[German]Microsoft has released quarterly Exchange Cumulative Updates (CU) for April 20, 2022. The cumulative updates (CUs), which will now only be offered semi-annually, are available for Exchange Server 2016 and Exchange Server 2019. These CUs include fixes for customer-reported issues, all previously released security updates, and a new security feature.
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Release details and downloads
Blog reader Stefan just emailed me to alert me to the release (thanks for that). Microsoft has listed the updates in question on this web page:
- Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 12 (KB5011156), Download
- Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 23 (KB5011155), Download
The list of fixed issues can be found in the linked support articles KB5011156 and KB5011155. Microsoft recommends testing the updates in their lab environment before going through the installation process. CU 12 for Exchange Server 2019 and CU 23 for Exchange Server 2016 require .NET Framework 4.8. Security-related issues do not appear to have been fixed in these CUs.
Changes/New features in CU12/CU23
Additionally, there is a Techcommunity post Released: 2022 H1 Cumulative Updates for Exchange Server that provides more information.
Change in the service model
There is a change in the service model. Previously, CUs for Exchange were released quarterly. Customers complained to Microsoft that this was too frequent. It would prevent them from staying up to date (which is a requirement for Exchange hybrid customers). Customers have also told Microsoft that December is not a good time to release CUs, which is why no CUs have already been released in December 2021.
With the April 2022 release, Microsoft is moving the service model to semi-annual updates for Exchange. They will be released in the first and second half of each calendar year, with general target dates of March and September. However, the exact release dates will depend on quality, Microsoft writes. So updates may also be released in April, October or another month.
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Fall 2022: Only CU for Exchange 2019
The next CU will be released in the second half of 2022, serving only Exchange Server 2019 Mainstream support for Exchange Server 2013 and Exchange Server 2016 has ended. Microsoft intends to release security updates (SUs) as needed while these versions are in extended support.
A CU release every 6 months might be too long to wait for some updates. Therefore, Microsoft may also release hotfixes between CU releases.
Exchange Management Tools Update
Exchange Server 2019 CU12 includes an updated Exchange Management Tools role designed for the specific customer scenario where an Exchange server is running based on recipient management needs only. With the updated Management Tools role, it is no longer necessary to run an Exchange server for recipient management in this scenario.
Customers who have a single Exchange server that you use only for recipient management can install the updated tools on a domain-joined workstation, shut down your last Exchange server, and manage recipients using Windows PowerShell. For more information, see Manage recipients in Exchange Server 2019 Hybrid environments.
Hybrid Experience Updates
There are two changes for hybrid customers in Exchange Server 2019 CU12: One involves a change to Exchange Server licensing terms. Licensing now allows you to add a product key for Exchange 2019 Hybrid Servers at no additional cost. This was previously only available for Exchange 2010, Exchange 2013 and Exchange 2016.
CU12 also includes support for using MFA-enabled admin credentials with Hybrid Agent cmdlets. The Hybrid Management PowerShell module now works with MFA-enabled administrator accounts. This module includes several cmdlets described in the Techcommunity post that can now be used with MFA.
Other new features
CU12 also brings now support for running Exchange Server 2019 on Windows Server 2022 and in environments that use Windows Server 2022 Active Directory servers.
Windows Server 2022 also already uses Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.3 by default. TLS 1.3 encrypts data to create a secure communication channel between two endpoints. It eliminates outdated cryptographic algorithms, improves security over older versions, and aims to encrypt as much of the handshake as possible. Support for TLS 1.3 will be added in Exchange Server 2019 in 2023.
For details, see the Techcommunity post Released: 2022 H1 Cumulative Updates for Exchange Server and the support posts for the updates.
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Important notes from Microsoft regarding the Exchange server security update (March 2021)
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