Microsoft releases CU 9 for Exchange 2013

On June 16 2015, Microsoft released Cumulative Update 9 for Exchange Server 2013 along with Update Rollup 10 for Exchange Server 2010 and Update Rollup 17 (yes, that many already) for Exchange Server 2007.

Unfortunately for some, Update Rollup 9 looks like it's going to be another uneventful update —provided that no post-installation issues arise. Except for changing where Sent Items are stored when a message is sent as or on behalf of a Shared Mailbox, Microsoft reported no new features or changes in existing functionality. That is not too surprising, given that Exchange Server 2013 is now in its third year.

Of course, the impending release of Exchange Server 2016 later this year also has a hand in this. There is no doubt that Microsoft is now focusing on getting the new version ready for prime time, especially considering a public beta is expected sometime this summer. This being said, future updates will very likely continue to add and change features in Exchange Server 2013. One of these new features being the new Hybrid Configuration Wizard (discussed here). 

Below is a selection of fixes that are included in Cumulative Update 9, a complete list is available here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3049849.

• KB3060825: The MSExchangeDelivery service crashes when you receive an email message from a specific sender in Exchange Server 2013.
• KB2988660: Role assignment with custom-write scope fails in an Exchange Server 2013 environment.
• KB3040683: System WLM overrides do not work when you do on-premises installations in Exchange Server 2013.
• KB3040681: MapiExceptionTimeout error during a hierarchy synchronization process of multiple public folders in Exchange Server 2013.
• KB3049771: Outlook Web App logon page takes longer time than expected to time out in an Exchange Server 2013 environment.
• KB3050877: Emails that are sent as a secondary mailbox are not saved in the delegate's Sent Items folder in Exchange Server 2013.
• KB3055940: "Object reference not set to an instance" error when you install cumulative update in Exchange Server 2013.
• KB3056817: Update adds the Let me select the message option in Outlook Web App in an Exchange Server 2013 environment.
• KB3060825: The MSExchangeDelivery service crashes when you receive an email message from a specific sender in Exchange Server 2013.
• KB3068681: RPC encryption requirement is re-enabled for RPC Client Access Service after you upgrade server in Exchange Server 2013.
• KB3069501: Duplicate folders are created after a mailbox move in Exchange Server 2013 Enterprise.
• KB3071427: Outlook Web App still downloads web beacon contents when you forward email messages in Exchange Server 2013.

Next to these fixes, Cumulative Update 9 also includes the security patch for the vulnerability described in MS15-064. As discussed previously, the vulnerability allows an attacker to elevate his permissions and compromise the host system after which either the host system or other systems in the network of the host can be attacked. If you have deployed Cumulative Update 9 or you plan on doing so shortly, you do not need to manually install the security patch.

A word of warning, though: According to Tony Redmond, some customers reported issues after installing the security update. Given that this patch is included in the update, it remains to be seen if any issues will affect the stability of Cumulative Update 9 itself. If anything, this stresses the need to properly test any update before installing it into your production environment.

Along with Cumulative Update 9 for Exchange Server 2013, Microsoft also released Update Rollup 10 for Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 3 and Update Rollup 17 for Exchange Server 2007 SP3. Entirely as expected, these updates contain only little bug fixes; Update Rollup 17 only includes a single one!

Although only a few fixes are included in Update Rollup 10, they address some annoying issues, like:

• KB3069055: Various DAG maintenance scripts do not work in an Exchange Server 2010 environment.
• KB3057422: "MapiExceptionNoAccess: Unable to query table rows" error and some mailboxes cannot be moved (this occurred after installing UR8v2).

The fix described in KB3069055 is important from a monitoring perspective, too! Mailscape (our leading Exchange Monitoring & Reporting Solution) uses some of the built-in scripts to query Exchange for information, which is used to determine the state of the environment. If you have installed WMF 4.0 or are planning to, make sure to upgrade to UR10 first!