Tag Archives: CU

Exchange Updates – October 2018

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Ex2013 LogoThe Exchange Team released the October update for Exchange Server 2016. You may notice the absence of Exchange 2013, which is now in extended support phase and thus won’t receive regular updates. This heads-up was also given together with the updates of June.

Version Build KB Download UMLP Schema?
Exchange 2016 CU11 15.1.1591.10 KB4134118 Download UMLP No

This update contain the following important changes and notes:

  • Exchange 2016 CU11 – as well as Exchange 2013 CU21 – are supported with .NET Framework 4.7.2; at least .NET Framework 4.7.1 is required for both.
  • Exchange 2016 CU13 (the June 2019 release, December will be skipped) will start requiring .NET Framework 4.7.2, similar to the release of Exchange 2019; Windows Server 2019 will contain .NET Framework 4.7.2.
  • Exchange 2016 requires installation of VC++ 2012 runtime prior to installation. Additionally, when installing the Mailbox role, VC++ 2013 runtime needs to be installed as well.

Exchange 2016 CU11 fixes:

  • 4076516 Email message body is garbled when the Russian version of Outlook is used in Exchange Server 2016
  • 4095967 CultureNotFoundException when you select an LCID 4096 language in Exchange Server 2016
  • 4456225 The image in a signature that’s created in Outlook on the web isn’t visible to external users in Exchange Server 2016
  • 4456226 Require SSL setting of MAPI virtual directory is reset after you install a cumulative update of Exchange Server 2016
  • 4456227 ActiveSync clients cannot connect or synchronizing is delayed in an Exchange Server environment
  • 4456228 Add an option to control UseAscReqNoToken through app configuration for Exchange Server 2016
  • 4456229 Irrelevant management role entries without parameters are displayed in Exchange Server 2016
  • 4456230 Component/protocol level bypass option for InternetWebProxy to avoid unnecessary proxy traffic within internal networks
  • 4456231 AdvancedDataGovernanceLogs is created on the D drive after deploying Exchange Server 2016
  • 4456232 Outlook on the web enters an authentication loop when you use device registration in Exchange Server 2016
  • 4456234 Email can’t be delivered when the subject has an unknown character set in Exchange Server 2016
  • 4456240 “CrimsonProbe has been poisoned repeatedly” error when migrating mailboxes to Exchange Server 2016
  • 4456243 Hashed lines shown in scheduling assistant when Exchange Server 2016 tries to retrieve free/busy information across untrusted forests
  • 4456244 Public folder forwards the new item that you create in Exchange Server 2016
  • 4456245 Event ID 4999 and NullReferenceException when the New-MailboxRestoreRequest and New-MailboxExportRequest cmdlets fail in Exchange Server 2016
  • 4456247 StoreDriver.config validation fails then meeting reminder can’t be set to “None” in Exchange Server 2016
  • 4456249 Message tracking logs can’t be fully indexed in Exchange Server 2016
  • 4456250 Users can download and view attachments that exceed the maximum attachment size setting in mobile device mailbox policy in Exchange Server 2016
  • 4456259 Exchange Server 2016 user can’t access a shared calendar from Exchange Server 2013
  • 4456233 UAPStatisticsLog and RecordReview are created on the D drive after you deploy Exchange Server 2016
  • 4459847 Can’t send S/MIME encrypted mail or update the S/MIME control from Outlook on the web in Exchange Server 2016

Notes:

  • Exchange 2016 CU11 does not contain schema changes compared to their previous Cumulative Update. However, they may introduce RBAC changes in your environment. Use setup /PrepareAD to apply RBAC changes, before deploying or updating Exchange servers.
  • When upgrading from an n-2 or earlier version of Exchange, or an early version of the .NET Framework, consult Upgrade Paths for CU’s & .NET.
  • Don’t forget to put the Exchange server in maintenance mode prior to updating. Regardless, setup will put the server in server-wide offline mode post-analysis, before making actual changes.
  • When using Exchange hybrid deployments or Exchange Online Archiving (EOA), you are required to stay at most one version behind (n-1).
  • If you want to speed up the update process for systems without internet access, you can follow the procedure described here to disable publisher’s certificate revocation checking.
  • Cumulative Updates can be installed directly; no need to install RTM prior to installing Cumulative Updates.
  • Once installed, you can’t uninstall a Cumulative Update nor any of the installed Exchange server roles.
  • The order in which you upgrade servers with Cumulative Updates is irrelevant.

