As a followup to Elizabeth's previous post I wanted to let you know that the "Preparing for daylight saving time changes in 2007" page has been updated with more information related to Exchange, Outlook, Windows and other products. Please keep checking that page for more information:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/timezone/dst2007.mspx

- Nino Bilic

We’ve heard your concerns and take them seriously. We’re looking into what we can do to improve this situation for you, nothing definitive yet but be assured we’re working on it and will post an update asap.
 
Update 11/30/2012: Please note, ExBPA content does not have multiple versions. Content (links from the ExBPA tool) may currently display "Exchange 2013" as the version, but it's the same content the ExBPA tool linked to earlier. The CMS team is working to fix this.

Quick note to inform you that we've updated Exchange TechNet Library. Starting today, if you've bookmarked an Exchange 2010 article in the library (for example, http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124558.aspx), it'll take you to the Exchange 2013 version of the article.

Note, if an Exchange 2013 version of the article does not exist, the URL will still take you to the Exchange 2010 version.

How do I get to documentation for previous versions?

1. Other versions menu You can still reach the Exchange 2010 version of a particular article by using the Other versions option right below the page title.

   

2. Append version info You can also get to the Exchange 2010 version of a particular article by appending version information (EXCHG.141) for Exchange 2010) at the end of the URL, right before the file extension (.aspx). So the Exchange 2010 version of the above URL will be http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124558(EXCHG.141).aspx. Please update your browser favorites/shortcuts and links in any blog posts if you still want them to point to the Exchange 2010 versions.

3. Navigation tree You can use the navigation tree (on the left side of each page) to easily navigate to documentation for each Exchange Server version.

   

4. Short URLs You can also get to the main documentation page for each Exchange Server version by using the following short URLs:

   • Exchange Server 2013 - aka.ms/ex2013docs
   • Exchange Server 2010 - aka.ms/ex2010docs
   • Exchange Server 2007 - aka.ms/ex2007docs

5. Download help files You can also download the standalone help files in compiled HTML format (aka CHMs) from the following locations:

   • Download Exchange Server 2013 help - aka.ms/getex2013docs
   • Download Exchange Server 2010 help - aka.ms/getex2010docs
   • Download Exchange Server 2007 help - aka.ms/getex2007docs

Bharat Suneja

11/12/2013: Post updated to show additional navigation options and links to help file downloads.

Earlier last year, we announced that Exchange 2010 Service Pack 3 would be coming in the first half of 2013. Later, we updated the timeframe to Q1 2013. Today, we're pleased to announce the availability of Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 3, which is ready to download.

Service Pack 3 is a fully slipstreamed version of Exchange 2010. The following new features and capabilities are included within SP3:

• Coexistence with Exchange 2013:Customers who want to introduce Exchange Server 2013 into their existing Exchange 2010 infrastructure will need the coexistence changes shipping in SP3.

  NOTE: Exchange 2010 SP3 allows Exchange 2010 servers to coexist with Exchange 2013 CU1, which is also scheduled to be released in Q1 2013. Customers can test and validate this update in a representative lab environment prior to rolling out in their production environments as an important coexistence preparatory step before introducing Exchange Server 2013 CU1.

• Support for Windows Server 2012: With SP3, you can install and deploy Exchange Server 2010 on computers that are running Windows Server 2012.
• Support for Internet Explorer 10: With SP3, you can use IE10 to connect to Exchange 2010.
• Customer Requested Fixes: All fixes contained within update rollups released before SP3 will also be contained within SP3. Details of our regular Exchange 2010 release rhythm can be found in Exchange 2010 Servicing.

In addition to the customer reported issues resolved in previous rollups, this service pack also resolves the issues that are described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) articles:

Note: Some of the following KB articles may not be available at the time of publishing this post.

2552121 You cannot synchronize a mailbox by using an Exchange ActiveSync device in an Exchange Server 2010 environment

2729444 Mailboxes are quarantined after you install the Exchange Server 2010 SP2 version of the Exchange Server 2010 Management Pack

2778100 Long delay in receiving email messages by using Outlook in an Exchange Server 2010 environment

2779351 SCOM alert when the Test-PowerShellConnectivity cmdlet is executed in an Exchange Server 2010 organization

2784569 Slow performance when you search a GAL by using an EAS device in an Exchange Server 2010 environment

2796950 Microsoft.Exchange.Monitoring.exe process consumes excessive CPU resources when a SCOM server monitors Exchange Server 2010 Client Access servers

2800133 W3wp.exe process consumes excessive CPU and memory resources on an Exchange Client Access server after you apply Update Rollup 5 version 2 for Exchange Server 2010 SP2

2800346 Outlook freezes and high network load occurs when you apply retention policies to a mailbox in a mixed Exchange Server 2010 SP2 environment

2810617 Can't install Exchange Server 2010 SP3 when you define a Windows PowerShell script execution policy in Group Policy

2787500 Declined meeting request is added back to your calendar after a delegate opens the request by using Outlook 2010

2797529 Email message delivery is delayed on a Blackberry mobile device after you install Update Rollup 4 for Exchange Server 2010 SP2

2800080 ErrorServerBusy response code when you synchronize an EWS-based application to a mailbox in an Exchange Server 2010 environment

For more details, see Description of Exchange Server 2010 SP3.

