Introduction
This article describes a microcode update for Intel processors in Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1). This update improves the reliability of x64-based versions of Windows Server that use certain Intel processors.
This update must be installed only on a problematic Windows Server host that has the Hyper-V role installed and that's running on an Intel Ivy Bridge, Ivy Town, or Haswell processor.
Symptoms
A virtual guest system may crash in Windows Hyper-V or VMware when the host system uses one of the Intel processors that's mentioned in the "Introduction" section.
Cause
This issue occurs because Ivy Bridge, Ivy Town, and Haswell processors require a firmware upgrade that contains a CPU microcode update. Virtual machines that are running on Virtualization hosts, either Hyper-V or VMware may experience operating system crashes to include stop errors.
Resolution
For Windows Hyper-V hosts, this article you are reading contains the released hotfix to be installed on the Hyper-V Host to fix this issue for Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V Hosts.
For VMware hosts, contact your original equipment manufacturer to obtain the updated firmware that contains the fixed Intel microcode. VMware hosts must have this BIOS update installed to fix the issue. As per VMware, please open a support ticket with VMware referencing PR #1178834 to log the issue.
Additionally, this issue can also be fixed by upgrading the Intel processors on the Hyper-V or VMware hosts.
Get the hotfix for Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2008 R2
A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing the problem described in this article. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.
If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.
Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft website:
http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.
Prerequisites
To apply this hotfix, you must be running Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1.
Registry information
To apply this hotfix, you do not have to make any changes to the registry.
Restart requirement
You may have to restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.
Hotfix replacement information
This hotfix does not replace a previously released hotfix.
File information
The global version of this hotfix installs files that have the attributes that are listed in the following tables. The dates and the times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The dates and the times for these files on your local computer are displayed in your local time together with your current daylight saving time (DST) bias. Additionally, the dates and the times may change when you perform certain operations on the files.
Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2 file information notes
Important Windows 8.1 hotfixes and Windows Server 2012 R2 hotfixes are included in the same packages. However, only "Windows 8.1" is listed on the Hotfix Request page. To request the hotfix package that applies to one or both operating systems, select the hotfix that is listed under "Windows 8.1" on the page. Always refer to the "Applies To" section in articles to determine the actual operating system that each hotfix applies to.
The files that apply to a specific product, milestone (RTM, SPn), and service branch (LDR, GDR) can be identified by examining the file version numbers as shown in the following table:
Version Product Milestone Service branch 6.3.960 0.17 xxx Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2 RTM GDR The MANIFEST files (.manifest) and the MUM files (.mum) that are installed for each environment are listed separately in the "Additional file information" section. MUM, MANIFEST, and the associated security catalog (.cat) files, are very important to maintain the state of the updated components. The security catalog files, for which the attributes are not listed, are signed with a Microsoft digital signature.
For all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2012 R2
| File name | File version | File size | Date | Time | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mcupdate_genuineintel.dll | 6.3.9600.17227 | 478,528 | 04-Jul-2014 | 21:29 | x64 |
Windows RT, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012 file information notes
Important Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 hotfixes are included in the same packages. However, only "Windows 8" is listed on the Hotfix Request page. To request the hotfix package that applies to one or both operating systems, select the hotfix that is listed under "Windows 8" on the page. Always refer to the "Applies To" section in articles to determine the actual operating system that each hotfix applies to.
The files that apply to a specific product, SR_Level (RTM, SPn), and service branch (LDR, GDR) can be identified by examining the file version numbers as shown in the following table:
Version Product Milestone Service branch 6.2.920 0.16 xxx Windows RT, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012 RTM GDR 6.2.920 0.21xxx Windows RT, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012 RTM LDR GDR service branches contain only those fixes that are widely released to address widespread, critical issues. LDR service branches contain hotfixes in addition to widely released fixes.
The MANIFEST files (.manifest) and the MUM files (.mum) that are installed for each environment are listed separately in the "Additional file information" section. MUM, MANIFEST, and the associated security catalog (.cat) files, are very important to maintaining the state of the updated component. The security catalog files, for which the attributes are not listed, are signed with a Microsoft digital signature.
For all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2012
| File name | File version | File size | Date | Time | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mcupdate_genuineintel.dll | 6.2.9200.17048 | 485,696 | 07-Jul-2014 | 06:43 | x64 |
| Mcupdate_genuineintel.dll | 6.2.9200.21166 | 485,696 | 07-Jul-2014 | 06:50 | x64 |
Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 file information and notes
Important Windows 7 hotfixes and Windows Server 2008 R2 hotfixes are included in the same packages. However, hotfixes on the Hotfix Request page are listed under both operating systems. To request the hotfix package that applies to one or both operating systems, select the hotfix that is listed under "Windows 7/Windows Server 2008 R2" on the page. Always refer to the "Applies To" section in articles to determine the actual operating system that each hotfix applies to.
The files that apply to a specific product, milestone (RTM,SPn), and service branch (LDR, GDR) can be identified by examining the file version numbers as shown in the following table:
Version Product Milestone Service branch 6.1.760 1.18xxx Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 GDR 6.1.760 1.22xxx Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 LDR The MANIFEST files (.manifest) and the MUM files (.mum) that are installed for each environment are listed separately in the "Additional file information" section. MUM, MANIFEST, and the associated security catalog (.cat) files, are very important to maintain the state of the updated components. The security catalog files, for which the attributes are not listed, are signed with a Microsoft digital signature.
