Exchange Server is quite common these days in corporate; not because it is associated with the brand name Microsoft, but because of flexibility, security, and portability of the mailboxes it features. In fact, when we talk about corporate, we can merely imagine that a large number of users will be there with each having a separate mailbox. At such a large level, the mailbox security must be equally high, which essentially relies on the version of Exchange server you are using.

Exchange Server Updates

Exchange Server 2013 is the most recent version of MS Exchange, the email client cum calendaring software cum contacts manager, which today is preferred the most for exchanging email messages across the network domain of the organizations. With the release of each new version of MS Exchange, Microsoft delivers fixes for the issues reported by millions of users across the world. In addition to the bugs fixed, these updates also bring many new as well as enhanced features.

Why Update is necessary?

Developers at Microsoft keep working on fixing the bugs and renovating the features that already exist in the products. Likewise, with each newly released update, Exchange Server gets its functionality enhanced and the bugs reported by consumers across the world fixed. Therefore, in case you are still using an obsolete version of Exchange Server, here is the time to upgrade to Exchange Sever 2013 for optimum security of mailboxes of the clients.

Exchange Server Cumulative Update 1

After making you waiting for so long, Exchange Server 2013 RTM Cumulative Update 1 finally got released, and is available to the web for download. Actually, CU1 was the debut update released after the new service model for Exchange Server 2013 is incorporated, and is the least edition of Exchange Server 2013 and the final build number is 15.0.620.29.

One of the significant features of CU1 (Cumulative Update 1) is that you do not require all the updates of the Exchange Server, but only the latest CU build if enough to deploy a new server. In other words, the CU update does not require rollup infrastructure like some of its previous versions did.

To install Exchanger Server 2013 RTM CU1, you need to do the following:

Prepare Active Directory

An Active Directory update is necessary before you upgrade or deploy the CU1 build onto the Server. Execute the following steps for those who carry diverse Active Directory Permissions model:

1. Execute setup.exe /PrepareSchema /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms because Exchange Server 2013 CU1 included change in the Schema.
2. Execute setup.exe /PrepareAD /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms because Exchange Server 2013 CU1 includes changes in enterprise Active Directory.
3. Execute setup.exe /PrepareDomain /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms in all domains in the Exchanger Server because Exchange Server 2013 CU1 includes changes in the permissions inside the domain partition.

Co-existence Pre-Deployment Step: OAB Verification

Installing Exchange Server 2013 Mailbox in an Organization that has Exchange Server already installed, a new Offline Address Book is created by default and the same is visible to all exchange clients. To prevent this to happen, configure your mailbox database to point to the existing OAB explicitly in the following manner:

1. In Exchange Management Console, track the following:

Organization Configuration > Mailbox > Database Management > Mailbox Database Properties > Client Settings

1. Run the following command to view multiple mailbox updates:

Get-MailboxDatabase | Where {$_.OfflineAddressBook -eq $Null} | FT Name,OfflineAddressBook -AutoSize

If no value returns, run the following command to see all mailbox databases in Exchange 2010 and 2007 without any default OAB.

Get-MailboxDatabase | Where {$_.OfflineAddressBook -eq $Null} | Set-MailboxDatabase -OfflineAddressBook (Get-OfflineAddressBook | Where {$_.IsDefault -eq $True})

Deploying the Server

You can continue Exchange Server co-existence journey with CU1 deployment once the preparatory steps are done. In case of debut Exchange 2013 deployment, you must have both Exchange Server 2013 Client Access and Exchange 2013 Mailbox Server. In case you want to upgrade to CU1 with Exchange 2013 RTM code deployed, run the following command:

setup.exe /m:upgrade /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms.

All cumulative updates deployed in the future will operate in a way similar to that of CU1.

Exchange Recovery

In case you stick to the obsolete version of Exchange Server, you may encounter different issues that only the newer version will fix efficiently. If you come across issues like mailbox inaccessibility, the cause may be corruption and you must go for Exchange recovery at the earliest. To get efficient results and avoid the risk of data loss, I recommend using commercial tool only.

Author Bio:

Amanda Lakai has been writing as a freelancer blogger since last three years. She is passionate to explore about the various Email recovery tips & tricks and various Email converter tools such as: GroupWise to Exchange Migrator, Thunderbird Mail Recovery, Exchange Recovery, Zarafa Recovery, Apple Mail to Outlook 2011 Converter, NSF to PST Converter and GroupWise to PST Converter etc. She loves to share her findings with the readers So that, they can enhance their knowledge-base and also use them in their daily life if required.