Cumulative Update 7 for Exchange Server 2013

Today, Cumulative Update 7 for Exchange Server 2013 was released by the Exchange Team (KB2986485). This update raises Exchange 2013 version number to 15.0.1044.22.

Note: Customers that run backups of their Exchange databases are advised to upgrade to CU7 and perform a post-upgrade full backup. This is due to a race condition which could prevent proper restoration of pre-CU7 Exchange databases.

Notes:

  • When using Exchange hybrid deployments or Exchange Online Archiving (EOA), you are required to stay current.
  • CU7 adds support for hierarchies containing 250,000 modern public folders. Consult this article for co-existence scenarios.
  • Be advised of OAB architectural changes introduced with CU5 which are documented here. If you are affected, it is recommended to update CAS servers prior to Mailbox servers.
  • If you have installed the Interim Update to fix Hybrid Configuration Wizard, you can install the Cumulative Update over it – there is no need to uninstall the IU prior to installing CU6.

This Cumulative Update includes schema and AD changes, so make sure you run PrepareSchema / PrepareAD. After updating, the schema version will be 15965.

Note that Cumulative Updates can be installed directly, i.e. no need to install RTM or Service Packs prior to installing Cumulative Updates. Note that once installed, you can’t uninstall a Cumulative Update nor any of the installed Exchange server roles. The order of upgrading servers is irrelevant, unlike with previous generations of Exchange.

Finally, for any Hotfix, Rollup, Service Pack or Cumulative Update, I’d recommend to thoroughly test this in a test and acceptance environment first, prior to implementing it in production.

You can download Exchange 2013 Cumulative Update 7 here; UM Language Packs can be found here.

This update resolves security issues that are described in December 2014 security update for Exchange Server 2013 Service Pack 1 and Cumulative Update 6.
Additionally, this update also resolves the issues that are described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) articles:

  • 3004235 Exchange Server meetings in Russian time zones as well as names of time zones are incorrect after October 26, 2014

  • 3012655 New-MailboxImportRequest causes unreadable characters when you import an ANSI format .pst file of Russian language

  • 3012652 CalendarProcessing cmdlet does not generate delegate permissions to universal security groups in Exchange Server 2013

  • 3009631 Advanced Find against the Sent Items folder in Outlook returns no result in Exchange Server 2013

  • 3009612 Outlook Web App shows organization details on the contact card beyond the scope of user ABP in Exchange Server 2013

  • 3009291 Shared mailbox cannot be opened in Outlook in an Exchange Server 2013 environment that has multiple domains

  • 3008453 Cannot edit or delete forms from the organizational forms library in Exchange Server 2013

  • 3008438 User who is trying to Log on to Exchange Admin Console is logged in to OWA instead

  • 3006672 Move request fails if the IsExcludedFromProvisioning option is true in Exchange Server 2013

  • 3005391 Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 5 breaks free|busy lookup from Exchange Online to Exchange Server 2007

  • 3003986 RejectMessageReasonText in transport rule appears in the user section of a DSN in Exchange Server 2013

  • 3001217 TLS 1.0 is hardcoded for SMTP traffic encryption in Exchange Server 2013

  • 3001037 Distribution group cannot send email messages to a mail enabled public folder in an Exchange Server 2013 environment

  • 2999031 A cross-forest mailbox move from Exchange Server 2007 to Exchange Server 2013 finishes with CompletedWithWarnings status

  • 2998144 New-MoveRequest cmdlet with RemoteLegacy parameter cannot perform a cross-forest mailbox move

  • 2988553 Add-ADPermission and Remove-ADPermission can be run outside the management scope in Exchange Server 2013

  • 2981538 Exchange Control Panel crashes when you proxy from Exchange 2013 to Exchange 2010

  • 3014051 Cannot migrate mailboxes in a multiple domains environment in Exchange Server 2013

  • 3012986 ContentIndexRetryQueueSize value for a passive node never drops to zero in Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 6

  • 3004011 Sound alerts do not work in Outlook Web App when new email or calendar notification is received in Exchange Server 2013

