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Azure DevOps Server Patching and Maintenance

83 posts · May 2006 – Apr 2026

What this trail covers

This thread tracks patching and maintenance for Team Foundation Server (TFS) and Azure DevOps Server. It includes releases of security patches, cumulative updates, and detailed installation instructions for various scenarios like load-balanced application tiers and SQL mirroring/AlwaysOn configurations. The focus is on ensuring system stability and security through timely updates and adherence to proper installation procedures. This post details the February 2025 patches for Azure DevOps Server 2022.2, including a re-release of Patch 3 to address an issue causing YAML pipelines to fail.

All Microsoft trails
  1. April Patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis patch for Azure DevOps Server addresses a null reference exception during pull request completion with work item auto-completion, improves sign-out validation to prevent malicious redirects, and fixes PAT connection creation to GitHub Enterprise Server.
  2. March Patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post announces the release of March 2025 patches for Azure DevOps Server, specifically for versions 2022.2 (Patch 4), 2020.1.2 (Patch 15), and 2019.1.2 (Patch 10). It provides direct download links for each patch and their respective release notes, along with instructions on how to verify the installation of each patch using a command-line executable.
  3. February Patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post announces the February 2025 patches for Azure DevOps Server, specifically Patch 3 for Azure DevOps Server 2022.2. It highlights a re-release of Patch 3 to fix an issue where YAML pipelines were failing after installation. The post provides download links, release notes, and instructions for verifying the installation.
  4. February patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post details the February 2024 patches for Azure DevOps Server 2022.1 (Patch 2), 2020.1.2 (Patch 12), and 2019.1.2 (Patch 7). Key fixes include addressing CVE-2024-20667 (Remote Code Execution Vulnerability) and a bug where the proxy cache folder's disk space was calculated incorrectly and not cleaned up. Installation verification commands are provided for each patch.
  5. November patches for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation ServerThis post details the November 2023 patches for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation Server. Specifically, it announces Patch 5 for Azure DevOps Server 2022.0.1, which includes updates to the Azure Pipelines agent (version 3.225.0). It also lists patches for Azure DevOps Server 2020.1.2, 2020.0.2, 2019.1.2, 2019.0.1, and Team Foundation Server 2018.3.2. The common fixes across these versions include extending the allowed character list for PowerShell tasks in '_Enable shell tasks arguments parameter validation_' and fixing an issue where service connection edits were persistent after clicking cancel. Installation verification steps are provided for Azure DevOps Server 2022.0.1 Patch 5.
  7. October patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post details the release of October 2023 patches for Azure DevOps Server 2022.0.1, 2020.1.2, and 2020.0.2. Specific fixes include upgrading the pipeline execution model to resolve stuck pipelines, correcting the display of 'Analysis Owner' identity as Inactive on patch upgrade machines, and modifying the build cleanup job to ignore task failures and clean up as many artifacts as possible. Instructions for verifying installation are also provided for each patched version.
  8. September patches for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation ServerThis post announces September 2023 patches for various versions of Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation Server, including Azure DevOps Server 2022.0.1, 2020.1.2, 2020.0.2, 2019.1.2, 2019.0.1, and Team Foundation Server 2018.3.2. It highlights the inclusion of fixes for CVE-2023-33136 (Remote Code Execution Vulnerability) and CVE-2023-38155 (Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability) for relevant versions. The post also provides specific instructions for updating the Azure Pipelines agent and verifying patch installations for each version.
  9. August patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post details the August 2023 patches for Azure DevOps Server, including specific fixes for Azure DevOps Server 2022.0.1, 2020.1.2, 2020.0.2, 2019.1.2, and 2019.0.1. Key fixes include addressing a spoofing vulnerability (CVE-2023-36869), improving SSH service support for SHA2-256/512, fixing issues with relative links in markdown files, resolving bugs with Analysis Owner identity display, and addressing infinite loop bugs in CronScheduleJobExtension. Specific fixes for 2022.0.1 include issues with SOAP calls, service connections editor, and application tier startup performance. Instructions for verifying installation are provided for each version.
  10. June patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post announces the June 2023 patches for Azure DevOps Server, detailing updates for versions 2022.0.1, 2022, 2020.1.2, 2020.0.2, and 2019.1.2. The patches include fixes for Azure DevOps Server Spoofing Vulnerabilities (CVE-2023-21565 and CVE-2023-21569) in several versions, a bug interfering with pushing packages when upgrading from TFS 2018 or earlier, and a bug where detach or attach collection fails. For Azure DevOps Server 2022 Patch 4, a fix for the service connections editor is also included. Instructions for verifying installation are provided for each patch.
  11. March patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post details the March 2023 patches for Azure DevOps Server, addressing specific bugs: restarting the tfsjobagent service and application pool after SMTP setting updates, incorrect state copying in Service Endpoints, and notification delivery issues when team preferences are set to 'Do not deliver' and the subscription uses 'Team preference'. It also provides instructions for installing Azure DevOps Server 2022 Patch 3 and verifying its installation.
