Exchange 2019 CU4 has been released to the Microsoft Volume Licensing Center! Exchange 2019 has a different servicing strategy than Exchange 2007/2010 and utilises Cumulative Updates (CUs) rather than the Rollup Updates (RU/UR) which were used previously. CUs are a complete installation of Exchange 2019 and can be used to install a fresh server or to update a previously installed one. Exchange 2013 and 2016 have the same servicing methodology.
Details for the release are contained in KB 4522149.
Updates Of Particular Note
The November 2019 security fix is included in this CU, for details please see 4523171 Description of the security update for Microsoft Exchange Server 2019, 2016, and 2013: November 12, 2019
There is an update to the Exchange 2019 sizing calculator to update the search sizing logic. This is calculator version 10.3 and is the current version.
The MCDB configuration script has an issue, and a workaround is available. There is also a known issue with the Export-ModernPublicFolderStatistics.ps1 script.
Note that there are some known issues which are discussed in the release KB. For net new Exchange installations there are additional operations required for multiple domain environments where /PrepareAD needs to be executed manually in the other domains.
This CU still has the Autodiscover EventID 1 error in the Application event log. See KB 4532190 for details.
Please note that .NET Framework 4.8 is a requirement.
Details are listed in the Exchange Server prerequisites. Also note the requirement for Visual C++ Redistributable Package for Visual Studio 2012.
Note that an Exchange 2019 install requires Windows Server 2019. This is documented in the Exchange Support Matrix.
Issues Resolved
- 4528696 Exchange PowerShell cmdlets take longer time to run in Exchange Server 2019
- 4528695 Event ID 4009 when using SubjectOrBodyMatchesPatterns on Edge server in Exchange Server 2019
- 4528694 Can't open .ics file in Outlook on the web in Exchange Server 2019
- 4528692 "A parameter was specified that isn't valid” error when creating transport rule in Exchange Server 2019
- 4523519 Set-SendConnector doesn't work for Exchange Server in hybrid scenarios with Edge Server installed
- 4528688 Only one recipient shows when saving draft by using Exchange ActiveSync version 16.0 in Exchange Server 2019
- 4528693 Get-CalendarDiagnosticLog is proxied for queries within the same forest in Exchange Server 2019
- 4528687 NotificationClient logs aren't purged and consume lots of disk in Exchange Server 2019
- 4528689 Outlook on the web shows MailTip when recipients equal the large audience size in Exchange Server 2019
- 4528690 Can’t move or delete folder in Outlook online mode if the destination has a folder with the same name in Exchange Server 2019
- 4532744 System.ArgumentNullException when you use Set-user to assign block legacy auth policy in Exchange Server 2019
- 4532747 Address list separation not working for a user without a mailbox in Exchange Server 2019
- 4523171 Description of the security update for Microsoft Exchange Server 2019, 2016, and 2013: November 12, 2019
Some Items For Consideration
Exchange 2019 follows the same servicing paradigm for Exchange 2013 and 2016 which was previously discussed on the blog. The CU package can be used to perform a new installation, or to upgrade an existing Exchange Server 2019 installation to this CU. Cumulative Updates are well, cumulative. What else can I say…
Customers with a hybrid Exchange deployment, must keep their on-premises Exchange servers updated to the latest update or the one immediately prior ( N or N-1).
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Test the CU in a lab which is representative of your environment
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Review this post to also factor in AD preparation which is to be done ahead of installing the CU onto the first Exchange server
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Follow your organisation’s change management process, and factor the approval time into your change request
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Provide appropriate notifications as per your process. This may be to IT teams, or to end users.
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After you install this cumulative update package, you cannot uninstall the cumulative update package to revert to an earlier version of Exchange. If you uninstall this cumulative update package, Exchange is removed from the server.
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Place the server into SCOM maintenance mode prior to installing, confirm the install then take the server out of maintenance mode
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Place the server into Exchange maintenance mode prior to installing, confirm the install then take the server out of maintenance mode
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I personally like to restart prior to installing CUs. This helps identifies if an issue was due to the CU or happened in this prior restart, and also completes any pending file rename operations. 3rd party AV products are often guilty of this
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Restart the server after installing the CU
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Ensure that all the relevant services are running
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Ensure that event logs are clean, with no errors
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Ensure that you consult with all 3rd party vendors which exist as part of your messaging environment. This includes archive, backup, mobility and management services.
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Ensure that you do not forget to install this update on management servers, jump servers/workstations and application servers where the management tools were installed for an application. FIM and 3rd party user provisioning solutions are examples of the latter.
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Ensure that the Windows PowerShell Script Execution Policy is set to “Unrestricted” on the server being upgraded or installed. See KB981474.
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Disable file system antivirus prior to installing. Do this through the appropriate console. Typically this will be a central admin console, not the local machine.
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Verify file system antivirus is actually disabled
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Once server has been restarted, re-enable file system antivirus.
Please enjoy the update responsibly!
What do I mean by that? Well, you need to ensure that you are fully informed about the caveats with the CU and are aware of all of the changes that it will make within your environment. Additionally you will need to test the CU your lab which is representative of your production environment.
Cheers,
Rhoderick