Caution:

As for any update, I recommend to thoroughly test updates in a test environment prior to implementing them in production. When you lack such facilities, hold out a few days and monitor the comments on the original publication or forums for any issues.

Exchange Updates – June 2018

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Ex2013 LogoThe Exchange Team released the June updates for Exchange Server 2013 and 2016, and an additional Rollup 22 for Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 3.

Apart from fixes and time zone changes, these updates contain the following important changes and notes:

  • As announced earlier, Exchange 2013 CU21 and Exchange 2016 CU10 require .NET Framework 4.7.1.
  • All three updates require the VC++ 2013 runtime library, because it is needed by a 3rd component in WebReady Document Viewing in Exchange 2010/2013 and Data Loss Prevention in Exchange 2013/2016. Exchange 2010 SP3 RU22 will force installation of this VC++ runtime.
  • Updates include a critical security patch for Oracle Outside In libraries. More about the issue in MSRC advisory ADV180010.
  • Exchange 2013 CU21 and Exchange 2016 CU10 introduce support for directly creating and enabling remote shared mailboxes, e.g. 
    New-RemoteMailbox [-Shared] [-Name remoteMailboxName]
Enable-RemoteMailbox [-Identity user] [-Shared] [-RemoteRoutingAddress user@domain]
Set-RemoteMailbox [-Name user] [-Type Shared]

    You need to run setup /PrepareAD to see these changes. More information in KB4133605.

  • This is the last planned Cumulative Update for Exchange 2013 as it enters Extended Support.
  • Exchange 2010 SP3 RU22 adds support for Windows Server 2016 Domain Controllers.

 

Version Build KB Article Download UMLP Schema Changes
Exchange 2016 CU10 15.1.1531.3 KB4099852 Download UMLP No
Exchange 2013 CU21 15.0.1395.4 KB4099855 Download UMLP No
Exchange 2010 SP3 RU22 14.3.411.0 KB4295699 Download

Exchange 2016 CU10 fixes:

  • 4056609 Event ID 4999 and mailbox transport delivery service won’t start with Exchange Server 2016 CU7 installed
  • 4133605 Cmdlets to create or modify a remote shared mailbox in an on-premises Exchange environment
  • 4133620 “HTTP 500 due to ADReferralException” error when a user tries to view detail properties of mailboxes in a child domain in Exchange Server
  • 4095974 “System.InvalidOperationException” occurs when the “Enable-MailPublicFolder” cmdlet is run against a public folder in Exchange Server
  • 4095973 Set-ServerComponentState cmdlet does not honor the write scope defined in the RBAC management scope in Exchange Server
  • 4095993 HTTP 500 error when an administrator tries to manage regional settings in ECP on Windows Server 2016
  • 4294209 Cannot clear the “Maximum message size” check box for Send messages or Receive messages in EAC in Exchange Server 2016
  • 4294208 “TooManyObjectsOpenedException” error when you run the “Get-PublicFolderMailboxDiagnostics” cmdlet in Exchange Server
  • 4294212 Cannot send VBScript-created messages in the Outlook 2016 client
  • 4294211 Cannot run “Set-CalendarProcessing” cmdlets after you apply CU8 or CU9 for Exchange Server 2016
  • 4294210 Cannot edit an email attachment in OWA in an Exchange Server 2016 environment
  • 4294204 Changing “IsOutOfService” to “False” in an earlier Exchange Server version does not immediately update in a later Exchange Server environment
  • 4092041 Description of the security update for Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 and 2016: May 8, 2018