  12. Updated: February patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post details the February 2023 patches for Azure DevOps Server, including fixes for Cross-Site Scripting (CVE-2023-21564) and Remote Code Execution (CVE-2023-21553) vulnerabilities. It also includes updates to MSBuild and VSBuild tasks for Visual Studio 2022 support, a fix for an XSS attack vector related to reauthentication loading, an error fix for Azure DevOps Server 2022 Proxy, and a fix for shelvesets accessibility via the web UI. Specific instructions for installing and verifying patches for Azure DevOps Server 2022 Patch 2 and Azure DevOps Server 2020.1.2 Patch 5 are provided.
  13. Azure DevOps Server 2022 Patch 1This patch for Azure DevOps Server 2022 addresses several issues: it prevents database growth by updating build retention to stop orphan test data creation, corrects the AnalyticCleanupJob status from 'Stopped' to 'Succeeded', fixes a 'tfx extension publish' command error, and implements a workaround for an issue with the Team Calendar extension.
  14. December patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post announces the December 2022 patches for Azure DevOps Server, specifically for Azure DevOps Server 2020.1.2 and Azure DevOps Server 2019.1.2. It details the fixes included in these patches: failures in the 'Account Parallelism Sync Analytics Job', display of special characters in the IdentityPicker, and the deletion of orphaned test data to prevent database growth. It also provides instructions on how to update to the latest versions and verify the installation.
  15. October patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post details the October 2022 patches for Azure DevOps Server, addressing specific issues including AD identity display in security dialogs, webhook filter for 'Requested by Member of Group', Gated check-in builds with scoped job authorization, and retrieving access tokens from Azure behind authenticated proxies. It provides instructions for installing and verifying patches for Azure DevOps Server 2020.1.2 Patch 3 and Azure DevOps Server 2020.0.2 Patch 1.
  16. August patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post details the release of Patch 2 for Azure DevOps Server 2020.1.2, which fixes an identity value error encountered when assigning a work item to an identity appearing in different domains. It also provides instructions on how to verify the installation of the patch.
  17. July patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post details the release of patches for Azure DevOps Server 2020.1.2 (Patch 1) and Azure DevOps Server 2019.1.2 (Patch 1). It lists specific bug fixes for Test Runs APIs (continuation token issue) and classic pipeline editing (blank retention tab after discarding changes). It also provides instructions on how to verify the installation of these patches.
  18. May patches for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation ServerThis post details the release of patches for Azure DevOps Server 2019.0.1, TFS 2015.4.2, TFS 2017.3.1, and TFS 2018.3.2. The key fix is revoking all personal access tokens after a user's Active Directory account is disabled. It also provides specific installation and verification steps for each affected version.
  19. Opt-in to Auditing on Azure DevOpsThis post announces that Azure DevOps Auditing is now an opt-in feature for organizations connected to Azure Active Directory. It details the process of enabling and disabling the 'Log Audit Events' policy within Organization Settings. For organizations that were already actively using Auditing, the feature remains enabled. The post also mentions ongoing work to improve the quality, stability, and reliability of Auditing.
  20. Updated: Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation Server patchesThis patch cycle addresses an Elasticsearch vulnerability by upgrading search plugins to use log4j core version 2.17.1 and removing the jndilookup class from log4j binaries. It also fixes issues with email notifications for @mentions, preferred email address updates, and the Project Summary page header, and improves Active Directory user sync. Detailed instructions are provided for patching Azure DevOps Server 2020.1.1, 2020.0.1, 2019.1.1, 2019.0.1, and TFS 2018 Update 3.2, including verification steps and specific guidance for Elasticsearch installations on separate machines.
  21. December patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post introduces patches for Azure DevOps Server 2020.1.1, 2020.0.1, and 2019.1.1. Specific fixes include addressing incorrect results for work item queries with 'Contains Words' due to line breaks, increasing Maven package version character length limits, resolving localization issues in custom work item layout states and email notification templates, fixing truncated console logs with identical links, and correcting NOTSAMEAS rule evaluation when multiple rules are defined for a field. Installation verification methods are provided for each patch.
  22. Updated: Azure DevOps (and Azure DevOps Server) and the log4j vulnerabilityThis post clarifies that Azure DevOps is not impacted by CVE-2025-68161 related to the Log4j vulnerability, as it does not use the vulnerable SocketAppender functionality. It confirms that Azure DevOps Search relies on local file and console appends only. Patches were released for Azure DevOps Server and TFS 2018.3.2 to upgrade Elasticsearch. For on-premises installations, specific actions are recommended for Azure DevOps Server 2020, 2019, and TFS 2018 if the Search feature is configured, including JVM upgrades and removal of the _JndiLookup_ class. TFS 2017 is not vulnerable to CVE-2021-44228 or CVE-2021-45046 but is dependent on an end-of-life Elasticsearch version, with recommendations to upgrade or uninstall Search. Linux Azure Pipelines agents are also confirmed to be unaffected by the Log4j vulnerabilities.
