Update Sep27th: Added Outlook 2013 to list of supported clients.

During Ignite 2018, details are announced to the public on Exchange Server 2019, Exchange Online, as well as Office 365 and related technologies. In this article I’ll try to summarize all the details in a readable format for your reference. The list is probably inconclusive; if you think anything is missing, let me know to I can update the article.

Exchange Server 2019

• Distributed through Volume licensing only
  • Implication is that there will be no “Hybrid Server Key”
• Release planned for later this year
• Windows Server 2019 required
  • Windows Server Core recommended (security, smaller attack surface and disk footprint)
  • Exchange supports in-place upgrading of underlying operating system per Windows Server 2019.
• Support for co-existence with n-2
  • Exchange Server 2016 and Exchange Server 2013.
  • Outlook 2013-Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016/Max and Outlook for Mac for Office 365.
• Forest Functionality Level 2012R2 or later
• Support for up to 48 CPU cores (Exchange 2016: 24)
• Recommended minimum memory for Mailbox server 128GB, and 64GB for Edge Transport. Maximum memory is 256GB (Exchange 2016: 192GB). The reason for 128GB recommendation is that the .NET scaling benefits (see below) only work from around 100GB and up.
• Page file 25% of installed memory (Exchange 2016: Maximized at 32GB).
• .NET Framework 4.7.2, Visual C++ Redistributable and UCMA (Mailbox only)
• Uses Server GC instead of Workstation GC for some IIS application pools. Better .NET memory management and improves CPU/memory scaling.
• Will only use TLS 1.2 (there’s a transition mode supporting lower TLS versions, but for that all existing Exchange versions need to support 1.2 as well)
• No more UM, options:
  • Move all users and mailboxes to Office 365
  • Migrate to Skype for Business Server 2019
  • Remain on Exchange 2016 (EOL 2026)
  • 3rd party VoiceMail solution
• MetaCache Database uses storage tiering
  • Leverages SSD’s
  • Use SSD to spinning disk ratio 1:3
  • Caches indexes, mailbox folder structures and small items
  • Improves UX: faster logons, searches and small items retrieval
  • Allows for higher mailbox density per server (+20%
  • Utilize larger disks
• Client Access Rules
  • Restrict external access to EAC and PowerShell
  • Evaluated at server level, so external connections need to hit Exchange 2019.
• Additional perks for administration and end users
  • Remove-CalendarEvents to remove meetings from a person (e.g. leaver)
  • Recurring meetings will receive a default end date
  • Meetings can be restricted to prevent forwarding
  • Setting Out of Office in OWA allows for blocking calendar for that period, as well as decline current meetings and future meeting invites during that period.
• Calculator and additional guidance on its way
• On the Roadmap
  • On-premises Modern Authentication
  • Extending Client Access Rules to other protocols
  • Mailbox Encryption using Customer Keys
  • Monitoring and Analytics tools
  • Blocking legacy authentication methods
  • Removal of RPC/HTTP support (Outlook Anywhere)
  • Simplified Calendar Sharing

The Exchange Server 2019 documentation went live here. Some additional details were included in this list.

On another note: Greg Taylor gave an interview to Phoummala Schmitt (aka @ExchangeGodess) for Channel 9 on Exchange 2019. That replay can be watched here. Also, Scott Schnoll and JeffMealiffe as well as Greg Taylor and Ross Smith were interviewed by TheCube; those recordings can be watched here and here respectively.

Exchange Hybrid

• Organization Configuration Transfer (OCT) version 2
  • Planned for October 2018
  • Adds the following to OCT v1 (current)
    • ActiveSync Device Access Rules
    • ActiveSync Organization Settings
    • Address Lists
    • DLP Policies
    • Malware Filter Policies
    • Policy Tips
    • Organization Config
  • Introduces conflict handling with review mode
  • Generates a script to undo changes
• Exchange Hybrid deployment
  • Microsoft Hybrid Agent
  • Installed using HCW (‘Modern Hybrid’); ‘Classic Hybrid’ still an option
  • Hybrid Agent leverages Azure Application Proxy technology
    • Hybrid Proxy Service in the service will proxy requests between Exchange Online and Exchange on-premises.
    • No changes required to URLs or certificates
    • Hybrid Agent uses outbound connection only (port 80/443) to obfuscated unique URL (https://{GUID}.resource.{flow}.his.msappproxy.net. This URL is configured as TargetSharingEpr on the OrganizationalRelationship in Office 365
    • Running multiple agents is supported for availability and scaling
    • Outbound connections means less arrangements to make on (inbound) firewall rules (but another agent, like PTA, ADConnect Health Agent, regular Azure Application Proxy, to bypass security blockades may introduce other concerns)
  • Version 1 will support Free/Busy and MRSProxy and is in Private Preview now

The Exchange team published a quick blog on OCT and Hybrid Agent here.