Exchange 2013 CU20 fixes:

  • 4133605 Cmdlets to create or modify a remote shared mailbox in an on-premises Exchange environment
  • 4133604 User can’t log on to a POP/IMAP account by using NTLM authentication in Exchange Server 2013
  • 4133618 Unexpected error occurs when running the Get-DatabaseAvailabilityGroupNetwork cmdlet in Exchange Server 2013
  • 4133620 “HTTP 500 due to ADReferralException” when a user tries to view detail properties of mailboxes in a child domain in Exchange Server
  • 4058473 An Office 365 primary mailbox user cannot be assigned full access permissions for an on-premises mailbox in Exchange Server
  • 4094167 The MSExchangeRPC service crashes with a System.NullReferenceException exception in Exchange Server 2013
  • 4095974 “System.InvalidOperationException” occurs when the “Enable-MailPublicFolder” cmdlet is run against a public folder in Exchange Server
  • 4092041 Description of the security update for Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 and 2016: May 8, 2018
  • 4294205 POP3 services intermittently stop in an Exchange Server 2013 environment
  • 4294204 Changing “IsOutOfService” to “False” in an earlier Exchange Server version does not immediately update in a later Exchange Server environment

Exchange 2010 Rollup 22 fixes:

  • 4295751 EWS impersonation not working when accessing resource mailboxes in a different site in Exchange Server 2010 SP3

Notes:

  • Exchange 2016 CU8 and Exchange 2013 CU18 do not contain schema changes compared to their previous Cumulative Update. However, they introduce RBAC changes in your environment. Use setup /PrepareAD to apply RBAC changes, before deploying or updating Exchange servers.
  • When upgrading from an n-2 or earlier version of Exchange, or an early version of the .NET Framework, consult Upgrade Paths for CU’s & .NET.
  • When upgrading your Exchange 2013 or 2016 installation, don’t forget to put the server in maintenance mode when required. Regardless, setup will put the server in server-wide offline mode post-analysis, before making actual changes.
  • When using Exchange hybrid deployments or Exchange Online Archiving (EOA), you are required to stay at most one version behind (n-1).
  • If you want to speed up the update process for systems without internet access, you can follow the procedure described here to disable publisher’s certificate revocation checking.
  • Cumulative Updates can be installed directly, i.e. no need to install RTM prior to installing Cumulative Updates.
  • Once installed, you can’t uninstall a Cumulative Update nor any of the installed Exchange server roles.
  • The order in which you upgrade servers with Cumulative Updates is irrelevant.

Caution:

As for any update, I recommend to thoroughly test updates in a test environment prior to implementing them in production. When you lack such facilities, hold out a few days and monitor the comments on the original publication or forums for any issues.

Upgrade Paths for CU’s & .NET

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7/7/2025: Added note.

Microsoft keeps track of the currently supported combinations of .NET Framework and Exchange Cumulative Updates at the Exchange Server Supportability Matrix. However, as time progresses, support information on older Cumulative Updates might be removed from the information presented, and you may need to resort to cached versions of this page or other sources to find this information.

This might be problematic for organizations that are not current and need to determine which upgrade path to stay within the boundaries of supported Exchange deployment configurations. For example, you may need to upgrade to a specific Cumulative Update first, supported by a newer release of the .NET Framework, to upgrade to a later Cumulative Update.

For these situations, the following tables contain the supportability matrix, enhanced with information regarding earlier Cumulative Updates and .NET Framework versions. These will provide you with the supported upgrade paths for older versions of Exchange.

Note: In-place upgrades of the operating system on which Exchange Server runs are not supported and will not work. Also, keep in mind that you cannot mix nodes within the same Database Availability Groups concerning the operating system. New operating system = new Exchange Server installation = new Database Availability Group.

