Article ID: 937194
Article Last Modified on 6/18/2007
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Enterprise Edition
INTRODUCTION
This article describes the product service strategy that Microsoft uses to help support Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.
MORE INFORMATION
Overview
The way that we service Exchange 2007 differs from the way that we service earlier versions of Exchange. This new service method offers many advantages over earlier methods. This method differs from earlier methods with regard to the following:
- Update contents
- Installer technology
- Fixes that are included
This article describes these differences. Additionally, this article contains information about how you can best deploy updates for Exchange 2007.
Engineering improvements
To understand the advantages of our new service method, it may be helpful to understand how updating works for versions of Exchange that are earlier than Exchange 2007.
When we create an update or a hotfix for earlier versions of Exchange, one or more of the binary files that are included in the update or that are included in the hotfix are cumulative. That is, they are cumulative with regard to the contents of the files. They are not cumulative with regard to the whole Exchange product.
For example, if a hotfix contains a version of the Store.exe file that was created on January 01, 2007, that hotfix will contain all the changes that have been made to the Store.exe file up to January 01, 2007. However, that hotfix may not contain updates to the Exsmtp.dll file.
With Exchange 2007, each update rollup package is cumulative with regard to the whole product. Therefore, if you apply an update rollup package to Exchange 2007, you apply all the fixes that are contained in that update rollup package. This includes all the fixes that are contained in each earlier update rollup package.
For example, you apply an update rollup package that is named "Update Rollup 2 for Exchange Server 2007." In this scenario, you receive all the fixes that are contained in "Update Rollup 2 for Exchange Server 2007" as expected. However, you also receive all the fixes that are contained "Update Rollup 1 for Exchange Server 2007."
Some administrators may want to apply the fewest number of changes as possible. For example, an administrator may not want to apply any updates other than those that are required to fix the particular problem that he or she experiences with Exchange. Although this update method works well in a contained environment, we have found that these individual updates are difficult to test and to verify in an Exchange environment. This is true after many of these individual updates have been created. This method can create an environment in which each installation of Exchange may differ. This is also true when an administrator applies multiple fixes at the same time. In this kind of environment, you are more likely to experience interoperability issues with Exchange.
Exchange 2007 has an integrated, automated test product that is created alongside the shipping product. Therefore, we have a much better ability to test the end-to-end Exchange system than we previously had. When we create a cumulative update rollup package, we create a test product alongside that update rollup package. If the test product is successful, we know that the quality of the update rollup package is better than the quality of the original version of Exchange 2007. This is true because all the original tests must pass. Also, the added tests that we implement for any new fixes that are contained in the update rollup package must pass.
Additionally, we deploy each update rollup package in the Microsoft corporate IT environment before we release it publicly. This helps make sure that any issues that may be missed during the testing process are discovered when the update rollup package is deployed to many Exchange 2007-based servers in a production environment.
Note This method of updating Exchange 2007 is not intended to replace service packs for Exchange 2007. We still deliver additional product updates and features in service packs that are available separately for Exchange 2007.
Installer technology
You may notice many changes in the way that update rollup packages are installed . These changes include but are not limited to the following:
- The installation program that is used
- The number of files that are installed
- The file sizes
We do not use the Update.exe program for update rollup packages. Instead, we use Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI). Additionally, the number of files is much larger than the number of files in the earlier individual updates that were shipped for Exchange. Also, the overall size of each update rollup package is much larger than the size of the earlier individual updates that were shipped for Exchange.
This behavior occurs for the following two main reasons:
- The update rollup packages are cumulative updates that contain earlier updates.
- Exchange 2007 contains much new managed code.
Because an update rollup package is cumulative, you have to install only the latest update rollup package to bring Exchange 2007 up-to-date. This feature gives you additional flexibility. It also makes it easier to administer the Exchange servers. This is true because you must deploy an update rollup package only after you verify that the package will improve the overall stability of the Exchange installation or the overall security of the Exchange installation.
Managed code contains many dependencies between binary files. Sometimes, a single change in a core binary file requires many other files to be included in a particular update. This behavior causes the size of the update rollup package to increase. However, this behavior also simplifies and improves the management of Exchange 2007. For example, if you have to debug Exchange 2007, Microsoft support personnel can more easily align a symbol debugger.