  • 3003580 Event ID 4999 and 4401 when the Microsoft Exchange Replication service crashes in Exchange Server 2013

  • 3003518 “550 5.7.1” NDR when you send messages to external recipients in an Exchange Server 2013 hybrid environment

  • 3003068 Cannot see online archive mailbox after you upgrade to Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 6

  • 3000944 Subfolders under the Deleted Items folder are not visible in Outlook in an Exchange Server 2013 environment

  • 2997847 You cannot route ActiveSync traffic to Exchange 2007 mailboxes after you upgrade to Exchange 2013 CU6

  • 2997355 Exchange Online mailboxes cannot be managed by using EAC after you deploy Exchange Server 2013 CU6

  • 2997209 Exchange Server 2013 databases unexpectedly fail over in a co-existence environment with Exchange Server 2007

  • 2995263 OAB cannot be rebuilt if the .flt file is larger than two GB in Exchange Server 2013

  • 2994216 PublicFolderMoveRequest deletes all read or unread state in target mailbox for each user in Exchange Server 2013

  • 2993871 Resource Booking Assistant crashes after you upgrade to Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 5

  • 2983216 Category setting on an item in Outlook jumps the selection to the top of the list in an Exchange Server 2013 environment

  • 2931223 MAPI virtual directory is missing from Default Web Site node

Block iOS devices with Block-IOS-Devices.ps1 Script

Microsoft keeps a list of problems: Current issues with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and third-party devices

After some problems at a customer i looked deeper at these problems.
Most problems come’s with iOS devices (iPhone and iPad)

Sow I made a list of al iOS versions (6,7 and 8) and there problems.

To keep this simple i created a powershell script: Block-IOS-Devices.ps1 or you can download it from the Technet Script Libary: Block iOS devices with Block-IOS-Devices.ps1 Script

image

Rapid growth in transaction logs, CPU use, and memory consumption in Exchange Server 2010, Exchange 2013 and Office 365 when a user syncs a mailbox by using an iOS 6.1-based or iOS 6.1.1-based device

Yesterday i was at customer who had problem dat transaction logs Rapid growl.
It was on a Exchange 2013 Server with CU5.

For Exchange 2010 there was released a KB http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2814847

This is still a issue for Exchange 2010, Exchange 2013 and Office 365.

Microsoft has al ready blocked IOS 6.1 – 6.1.1 devices at Office 365.

Server was OK…. But When i run Get-EASDeviceReport.ps1 i saw some IOS 6.1 devices. Sow we going to block this IOS versions.

Powershell:
New-ActiveSyncDeviceAccessRule -querystring “iOS 6.1 10B141” -characteristic DeviceOS -accesslevel block
New-ActiveSyncDeviceAccessRule -querystring “iOS 6.1 10B142” -characteristic DeviceOS -accesslevel block
New-ActiveSyncDeviceAccessRule -querystring “iOS 6.1 10B143” -characteristic DeviceOS -accesslevel block
New-ActiveSyncDeviceAccessRule -querystring “iOS 6.1 10B144” -characteristic DeviceOS -accesslevel block
New-ActiveSyncDeviceAccessRule -querystring “iOS 6.1.1 10B145” -characteristic DeviceOS -accesslevel block

Certain pages or windows don’t appear in Outlook Web App or in the Exchange admin center when using Google Chrome

When you use Google Chrome to access Outlook Web App or the Exchange admin center, you’re unable to perform certain actions because certain pages or windows don’t appear expected.
For example, you’re an admin and you want to change a custom attribute for a mailbox. You open the properties of the user, and then under Custom attributes, you click Edit.
However, the page that lists custom attributes doesn’t appear.

Update the policy settings for the browser. To do this, follow these steps.

  1. Click Start, type regedit in the search box, and then click regedit.exe.
  2. Locate, and then click the following registry subkey:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\EnableDeprecatedWebPlatformFeatures

    Note If the Google subkey is not present, create it manually. For steps on how to do this, see the More Information section of this article.