Exchange 2019

.NETRTM-CU1CU2-CU3CU4-CU13CU14-CU15
4.7.2XX––
4.8–XX–
4.8.1––XX

Exchange 2016

.NETRTM-
CU1		CU2CU3-
CU4		CU5-
CU7		CU8-
CU9		CU10CU11-
CU12		CU13-
CU14		CU15-
CU23
4.5–––––––––
4.5.1–––––––––
4.5.2XXX––––––
4.6.11–XX––––––
4.6.2––XXX––––
4.72–––––––––
4.7.1––––XXX––
4.7.2––––––XX–
4.8–––––––XX

Exchange 2013

.NETRTM-
CU3		CU4(SP1)-
CU12		CU13-
CU14		CU15CU16-
CU18		CU19-
CU20		CU21-
CU22		CU23
4.5XXX–––––
4.5.1–XXX––––
4.5.2–XXX––––
4.6.11––XX––––
4.6.2–––XXX––
4.72––––––––
4.7.1–––––XX–
4.7.2––––––XX
4.8–––––––X

Notes

  1. When possible, bypass .NET Framework 4.6.1, as it not only requires updating the CU level before updating the .NET Framework, but also requires an additional hotfix: kb3146715 (ws2012r2), kb3146714 (ws2012) or kb3146716 (ws2008r2).
  2. .NET Framework 4.7 is not supported for any product level.

Usage
Suppose your organization loves procrastinating, and you are running Exchange 2013 CU6. Luckily, you run it on .NET Framework 4.5.1, which was already a supported configuration back in 2014 – yes, it’s been that long. Looking at the table, to get current with a minimal number of updates in mind, you can derive the following path:

The upgrade path to CU19 would therefor be:

  1. Upgrade to Exchange 2013 Cumulative Update 15
  2. Upgrade .NET Framework to 4.6.2
  3. Upgrade to Exchange 2013 Cumulative Update 19
  4. Upgrade .NET Framework to 4.7.1 (Optional)

Note that in addition to information being refreshed on Microsoft pages, the availability of older Cumulative Updates or .NET Framework updates might also change, so archive those files accordingly, if not for recovery of existing Exchange servers, then for this exact purpose.

Of course, you should stay as current as possible from a support and security perspective, making the above a non-issue. The reality is, some customers have reasons, legitimate or not, to be trailing with updates in their environment, and at some point may need guidance on how to proceed to get current. I hope this information helps in those situations.

Thoughts and feedback are welcome in the comments.

Update: On February 13th, Microsoft updated upgrade guidance on the Exchange Supportability Matrix page, stating:

“When upgrading Exchange from an unsupported CU to the current CU and no intermediate CUs are available, you should upgrade to the latest version of .NET that’s supported by Exchange first and then immediately upgrade to the current CU. This method doesn’t replace the need to keep your Exchange servers up to date and on the latest, supported CU. Microsoft makes no claim that an upgrade failure will not occur using this method, which may result in the need to contact Microsoft Support Services”.

This means you will be supported when upgrading in the revised upgrade path, but the risk is still there. In the example above, when going from Exchange 2013 CU6 with .NET 4.5.1 to CU19, the support statement indicates you can upgrade to .NET Framework 4.7.1, when installing CU19. However, things might break, and you may need to contact support to get back into a supported, working situation. Therefore, I repeat my recommendation to download and archive CU’s and .NET Framework files, even when you are not planning on installing them (yet).

Exchange Updates – September 2017

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Ex2013 LogoHoneymoon caused some backlog, and one of the things to post was that the Exchange Team released the September updates for Exchange Server 2013 and 2016. Like the previous Cumulative Updates for these Exchange versions, Exchange 2013 CU18 and Exchange 2016 CU7 require .NET Framework 4.6.2; NET Framework 4.7.1 is currently being tested (4.7 will be skipped), and support for 4.7.1 is expected for the December updates.