  23. October patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post details the release of patches for Azure DevOps Server 2020.1.1 and 2020.0.1. The fixes include enabling connections to GitHub.com repositories, resolving an issue with the Test Plan widget showing an incorrect user on results, fixing the Project Overview summary page failing to load, and resolving an issue with emails not being sent to confirm product upgrades. It also provides specific instructions for verifying the installation of each patch by checking file versions or running a command-line utility.
  24. September patches for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation ServerThis post announces and details the September 2021 patches for Azure DevOps Server (2020.1.1 Patch 1, 2020.0.1 Patch 6, 2019.1.1 Patch 11) and Team Foundation Server 2017 Update 3.1 Patch 14. It lists specific bugs fixed, including Artifacts download/upload failures, inconsistent Test Results data, and a Developer Community ticket. For each patch, it provides download links, release notes links, and two methods for verifying installation: running a check install executable and checking the version of specific DLL files.
  25. Updated: Azure DevOps Server 2020.1.1 RTW now availableThis post announces a re-release of Azure DevOps Server 2020.1.1 RTW to fix a specific issue where TfsMgmtexe terminated due to an unhandled exception after upgrading from Azure DevOps Server 2020.1 Patch 2. It recommends that users who upgraded to the previous version of 2020.1.1 should upgrade to this new release. It also provides download links and release notes.
  26. August patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post details the August 2021 patches for Azure DevOps Server, specifically listing bug fixes for build definition UI errors, changes in browsing history to display files instead of the root repository, and an issue with email delivery jobs for some work item types. It provides specific patch versions and installation verification methods for Azure DevOps Server 2020.1 Patch 2, 2020.0.1 Patch 5, 2019.1.1 Patch 10, and 2019.0.1 Patch 11.
  27. June patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post announces the June 2021 patches for Azure DevOps Server 2020.1, 2020.0.1, and 2019.1.1. The fixes include removing stale test cases to improve data import speed, resolving an issue with the Notifications SDK, and securing cookies used in authorization flows for HTTPS configured on-prem servers. Detailed installation and verification instructions are provided for each specific patch version.
  28. May patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post details the release of Azure DevOps Server 2020.0.1 Patch 3, which fixes inconsistent Test Results data when using Microsoft.TeamFoundation.TestManagement.Client. It provides instructions for verifying the installation of the patch by checking the version of `Microsoft.Teamfoundation.Framework.Server.dll` or running a command-line check.
  29. April patches for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation ServerThis post details the April 2021 patches for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation Server, addressing security vulnerabilities CVE-2021-27067 (Information disclosure) and CVE-2021-28459 (Spoofing vulnerability). It also resolves a bug where the 'New Test Case' button was not working in Azure DevOps Server 2019.1.1. Specific patch installation instructions are provided for Azure DevOps Server 2020.0.1 Patch 2, Azure DevOps Server 2020 (requiring an update to 2020.0.1 first), Azure DevOps Server 2019.1.1 Patch 8, Azure DevOps Server 2019.0.1 Patch 10, TFS 2018 Update 3.2 Patch 15, TFS 2018 Update 1.2 Patch 10, and TFS 2017 Update 3.1 Patch 13. The post also specifies the required AzureResourceGroupDeployment tasks for each version.
  30. February patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post details the February 2021 patches for Azure DevOps Server 2020.0.1 and Azure DevOps Server 2020. It resolves a specific bug where the 'New Test Case' button was not working and incorporates fixes from previous patches. Installation verification methods are provided for both versions.
  31. January patches for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation ServerThis post details the January 2021 patches for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation Server. It fixes specific bugs in test run details, test management initializers, build deletion after migration, and data provider exceptions. It provides links to download and install patches for Azure DevOps Server 2020 Patch 2 and Azure DevOps Server 2019 Update 1.1 Patch 7, along with methods to verify the installation of these patches.
  32. December patches for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation ServerThis post details the December 2020 security patches for Azure DevOps Server and various Team Foundation Server releases (TFS 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020). It lists specific CVEs addressed (CVE-2020-17135, CVE-2020-17145, CVE-2020-1325) and a fix for TFVC not processing all results. For each version, it provides download links for the patches, instructions on how to verify installation via executable commands or file version checks, and the specific file paths and expected version numbers for verification.
  33. October patch for Team Foundation ServerIntroduced the ability to select the set of SSH key exchange algorithms in Team Foundation Server 2018, allowing users to disable SHA1 and use SHA2. Provided instructions for installing and verifying the TFS 2018 Update 3.2 Patch 13.
