Odbc release18.6.1 (#36071)

* Odbc release18.6.1

* Apply suggestions from code review

Co-authored-by: David Engel <dengel1012@gmail.com>

* Update version

Co-authored-by: David Engel <dengel1012@gmail.com>

* Updated Release number and date

* Update ms.topic:

* Update docs/includes/odbc-latest-release.md

* Update docs/includes/odbc-latest-release.md

* Update docs/connect/odbc/linux-mac/release-notes-odbc-sql-server-linux-mac.md

---------

Co-authored-by: David Engel <dengel1012@gmail.com>

Author: mcimflms

docs/connect/odbc/bug-fixes.md

@@ -3,17 +3,21 @@ title: List of bugs fixed
 description: This page contains a listing of bugs fixed in each release, starting with Microsoft ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server.
 author: David-Engel
 ms.author: davidengel
-ms.date: 03/17/2025
+ms.date: 12/17/2025
 ms.service: sql
 ms.subservice: connectivity
-ms.topic: conceptual
+ms.topic: release-notes
 helpviewer_keywords:
   - "driver"
 ---
 # List of bugs fixed
 
 This page contains a listing of bugs fixed in each release, starting with [!INCLUDE[msCoName](../../includes/msconame-md.md)] ODBC Driver 17 for [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)].
 
+### Bug fixes in the [!INCLUDE[msCoName](../../includes/msconame-md.md)] ODBC Driver 18.6.1.1 for [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)]
+
+- Fix TDS packet size in BID trace
+
 ### Bug fixes in the [!INCLUDE[msCoName](../../includes/msconame-md.md)] ODBC Driver 18.5.1.1 for [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)]
 
 - Fix connection recovery to obtain the active primary node when a server moves
@@ -77,7 +81,7 @@ This page contains a listing of bugs fixed in each release, starting with [!INCL
 ### Bug fixes in the [!INCLUDE[msCoName](../../includes/msconame-md.md)] ODBC Driver 18.2 for [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)]
 
 - Fix VBS-NONE enclave attestation protocol
-- Fix error when retrieving numeric column with Regional=Yes
+- Fix an error when retrieving numeric column with Regional=Yes
 - Fix intermittent lack of error when server is stopped during bcp out operation
 - Fix error when stored procedure call contains unquoted string parameter
 - Fix a memory leak upon reconnect
@@ -106,7 +110,7 @@ This page contains a listing of bugs fixed in each release, starting with [!INCL
 ### Bug fixes in the [!INCLUDE[msCoName](../../includes/msconame-md.md)] ODBC Driver 18.0 for [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)]
 
 - Fix UI issues where text was cut off and position of items was off.
-- Fix issue with Active Directory Interactive login where attempting to log in after closing the window of the first failure would automatically succeed if cached credentials were available.
+- Fix issue with Active Directory Interactive login where attempting to sign in after closing the window of the first failure would automatically succeed if cached credentials were available.
 - Fix use of XADTC with Azure SQL Managed Instance.
 - Fix loss of Microsoft Entra authentication mode when reconnecting an idle connection.
 - Fix an issue with federated authentication when using PingFed.
@@ -128,7 +132,7 @@ This page contains a listing of bugs fixed in each release, starting with [!INCL
 ### Bug fixes in the [!INCLUDE[msCoName](../../includes/msconame-md.md)] ODBC Driver 17.9 for [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)]
 
 - Fix UI issues where text was cut off and position of items was off.
-- Fix issue with Active Directory Interactive login where attempting to log in after closing the window of the first failure would automatically succeed if cached credentials were available.
+- Fix issue with Active Directory Interactive login where attempting to sign in after closing the window of the first failure would automatically succeed if cached credentials were available.
 - Fix use of XADTC with Azure SQL Managed Instance.
 - Fix loss of Microsoft Entra authentication mode when reconnecting an idle connection.
 - Fix an issue with federated authentication when using PingFed.
@@ -213,7 +217,7 @@ This page contains a listing of bugs fixed in each release, starting with [!INCL
 - Fixed detection of connection liveness
 - Fixed incorrect detection of closed sockets
 - Fixed an infinite wait when attempting to release a statement handle during failed recovery
-- Fixed incorrect uninstallation behavior when both version 13 and 17 are installed on Windows
+- Fixed incorrect uninstallation behavior when both versions 13 and 17 are installed on Windows
 - Fixed decryption behavior on older Windows platform (Windows 7, 8 and Server 2012)
 - Fixed a cache issue when using ADAL Authentication on Windows
 - Fixed an issue that was locking and overwriting trace logs on Windows

docs/connect/odbc/download-odbc-driver-for-sql-server.md

@@ -3,10 +3,10 @@ title: Install the Microsoft ODBC driver for SQL Server (Linux)
 description: Learn how to install the Microsoft ODBC Driver for SQL Server on Linux clients to enable database connectivity.
 author: David-Engel
 ms.author: davidengel
-ms.date:  07/30/2025
+ms.date:  12/17/2025
 ms.service: sql
 ms.subservice: connectivity
-ms.topic: conceptual
+ms.topic: concept-article
 ms.custom:
   - intro-installation
   - linux-related-content
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ This article provides commands for installing the ODBC driver from the bash shel
 
 ## <a id="18"></a> Microsoft ODBC 18
 
-The following sections explain how to install the Microsoft ODBC driver 18 from the bash shell for different Linux distributions. Supported distributions are Alpine Linux, Debian, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), Oracle Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES), and Ubuntu. Starting with version 18.4, to accept the EULA automatically when installing the non-Alpine Linux (.deb or .rpm) driver, you can create the file '/opt/microsoft/msodbcsql18/ACCEPT_EULA'.
+The following sections explain how to install the Microsoft ODBC driver 18 from the bash shell for different Linux distributions. Supported distributions are Alpine Linux, Debian, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), Oracle Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES), Ubuntu, and Azure Linux. Starting with version 18.4, to accept the EULA automatically when installing the non-Alpine Linux (`.deb`or `.rpm`) driver, you can create the file `/opt/microsoft/msodbcsql18/ACCEPT_EULA`.
 
 ### [Alpine](#tab/alpine18-install)
 
@@ -39,20 +39,20 @@ then
 fi
 
 #Download the desired package(s)
-curl -O https://download.microsoft.com/download/fae28b9a-d880-42fd-9b98-d779f0fdd77f/msodbcsql18_18.5.1.1-1_$architecture.apk
-curl -O https://download.microsoft.com/download/7/6/d/76de322a-d860-4894-9945-f0cc5d6a45f8/mssql-tools18_18.4.1.1-1_$architecture.apk
+curl -O https://download.microsoft.com/download/9dcab408-e0d4-4571-a81a-5a0951e3445f/msodbcsql18_18.6.1.1-1_$architecture.apk
+curl -O https://download.microsoft.com/download/b60bb8b6-d398-4819-9950-2e30cf725fb0/mssql-tools18_18.6.1.1-1_$architecture.apk
 
 #(Optional) Verify signature, if 'gpg' is missing install it using 'apk add gnupg':
-curl -O https://download.microsoft.com/download/fae28b9a-d880-42fd-9b98-d779f0fdd77f/msodbcsql18_18.5.1.1-1_$architecture.sig
-curl -O https://download.microsoft.com/download/7/6/d/76de322a-d860-4894-9945-f0cc5d6a45f8/mssql-tools18_18.4.1.1-1_$architecture.sig
+curl -O https://download.microsoft.com/download/9dcab408-e0d4-4571-a81a-5a0951e3445f/msodbcsql18_18.6.1.1-1_$architecture.sig
+curl -O https://download.microsoft.com/download/b60bb8b6-d398-4819-9950-2e30cf725fb0/mssql-tools18_18.6.1.1-1_$architecture.sig
 
 curl https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc  | gpg --import -
-gpg --verify msodbcsql18_18.5.1.1-1_$architecture.sig msodbcsql18_18.5.1.1-1_$architecture.apk
-gpg --verify mssql-tools18_18.4.1.1-1_$architecture.sig mssql-tools18_18.4.1.1-1_$architecture.apk
+gpg --verify msodbcsql18_18.6.1.1-1_$architecture.sig msodbcsql18_18.6.1.1-1_$architecture.apk
+gpg --verify mssql-tools18_18.6.1.1-1_$architecture.sig mssql-tools18_18.6.1.1-1_$architecture.apk
 