Version Build KB Article Download UMLP Schema Changes
Exchange 2016 CU7 15.1.1261.35 KB4018115 Download UMLP Yes
Exchange 2013 CU18 15.0.1347.2 KB4022631 Download UMLP No
  • KB 4040754 “Update UseDatabaseQuotaDefaults to false” error occurs when you change settings of user mailbox in Exchange Server 2016
  • KB 4040121 You receive a corrupted attachment if email is sent from Outlook that connects to Exchange Server in cache mode

  • KB4036108 Security update for Microsoft Exchange: September 12, 2017

Exchange 2013 CU18 fixes:

  • KB4040755 New health monitoring mailbox for databases is created when Health Manager Service is restarted in Exchange Server 2013
  • KB4040121 You receive a corrupted attachment if email is sent from Outlook that connects to Exchange Server in cache mode
  • KB4040120 Synchronization may fail when you use the OAuth protocol for authorization through EAS in Exchange Server 2013
  • KB4036108 Security update for Microsoft Exchange: September 12, 2017

Notes:

  • Exchange 2016 CU7 requires Forest Functionality Level 2008R2 or later.
  • Exchange 2016 CU7 includes schema changes, but Exchange 2013 CU18 does not. However, Exchange 2013 CU17 may introduce RBAC changes in your environment. Where applicable, use setup /PrepareSchema to update the schema or /PrepareAD to apply RBAC changes, before deploying or updating Exchange servers. To verify this step has been performed, consult the Exchange schema overview.
  • When upgrading your Exchange 2013 or 2016 installation, don’t forget to put the server in maintenance mode when required. Regardless, setup will put the server in server-wide offline mode post-analysis, before making actual changes.
  • Using Windows Management Framework (WMF)/PowerShell version 5 or later on anything earlier than Windows Server 2016 is not supported. Don’t install WMF5 on your Exchange servers running on Windows Server 2012 R2 or earlier.
  • NET Framework 4.7.1 is being tested by the Exchange Team, but .NET Framework 4.7.1 nor .NET Framework 4.7 are supported.
  • When using Exchange hybrid deployments or Exchange Online Archiving (EOA), you are required to stay at most one version behind (n-1).
  • If you want to speed up the update process for systems without internet access, you can follow the procedure described here to disable publisher’s certificate revocation checking.
  • Cumulative Updates can be installed directly, i.e. no need to install RTM prior to installing Cumulative Updates.
  • Once installed, you can’t uninstall a Cumulative Update nor any of the installed Exchange server roles.
  • The order in which you upgrade servers with Cumulative Updates is irrelevant.

Caution: As for any update, I recommend to thoroughly test updates in a test environment prior to implementing them in production. When you lack such facilities, hold out a few days and monitor the comments on the original publication or forums for any issues.

Exchange Updates – September 2016

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Ex2013 LogoNote: There are issues with Exchange 2013 CU14 and Exchange 2016 CU3 with regards to failing Content Indexing. Fellow MVP Jaap Wesselius blogged about this here. For now, recommendation is to not upgrade to CU14, until further notice. Also, there are acknowledged issues when running Exchange 2016 CU3 on Windows Server 2016. Don’t deploy Exchange 2016 CU3 on that OS until further notice.

Today, the Exchange Team released the september updates for Exchange Server 2013 and Exchange Server 2016.

The biggest changes are for Exchange Server 2016:

  • Exchange Server 2016 CU3 or later support on Windows Server 2016, which is expected to be released at Ignite next week. Windows Server 2016 Domain Controllers are supported; requirement is just Forest Functional Level at Windows Server 2008 R2 or later. Note that it is also announced Exchange Server 2013 will not be supported (as in: now, and in the future). Performance-wise, it is recommended to exclude Exchange setup and log folders, as well as the noderunner processes in Windows Defender.
  • Finally, Exchange Server 2016 CU3 introduces the long-awaited Read from Passive feature. This means, indexes will be generated using (local) passive databases copies, and no longer require coordination with the server holding the active database copy. The result is lower bandwidth requirements, and – compared to Exchange Server 2013 – faster fail-overs. Be advised this feature does not apply to lagged copies.
  • An update for the Mailbox Server Role Calculator(s) for Exchange 2016 is available now (v8.3), incorporating Read from Passive changes. This allows organizations to not only size their deployment, but also predict the positive effect on bandwidth usage for current environments as well by using numbers. You can download the calculator here.