Exchange Team

Today on the Office blog we announced that service pack 1 for the 2013 set of products including Office, SharePoint and Exchange will be released early next year. We know our Exchange customers have been looking for confirmation of the release but also have a desire for an early look at what's coming with Exchange Server 2013 Service Pack 1 (SP1). So let's have a first look a few things you can expect to see in SP1. But wait… we haven’t released CU3 – well, news about CU3 is imminent - stay tuned for more information about CU3 coming very soon.

In this post we are highlighting a few of the notable improvements to be included in SP1. This isn't an all-inclusive list, so stay tuned for additional details as we approach release.

• Windows Server 2012 R2 Support First answering one the most common questions since the release of Windows Server 2012 R2. Exchange 2013 SP1 will add Windows Server 2012 R2 as a supported operating system for Exchange Server 2013 with SP1. Let your planning begin.
• S/MIME support for OWA Support for S/MIME in OWA will be brought back in SP1. With SP1 customers will have S/MIME support across Outlook, Exchange ActiveSync clients, and OWA.
• Edge Transport Server Role The Edge Transport server role for Exchange Server 2013 will be available with SP1.
• Fixes and Improvements Of course, SP1 will include fixes and improvements in areas you've helped us identity. SP1 is the first service pack issued in the new Exchange Server cumulative update release model - thus SP1 is essentially CU4. The installation of SP1 will follow the same process as the prior Exchange 2013 CU releases. SP1 will include all fixes included in previously released cumulative updates for Exchange 2013.

SP1 will require customers to update their Active Directory schema - customers should assume this requirement for all Exchange Server 2013 updates. Plan for this required update to quickly take advantage SP1 updates. Active Directory Schema updates for Exchange are additive and always backwards compatible with previous releases and versions.

On behalf of the Exchange Product Group, thanks again for your continued support. As always, let us know what you think!

Brian Shiers
Exchange Technical Product Manager

We’re approaching the one-year anniversary of the release of Exchange Server 2013. This is traditionally the time when people start asking questions like:

When is Service Pack 1 coming?
What’s the timeline for the next Exchange Server release?
What are you cooking up for the next version of Exchange?

This time around, we’re also hearing a few customers ask:

Will there be another version of Exchange Server?

We hope the answer to that question is obvious, but we wanted to go on record to make sure no one is confused. Here are the facts:

• The Exchange engineering team is hard at work developing the next version of Exchange.
• We expect the next on-premises version to be released according to our traditional release cadence (2-3 years after the previous version).
• Microsoft has no plans to stop delivering on-premises releases of Exchange.

It’s true that customers are shifting their Exchange deployments from on-premises to the cloud, and it’s true that we are investing heavily in Office 365. We’re fans of Office 365 because we’ve seen that when customers run email in our cloud, they save money, they get larger mailboxes, and they get faster access to our latest innovations. IT admins spend less time maintaining servers and more time lighting up features that make users happy. Running Office 365 also brings us real-world experience that helps us build a better on-premises product.

While we are enthusiastic about the cloud, we also understand that our customers will transition to the cloud at their own pace. Many customers will remain on-premises or in hybrid deployments for the foreseeable future, and we want to keep delivering our newest and best features to them. Fortunately, our development process allows us to do that. We have a single code base that serves both cloud and on-premises customers, so we can deliver innovation to both groups.

Our development strategy continues to focus on Office 365 as the initial platform where we roll out new features. This approach allows us to introduce and test new features at scale before including relevant functionality into on-premises updates. The benefits of the strategy can be seen in Exchange 2013, where features such as Managed Availability are directly based on work done to automate and improve our datacenter operations. If you want clues about what’s coming in the next version of Exchange Server, keep an eye on what’s happening in Office 365.

It’s an exciting time for messaging and collaboration. Today’s technology trends— cloud, mobile devices, social computing, machine learning—all have the opportunity to make email more useful and powerful. We’ve got some great stuff cooking, and we’re committed to bringing innovation to all of our customers, whether they choose to deploy Exchange in the cloud or on-premises. The Exchange product team and our customers have a 17+ year history of successfully navigating changes in IT architecture and management together. We look forward to continuing that tradition with you.

Perry Clarke
Corporate Vice President
Microsoft Exchange