Exchange Server 2019 is now available and can be downloaded from the Volume Licensing Service Center.
The Exchange speaking sessions at Microsoft Ignite were packed to the rafters, taking many by surprise, but also proving there's still a huge appetite for on-premises and hybrid solutions.
You can view the ‘Welcome to Exchange Server 2019' presentation here:
We'll soon be producing regular, insightful content, offering practical advice on maximizing the Exchange Server 2019 experience, and this page will act as a central hub for all related articles.
In the meantime, here's a brief overview of the new, enhanced features and what to expect:
Upgrading to Exchange Server 2019 requires the use of Windows Server 2019.
However, due to a bug that reportedly deleted user files, Microsoft has temporarily paused its release – meaning Exchange 2019 has been released but there's currently no way to deploy it.
The teething problems will surely be ironed out soon enough, and there will be the option to install on either ‘Windows Server 2019 with Desktop Experience' or ‘Windows Server 2019 Server Core', with Microsoft preferring the latter, touting it as the most secure choice. Exchange Server 2019 will also be compatible with version 1809 and future updates.
Performance levels have been given a significant boost, with Exchange Server 2019 capable of using 48 processor cores and 256GB of RAM. Search functionality has also been given a makeover, powered by Bing to provide faster, more accurate results.
Dual Storage read/write capabilities with SSD technology will also enable faster-than-ever data caching to improve the user experience.These developments promise to ensure Exchange 2019 will allow increased numbers of users per server.
Administrators have been granted new calendar features, with the ability to assign delegate permissions and manage events on user accounts. There are also new restrictions on the forwarding of meeting requests.
We look forward to getting to grips with Exchange Server 2019 and producing some hands-on user guides for our active community of IT professionals.
You can hear the initial thoughts of our editorial team here and don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any burning Exchange Server questions you'd love to see answered on the Practical 365 site.