For a list of fixes in these updates, see below.

Exchange 2016 Cumulative Update 3 15.1.544.27 KB3152589 Download UMLP
Exchange 2013 Cumulative Update 14 15.0.1236.3 KB3177670 Download UMLP

  • KB 3154387 The DFS health set is listed as “Unhealthy” in an Exchange Server 2016 environment
  • KB 3175080 Cannot log on to OWA when FIPS is enabled in an Exchange Server 2016 environment
  • KB 3176377 Links to access Exchange items in SharePoint eDiscovery search result fail with an HTTP error 500 in Exchange Server
  • KB 3161916 Data loss may occur during public folder migration to Exchange 2013, Exchange 2016, or Exchange Online
  • KB 3176540 OWA error reporting responds with a HTTP error 500 in OwaSerializationException
  • KB 3190887 Upgrading Exchange Server causes the server to go offline unexpectedly
  • KB 3191075 You can’t install Cumulative Update 2 for Exchange Server 2016 on a Russian version operating system

  • KB 3132513 “The Delegates settings were not saved correctly” when you try to add a user to Exchange Server 2013 from Microsoft Outlook
  • KB 3172017 “NotFound Export failed with error type: ‘NotFound'” error occurs when you perform an eDiscovery search in Exchange Server 2013
  • KB 3176377 Links to access Exchange items in SharePoint eDiscovery search result fail with an HTTP error 500 in Exchange Server
  • KB 3176540 OWA error reporting responds with a HTTP error 500 in OwaSerializationException
  • KB 3176873 Can’t create a new profile or connect to Exchange Server 2013 when an organization contains many address lists
  • KB 3061079 RPC Client Access service crashes and Event 4999 is logged in Exchange Server 2013
  • KB 3134918 An IRM-protected message sent to an external contact isn’t returned in a search or discovery results when journaling is implemented in an Exchange Server 2013 environment
  • KB 3190887 Upgrading Exchange Server causes the server to go offline unexpectedly

These Cumulative Updates for Exchange Server 2016 and 2013 include the security update released last week, MS16-108. The Cumulative Updates for Exchange Server 2016 and 2013 also include DST changes.

Notes:

  • Exchange 2016 CU3 includes schema changes (version 15326, reference), and Exchange 2016 CU3 as well as Exchange 2013 CU14 may introduce RBAC changes in your environment. Where applicable, make sure you run /PrepareSchema to update the schema or /PrepareAD to apply RBAC changes, before deploying or updating Exchange servers. To verify this step has been performed, consult the Exchange schema overview.
  • When upgrading your Exchange 2013 or 2016 installation, don’t forget to put the server in maintenance mode when required. Do note that upgrading, before installing the Exchange binaries, setup will put the server in server-wide offline-mode.
  • Using Windows Management Framework (WMF)/PowerShell version 5 on anything earlier than Windows Server 2016 is not supported. Don’t install WMF5 on your Exchange servers running on Windows Server 2012 R2 or earlier.
  • When using Exchange hybrid deployments or Exchange Online Archiving (EOA), you are required to stay current.
  • If you want to speed up the update process for systems without internet access, you can follow the procedure described here to disable publisher’s certificate revocation checking.
  • Cumulative Updates can be installed directly, i.e. no need to install RTM prior to installing Cumulative Updates.
  • Once installed, you can’t uninstall a Cumulative Update nor any of the installed Exchange server roles.
  • The order of upgrading servers with Cumulative Updates is irrelevant.

Caution: As for any update, I recommend to thoroughly test updates in a test environment prior to implementing them in production. When you lack such facilities, hold out a few days and monitor the comments on the original publication or TechNet forum for any issues.