 #Install the package(s)
-sudo apk add --allow-untrusted msodbcsql18_18.5.1.1-1_$architecture.apk
-sudo apk add --allow-untrusted mssql-tools18_18.4.1.1-1_$architecture.apk
+sudo apk add --allow-untrusted msodbcsql18_18.6.1.1-1_$architecture.apk
+sudo apk add --allow-untrusted mssql-tools18_18.6.1.1-1_$architecture.apk
 ```
 
 > [!NOTE]  
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ sudo apk add --allow-untrusted mssql-tools18_18.4.1.1-1_$architecture.apk
 ### [Debian](#tab/debian18-install)
 
 ```bash
-if ! [[ "9 10 11 12" == *"$(grep VERSION_ID /etc/os-release | cut -d '"' -f 2 | cut -d '.' -f 1)"* ]];
+if ! [[ "9 10 11 12 13" == *"$(grep VERSION_ID /etc/os-release | cut -d '"' -f 2 | cut -d '.' -f 1)"* ]];
 then
     echo "Debian $(grep VERSION_ID /etc/os-release | cut -d '"' -f 2 | cut -d '.' -f 1) is not currently supported.";
     exit;
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ sudo apt-get install -y libgssapi-krb5-2
 ### [RHEL and Oracle Linux](#tab/redhat18-install)
 
 ```bash
-if ! [[ "7 8 9" == *"$(grep VERSION_ID /etc/os-release | cut -d '"' -f 2 | cut -d '.' -f 1)"* ]];
+if ! [[ "7 8 9 10" == *"$(grep VERSION_ID /etc/os-release | cut -d '"' -f 2 | cut -d '.' -f 1)"* ]];
 then
     echo "RHEL $(grep VERSION_ID /etc/os-release | cut -d '"' -f 2 | cut -d '.' -f 1) is not currently supported.";
     exit;
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ sudo zypper install -y unixODBC-devel
 ### [Ubuntu](#tab/ubuntu18-install)
 
 ```bash
-if ! [[ "18.04 20.04 22.04 24.04 24.10" == *"$(grep VERSION_ID /etc/os-release | cut -d '"' -f 2)"* ]];
+if ! [[ "18.04 20.04 22.04 24.04 25.10" == *"$(grep VERSION_ID /etc/os-release | cut -d '"' -f 2)"* ]];
 then
     echo "Ubuntu $(grep VERSION_ID /etc/os-release | cut -d '"' -f 2) is not currently supported.";
     exit;
@@ -173,6 +173,27 @@ sudo apt-get install -y unixodbc-dev
 > [!NOTE]  
 > You can substitute setting the environment variable 'ACCEPT_EULA' with setting the debconf variable 'msodbcsql/ACCEPT_EULA' instead: `echo msodbcsql18 msodbcsql/ACCEPT_EULA boolean true | sudo debconf-set-selections`
 
+### [Azure Linux](#tab/azure18-install)
+
+```bash
+if ! [[ "3.0" == *"$(grep VERSION_ID /etc/os-release | cut -d '"' -f 2)"* ]];
+then
+    echo "Azure Linux $(grep VERSION_ID /etc/os-release | cut -d '"' -f 2) is not currently supported.";
+    exit;
+fi
+
+sudo ACCEPT_EULA=Y tdnf install -y msodbcsql18
+# optional: for bcp and sqlcmd
+sudo ACCEPT_EULA=Y tdnf install -y mssql-tools18
+echo 'export PATH="$PATH:/opt/mssql-tools18/bin"' >> ~/.bashrc
+source ~/.bashrc
+# optional: for unixODBC development headers
+sudo tdnf install -y unixODBC-devel
+```
+
+> [!NOTE]  
+> If you don't set the `ACCEPT_EULA` environment variable, the installation still continues. However, you then need to manually run `/opt/microsoft/msodbcsql18/accept-eula.sh` and `/opt/mssql-tools18/bin/accept-eula.sh` to agree to the license terms. To automatically accept the EULA during installation, you can create the files `/opt/microsoft/msodbcsql18/ACCEPT_EULA` and `/opt/mssql-tools18/ACCEPT_EULA`.
+
 ---
 
 ## Previous versions
@@ -189,7 +210,7 @@ The following sections provide instructions for installing previous versions of
 The following sections explain how to install the Microsoft ODBC driver 17 from the bash shell for different Linux distributions.
 
