How to Upgrade Outdated Exchange Server to the Latest CU?

Microsoft Exchange Server is a mission-critical platform that provides email messaging and calendaring companies. It is very important strengthen the server safety and preserve the server up to date with the most recent safety updates to patch the vulnerabilities that attackers might exploit to achieve entry to your servers and community.  

Microsoft offers Safety Updates for the most recent two Cumulative Updates (CUs) launched for Change 2013 and later variations. Prolonged assist for Change 2010 ended again in October 2020. Thus, in case your group is working an outdated Change Server model or CU, it’s essential to instantly replace your server to the most recent CU to proceed receiving the most recent Safety Updates (SUs).

On this article, we have now shared the most effective practices and the steps to improve an outdated Change Server to the most recent Cumulative Replace (CU).

Finest Practices for Upgrading Change Server

Comply with these finest practices to keep away from points throughout or after the Safety Replace or Cumulative Replace.

• Set up and take a look at the CU in a non-production setting first. This may enable you to detect bugs and keep away from any points later which will adversely have an effect on your manufacturing server.
• All the time take a verified VSS backup earlier than updating or upgrading the Change Server. This may enable you to restore if something goes unsuitable.
• All the time backup all of your customizations, reminiscent of IIS settings, OWA customizations, and so on., as they could not survive the replace.
• All the time use an elevated command immediate to put in the Cumulative Replace and Safety Updates.
• Earlier than upgrading or updating the Change Server, disable the anti-virus software program.
• Restart the server as soon as the improve is completed and take a look at it.

Steps to Improve Change Server to Newest CU

Upgrading Change Server is neither complicated nor easy. The entire improve course of depends upon whether or not the Change Server CU conditions are fulfilled or not earlier than starting the method.

In case you are upgrading from an unsupported CU to the most recent CU and no intermediate CUs can be found, it’s essential to replace the .NET framework to the most recent model, supported by your Change Server model. Then improve the server to the most recent CU. Nevertheless, Microsoft does not claim that an improve failure is not going to happen utilizing this methodology.

But it surely’s nonetheless essential to improve your Change Servers to the most recent CU. The next steps would enable you to to finish the improve course of efficiently and probably with out encountering any error.

Step 1: Verify Your Change Server Construct

Verify your present Change Server construct earlier than downloading the most recent CU for the improve. For this, open Change Administration Shell (EMS) and run the next command:

Get-ExchangeServer | Format-Listing Title,Version,AdminDisplayVersion

This may show the present CU put in and working in your Change Server.

Word: In case your group is working Change Server 2010, think about organising and migrating your group from Change 2010 to the most recent supported Change Server version, reminiscent of Change 2013, 2016, or 2019.

Step 2: Obtain the Newest Change Server CU

Go to the Exchange Server build number and release dates web page to obtain the most recent Change Server 2013, 2016, or 2019 CU launch in your server. You needn’t obtain or set up intermediate CU even when they’re accessible. You may instantly improve from any CU model to the most recent model as CU is a full set up of Change, together with all beforehand launched safety updates and options.

Earlier than downloading the CU, select the proper language from the Choose Language dropdown.

If the downloaded CU is in .exe file format, you could observe the following step to put in it. Nevertheless, if the CU is an ISO file, right-click on the CU ISO file and select Mount.

Step 3: Put the Change Server in Upkeep Mode

To place the Change Server in upkeep mode for CU improve, observe these steps:

1. Set HubTransport Service to Drain State

For this, open Change Administration Shell (EMS) after which execute the next command:

Set-ServerComponentState -Identification “ServerName” -Element HubTransport -State Draining -Requester Upkeep

2. Put Server in Upkeep Mode

Set-ServerComponentState “ServerName” -Element ServerWideOffline -State Inactive -Requester Upkeep

3. Confirm Upkeep Mode

To verify the server is switched to upkeep mode, run the next command within the EMS.

Get-ServerComponentState -Identification “ServerName”

The state for all parts, besides Monitoring and RecoveryActionEnabled, needs to be Inactive.

Step 4: Replace Lively Listing and Schema

Use /PrepareAD to arrange the Lively Listing forest in your present Change Server. If required, it’s also possible to lengthen the schema utilizing the /PrepareSchema command.

The steps are as follows:

• Launch Command Immediate (CMD) as administrator.
• Then execute the next command in CMD window to navigate to the situation the place .exe or ISO is mounted after which put together the Lively Listing for CU improve.

cd <PathToMountLocation or .EXE>

.\Setup.exe /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms_DiagnosticDataON /PrepareAD /OrganizationName:”<Group title>”

Run the next command in the identical Command Immediate window to improve the schema.

.\Setup.exe /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms_DiagnosticDataON /PrepareSchema

As soon as accomplished, you possibly can transfer to the following step.

Step 5: Set up .NET Framework

The most recent CU launched for Change Server 2013, 2016, and 2019 requires .NET Framework 4.8. Obtain the .NET 4.8 framework and observe these steps to put in it.

• Proper-click on the .NET-4.8-framework.exe file and choose Run as administrator.
• As soon as put in, reboot the server.

Step 6: Improve Change Server to Newest CU

To improve Change Server, right-click on the Setup.exe file and select Run as administrator. Then observe the wizard to put in the CU and improve the Change Server.

It’s possible you’ll use unattended mode to put in and improve your outdated Change Server to the most recent CU. For this, open the elevated Command Immediate window and execute the next command:

.\Setup.exe /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms_DiagnosticDataON /m:improve

Step 7: Flip Off the Upkeep Mode

After the profitable CU improve, reboot the server, re-import all of your saved customizations, after which disable the upkeep mode by executing the next instructions:

Set-ServerComponentState “ServerName” –Element ServerWideOffline –State Lively –Requester Upkeep

Set HubTransport part to Lively state.

Set-ServerComponentState “ServerName” –Element HubTransport –State Lively –Requester Upkeep

To verify whether or not the server is out of upkeep mode, run the next command.

Get-ServerComponentState –Identification “ServerName”

The ‘Lively’ Element state signifies that the server is out of the upkeep mode. When you see some parts within the Inactive state, you need to use the next command to set them as Lively.

Set-ServerComponentState “ServerName” –Element “ComponentName” –State Lively –Requester Upkeep

Step 8: Reboot the Change Server

After putting in and updating your Change Server to the most recent CU, run the next command to confirm:

Get-ExchangeServer | fl Title,Version,AdminDisplayVersion

It’s possible you’ll now obtain and set up the most recent Safety Updates accessible in your Change Server model to patch the vulnerabilities and safeguard the server from menace actors.

When you encounter an error whereas or after upgrading to the most recent CU or SU, seek advice from this Microsoft article. Nevertheless, if the error is not fastened, the server fails to start out, or the database will get broken or corrupt through the CU improve or SU replace course of, use an Change recovery software, reminiscent of Stellar Restore for Change. Change Server Restoration software program can recuperate mailboxes and restore them out of your failed server to a different reside Change Server or Workplace 365 instantly.

Conclusion

An outdated Change Server poses an important threat for any group. It’s an open invitation for menace actors to infiltrate and compromise the susceptible Change server or community to steal confidential data or encrypt knowledge for a ransom. So, preserve the server up to date with the most recent security updates to stay safe and protect your servers from on-line threats and malicious assaults. Nevertheless, it’s essential to improve your Change Server to the most recent supported Cumulative Replace to obtain the most recent safety updates. By following the steps mentioned on this information, you possibly can improve your outdated Change Server to the most recent CU. Nevertheless, the improve course of might not be easy and fail because of unexpected causes. Thus, it is essential to take a backup earlier than starting the improve course of.