  3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click String Value.
  4. Type 1, and then press Enter.
  5. Right-click the 1 string value that you created, and then click Modify.
  6. In the Value data box, type ShowModalDialog_EffectiveUntil20150430, and then click OK.
  7. Exit Registry Editor.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/3001145/en-us?sd=rss&spid=16662

Microsoft Exchange 2013 Public Folder Directory Sync Support Scripts

Microsoft has recently updated the Microsoft Exchange 2013 Public Folders Directory Sync Support Scripts to version 15.00.1017.003.

Brief Description
Scripts to enable creation of public folder related objects in the O365 Active Directory and synchronization of public folder related Active Directory objects between on-premise and O365 directories.

Overview
Use this scripts if you need to do one of the following – – Initial creation of mail enabled public folder objects in the destination Active Directory for public folder migration from Exchange 2007 or 2010 to Exchange 2013 – Synchronization of mail enabled public folder objects from cloud to on-premise Active Directory – Synchronization of mail enabled public folder objects from on-premise to cloud Active Directory – Synchronization of public folder mailbox objects from cloud to on-premise Active Directory

Issues with Exchange 2013 CU6

On August 26 Microsoft released Exchange 2013 CU6, the sixth Cumulative Update since the new servicing model of Exchange.

Unfortunately this Update in is facing issues. Some customers found two issues with Exchange 2013 CU6:

Both issues were quickly identified by Microsoft and a fix is already available.

Performance issues or delays when you connect to Exchange Server 2013 that is running in Windows Server

Microsoft released a new KB article about a performance issue with Exchange 2013

When you connect to a Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 server that is installed in Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2008 in which Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 is included, you may experience delays to access email messages or disconnections to the Exchange server. When this issue occurs, the CPU or memory usage on the server is high for some services that include one or more of the W3wp.exe processes.

This issue occurs because too many objects are pinned on the .NET Framework 4.5 garbage collector heap. It causes heap fragmentation in addition to an increase in CPU and memory usage by the garbage collector.

Important Follow the steps in this section carefully. Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Before you modify it, back up the registry for restoration in case problems occur.

For Exchange Server 2013 that is installed in Windows Server 2012

Apply hotfix 2803755 that needs a restart, and then use one of the following methods to enable the hotfix:

  • Create the COMPLUS_DisableRetStructPinning environment variable, and set the value of the variable to 1.
  • Create a DWORDvalue of the DisableRetStructPinning entry at the following registry subkey, and set the DWORD value to 1:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\.NETFramework

Then, restart the computer.

For Exchange Server 2013 that is installed in Windows Server 2012 R2

Create a DWORDvalue of the DisableRetStructPinning entry at the following registry subkey, and set the DWORD value to1:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\.NETFramework

Then, restart the computer.

For Exchange Server 2013 that is installed in Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2008

Apply hotfix 2803754 that needs a restart, and then use one of the following methods to enable the hotfix:

  • Create the COMPLUS_DisableRetStructPinning environment variable, and set the value of the variable to 1.
  • Create a DWORDvalue of the DisableRetStructPinning entry at the following registry subkey, and set the DWORD value to 1:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\.NETFramework

Exchange 2013 Cumulative Update 6

The Exchange Team released Cumulative Update 6 for Exchange Server 2013 (KB2936880). This update raises Exchange 2013 build number to 15.0.995.29.

This Cumulative Update increases the Public Folder for Exchange On-Premises to 100,000. It also fixes the ‘Hybrid Configuration Wizard ‘Subtask Checkprereqs Execution Failed’ issue (2988229).

This Cumulative Update contains the following fixes:

