Hi All,

Here's a heads up for those of you running Exchange 2007. This KB article describes a change in the product service strategy (i.e. update rollups and hotfixes (now called interim updates)) for Exchange 2007.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=937194

At a high level,

  • Service Pack strategy remains the same
  • Each update rollup (UR) will be cumulative
    • Each UR contains all previous UR changes and thus only the latest UR needs to be installed
    • URs should be installed on all Exchange servers, since there is no differentiation made to the role
    • After installing an UR, you must recreate any OWA customization (company logo, custom forms, etc.)
    • UR plans indicate a release approximately every 6-8 weeks
    • URs will be available both from Microsoft Update and the Microsoft Download Center
  • Interim updates (IU) are stand alone
    • Generally, only one IU at a time will exist on a server
    • To install a different IU, you must uninstall any previous IU
    • To install an UR, you must uninstall any previous IUs
    • IUs are tied directly to build levels, service packs and URs
    • Special builds will have to be initiated if you require two unique IUs to be installed at the same time

There are some very valid and logical reasons for this change and they are detailed in the KB.  However, it will require a change in your processes that must be taken into account for administrators. 

Nick.