 > [!IMPORTANT]  
-> If you installed the v17 `msodbcsql` package that was briefly available, you should remove it before installing the `msodbcsql17` package. This will avoid conflicts. The `msodbcsql17` package can be installed side by side with the `msodbcsql` v13 package.
+> If you installed the v17 `msodbcsql` package that was briefly available, you should remove it before installing the `msodbcsql17` package to avoid conflicts. The `msodbcsql17` package can be installed side by side with the `msodbcsql` v13 package.
 
 ### [Alpine](#tab/alpine17-install)
 

docs/connect/odbc/linux-mac/installing-the-microsoft-odbc-driver-for-sql-server.md

@@ -3,11 +3,11 @@ title: Release Notes ODBC Driver for SQL Server on Linux and macOS
 description: "Learn what's new and changed in released versions of the Microsoft ODBC Driver for SQL Server."
 author: David-Engel
 ms.author: davidengel
-ms.date: 03/17/2025
+ms.date: 12/17/2025
 ms.service: sql
 ms.subservice: connectivity
 ms.custom: linux-related-content
-ms.topic: conceptual
+ms.topic: release-notes
 ---
 # Release Notes for the Microsoft ODBC Driver for SQL Server on Linux and macOS
 
@@ -28,6 +28,16 @@ Thank you.
 GeneMi.  2019/04/03.
 -->
 
+## 18.6.1, December 2025
+
+| New item | Details |
+| :------- | :------ |
+| New data type | Added support for new Vector data type (float32). |
+| ConcatNullYieldsNull property | Added support for ConcatNullYieldsNull as a connection string property. |
+| New distributions supported. | Azure Linux 3.0 ARM, Debian Linux 13, RedHat Linux 10, Ubuntu Linux 25.10 |
+| Azure Linux License | Changed License Acceptance Process for Azure Linux. |
+| Bug fixes. | [Bug fixes](../bug-fixes.md). |
+
 ## 18.5.1, March 2025
 
 | New item | Details |
@@ -42,7 +52,7 @@ GeneMi.  2019/04/03.
 | :------- | :------ |
 | New distributions supported. | macOS 14, Ubuntu 24.04, Alpine 3.19  |
 | Accept EULA by file presence. | Added the ability to accept the EULA for DEB and RPM packages by the presence of a file. |
-| Microsoft Entra ID | Renamed all occurrences of "Azure Active Directory" to "Microsoft Entra ID". See [New name for Azure Active Directory](/entra/fundamentals/new-name) for more information. |
+| Microsoft Entra ID | Renamed all occurrences of "Azure Active Directory" to "Microsoft Entra ID". For more information, see [New name for Azure Active Directory](/entra/fundamentals/new-name). |
 | Bug fixes. | [Bug fixes](../bug-fixes.md). |
 
 ## 18.3.3, April 2024
@@ -124,7 +134,7 @@ GeneMi.  2019/04/03.
 | VBS-NONE enclave attestation protocol | New enclave attestation option to not attest the enclave. See [Using Always Encrypted](../using-always-encrypted-with-the-odbc-driver.md) |
 | Wildcard matching of HostnameInCertificate | Now able to use wildcard for specifying hostname, if different from default value found in Addr/Address/Server. |
 | ServerCertificate option | See [DSN and Connection String Attributes and Keywords](../dsn-connection-string-attribute.md). |
-| TrustedConnection_UseAAD option | Now only Kerberos integrated authentication is enabled when specifying Trusted_Connection=yes. Use the TrustedConnection_UseAAD option to enable the previous behavior of using either Kerberos or Azure Active Directory integrated. See [Using Azure Active Directory](../using-azure-active-directory.md) for more information. |
+| TrustedConnection_UseAAD option | Now only Kerberos integrated authentication is enabled when specifying Trusted_Connection=yes. Use the TrustedConnection_UseAAD option to enable the previous behavior of using either Kerberos or Azure Active Directory integrated. For more information, see [Using Azure Active Directory](../using-azure-active-directory.md). |
 | Bug fixes. | [Bug fixes](../bug-fixes.md). |
 
 ## 17.10, June 2022
@@ -285,7 +295,7 @@ New connection string attribute UseFMTOnly causes driver to use legacy metadata
 Support for Azure SQL Managed Instance.
 
