Exchange and .NET Framework 4.7

Ex2013 Logo A quick heads-up on that .NET Framework 4.7 has recently been released and will be made available through Windows Update channels. The current versions of Exchange Server are not supported with this version of the .NET Framework, and you should not install or update to this version.

Similar to the situation with .NET Framework 4.61 around a year ago, you can prevent  (accidental) upgrades of the .NET Framework by creating the following registry key on your Exchange servers:

HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\WU\BlockNetFramework47 = 1 (REG_DWORD)

To report on the currently installed .NET Framework version on one or more computers, you can use this PowerShell script, Get-DotNetVersion.ps1. It will not only report the .NET Framework version information, but also if those registry entries to block .NET Framework 4.6.1 or .NET Framework 4.7 upgrades are present.

[PS] C:\> .\get-DotNetVersion.ps1 -ComputerName ex1,ex2 | ft -a

Computer Release NetFramework Net461Block Net47Block
-------- ------- ------------ ----------- ----------
ex1      461268  4.7          False       True
ex2      461268  4.7          False       False

The related article by the Exchange Team on this topic contains steps on how to recover the situation, in case you did upgrade. Of course, with all the dependencies on the .NET Framework by Exchange Server, you may prefer migrating contents to a new Exchange servers with a supported .NET Framework, and decommission servers where you had to remove the unsupported .NET Framework from.

More information can be found in KB4024204.

PS: The updated Unattended Exchange 2013 & 2016 Installation script will now also set the .NET Framework 4.7 blockade registry key.

This entry was posted in Exchange Server and tagged , , by Michel de Rooij. Bookmark the permalink.
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About Michel de Rooij

Michel de Rooij, with over 25 years of mixed consulting and automation experience with Exchange and related technologies, is a consultant for Rapid Circle. He assists organizations in their journey to and using Microsoft 365, primarily focusing on Exchange and associated technologies and automating processes using PowerShell or Graph. Michel's authorship of several Exchange books and role in the Office 365 for IT Pros author team are a testament to his knowledge. Besides writing for Practical365.com, he maintains a blog on eightwone.com with supporting scripts on GitHub. Michel has been a Microsoft MVP since 2013.

4 thoughts on “Exchange and .NET Framework 4.7

  1. Excellent post Michel, and a very handy script to quickly check our .NET installations. Having to check that manually on 9 servers can be a pain 🙂 Thank you!

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  2. Pingback: .NET Framework 4.7 Kurmayın :) | Serhad MAKBULOĞLU

  3. Pingback: Upgrade Paths for CU’s & .NET | EighTwOne (821)

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