  34. Removing Assigned To Rule from BugThis post details the removal of a hidden system rule from the Bug work item type in the Agile process within Azure DevOps. The rule, which automatically set the 'Assigned To' field to the creator when a bug moved to 'Resolved', is being removed due to customer feedback. The post explains the customer impact, the phased rollout, and provides instructions on how to recreate this functionality using custom rules for users who still require it. It also solicits feedback on other problematic system rules.
  35. September patches for Azure DevOps ServerThis post details September 2020 patches for Azure DevOps Server 2019.1.1 and Azure DevOps Server 2019.0.1, specifically fixing an issue where adding AD groups to security permissions did not show permissions correctly unless re-added. It provides download links, installation instructions, and verification methods for both patches.
  36. July patches for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation ServerThis post details the July 2020 patches for Azure DevOps Server 2019 (including 2019.1.1 Patch 4 and 2019.0.1 Patch 7) and Team Foundation Server 2018 (Update 3.2 Patch 12). It lists specific security fixes (CVE-2020-1326) and bug fixes for build pipeline source selection and XAML build definition inheritance. It also provides detailed instructions for verifying the installation of each patch by checking file versions or running a command-line tool.
  37. Updated: Announcing Azure DevOps Server 2020 RC1This post details a specific bug fix for Azure DevOps Server 2020 RC1, addressing an issue where users could not view files in Repos, Pipelines, and Wiki after upgrading from Azure DevOps Server 2019 Update 1.1. The root cause was identified as an incorrect Feature Flag setting that was not properly ported or tested during the upgrade scenario. The fix involves re-releasing Azure DevOps Server 2020 RC1 with a patch. The post also highlights the importance of pre-release testing for upgrade scenarios and mentions the addition of similar scenarios to future test coverage.
  38. June patches for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation ServerIntroduced fixes for security vulnerabilities CVE-2020-1327 in Azure DevOps Server, ensuring user input sanitization. Added support for SHA2 in SSH on Azure DevOps. Provided specific patch versions and installation verification methods for Azure DevOps Server 2019.1.1 Patch 3, Azure DevOps Server 2019.0.1 Patch 6, TFS 2018 Update 3.2 Patch 11, and TFS 2017 Update 3.1 Patch 11.
  39. TF221122: An error occurred running job Work Item Tracking Warehouse Sync for team project collectionThis post addresses a specific error (TF221122) related to the Work Item Tracking Warehouse Sync job in Azure DevOps Server and TFS. It provides resolutions by recommending upgrades to specific versions of TFS 2018 Update 3.2 and Azure DevOps Server 2019, along with detailed instructions for verifying the installation of these patches.
  40. May patch for Team Foundation ServerThis post details the May 2020 patch for Team Foundation Server 2015 (TFS 2015 Update 4.2 Patch 6). It clarifies that this patch contains functional changes rather than security fixes, specifically addressing an error message related to finding processes for team projects (VS402375). The post provides instructions on how to update to the latest version and verify the installation.
  41. April patches for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation ServerThis post details the release of patches for Azure DevOps Server 2019.1.1 and TFS 2018 Update 3.2. The patches address two functional issues: SVN commits not triggering pipelines and adding support for SHA2 in SSH on Azure DevOps. Installation verification steps are provided for both products.
  42. Supporting SHA-2 algorithm in SSH on Azure DevOpsEnabled support for a SHA-2 class key exchange algorithm ('diffie-hellman-group-exchange-sha256') in Azure DevOps Services and Azure DevOps Server 2019 (via April 2020 patch), allowing connections with OpenSSH 8.2 client without additional steps.
  43. March patches for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation ServerThis post announces the release of March 2020 security patches for Azure DevOps Server 2019 and TFS 2015, 2017, and 2018. It lists the specific CVEs addressed (CVE-2020-0700, CVE-2020-0758, CVE-2020-0815) and provides detailed instructions for verifying the installation of patches for Azure DevOps Server 2019.1.1, Azure DevOps Server 2019.0.1, TFS 2018 Update 3.2, TFS 2018 Update 1.2, TFS 2017 Update 3.1, and TFS 2015 Update 4.2.
  44. September patches for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation ServerThis post details the September 2019 security patches for Azure DevOps Server 2019 (Update 1 Patch 1 and 2019.0.1 Patch 3), TFS 2018 (Update 3.2 Patch 7 and Update 1.2 Patch 6), TFS 2017 (Update 3.1 Patch 8), and TFS 2015 (Update 4.2 Patch 3). It provides specific CVEs (CVE-2019-1305 for Repos XSS, CVE-2019-1306 for Wiki RCE), lists impacted versions, and includes detailed file version verification steps for each patch.
  45. Now available: Azure DevOps Server 2019 Update 1 RTWThis post announces the release of Azure DevOps Server 2019 Update 1 RTW. Key new features include: Analytics no longer requiring an extension, a new Basic process template, linking Azure Boards work items with GitHub issues, new pull request merge options (Fast-Forward, Semi-Linear) and filtering, simplified YAML editing in Azure Pipelines with a web editor and task assistant, a Test result trend (Advanced) widget, and improvements to Azure Artifacts (Python packages, upstream sources for Maven). Wiki features also received updates with permalinks, @mentions, HTML tags, and markdown templates.
