Exchange

UPDATE: .NET 4.6.1 is now supported beginning with Exchange 2013 CU13 and Exchange 2016 CU2 (.NET 4.6.2 Preview is not currently supported).

The Exchange Team posted a quick note yesterday addressing a compatibility issue between .NET framework 4.6.1 and Exchange. As of right now (Feb 2016) .NET 4.6.1 is not supported.  Framework 4.6 is also unsupported.

The currently supported version for Exchange 2013 and 2016 is 4.5.2. Framework 4.5 can also be installed on Exchange 2010–although 2010 will only use the OS installed 3.5.

The urgency of this statement is that 4.6.1 is now being pushed as a recommended update in Windows Update.

As with any series of patching it is always critical to review all updates against the Exchange Supportability Matrix. If you want support from Microsoft you must be within the boundaries of that matrix

If you are using WSUS it is always a good idea to put Exchange in its own update group. If you don’t have a patch management system then keep your servers on notify and download. Whichever update method you use, be sure to not blanket accept all updates.

Microsoft has identified one possible compatibility issue with 4.6.1, where a mailbox may be accidentally quarantined, its databases dismount, or, an unnecessary failover to another DAG member. More info can be found in this KB article.

If you have already installed 4.6.1 (or 4.6) Microsoft recommends you uninstall the update.

Below is the note from Microsoft on the supportability of 4.6.1.

Join the conversation on Twitter @SuperTekBoy.

On January 8th Microsoft announced the first Exchange 2016 beta exam. The exam titled ‘Designing and Deploying Microsoft Exchange Server 2016′ (Exam # 70-345) is currently in beta and is proctored by Pearson VUE.

It’s currently uncertain what exams will be required to achieve MCSE Messaging in Exchange 2016. In 2013 there were two paths. One could first either achieve an MCSA in Server 2012 or Office 365. Then you had the two core Exchange 2013 exams to complete your MCSE. At the time of writing beta exam 70-345 is the only announced Exchange 2016 exam. I suspect it won’t be long until we learn more.

Beta exams differ from live exams in that they offer no score at the end. In fact, candidates often have to wait as much as twelve weeks after the conclusion of the beta period before they are notified of their score. You may wonder, why take a beta exam only to wait months on end? Simply put–to demonstrate early competency. Being one of the first to certify on a product can certainly aide career growth. Especially if you are a consultant.

The challenge of sitting a beta exam is the sheer lack of certification books and study material available. However, with the striking resemblance to its predecessor, a strong and well-rounded understanding of Exchange 2013 will provide a great head start. But it’s only a head start. Being an early adopter of Exchange 2016 is critical. It doesn’t have to be early adoption in your work environment, or, at your customer’s sites. The early adoption could be your own lab. A sandbox where you can build and break and play. It doesn’t cost must to get a lab going. My current lab costs a few hundred dollars on a popular auction site. Exchange MVP Jeff Guillet recently posted his specs for a few different lab servers depending on budget. Hosting a lab in Azure is also possible but may come at a bit of a steep price tag. Whatever you decide a lab is a brilliant way to learn and gain exposure to Exchange 2016.

The Exchange Team has announced Cumulative Update 11 for Exchange 2013. But wait? Where is Exchange 2016? Nothing new there yet, I’m afraid. I recommend checking out this video by Greg Taylor. At the 2:15 minute mark, Greg informs us that the first CU will be released early 2016–most likely April.

As always, test these updates in a lab first! I recommend checking out this 7-part guide on configuring Exchange in your lab.

The updates are as follows:

Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 11

UM Language Packs for Cumulative Update 11

Exchange Server 2010 SP3 Update Rollup 12

Exchange Server 2007 SP3 Update Rollup 18

So what’s new?

This update is a culmination of bug fixes and feature tweaks. Most notably it now blocks the ability to mix Exchange 2013 and 2016 mailbox servers in the same Database Availability Group (DAG). An issue Exchange MVP Paul Cunningham wrote about on his blog in October.

Another major change is the introduction of Mailbox Anchoring in the Exchange Management Shell. This function will also be introduced in Exchange 2016 CU1. The Exchange Team writes about it here.

In essence when you open Exchange Management Shell mailbox anchoring always proxies you to the server that hosts your admin mailbox. If your admin account doesn’t have a mailbox then it proxies you to a server hosting an arbitration mailbox. Should an outage make your admin mailbox unavailable, then the server hosting an arbitration mailbox is used instead. If neither is available then Exchange Management Shell fails to connect. As a workaround, you will have to add the Exchange snap-in for your local PowerShell. That process is documented here under Mail Flow.

This change is to make sure that an admin is always getting the same experience when connecting to Exchange. This is especially important in an environment where Exchange 2013 and 2016 are load balanced in the same pool. Microsoft recommends moving your admin and arbitration mailboxes to the latest version of Exchange.