Last week we released Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1. It has received some great feedback and reviews from customers, experts, analysts, and the Exchange community.
The starting point for SP1 setup/upgrade should be the What's New in SP1, SP1 Release Notes, and Prerequisites docs. As with any new release, there are some frequently asked deployment questions, and known issues, or issues reported by some customers. You may not face these in your environment, but we're posting these here along with some workarounds so you're aware of them as you test and deploy SP1.
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Upgrade order: The order of upgrade from Exchange 2010 RTM to SP1 hasn’t changed from what was done in Exchange 2007. Upgrade server roles in the following order:
- Client Access server
- Hub Transport server
- Unified Messaging server
- Mailbox server
SP1 Prerequisites: SP1 requires the installation of 4-5 hotfixes, depending on the operating system – Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2008 R2. To install the Exchange 2010 SP1 administration tools on Windows 7 and Windows Vista, you requires 2 hotfixes.
Prerequisite download pages linked from SP1 Setup are unavailable: When installing Exchange Server 2010 SP1 the prereq check may turn up some required hotfixes to install. The message will include a link to click for help. Clicking this link redirects you to a page saying that the content does not exist.
The Missing Exchange Management Shell Shortcut: Some customers have reported that after upgrading an Exchange Server 2010 server to Exchange 2010 SP1, the Exchange Management Shell shortcut is missing from program options. Additionally, the .ps1 script files associated with the EMS may also be missing.
Upgrading Edge Transport on Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) and Forefront Protection for Exchange 2010: If you upgrade a server with the Edge Transport server role running with ForeFront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) and ForeFront Protection for Exchange (FPE) enabled for SMTP protection, the ForeFront TMG Managed Control Service may fail to start and E-mail policy configuration settings cannot be applied.
Static Address Book Service Port Configuration Changes: The location for setting the port the address book service should use has changed in SP1. In Exchange 2010 RTM you had to edit the Microsoft.exchange.addressbook.service.exe.config to configure the service port.
iPhone, OWA Premium and POP3 & IMAP4 issues due to invalid accepted domain :
Error when adding or removing a mailbox database copy: If a server running Exchange 2010 RTM (or Exchange 2010 SP1 Beta) is upgraded to Exchange 2010 SP1, administrators may experience an error when using the Add-MailboxdDatabaseDopy or Remove-MailboxDatabaseCopy cmdlets to add or remove DAG members.
As part of my job as a full-time Microsoft watcher, I get a lot of tips about Microsoft from customers, competitors, partners and even some Softies themselves. However, ever since I worked for PCWeek as a reporter more than 15 years ago, I had it drilled into my head that until I could get three independent sources — none of whom was repeating something s/he heard in an echo chamber — to corroborate a tip, I couldn’t run it as a story.
Let’s start things off with a rumor that just won’t die — and one that is fitting to run on the day Apple announced a revamped iPod Touch line, plus social/streaming music capabilities along the lines of what Microsoft already offers with ZunePass.
I keep hearing from a source of mine who has been a solid tipster on Microsoft-consumerish things in the past that Microsoft is still considering rolling out at least one more Zune HD media player. Let’s call it, just for fun, the Zune HD2 (though maybe Zune HD7 (potentially stealing a good name away from HTC) is a more likely name, given the Softies’ love of all things numbered 7 these days).Last I heard, iIt was supposed to be Microsoft’s iPod Touch competitor.
Full Story at All About Microsoft
The Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) will release new improvements in November, 2010. We have reached out to many partners and customers around the world through Live Meetings, interviews, hands-on usability studies, forums, and events to gather input and feedback on how to improve the VLSC. We take this feedback seriously and are continually incorporating suggestions into the VLSC.
Improvements coming in November include:
- Offline access to licensing and relationship summaries.
- Enhancements to the Add Open License functionality. Introduced in April 2010, the Add Open functionality allows resellers to act on behalf of their Open License end customers to manage their licenses and provide downloads and keys. Changes will include:
- Resellers will be granted automatic access to the Authorization/License in the VLSC if their business e-mail address is included on the Open order form as the reseller.
- You may remember my earlier post about being sure to provide the correct contact information for your customer AND your correct information as the reseller when placing Volume License orders. If you are not providing your email address as the reseller in the “Reseller address” field when placing your Open License orders with your Microsoft Authorized Distributor, be sure to start doing so right now.
- Customers can request that reseller access be denied through a 1-click link on an e-mail notification.
Source
TMG can be configured in a Mail protection role. In such configurations Forefront Protection for Exchange and Exchange Server (edge transport role) are installed on the same machine as TMG.
We have identified problems when installing Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1 (SP1) that was released last week on such deployments.
Root cause
SP1 made some changes to the SDK including removing some of the existing cmdlets (see more information here).
When Email protection is configured on TMG and Spam Filtering functionality is enabled, TMG uses one of the cmdlets that has been removed (get-antispamupdates) in SP1. As a result, Microsoft Forefront TMG Managed Control service fails to start and the event viewer will contain a message that the service terminated with the following error : %%-2146233088 :
What we are doing to address this problem
The TMG team is fully committed to addressing this problem and is working on a fix which will be publically available soon. We recommend refraining from installing Exchange 2010 SP1 on TMG machines until the fix is available. We will publish another blog post when the fix becomes available.
If you are already affected by this problem and need urgent assistance, please contact Microsoft support (http://support.microsoft.com).
