Error message when you try to install a SQL Server 2005 service pack from the existing active node: "The product instance <InstanceName> has been patched with more recent updates"

Consider the following scenario:

• You apply a hotfix or a cumulative update on a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 failover cluster that has one of the following service packs installed:
  • SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
  • SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 (SP2)
  • SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3 (SP3)
  • SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 4 (SP4)
• You add a new node to the SQL Server 2005 failover cluster by using the procedure that is documented in the following topic in SQL Server Books Online:
  How to: Add or Remove Nodes in a SQL Server 2005 Failover Cluster (Setup) (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms191545(SQL.90).aspx)
• The last step in the documented procedure in this Books Online topic instructs you to bring the newly added node to the same version level as other existing nodes in the cluster. To do this, you try to install the same service pack that you have on the existing nodes on the new node. You do this by starting the setup from one of the existing active nodes.

In this scenario, you receive the following error message when you try to install the update on the new node from an existing active node:

There are two aspects to this problem:

• You receive the error message that is mentioned in the "Symptoms" section when you run the update on the existing node.
• Production downtime may be required to bring all the nodes of the cluster to the same service pack or hotfix level.

If the service pack level of the failover cluster is SQL Server 2005 SP2 Cumulative Update 6 or later versions, you can add a new node and then install SQL Server 2005 SP2 Cumulative Update 6 or a later update on the new node without any service downtime. The setup allows for these updates to support a command-line option, /passive , that can be used to install a cumulative update or a hotfix directly on the passive node. This procedure is documented in the "More Information" section.

To receive the benefit of the new functionality, obtain SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3 or a later version of the service pack for SQL Server 2005. This service pack should match the service pack on the active nodes. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

To work around this problem, use one of the following procedures, as appropriate for your environment.

Workaround 1: Service pack level of the failover cluster is SQL Server 2005 SP2 Cumulative Update 6 or later versions

If the service pack level of the failover cluster is SQL Server 2005 SP2 Cumulative Update 6 or later versions, you can add a new node and then install SQL Server 2005 SP2 Cumulative Update 6 or a later update on the new node. To do this, follow these steps.

Note Be aware of the following issue when you add a new node by using the procedure that is documented in this article:

1. Run the original release version of SQL Server 2005 setup on the active node, and then add the new node to your existing SQL Server 2005 failover cluster.
2. On the new node that you added, run the SQL Server 2005 SP2 Cumulative Update 6 or later versions installer package by using the /passive command-line option. The service pack level of the new node is then updated to SQL Server 2005 SP2 Cumulative Update 6 or later versions. For example, you can use the following command to install SQL Server 2005 SP4:
   SQLServer2005SP4-KB955706-x86-ENU.exe /passive
3. On the node that you created in step 1, apply any hotfixes that are already applied to the failover cluster before you created the new node.
   
   Note When you apply a hotfix on the newly added passive node, you must use the /passive command-line option. After you apply the update, make sure that all the SQL Server failover cluster nodes for that instance are running the same service pack level.
4. On the node that you created in step 1, make sure Startup Type on the SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER) service is set to Manual. Using the /passive switch could alter the startup type of the SQL Server service. You may have to change the startup type to Manual after the patching operation is performed.

Workaround 2: Service pack level of the failover cluster is SQL Server 2005 SP2 Cumulative Update 6 or earlier versions

Use one of the following methods, as appropriate for your situation.

Notes

• Be aware of the following issue when you add a new node by using the procedure that is documented in this article:
  Why is my SQL Clustered Instance changing authentication modes? (http://blogs.msdn.com/b/psssql/archive/2010/07/09/why-is-my-sql-clustered-instance-changing-authentication-modes.aspx)
• Technical support is no longer available for these versions. For more information, see the following blog posts on MSDN:
  End of Mainstream Support for SQL Server 2005 and End of Service Pack Support for SQL Server 2008 SP1 (http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlreleaseservices/archive/2011/01/27/end-of-mainstream-support-for-sql-server-2005-and-end-of-service-pack-support-for-sql-server-2008-sp1.aspx)
• When you use this workaround, you will experience downtime in the SQL Server 2005 cluster when you install a service pack or other hotfixes.

Method 1

Before you install the service pack and hotfixes on the new node, pause the other nodes, and then install the SQL Server 2005 service pack and hotfixes on the new node. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Fail over to the new node.
2. Pause other nodes by using Cluster Administrator.
3. Install SQL Server 2005 SP2 on the new node.
4. Apply SQL Server 2005 SP2 Cumulative Update 6 and the appropriate hotfixes as applicable to the scenario on the new node.
5. Start the nodes that you paused.

Method 2

1. Remove nodes from the possible owners list before you install the service pack and hotfixes on the new node.
2. Fail over to the new node.
3. In Cluster Administrator, remove other nodes that are possible owners from SQL cluster resources.
4. Install SQL Server 2005 SP2 on the new node.
5. Apply SQL Server 2005 SP2 Cumulative Update 6 and the appropriate hotfixes as applicable to the scenario on the new node.
6. Add the nodes that you removed from the possible owners list.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a bug in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

For more information about how to add a new node to a SQL Server 2005 failover cluster, visit the following Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) website:For more information about supported version of SQL Server 2005, visit the following MSDN Blog post: