Patch Tuesday Fallout: SSRS Breaks After KB2990214 Applied to Windows Server 2008 R2

This is just a heads-up for those running Windows Server 2008 R2 with SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).

Earlier today I noted that a new upgrade patch has been made available for Windows 7 SP1 users. The associated KB Article (KB2990214) explicitly suggests that the update is for Windows 7, however it does also include a package for Windows Server 2008 R2 (same code base).

More than a few reports have rolled in that once this update is installed on Windows Server 2008 R2, the SSRS service fails to start.  Once KB2990214 is uninstalled, SSRS starts working again.

SSRS is widely used by customers that have implemented System Center Configuration Manager and this could be a potential problem now and in the future unless resolved. What's most interesting is that, based on the supplied file information in the article, this update is clearly an update to Windows Update on applicable systems.

We're still investigating to see how widespread the issue is, but you can help.

Obviously, don’t test this update in production, but if you find that the SSRS service fails to start after installing KB2990214, let us know. We'll continue providing updates as they roll in.