KB 948496 and KB 936594

[Today's post comes to us courtesy of Chris Puckett]

The differences between the 948496 update and the 936594 update are:

  1. 948496 disables TCPChimney in the registry and 936594 does not touch this setting.
  2. 948496 is a Critical update and 936594 is an Optional update.

Both updates disable the RSS and TCPA features of the Scalable Networking Pack in the registry.

FAQ:

Q: Do I need to install both 936594 and 948496 on my SBS 2003 server?
A: It is not necessary to install both updates. 948496 is sufficient. If you already have 936594 installed, it is okay to install 948496.

Q: Do I have to uninstall 936594 before installing 948496?
A: No.

Q: I am still experiencing the symptoms described in KB 948496 after installing the update.  What should I do next?
A:  If you still have any of the symptoms mentioned in KB 948496 after installing that update and rebooting the server, try the following:

  1. Update the network adapter drivers.
  2. If that does not help, try Method 2 in the workaround section of KB 948496.
  3. If that does not help, try disabling checksum offloading and rebooting the server. See KB 904946.

Q: Now that 948496 is out, what will happen to 936594?
A: The 936594 update will be removed from Microsoft Update as the 948496 update is more robust.  The 936594 KB article will remain, but will be updated to recommend obtaining the 948496 update.