For all supported x64-based versions of Windows 7 and of Windows Server 2008 R2
| File name | File version | File size | Date | Time | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mcupdate_genuineintel.dll | 6.1.7601.18548 | 443,320 | 02-Aug-2014 | 02:12 | x64 |
| Mcupdate_genuineintel.dll | 6.1.7601.22758 | 443,320 | 02-Aug-2014 | 02:04 | x64 |
Status
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.
More Information
Solaris 10 64-bit kernel panic in VMware
VMware users may also experience 64-bit Solaris 10 kernel panic.
For temporary relief from the virtual guest crashes or if no OEM firmware upgrade is available, VMware recommends changing the virtual machines' MMU mode in the affected host to Software or upgrade your host to ESXi 5.5 Update 2.
Note There is no fix for ESXi 5.1 hosts.
See How to change the virtual machine monitor mode (1036775) from the VMware site.
For more information about this issue, see Windows 2008 R2 and Solaris 10 64-bit virtual machines blue screen or kernel panic when running on ESXi 5.x with an Intel E5 v2 series processor in the VMware site.
For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
824684 Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates
Additional file information
Additional file information for Windows Server 2012 R2
Additional files for all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2012 R2
| File name | Amd64_efdc53b826392e7eecad18c0d823eb3a_31bf3856ad364e35_6.3.9600.17227_none_dff23963c49b15ac.manifest |
|---|---|
| File version | Not Applicable |
| File size | 721 |
| Date (UTC) | 05-Jul-2014 |
| Time (UTC) | 03:41 |
| Platform | Not Applicable |
| File name | Amd64_microsoft-windows-m..update-genuineintel_31bf3856ad364e35_6.3.9600.17227_none_adc2342486111591.manifest |
| File version | Not Applicable |
| File size | 2,571 |
| Date (UTC) | 04-Jul-2014 |
| Time (UTC) | 21:44 |
| Platform | Not Applicable |
Additional file information for Windows Server 2012
Additional files for all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2012
| File name | Amd64_2cbe13f671c60a8e3bb9b6579db2240f_31bf3856ad364e35_6.2.9200.21166_none_ce22391bf64a4fa0.manifest |
|---|---|
| File version | Not Applicable |
| File size | 721 |
| Date (UTC) | 07-Jul-2014 |
| Time (UTC) | 13:19 |
| Platform | Not Applicable |
| File name | Amd64_a7e7c6dfabf05070ee1faa1c1b85f3bd_31bf3856ad364e35_6.2.9200.17048_none_ddf39ab60b2e1852.manifest |
| File version | Not Applicable |
| File size | 721 |
| Date (UTC) | 07-Jul-2014 |
| Time (UTC) | 13:19 |
| Platform | Not Applicable |
| File name | Amd64_microsoft-windows-m..update-genuineintel_31bf3856ad364e35_6.2.9200.17048_none_15b8d8243bed9bff.manifest |
| File version | Not Applicable |
| File size | 2,571 |
| Date (UTC) | 07-Jul-2014 |
| Time (UTC) | 06:53 |
| Platform | Not Applicable |
| File name | Amd64_microsoft-windows-m..update-genuineintel_31bf3856ad364e35_6.2.9200.21166_none_162ad483551d40fd.manifest |
| File version | Not Applicable |
| File size | 2,571 |
| Date (UTC) | 07-Jul-2014 |
| Time (UTC) | 07:00 |
| Platform | Not Applicable |
| File name | Update-bf.mum |
| File version | Not Applicable |
| File size | 2,433 |
| Date (UTC) | 07-Jul-2014 |
| Time (UTC) | 13:19 |
| Platform | Not Applicable |
Additional file information for Windows Server 2008 R2
Additional files for all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2
| File name | Amd64_3e935e681df43de8bea7c4bde9276d2f_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.22758_none_345a7d43b6731ba2.manifest |
|---|---|
| File version | Not Applicable |
| File size | 721 |
| Date (UTC) | 02-Aug-2014 |
| Time (UTC) | 04:58 |
| Platform | Not Applicable |
| File name | Amd64_68f9ee30bd2fd8e01b6cf438d575d558_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.18548_none_1c19519a83a7f7bf.manifest |
| File version | Not Applicable |
| File size | 721 |
| Date (UTC) | 02-Aug-2014 |
| Time (UTC) | 04:58 |
| Platform | Not Applicable |
| File name | Amd64_microsoft-windows-m..update-genuineintel_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.18548_none_1ac98c6cc901ab55.manifest |
| File version | Not Applicable |
| File size | 2,532 |
| Date (UTC) | 02-Aug-2014 |
| Time (UTC) | 02:35 |
| Platform | Not Applicable |
| File name | Amd64_microsoft-windows-m..update-genuineintel_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.22758_none_1b485b31e2276437.manifest |
| File version | Not Applicable |
| File size | 2,532 |
| Date (UTC) | 02-Aug-2014 |
| Time (UTC) | 02:25 |
| Platform | Not Applicable |
| File name | Update-bf.mum |
| File version | Not Applicable |
| File size | 2,304 |
| Date (UTC) | 02-Aug-2014 |
| Time (UTC) | 04:58 |
| Platform | Not Applicable |
Third-party information disclaimer
The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.