Microsoft have released Exchange 2013 SP1 for download. The build number for this release is 15.00.0847.032. The compressed download is 1.6GB, and the extracted set of files is approx 5GB.
See the TechNet Blog post here: http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2014/02/25/exchange-server-2013-service-pack-1-available.aspx
There are a number of new features, with headline items being:
- Windows 2012 R2 support
- Return of the Edge Transport Role.
- Powershell logging for EAC cmdlets
- MAPI over HTTP (MAPI/HTTP). This is disabled by default, but if enabled allows for improved experience for Outlook users changing networks, or waking up from hibernation. Only available for Outlook 2013 SP1 clients.
- DAG with no administrative access point for Windows 2012 R2
- Improved OWA user experience
Exchange 2013 SP1 Bug Fixes
You can review the bug fixes that are also covered by this release, which is effectively Exchange 2013 CU4. See the KB page (with download link inside) here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2926248. Exchange 2013 SP1 is a full build release, and requires an Active Directory Schema upgrade, as per all Exchange 2013 CU releases. The next CU release for Exchange 2013 is CU5.
Exchange 2013 Edge Transport Role
We are most interested, from a migration point of view, in the re-appearance of the Edge Transport Role. Reading the Microsoft link for Exchange 2013 Edge Transport (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124701%28v=exchg.150%29.aspx) there does not seem to be detail on new features above what was available in Exchange 2010 Edge Transport. However, Edge Transport does provide useful features for a migration, such as Address Rewrite.
Exchange 2013 SP1 Migration Milestone
Exchange 2013 SP1 is an important milestone for those wanting to migrate off their current mail platform. SP1 is often treated as being the first production version of any Microsoft Exchange release – in my experience anyway. This means we expect a number of Exchange 2013 email migration projects to get underway now – at least after Exchange 2013 SP1 has been out for a few weeks, in case there are any issues with it.
As ever, if you need consulting for your email migration project to Exchange 2013 SP1, then please contact us.