  46. August patches for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation ServerIntroduced patches for Azure DevOps Server 2019.0.1 (Patch 2), TFS 2018 Update 3.2 (Patch 6), and TFS 2017 Update 3.1 (Patch 7). The Azure DevOps Server patch adds information to service connections to clarify default authorization for all pipelines. The TFS patches fix a bug where the Work Item Tracking Warehouse Sync stops syncing with an error related to missing historic data. Verification methods for each patch are provided by checking specific file versions.
  47. July Security Release: Patches available for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation ServerThis post announces the July 2019 security release for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation Server, providing patches for vulnerabilities including remote code execution in work item tracking (CVE-2019-1072) and cross-site scripting in Pull Requests (CVE-2019-1076). It also addresses a functional bug fix for incorrect email notification dates. Detailed installation instructions and version verification steps are provided for Azure DevOps Server 2019.0.1, TFS 2018 (Update 3.2, Update 1.2), TFS 2017 Update 3.1, TFS 2015 Update 4.2, TFS 2013 Update 5, TFS 2012 Update 4, and TFS 2010 SP1.
  48. Announcing Azure DevOps Server 2019 Update 1 RC1This post announces the Release Candidate 1 (RC1) for Azure DevOps Server 2019 Update 1. Key new features highlighted include: the removal of the Analytics extension requirement (Analytics can now be enabled directly in Project Collection Settings), a new 'Basic' process template with three work item types (Epics, Issues, Tasks), improved integration with GitHub to link work items in Azure Boards with GitHub issues, enhancements to pull requests (automatic queuing of expired builds for PR completion, Fast-Forward and Semi-Linear merging, filtering by target branch), simplified YAML editing in Pipelines with a web editor and IntelliSense, a new 'Test result trend (Advanced)' widget for tracking test results, and several Azure Artifacts improvements (support for Python Packages, upstream sources for Maven, and support for Maven, npm, and Python package types in Pipeline Releases). New Wiki features are also mentioned: permalinks, @mention for users/groups, HTML tag support, markdown templates for formulas/videos, work item status inclusion, and page following.
  49. May Security Release: Patches available for Azure DevOps Server 2019, TFS 2018.3.2, TFS 2018.1.2, TFS 2017.3.1, and TFS 2015.4.2This post announces the May 2019 security release for Azure DevOps Server and Team Foundation Server, providing patches for Azure DevOps Server 2019, TFS 2018 (Update 3.2 and 1.2), TFS 2017 (Update 3.1), and TFS 2015 (Update 4.2). It details specific CVEs addressed (CVE-2019-0872, CVE-2019-0971, CVE-2019-0979) related to vulnerabilities in Test Plans, the Repos API, and the User hub. Installation verification steps, including file versions, are provided for each patched version.
  50. April Security Release: Patches available for Azure DevOps Server 2019, TFS 2018.3.2, TFS 2018.1.2, TFS 2017.3.1, and the release of TFS 2015.4.2This post announces the April 2019 security release for Azure DevOps Server 2019, TFS 2018 (Update 3.2 and Update 1.2), TFS 2017 (Update 3.1), and TFS 2015 (Update 4.2). It details specific CVEs addressed, including spoofing, remote code execution, XSS, and HTML injection vulnerabilities found through the Azure DevOps Bounty Program. For each affected version, it provides the specific patch to install, the file to check for verifying installation, and the resulting version number.
  51. March Security Release: Patches available for TFS 2018.3.2, TFS 2018.1.2, and TFS 2017.3.1This post announces the release of March 2019 security patches for TFS 2018.3.2, TFS 2018.1.2, and TFS 2017.3.1 to address a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in release management (CVE-2019-0777). It provides specific patch download links and detailed installation verification steps by checking the version of specific DLL files for each affected version. It also notes that this fix is already included in Azure DevOps Server 2019.
  52. February Security Release: Team Foundation Server 2018 Update 3.2 Patch 1 is availableThis post announces the release of Team Foundation Server 2018 Update 3.2 Patch 1, which addresses two cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities (CVE-2019-0742 and CVE-2019-0743) found through the Azure DevOps Bounty Program. It recommends upgrading from TFS 2018 Update 2 or Update 3 to TFS 2018 Update 3.2 and applying the patch. It also provides instructions for verifying the installation by checking the version of the Microsoft.TeamFoundation.WorkItemTracking.Web.dll file.
  53. Team Foundation Server Security UpdatesThis post details security updates for Team Foundation Server (TFS) 2017 and 2018, addressing a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability and an issue with task groups incorrectly showing secret variables. It provides specific patch and upgrade instructions for TFS 2017 Update 3.1 and TFS 2018 (including Update 1.2 and Update 3.2), along with file version verification steps. It also notes that Azure DevOps Server 2019 RC1 will be fixed in RC2.