2991934 Duplicate mailbox folders after migration to Exchange Server 2013
2983512 RPC Client Access service crashes on an on-premises Mailbox server in an Exchange Server 2013 hybrid environment
2983426 AutodiscoverSelfTestProbe fails when external URL is not set for EWS virtual directory in Exchange Server 2013
2983423 AutodiscoverSelfTestProbe fails when external URL is not set for ECP virtual directory in Exchange Server 2013
2983422 The ServerWideOffline component is set to Inactive after Exchange Server 2013 prerequisite check fails
2983207 “532 5.3.2″ NDR when you send an email message to a hidden mailbox in an Exchange Server 2013 environment
2983066 Removed Default or Anonymous permission for Outlook folders cannot be restored in an Exchange Server 2013 environment
2982769 “Topology service cannot find the OWA service” when you perform an eDiscovery search in Exchange Server 2013
2982763 Mail-enabled public folder accepts email messages from unauthorized users in an Exchange Server 2013 environment
2982762 OAB generation arbitration mailbox can be removed or disabled in an Exchange Server 2013 environment
2982760 The Enter key submits duplicate sign-in forms to Outlook Web App in an Exchange Server 2013 environment
2982759 You cannot access the archive mailbox of a delegated user after enabling MAPI over HTTP
2982017 Incorrect voice mail message duration in an Exchange Server 2013 environment
2981835 You cannot add attachments, delete or move many email messages in bulk in Outlook Web App
2981466 MAPI/CDO client cannot connect to Exchange Server 2013
2977279 You cannot disable journaling for protected voice mail in an Exchange Server 2013 environment
2975599 Exchange Server 2010 public folder replication fails in an Exchange Server 2013 environment
2975003 Calendar item body disappears in Outlook online mode in an Exchange Server 2013 environment
2974339 OAB generation fails if FIPS is used in an Exchange Server 2013 environment
2971270 Blank page after you sign in to Exchange Server 2013 EAC (formerly ECP)
2970040 Folder Assistant rule does not work correctly in an Exchange Server 2013 environment
2965689 EAS device cannot sync free/busy status if an item is created by EWS in an Exchange Server 2013 environment
2963590 Message routing latency if IPv6 is enabled in Exchange Server 2013
2961715 “Something went wrong” error in Outlook Web App may show an incorrect date
2958434 Users cannot access mailboxes in OWA or EAS when mailbox database is removed

Download Exchange 2013 Cumulative Update 6 here; UM Language Packs download here.

    Important update available for Exchange Server 2013 hybrid deployments

    An important update is now available to resolve issues customers are currently experiencing when using the Hybrid Configuration Wizard (HCW) to create a new or manage an existing hybrid deployment with Microsoft Exchange Server 2013.

    If you currently have an Exchange 2013-based hybrid deployment configured, you will not notice any issues unless you rerun the HCW as part of updating or managing your existing hybrid features. Unless you need to reconfigure your hybrid deployment, you can simply wait for the next update of Exchange Server 2013 (Cumulative Update 6) to correct this issue with the HCW.

    For Exchange 2013 organizations creating new or managing an existing hybrid configuration with the HCW, the following HCW error message indicates you are experiencing the issue this update addresses:

    Subtask CheckPrereqs execution failed: Check Tenant Prerequisites Deserialization fails due to one SerializationException: Microsoft.Exchange.Compliance.Serialization.Formatters.BlockedTypeException: The type to be (de)serialized is not allowed: Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.DirectoryBackendType

    If you experience this issue, contact Microsoft support to obtain the fix as documented in KB2988229. This fix requires Exchange Server 2013 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Cumulative Update 5 (CU5).

    Once the Interim Update (IU) is applied, customers can successfully run the HCW and complete configuring a hybrid deployment with Office 365.

    Exchange Tools

    Here I’ll share some free tools that can help simplify Microsoft Exchange deployment, troubleshooting, and administration. Some of the tools are simple—but still convenient—whereas others provide some powerful functionality.

    There are some tools you can use during deployment to ease the process and reduce issues in the future, tools you can use for troubleshooting to reduce down-times, and tools you can use during day-to-day administration to monitor server health and perform tasks.

    Microsoft Exchange Server Deployment Assistant

    Microsoft’s Exchange Server Deployment Assistant is an online tool that produces a custom step-by-step checklist you can utilize during a server installation or upgrade. It first asks you questions about your current and desired deployment environment, such as the deployment type (on-premise, cloud, or hybrid), migration questions, desired features/functionality, and other miscellaneous caveats that impact the installation or upgrade.

    Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyzer

    Microsoft’s Remote Connectivity Analyzer is a website with many tools to help test and troubleshoot connectively of Exchange servers, Outlook, Lync, OCS, Office 365, and POP, IMAP, and STMP email. Plus it offers downloadable Connectivity Analyzer Tools for local testing and a message header analyzer.

