[German]At the moment everything is going wrong at Microsoft: They have just released Exchange 2019, but the platform (Windows Server 2019) on which this software could run has been withdrawn.
Advertising
Windows Server 2019 pulled
Windows Server 2019 had a very 'strange' release history. The product went directly from the test phase to general availability – there was no RTM phase. In the Server Blog (and in the Storage Blog) the availability announcement was made on October 2, 2018. Mary Foley has discussed this announcement in here ZDNet.com Microsoft's Windows Server 2019 never actually RTM'd: Here's why article.
And then came the disaster with the release of Windows 10 V1809, where Microsoft stopped the rollout due to the deleted user files (see Windows 10 V1809: Rollout stopped). Since October 12, 2018 there is a note in the Server Blog:
Updated on October 12, 2018: We have temporarily removed all media for Windows Server 2019 and Windows Server, version 1809. We have also paused the rollout of the latest feature update to Windows 10 inclusive of versions 1809, as we are investigating isolated reports of users missing some files after updating. If you have already downloaded media, please don't install it and wait until more information is available to proceed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We will provide an update when refreshed media is available. For reference, we also have a support article with additional information.
So Windows Server 2019 has been pulled – and till the date, when I wrote this blog post, that product hasn't been re-released.
Office 2019 Server products released
On October 22, 2018 Microsoft announced the release of its Office 2019 Server products (Exchange 2019, Sharepoint 2019, Skype Server 2019 etc.).
Today we're pleased to announce the release of Exchange Server 2019, Skype for Business Server 2019, SharePoint Server 2019, and Project Server 2019. These four servers round out the Office 2019 release, a wave of product updates that started with the Office 2019 client apps released at Ignite in September. The Office 2019 servers have been in commercial preview since July.
Jared Spataro writes within the release announcement about Exchange Server 2019:
Advertising
Exchange Server 2019
Exchange Server 2019 includes scale and performance enhancements, new and improved search powered by Bing technology, new options to restrict the forwarding of meeting requests, and increased control over "out of office" settings. Exchange Server 2019 requires Windows Server 2019. At the time of publication, all media for Windows Server 2019 and Windows Server version 1809 have been temporarily removed from market as we work through a product quality issue. We will provide an update when refreshed media is available and will ensure that all Office 2019 services are fully compatible with the newly refreshed version. Learn more about Exchange Server 2019 here.
The funny point about the release: According to the above text, Windows Server 2019 is a prerequisite for Exchange Server 2019. Ergo: Microsoft proudly releases its Office 2019 Server products, but at least for Exchange Server 2019 there is no platform to deploy this product.
Microsoft releases Exchange 2019 but there's no way to deploy it yet: It requires Windows Server 2019, which remains in limbo. https://t.co/gXYnvU7kLX
— Gregg Keizer (@gkeizer) 23. Oktober 2018
Gregg Keizer has picked it up in an article at ComputerWorld and points out the dilemma in the above tweet. What's going on at Microsoft at the moment? Doesn't the left hand know what the right hand is doing? Or do the product groups have such pressure that they release everything regardless of losses?
Advertising
I've got a question about new options for Out of Office feature. They are already works on Exchange Online, but on Exchange 2019 they are unavailable.
When I say that they are unavailable I mean that documentation of Set-MailboxAutoReplyConfiguration says that new options(AutoDeclineFutureRequestsWhenOOF for example) are available only on Exchange Online and when I try to use these options I get next error: "A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name ".
But microsoft's documentary says that they are available in Exchange 2019, you can see that in "Calendar – Better Out of Office" section on what's new page: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/new-features/new-features?view=exchserver-2019.
Do someone know something about that? Or maybe I do something wrong?