Source: ISABLOG
Today is the day that the Windows Phone team has been driving towards, and we’re very excited to say that we’ve reached the biggest milestone for our internal team – the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows Phone 7! While the final integration of Windows Phone 7 with our partners’ hardware, software, and networks is underway, the work of our internal engineering team is largely complete.
Windows Phone 7 is the most thoroughly tested mobile platform Microsoft has ever released. We had nearly ten thousand devices running automated tests daily, over a half million hours of active self-hosting use, over three and a half million hours of stress test passes, and eight and a half million hours of fully automated test passes. We’ve had thousands of independent software vendors and early adopters testing our software and giving us great feedback. We are ready.
I last posted on this blog when we reached the Technical Preview milestone, and we’ve received some great feedback since then which we’ve been able to respond to and improve the smart design throughout the OS. For example, folks loved the Facebook integration in the People Hub, but they also wanted ways to filter their contacts so only the Facebook friends they really know will show up in their contact list – we’ve added support for that. We’ve also made it easy to “like” a post right from the People Hub, or quickly post a message to someone’s Facebook wall directly.
Full Story Here
Earlier today, Eurogamer Spain reported that the upcoming motion-sensing peripheral would not support Spanish-speaking users for its voice commands. According to Microsoft Spain's PR & Event Manager Lydia Pitzalis, the device's voice-recognition feature is only set to support users in the U.S., U.K., Mexico and Japan at launch. Other regions would see voice support added in Spring 2011.
Although Pitzalis also stated that Canadian users would be left without the feature, Microsoft has told Shacknews that this was a misunderstanding.
"In Canada, English voice controls for Kinect will be available on November 4, 2010, with French support available in Spring 2011," a Microsoft Canada representative told Shacknews.
Continue at Source
Deploying Windows 7, but still running Web applications based on Internet Explorer 6? Join us live at 9:00 AM Pacific Time on Thursday, September 30, 2010 for a virtual, interactive roundtable discussion on migration strategies, standards, and support for organizations moving from Internet Explorer 6 to Internet Explorer 8.
As organizations deploy Windows 7, many still depend on web applications that were designed for Internet Explorer 6. Will they still work, and what can you do when they don’t? Join a panel of IT Professionals, Microsoft specialists and technical experts to discuss best practices to simplify and accelerate the migration to Internet Explorer 8. Topics will include an explanation of the causes of and solutions for application compatibility issues (including policy, code, and virtualization solutions), an introduction to tools, and a review of best practices.
Ask your questions live during the event with our online tool - or submit your questions in advance to vrtable@microsoft.com.
Missed a previous Springboard Series Virtual Roundtable? Watch them on demand.
Some say the mouse’s days are numbered, but today Microsoft Corp. proves the gadget is alive and well by unveiling the Arc Touch Mouse, the first mouse designed to flatten for portability and pop up for comfort. The new mouse features Microsoft’s first touch scroll strip for easy navigation — just move a finger slowly for controlled scrolling or flick for hyperfast scrolling. Windows-based PC users will love packing up their laptop bags without the added bump of a mouse, as the Arc Touch Mouse flattens with just the touch of a finger.
As the computing landscape evolves to offer new ways of interacting, such as touch screens and touch pads, the mouse is also evolving but holds true to its core purpose: providing comfort and precision to users when navigating the PC.
“This is not the first time that the mouse has been threatened — look at 10 years ago when people started buying laptops that had integrated pointers and touch pads. Still, the mouse category continued to grow and grow,” said Brett Ostrum, general manager for the Hardware Group at Microsoft. “The reasons people need external mice will not change: comfort and precision. The Arc Touch Mouse just demonstrates again how committed Microsoft is to continuing to bring great new mice to consumers.”
Continue for the Press Release
We continue to see momentum for Internet Explorer 8 worldwide with the share numbers released today. Net Applications’ August browser usage share figures confirm that as IE8 moves into its 18th month, it remains the fastest growing browser worldwide. Internet Explorer 8 grew 1.17% to account for 32.04% of usage share worldwide – more than three times that of Chrome’s 0.36% share growth. Firefox remained largely flat for August with a slight gain of 0.02% worldwide.
An additional piece of encouraging news was the further drop of Internet Explorer 6, particularly in developed markets. As Net Applications is reporting that IE6 share is now at its lowest point ever, I thought it would be a good time to address how we think about the aging browser. As we have said in the past, one of our main missions is to get people off IE6 as fast as humanly possible. And while IE6 was a great browser for its time, we all need the web to move forward. First, this is good for developers who we want to be able to write the same markup across their sites. It’s good for consumers who should have the protections afforded by a modern browser. Finally, it’s good for the web, particularly as we look ahead to IE9 and begin to see what’s possible.
Full Story at Windows Team Blog
All summer long we’ve given you some great reasons to purchase a new PC and make the move to Windows 7, an operating system loved by a whopping 94% of folks who use it! Here’s one more: starting October 3 in the U.S., Windows 7 Family Pack will be available for purchase at participating retailers and online at the Microsoft Store.
Purchasing the Windows 7 Family Pack gives you three upgrade licenses of Windows 7 Home Premium for the low price of $149.99. To take advantage of Family Pack, you’ll need a PC running a genuine copy of either Windows Vista or Windows XP that is capable of running Windows 7. The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor can tell you which features and editions of Windows 7 will run on your computer(s).
For those of you who don’t live in the U.S., Family Pack may be coming your way too. It goes on sale in Canada, UK, Germany, France, Australia and many other markets on or after Oct. 22 (Windows 7’s 1 year anniversary!)
Source: WindowsTeamBlog
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