For a couple years now I have had issues installing RUs only our CAS. The other servers install quickly and ok. The CAS exhibits the same traits as a server not attached to the internet looking up the CRL when creating the .NET assemblies, but this server IS connected to the internet, just like my other Exchange servers that patch fine.
I have occasionally tried to fix it, but always end up letting the RU run for 8 hours or so and it finishes. I have tried the suggestions for Exchange servers not connected to the internet (removing checks for certificate revocation in IE, setting 127.0.0.1
crl,microsoft.com in the hosts file, etc) and the solutions have not worked. Obviously it isn't the same issue, just the same symptoms. I was just hoping the solutions would work in my case, and they do not.
I spent quite some time trying to analyze it this past weekend. One possible solution may be to repair or reinstall .NET on the CAS? Would that break OWA, etc? I have tested the repair on a test 2008R2 server just to see the process, reboot required,
patching after the repair. (I found it odd it didn't want patches after the repair since supposedly it went back to the initial install). I cannot replicate the RU taking forever to install at the .NET assemblies on any of my other Exchange servers,
and I do not have a test CAS.
Is that a valid tactic to repair .NET, and not break anything Exchange related? (outside scheduled downtime for the repair and reboot. We can handle downtime and don't consider that "breaking") Is there another repair tactic? I do not want to rebuild the CAS from scratch, and with upgrades to Ex2013 in our future, it isn't worth my time to rebuild the server. But something like a .NET repair I can do.