Exchange Server subscription coming: Microsoft shows licenses and new features
Microsoft's new roadmap shows how the Exchange Server will develop. In addition to new functions, the focus is primarily on the new Subscription Edition.
(Bild: iX)
An updated roadmap shows what's next for Exchange Server and what new features will be released. In it, Microsoft lists what is planned for the CU15 (Cumulative Update) for the 2019 version later this year, the Subscription Edition (SE) at the beginning of the third quarter of 2025 and the CU1 for the SE in October 2025. The SE is the next release of the Exchange Server, whose license model corresponds to the SharePoint Server Subscription Edition. Customers must therefore either have a suitable subscription license or an active Software Assurance contract as part of volume licensing. Furthermore, the SE is part of the Modern Lifecycle Policy, so Microsoft will update it continuously - provided there is sufficient demand.
CU15 = SE
Exchange Server 2019 will receive support for TLS 1.3 in CU15. Microsoft is also bringing back certificate management in the Exchange Admin Center (EAC). Administrators can use this to request new certificates from their provider, complete such a request after receiving a certificate, export certificates as RPX files and import them in the same way. Microsoft is also removing support for the Unified Communications Managed API 6.0 (UCMA) and the instant messaging feature in the web version of Outlook. Furthermore, the setup no longer installs the Message Queuing Component (MSMQ) for Windows.
Learn about the migration options from Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 or 2019 to Exchange Online. The workshop will give you an overview of how to prepare, initiate and overcome the challenges during the migration. Particular attention will be paid to hybrid migration for a smooth process and possible rollbacks. The workshop will take place online, further information and tickets are available at https://heise.de/s/1dVv.
Support for Windows Server 2025 will also be included in CU15 - as soon as the new operating system is released later this year. Alternatively, users can install the current Exchange Server on a Windows Server 2019 or 2022. Finally, new product keys that require different server roles can be used with CU15. Customers will be able to obtain them as soon as Exchange Server SE is released. The reason: The new SE is based exactly on the 2019 CU15 version (including the security updates distributed up to that point), apart from cosmetic changes such as the name and the build and version number.
Kerberos is coming
Users can therefore only expect new functions with CU1, which will follow shortly afterwards. It introduces Kerberos for server-to-server communication, which replaces NTLMv2 as the standard protocol for authentication between Exchange instances. The update also introduces a new Admin API and removes Remote PowerShell (RPS) - which has been discontinued for security reasons since the end of 2022 anyway. Outlook Anywhere (RPC over HTTP) will also disappear from Exchange; it was intended to allow users to access their emails without a VPN. This step also comes as no surprise; Exchange Online and Microsoft 365 already took this step several years ago. Extensions from third-party developers may be affected.
CU1 also removes support for older releases of Exchange used in parallel - from this point on, SE (apart from SE RTM) is the only supported version and blocks coexistence with older Exchange servers. In the new roadmap, Microsoft goes into corresponding detail about the upgrade path for different releases: Users should upgrade to version 2019 CU14 with Windows Server 2022 now if possible, only those who want to wait for Windows Server 2025 should only switch to Exchange Server 2019 CU15 when the new operating system is released. The upgrade to the SE follows directly from CU14 or CU15.
In the associated FAQs, Microsoft points out that Exchange 2016 and then Exchange 2019 will explicitly not receive extended support. Anyone using the former server should switch to the 2019 version as soon as possible in order to be able to use the SE for their on-premises installation directly afterwards. Microsoft explicitly excludes a direct upgrade from Exchange 2016 to SE.
Outlook
It was already clear that a new Exchange Server would arrive with the new licenses at the end of 2025. The tricky thing here is the short transition period: the SE will only be released shortly before the end of support for its predecessor. This predicament also results from the fact that Microsoft had canceled the Exchange Server expected for 2021. Due to the same code base, the changeover should at least not cause any technical difficulties. The change in the licensing model also comes as no surprise, as the provider only announced the Modern Lifecycle Policy at the end of April.
(fo)