  54. Security fixes for Team Foundation ServerThis post details the release of security patches for Team Foundation Server 2017 and 2018 to address a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability. It provides specific patch versions and installation instructions for various TFS versions (TFS 2017 Update 3.1, TFS 2018 Update 1.1, TFS 2018 Update 3, and TFS 2018 Update 3.1). It also outlines how to verify the installation by checking specific file versions.
  55. TFS 2018 Update 2 RC1This post announces the release candidate (RC1) for Team Foundation Server 2018 Update 2. It highlights that this is a go-live, fully supported release for production environments and is the last 'feature' release for TFS 2018. It details key feature areas that have been incorporated from VSTS deployments, including enhancements to pull requests (labels, mentions, thread context in notifications), new work item query macros (@MyRecentActivity, @RecentMentions) and the 'Not In' operator, multi-phase build enhancements (different agent queues per phase, parallel tests, script access to OAuth token, conditional phases), release gates for health checks, package feed retention policies, and wiki improvements (search, work item referencing, rich text pasting, preview).
  56. Security updates for TFS 2015 Update 4, TFS 2017, and TFS 2017 Update 3This post announces security updates for Team Foundation Server 2015 Update 4, Team Foundation Server 2017, and Team Foundation Server 2017 Update 3 to address security vulnerabilities. It provides links to release notes and installation packages for each version. It also recommends upgrading to Team Foundation Server 2018 Update 1 for customers on TFS 2018.
  57. Implement Rollback with Release Management for TFS 2015Introduces a rollback strategy for Azure DevOps Server deployments using the 'Rollback powershell' task from the Release Management Utility Tasks extension. Details how to use the `Release_Tasks` environment variable to detect failed tasks and execute selective rollback scripts. Provides an example of a deployment workflow with backup, deploy, configure, and rollback steps, emphasizing the 'Always Run' setting for the rollback task.
  58. Using Release Management for Test AutomationThis post references an article by Abhishek Agarwal detailing how the Release Management team uses Release Management service for their development process, specifically for deploying and testing applications on a daily basis or for every check-in. This demonstrates a use case for Release Management in test automation.
  59. Release Management Workflow MigratorReleased a migration tool and associated guidance as an open source project to export Release Management agent-based deployment pipelines for reuse in the Release Management service in Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS). The tool is designed for users with complex agent-based workflows who have minimal knowledge of PowerShell/DSC/Chef and want to switch to the new RM service. The driving goal was to provide a way to get release templates into an RM service-friendly form with a minimum amount of rewriting, focusing on the 'from' (RM server) rather than the 'to' (RM service).
  60. Release Management announcements at //Build 2015Announced upcoming features for Release Management, including a web interface, simplified release definition authoring, summary of releases view, integration with Chef and Docker, and support for on-premise deployments from VSO RM service. These features are planned for Summer 2015 for VSO customers and TFS 2015 Update 1 for on-premise customers. Also clarified that Release Management 2015 RC and RTM will include an incremental revision of the server, client, and agent with bug fixes, and that Release Management 2013 Update 5 will not be released.
  61. Release Management Service FuturesThis post outlines future enhancements for the Release Management Service in Visual Studio Online, including a web interface for authoring release definitions, initiating releases, managing approvals, and viewing release summaries. It also details the upcoming ability to deploy to on-premise environments from VSO using on-prem agents and an expanded task catalog with more out-of-the-box deployment and testing tasks for Azure web sites, cloud services, PowerShell scripts, command line tools, Chef cookbooks, and automated tests.
  62. What’s new in Release Management for VS 2013 Update 4?Release Management for Visual Studio 2013 Update 4 introduces the ability to connect to the Release Management Service in Visual Studio Online (preview), enabling cloud-based release pipelines. It also allows releasing to Azure directly from Visual Studio, introduces server tagging for environment deployments, provides access to system variables in deployment scripts, offers configuration variables for agent-less deployments, supports manual intervention steps in stages, enables deployment from build drops stored on TFS servers or shared UNC paths, and introduces usability improvements for selecting servers and components. Additionally, it allows mixing Azure and standard environments within the same release path.
  63. Deploying and testing web applications using Release ManagementThis post details how to author Powershell scripts and configure artifacts in Release Management for performing deployment and validation tasks on target servers. It covers installing DSC modules (specifically xWebAdministration), deploying a website from a TFS build, configuring access to the deployed website, and running automated tests using vstest.console.exe and publishing results to TFS. Prerequisites include WMF 4.0 and vstest.console.exe on target servers. It also outlines how to add deployment scripts to a Visual Studio solution and define Release Management components.
  64. How to install RM Azure extension and use the Azure VM in Release ManagementThis post details the installation of the Visual Studio Release Management Azure extension on Azure VMs. It outlines the steps to add the VM as a vNext Azure Server in Release Management by first installing the extension on the VM, then adding the Azure subscription details to the Release Management server, creating a vNext Azure environment, linking it to the Azure subscription and cloud services, and finally linking the Azure VMs as servers for the environment. It also covers adding configuration variables for servers.