    PFDAVAdmin and ExFolders
    These are tools that enable you to perform tasks on Exchange public folders and mailboxes, such as checking or changing permissions. It can also connect to mailboxes, check the contents, and generate reports. PFDAVAdmin is for Exchange 2000, 2003, and 2007 and ExFolders is the updated version for Exchange 2007 and 2010 SP1 and later.

    Jetstress

    The Jetstress tool simulates disk I/O load on your server, allowing you to specify the amount of simulated Exchange users and profiles. This can help you verify the performance and stability of your server before installing Exchange and putting it into production-use.

    Exchange Server Role Requirements Calculators

    These are calculator tools that give sizing recommendations for your particular Exchange server roles for both client access and mailbox. The 2010 version is focused on mailbox calculations while the 2013 version includes recommendations on sizing Client Access servers too.

    Exchange Environment Report

    This Exchange Environment Report tool is from Steve Goodman and is a PowerShell script that generates an automatic overview of your Exchange environment. It supports Exchange 2003, 2007, 2010 and 2013 servers and database availability groups. It reports the number of and details about the servers, mailboxes, roles, and versions. It also gives you useful status on the Database Availability Groups (DAG) and non-DAG databases.

    Exchange Reports

    Exchange Reports offers reports on overall information about your Exchange Environment, supporting Exchange 2010 & Exchange 2013. You can keep an eye on configuration changes and status with Group Reports, Single Group Information, Mailbox Report, Single Mailbox Information, Message Tracking, and Environment Report.

    The program doesn’t require any installation, but requires .Net 4.0, Powershell 2.0, and Remote Powershell access to the Exchange Server. Reports can be saved in history and also exported to Excel.

    Microsoft Exchange Server MAPI Editor (MFCMAPI)

    Microsoft’s Microsoft Exchange Server MAPI Editor (MFCMAPI) tool provides access to MAPI stores, useful when troubleshooting Exchange and Outlook issues, which can serve as a replacement to the old Microsoft Exchange Server Information Store Viewer. You can open and navigate through the message stores that are exposed through MAPI.

    Free Exchange Monitor

    The Free Exchange Monitor from SolarWinds supports Microsoft Exchange Server 2000 and 2003. It keeps tabs on the Exchange server stats, services, mail queue sizes, and host server health. In addition to notifying you of outages it can be useful in troubleshooting Exchange server problems and even help with pro-active monitoring, for instance detecting growing mail queues that can indicate bigger issues like transport failures, Internet connection failures, and virus activity.

    Free Exchange Monitoring

    This is another monitoring application, but from ManageEngine and supports Exchange Server 2003, 2007, 2010, and 2013. It gives stats on server health and Exchange services. It also provides details on the client access server, transport, Active Sync counters, and delivery aspects. You can generate real-time performance reports to be downloaded or emailed in PDF format.

    Exclaimer Outlook Photos

    Exclaimer Outlook Photos can help you import staff photos into the Active Directory so they’ll show up in the Outlook People Pane, SharePoint profile, and on Microsoft Lync. It can auto-match pictures from a batch to names or other data in Active Directory, and even automatically crop and center the photos as well.

    Certificate Manager for Exchange 2007

    Exchange 2007 enables SSL within IIS by default, but creating and managing SSL certificates via PowerShell commands can be confusing. However, the Certificate Manager for Exchange 2007 from U-BTech eases the process with a GUI.

    You can generate an Exchange 2007 Certificate Signing Request and process the Certificate Authority and enable certificates for Exchange 2007 Services (POP, IMAP, SMTP, IIS, UM). Plus you can include additional subject names in a single certificate. It supports import and exporting as well.

    Exchange PST Capture

    Exchange PST Capture from Microsoft will search your network for PST files and then import those files to mailboxes in your organization. It supports both on-premises Exchange Server 2010 and 2013 and Exchange Online. This tool can help, for instance, during the initial deployment of an Exchange Server, to move local Outlook data files into the Exchange Server.

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