Exchange 2013 Unattended Installation Script v1.1

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Ex2013 LogoComing back from a nice vacation to the beautiful Brittany in France, I thought it was time to collect and process feedback and suggestions on several scripts, starting with the Exchange 2013 unattended installation script for Windows Server 2012.

Changes in version 1.1 of the script:

  • When the script was used to also prepare Active Directory, RSAT-ADDS-Tools was uninstalled as part of the cleanup. Per request, I’ve removed the uninstallation of that feature;
  • The script now detects pending reboots after installing the required features. When ran in AutoPilot mode, the script will reboot and restart the phase (preparing Active Directory, which can’t be run with pending reboots because Exchange’s Setup won’t like it). When not running in AutoPilot mode, you need to start the script manually. You can omit providing installation parameters as they are saved, even a pending is detected;
  • The Windows feature Server-Media-Foundation will be installed explicitly as it is an UCMA 4.0 requirement;
  • The credentials provided for AutoPilot mode will be validated;
  • The OS version check is changed to a string which should enable installation on non-US Operating Systems.

You can download the updated version of the script via the original Exchange 2013 Unattended Installation Script page or directly from the Technet Gallery. Enjoy!

The UC Architects Podcast Ep20

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iTunes-Podcast-logo[1]The 20th episode of The UC Architects podcast is now online.

This episode is hosted by Steve Goodman who’s joined by Johan Veldhuis, Michael Van Horenbeeck, Paul Cunningham, John Cook, Justin Morris, Andrew J. Price and yours truly.

Amongst the topics discussed in this episode are:

  • Exchange 2013 CU1
  • Lync Updates
  • Outlook Web App
  • “Problems in UC”
  • Scripts
  • Events

More information on the podcast including references and a link to download the podcast directly here or you can subscribe to the podcasts using iTunes, Zune or use the RSS feed.

About
The UC Architects is a bi-weekly community podcast by people with a passion for Unified Communications; our main focus is on Exchange, Lync or related subjects.

Lync Conference 2013 Recordings

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Microsoft-Lync-2013-Logo_19218C3C[1]A quick heads-up for everyone working with or interested in Lync Server 2013.

In February, the inaugural Lync Conference was held in San Diego. The conference not only had excellent sessions on Lync and UC related topics but also featured our The UC Architects monster prize draw.

Now, if you were unable to attend – like me – you missed out on but could buy the content for $199 as of March.Fortunately, Microsoft has decided to make presentations and session videos available for free.

You can download the slidedecks and videos here.

Exchange 2013 CU1 Help File

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Ex2013 LogoA quick post as the Exchange 2013 Cumulative Update 1 Help file (.CHM) file for offline usage has been released on the Microsoft Download Center.

The offline help files files are convenient if you’re on the road or in a location (yes, that happens sometimes) without internet connection.

You can download the Exchange 2013 Cumulative Update 1 .CHM Help file dated April 4th, 2013 for On-Premise and Hybrid deployments here.

Exchange 2013 Cumulative Update 1 (Updated)

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Ex2013 LogoToday the long-awaited Cumulative Update 1 for Exchange Server 2013 was released by the Exchange Team (KB2816900). This update raises Exchange 2013 version number to 15.0.620.29.

As mentioned in an earlier post, this is the Exchange 2013 product level required for co-existence with previous versions of Exchange, being Exchange Server 2010 SP3 or Exchange Server 2007 SP3 Rollup 10.

The Exchange Team provided a description of the major changes in CU1 in the CU1 announcement here; Here are some of the major changes in CU1:

  • Includes Address Book Policy Routing Agent (info);
  • Allows group memberships to be managed by groups (again, as it was possible in Exchange 2007 but not in Exchange 2010);
  • Access to Public Folders you have added as favorites via your favorites menu either in Outlook or Outlook Web App (still no regular Public Folder tree access though);
  • EAC has been enhanced and now includes Unified Messaging management and migration options;
  • Many probes, monitors, and responders have been updated and improved over the RTM release;
  • Get-HealthReport cmdlet has been streamlined and its performance has been optimized;
  • Supports the Exchange Server 2013 Management Pack for SCOM 2007 R2 and SCOM 2012 (due at a later date);
  • High Availability changes (reported on by Scott Schnoll here).

Note that CU1 includes schema changes. Like Service Packs for earlier versions of Exchange, the Cumulative Update is indeed cumulative (hence the size of 1.3 GB) and you can install it directly, i.e. no need to install RTM first. Also, once installed you can’t uninstall CU1 or any of the installed roles. The order of upgrading servers doesn’t matter, unlike with earlier Exchange versions.

You can download Exchange 2013 Cumulative Update 1 here.

Update 3rd April, 2013: Meanwhile, the TechNet documentation has been updated; relevant sections for upgrading are: