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Microsoft: Whoops, Patch Tuesday might screw your database connections

SQL sequel needed for ODBC apps

Applications using the Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) interface may fail to connect after installing the November Patch Tuesday Windows updates, according to Microsoft.

Users may see the apps that use the Microsoft ODBC SQL Server Driver have problems, with some attempts to access databases generating an error message when the connection fails, the software maker wrote this week in its Windows Health Dashboard.

The error message from SQL Server may read as "The EMS System encountered a problem" with "Message: [Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver] Protocol error in TDS Stream" or "Message: [Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver]Unknown token received from SQL Server."

The problem affects apps running on systems of users who installed the KB5019980 security update.

On clients, operating systems impacted are Windows 11 versions 22H2 and 21H2, Windows 10 versions 22H2, 21H1, and 20H2, Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019 and LTSC 2016, Windows 10 Enterprise 2015 LTSB, Windows 8.1; and Windows 7 SP1.

Also affected Windows Server 2022, 2019, 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2 and 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, and Windows Server 2008 SP2.

Windows users who are unsure if they are using any affected apps can open any app that uses a database and then open Command Prompt by selecting Start and typing "command prompt," then selecting it.

After that, they can type the command: tasklist /m sqlsrv32.dll.

Microsoft said it's working on a fix that will be in an update in an upcoming release. No workaround was offered.

The KB5019980 update was aimed at fixing an issue that caused File Explorer to fail to localize folders as well as addressing other security problems in Windows.

Microsoft describes ODBC as a call-level interface that enables applications to access data in any database that uses an ODBC driver.

"Using ODBC, you can create database applications with access to any database for which your end user has an ODBC driver," the company wrote last year. "ODBC provides an API that allows your application to be independent of the source database management system (DBMS)."

The vendor has been busy over the past several weeks resolving issues arising out of the November Patch Tuesday updates. Those issues include Windows Servers domain controllers that stop working or automatically restart and disruptions to the Kerberos network authentication protocol on Windows Servers with domain controller duties.

In addition, some users who installed November updates to Windows 10 and 11 were unable to reconnect to the Direct Access remote connectivity feature if they temporarily lost connectivity with the network or were transitioning between Wi-Fi networks or access points. ®

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