 > [!NOTE]
-> There are a number of differences when using Managed Instance:
+> There are many differences when using Managed Instance:
 >
 > - FILESTREAM isn't supported
 > - Local filesystem access isn't supported, but required for things like tracefiles
@@ -294,7 +304,7 @@ Support for Azure SQL Managed Instance.
 > - DTC isn't supported
 > - 'sa' account isn't present (default account is called 'cloudSA')
 > - TDS token ERROR (0xAA) returns incorrect server name
-> - Special characters in database name are not supported
+> - Special characters in database name aren't supported
 > - ALTER DATABASE [dbname1] MODIFY NAME = [dbname2] isn't supported
 > - The error messages are always shown in English, regardless of language settings (same as Azure)
 
@@ -316,7 +326,7 @@ With Microsoft ODBC Driver 13.0 for SQL Server, SQL Server 2014 and SQL Server 2
 
 **New distributions supported**:
 
-Ubuntu is now supported, along with Red Hat and SUSE. Each platform has a platform-relevant package (RPM or DEB) to ease installation and configuration.  See [Installing the Driver](installing-the-microsoft-odbc-driver-for-sql-server.md) for installation instructions.
+Ubuntu is now supported, along with Red Hat and SUSE. Each platform has a platform-relevant package (RPM or DEB) to ease installation and configuration. See [Installing the Driver](installing-the-microsoft-odbc-driver-for-sql-server.md) for installation instructions.
 
 **unixODBC Driver Manager 2.3.1 Support**: In addition to a newer driver manager, there's also a package for installing this dependency that eases installation and configuration.  
 
@@ -332,4 +342,4 @@ The ODBC driver on Linux supports [!INCLUDE[ssHADR](../../../includes/sshadr-md.
 
 The ODBC driver on Linux supports connections to Azure SQL Database.
 
-The `-l` option (login time out) has been added to `bcp`. For more information, see [Connecting with **bcp**](../../../tools/bcp-utility.md).
+The `-l` option (login timeout) was added to `bcp`. For more information, see [Connecting with **bcp**](../../../tools/bcp-utility.md).

docs/connect/odbc/linux-mac/release-notes-odbc-sql-server-linux-mac.md

@@ -3,18 +3,26 @@ title: Release notes for mssql-tools on Linux and macOS
 description: "Learn what's new and changed in released versions of the Microsoft SQL Server Tools."
 author: David-Engel
 ms.author: davidengel
-ms.date: 07/31/2024
+ms.date: 12/17/2025
 ms.service: sql
 ms.subservice: connectivity
 ms.custom: linux-related-content
-ms.topic: conceptual
+ms.topic: release-notes
 ---
 # Release notes for the Microsoft SQL Server tools on Linux and macOS
 
 [!INCLUDE[Driver_ODBC_Download](../../../includes/driver_odbc_download.md)]
 
 This article lists and describes what's new in the versioned releases of the [!INCLUDE[msCoName](../../../includes/msconame-md.md)] SQL Server Tools on Linux and macOS.
 
+## 18.6.1.1, December 2025
+
+| New item | Details |
+| :------- | :------ |
+| Sqlcmd command line | Added ServerCertificate option on Sqlcmd command line. |
+| BCP command line | Added ServerCertificate and Code Page options on BCP command line. |
+| Azure Linux License | Changed License Acceptance Process for Azure Linux. |
+
 ## 18.4.1.1, July 2024
 
 | New item | Details |
@@ -83,7 +91,7 @@ This article lists and describes what's new in the versioned releases of the [!I
 | Feature added | Details |
 | :------------ | :------ |
 | Sqlcmd Bugfix | Fixed input redirection bug and empty lines leading to repeated execution. |
-| Sqlcmd Bugfix | Fixed mistaken error reporting for r, p, X and k options under certain formatting. |
+| Sqlcmd Bugfix | Fixed mistaken error reporting for r, p, X, and k options under certain formatting. |
 | Sqlcmd -z/-Z "Password" Option | Now supported. |
 
 ## 17.6.1.1, July 2020