  65. Trigger Release from build with Release Management for Visual Studio 2013 Update 3Introduced REST APIs (InitiateReleaseFromBuild and InitiateRelease) for triggering releases from TFS build agents without requiring the Release Management client installation. Provided sample PowerShell scripts and modified build templates (TfvcTemplate.12.2.xaml) to demonstrate how to use these APIs. Also detailed APIs for managing release status (AbandonRelease, StopRelease, ReleaseStatus).
  66. Release Management Console times out when launchedThis post provides instructions for manually updating SQL Server statistics for the Release Management database to resolve performance issues with the Release Management Console's Traffic Overview page. It details two methods: using SQL Server Management Studio with the `sp_updatestats` command, and using `sqlcmd` from the command line. A note is included about a scheduled job added in Update 4 for customers with SQL Server Agent enabled.
  67. How to setup Azure environments for Agent-less deployments in Release Management 2013 with Update 3 RTMThis post details how to set up Azure environments for agent-less deployments in Release Management 2013 with Update 3 RTM. It covers creating Azure VMs, linking them to cloud services, adding Azure subscription details to Release Management, creating Azure environments for release stages, and linking VMs as servers to these environments. It also explains how to add configuration variables for deployment actions.
  68. Work-items tracking using Release ManagementIntroduced the 'Change Summary' feature in Microsoft Release Management 2013 Update 3 RC/RTM. This feature displays a list of work-items that are new or changed in the current release compared to the last successful release. It is accessible via a new 'Change Summary' tab on the Release page in the Release Management client for manual releases and via an additional link in the Release Explorer web client for automated releases. The summary includes Id, Type, Title, Owner, and State of work-items, with links to TFS. It also notes that the summary is stage-specific and compares work-items relative to the last successful release on that stage.
  69. How to deploy to Standard or Azure environments in Release Management 2013 with Update 3 RCThis post details the introduction of agent-less deployment capabilities in Release Management 2013 Update 3 RC, allowing deployments to Standard (on-premise) and Azure environments using PowerShell or Desired State Configuration (DSC). It outlines the prerequisites for PowerShell (version 4.0+) and DSC, and provides detailed steps for authoring deployments in both Standard and Azure environments, including parameter explanations for server name, credentials, script paths, CredSSP, UseHTTPS, and SkipCaCheck. It also notes differences in the vNext release pipeline compared to agent-based pipelines.
  70. How to setup environments for Agent-less deployments in Release Management 2013 with Update 3 RCIntroduced agent-less deployment capabilities for Release Management 2013 Update 3 RC, enabling deployments to on-premise (Standard) and Azure environments using PowerShell or Desired State Configuration (DSC) without requiring the Microsoft Deployment Agent. This includes setup for Azure subscriptions and on-premise machines with PowerShell remoting enabled.
  71. Release Management Update 3 CTP1 is now available with DSC Deployment Feature!Introduced the capability to use DSC (Desired State Configuration) for deploying applications to on-premise and Azure environments without requiring the deployment agent to be installed on target servers. This update is part of Visual Studio Release Management 2013 Update 3 CTP1.
  72. Release Management for Microsoft Visual Studio 2013 with Update 2 is live!This post announces the release of Release Management for Microsoft Visual Studio 2013 with Update 2. Key new functionalities include the ability to execute components/actions on groups of servers and achieve continuous deployment from any CI system (including Visual Studio Online). It also provides download links for the Release Management Server, Client, and Deployment Agent, as well as links to a related KB article, installation instructions, and user documentation.
  73. Did you uninstall Release Management Server and lose access to the Release Management client?Introduced a new command-line tool, ReleaseManagementConsoleAdjustConfigFile.exe, to fix configuration issues when the Release Management server is uninstalled, allowing the client to connect to a new server. This tool updates the configuration file with the new server URL. An alternative solution of uninstalling and reinstalling the client is also provided.
  74. Need to migrate Release Management Server?This post provides a step-by-step guide for migrating the Release Management Server. It details the sequence of operations: backing up the Release Management server DB, exporting the RSA crypto key using `aspnet_regiis -px`, importing the crypto key using `aspnet_regiis -pi`, restoring the Release Management server DB, installing and configuring the RM server, and finally configuring existing clients with the new server.
  75. How to configure Team Foundation Server with Release ManagementThis post details the necessary minimal permissions for the service account used by Release Management (RM) to communicate with Team Foundation Server (TFS). It specifies required permissions at the Collection ('Make requests on behalf of others', 'View collection-level information', 'View build resources'), Team Project ('View project-level information'), and Build Definition ('Retain Indefinitely') levels. It recommends an account within the 'Project Collection Service Accounts' group for simplicity and confirms support for TFS 2010, 2012, and 2013, with plans for Visual Studio Online support.