Note In this scenario, symbol alignment is easier because Exchange is running on an easily identifiable release. There is no unique set of individual updates and symbols. For example, the Exchange installation is running the release version of Exchange 2007, the release version together with Update Rollup 1 for Exchange Server 2007, and so on.
Update deployment order
Our test infrastructure helps guarantee that our updates work among multiple server roles. Therefore, you do not have to apply an update rollup package in a required order to the Exchange servers that are running different roles. However, you should apply an update rollup package to each Exchange 2007-based server in your environment. This is true because the update rollups are not divided for use with different Exchange roles or for use with particular file configurations.
Information about 32-bit Exchange installations
In a production environment, Exchange 2007 is supported for use on x64-based systems. The only exception to this is the Exchange Admin-only role installation option. This option lets you run Exchange 2007 on a 32-bit system so that you can administer Exchange 2007 from a 32-bit Microsoft Windows XP-based computer. Additionally, you may want to evaluate Exchange 2007 by using a 32-bit version in a laboratory environment. Therefore, we provide a 32-bit version of each update rollup. However, we limit the testing of the 32-bit update rollup packages to that of the supported Admin-only role.
Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access customization information
Important When you apply an update rollup package, the update process modifies the Outlook Web Access directory names. Therefore, after you apply an update rollup package, you must re-create Outlook Web Access customization details. For example, you must re-create the company logo, custom forms, and so on.
Release schedule and distribution method information
We plan to release Exchange 2007 update rollup packages approximately every six to eight weeks. Update rollup packages will be available from Microsoft Update and from the Microsoft Download Center.
Interim updates
If you experience a critical problem with Exchange 2007, the fix process resembles the fix process of earlier versions of Exchange. We use the following process to help resolve the problem:
- You work with a Customer Support Specialist or with the Microsoft Escalation Services personnel to troubleshoot the problem.
- The Customer Support Specialist or the Microsoft Escalation Services person escalates the fix request to the Exchange Customer Experience Team.
- The Exchange Customer Experience Team creates an interim fix to resolve the problem.
- The Exchange Customer Experience Team offers this fix to help resolve the problem until the next scheduled update rollup package that contains the fix is released.
Note We deliver the interim fix under the same service-level agreement that is currently used. However, an additional agreement states that you must remove the fix when an update rollup package that contains the fix is released. Then, you must reinstall the fix by using the appropriate update rollup package. This agreement helps guarantee that the Exchange installation is restored to a known and quantifiable state as soon as possible.
Interim fixes (interim updates) and cumulative update rollup packages benefit from much of the same testing. However, an interim fix does not receive the comprehensive testing that we perform for an update rollup package. Additionally, an interim update is specific to a particular update rollup. For example, an interim update that we create to fix a problem in the release version of Exchange 2007 may not function correctly on an Update Rollup 2 for Exchange Server 2007 installation. Therefore, if you receive an error message when you try to install an interim update, you may be experiencing one of the following problems:
- You have another interim update installed.
- You are trying to install an interim update that was designed for a different update rollup package.
Interim update interaction with update rollup packages
If you have an interim update installed in Exchange 2007, you must remove the interim update before you apply the next update rollup package. To remove the interim update, use Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.
If you do not remove the interim update before you install an update rollup package, you may receive an error message when you try to install the update rollup package. You may also receive an error message when you try to install an earlier update rollup package after a later update rollup package has been installed.
The main technical reason why only one interim update installation is allowed is that all interim updates for a particular rollup package share the same build version.
This means that if you have an interim update installed, and if you enable a second interim update to be installed, any files that are common to both interim updates will not be installed when the second interim update is installed. Therefore, the fix may not be installed when the second interim update is installed.
The seemingly obvious alternative is for each interim update to have a unique build version. However, this condition would cause currently installed changes to be overwritten. This means that a previously installed fix would no longer function. To avoid these conditions, we have implemented a blocking strategy. This strategy lets only a single interim update be installed.
The fact that all interim updates for a particular rollup package share the same build version is also the technical reason for the following requirements:
- You must uninstall an interim update before you install an update rollup.
- You must install the correct update rollup before you install an interim update.
Keywords: kbhowto kbinfo KB937194
