will be available within the next 48hrs)
Does this issue impact anything else?
The issue onlyactivates the product expiration date. The activation of the expirationdate does not affect the normal function of SharePoint up until theexpiration date passes, at which point SharePoint will be inaccessiblefor end-users. This issue does not affect customerÂ’s data,configuration or application code.
I canÂ’t find/donÂ’t know my original PID, where can I find it?
Product ID numbers (PIDs) can be retrieved by logging into the Volume Licensing Service Center.