  76. How to debug Release Management componentsThis post details how to enable verbose logging for debugging Release Management components on the Microsoft Deployment Agent, Release Management Server, Release Management Monitor Service, and Release Management Client. It provides specific configuration file edits (Deploymentagent.exe.config, web.config, ReleaseManagementMonitor.exe.config, ReleaseManagementConsole.exe.config) and instructions on restarting services and locating log files. It also emphasizes reverting configuration changes after debugging.
  77. Configuring Release Management to work across untrusted domainsIntroduced a method for configuring Release Management to work across untrusted domains by creating and using a local 'Shadow Account' with identical credentials on both the Release Management Server and Deployment Agent machines. This involves granting specific permissions to these accounts within Release Management and configuring Windows Credentials on client machines to authenticate with the Release Management Server.
  78. TF255356: Known Issue with Configuring TFS 2013 RTM Express and BasicThis post reports a known issue with configuring TFS 2013 RTM (Basic, Express, or Upgrade) on a server with SQL Express 2008 R2 SP1 or SP2 installed as a default instance. It details the misleading error messages encountered during configuration and provides a workaround involving manually upgrading SQL Express using the TFS installation executable and then reconfiguring TFS. It also notes the potential for a partial TFS ConfigDB to be created in failed Basic/Express installations.
  79. Known Issue and Workaround for TFS 2012 Update 3 RC1Reports a bug in TFS 2012 Update 3 RC1 where alert subscriptions are incorrectly deleted due to an XPathException during evaluation. Provides a workaround SQL script to prevent deletion by skipping alerts and notes that the issue is fixed in RC2.
  80. TFS Update 2 Offers Settings Preservation for In-Place UpgradesThis post announces improvements to the in-place upgrade process for Team Foundation Server (TFS) 2012 and later. Update 2 for TFS 2012 preserves application tier settings, including SSL bindings and custom ports, during in-place upgrades. TFS 2013 will further extend this to preserve host headers and DNS names. Build settings will also be preserved for build servers starting with TFS 2012 Update 3. Proxy settings, including multiple endpoints, will be preserved in TFS 2013. The post clarifies that manual uninstallation of previous TFS 2012 instances should be avoided to benefit from settings preservation. It also notes that a whitelist of web.config settings will be merged, with the old web.config saved as web.config.sav for comparison.
  81. Fixes for TFS 2012 Update 1 (aka Cumulative Update 1 for Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2012 Update 1)This post announces a re-release of a patch for TFS 2012 Update 1, addressing issues identified after the initial release. It details specific installation instructions, including steps for load-balanced application tiers and requirements for SQL Mirroring or SQL AlwaysOn features (setting databases to simple recovery mode, removing them from availability groups or breaking mirrors before applying the update). It also references a KB article for additional issues and emphasizes that the patch is server-only.
  82. Error TF254027: TFS Install and Language Restrictions in SQL Server (Express)This post addresses a specific installation issue with Team Foundation Server Express (TFS Express) related to language settings when SQL Server Express is automatically installed. It outlines the language restrictions imposed by SQL Server and SQL Server Express, which differ from TFS's own multilingual support. The post details the three critical Windows OS language settings (UI Language, System Format, System Locale) that must match to avoid the TF254027 error during TFS Express installation. It provides guidance on how to check these settings and links to external resources for further information.
  83. Unattended Installation of Team Foundation Server 2012/2013Introduced the unattended installation feature for Team Foundation Server 2012/2013, enabling pre-setting of configuration parameters via the command prompt using 'Create' and 'Configure' commands. This feature supports various TFS instance types (Basic, Standard, AT-Only, Build, Proxy, SharePoint Extensions) and allows for the creation of configuration files (.ini) with options to override default parameters.
  84. Lab Management walkthrough using Visual Studio 11 Developer Preview Virtual MachineThis post provides a walkthrough for setting up and using Lab Management with Visual Studio 11 Developer Preview. It details the installation of the Test Controller, configuration of the Build Controller and Agent, creation of a Standard Environment in Microsoft Test Manager, and the creation and execution of a Build-Deploy-Test definition. It also outlines steps for a more realistic scenario involving a separate test machine and running Coded UI Tests.
  85. How to Build VB6 Apps with TFS Team Build 2010Introduced a method to build Visual Basic 6 applications using TFS Team Build 2010 by modifying the build workflow to invoke VB6.exe instead of the standard MSBuild activity.
  86. Installing TFS 11 Build Server from the BUILD Conference in AnaheimThis post provides a walkthrough of installing the Team Foundation Build Service for TFS 11 preview, detailing the steps involved in launching the installer, accepting the license agreement, configuring the build service, selecting the identity and network port, and reviewing selections before configuration. It also shows the resulting configuration in the TFS administration console.
  87. Creating a Visual Studio Setup Project in Team Foundation BuildIntroduced a walkthrough on configuring Team Foundation Build to create a Visual Studio setup project by using a custom task to invoke denvenv.exe.