How to upgrade or install Exchange 2013 SP1

SP1

Exchange 2013 SP1 is available since few days (cf this news to see the news features). So now it is time to see how to install it.
Even if the installation/upgrade is not complexe before you start to install Exchange 2013 SP1, you should do a backup (baremetal backup or a snapshoot of your VM).

Most of time servers are multiroles but if you have mono roles (only CAS or Mailbox) you must update your Mailbox servers first then your CAS.

My Lab is just 2 Multiroles server, 1 CAS and 1 mailbox.

• 2013EXC01 = CAS + MBX
• 2013EXC02 = CAS + MBX
• 2013EXC03 = CAS
• 2013EXC04 = MBX

Upgrade and prepare Active Directory

The first thing to do is to upgrade the schema of your Active Directory and prepare your domain. We will use Powershell to do this. You need to have enought right on you AD and Schema to do it.

setup.exe /PrepareSchema /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms
setup.exe /PrepareAD /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms

Prepare the Mailboxes Server

I start to upgrade the 2013EXC04. 2013EXC02 will receive the messages. In a second step I will do 2013EXC02 (2013EXC01 will receive the traffic), then I will update 2013EXC04 (mailbox server, no CAS role on this one). And I will finish by 2013EXC03 because it a CAS only.

Pass in maintenance mode :

Set-ServerComponentState $env:COMPUTERNAME -Component HubTransport -State Draining -Requester Maintenance
Redirect-Message -Server $env:COMPUTERNAME -Target 2013EXC02.gsx.com

Stop replication if your mailbox server are in a DAG (skip this step if your servers are not DAG members)

Suspend-ClusterNode $env:COMPUTERNAME
Set-MailboxServer $env:COMPUTERNAME -DatabaseCopyActivationDisabledAndMoveNow $True
Set-MailboxServer $env:COMPUTERNAME -DatabaseCopyAutoActivationPolicy Blocked

Stops the server from acknowledging load balancer heartbeats and disables all proxy services.

Set-ServerComponentState $env:COMPUTERNAME -Component ServerWideOffline -State Inactive -Requester Maintenance

Upgrade or Install Exchange 2013 SP1

ok now it’s time to upgrade to Exchange 2013 SP1. If you still not have the SP1 you can get it here. You can start the GUI to upgrade or use the PowerShell :

Setup.exe /m:Upgrade /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms

Congratulaion you just install Exchange 2013 SP1.,,but it’s not over. At this point you have to reboot your server.

Finish your installation/Upgrade

Now you have to return in production (yes you’re still in “maintenance mode”). Pass those PowerShell command :

Set-ServerComponentState $env:COMPUTERNAME -Component ServerWideOffline -State Active -Requester Maintenance

if your server is a DAG member like me you have to restart the replication :

Resume-ClusterNode $env:COMPUTERNAME
Set-MailboxServer $env:COMPUTERNAME -DatabaseCopyActivationDisabledAndMoveNow $False
Set-MailboxServer $env:COMPUTERNAME -DatabaseCopyAutoActivationPolicy Unrestricted

and you will finish with this command to restart the transport service on you mailbox server :

Set-ServerComponentState $env:COMPUTERNAME -Component HubTransport -State Active -Requester Maintenance

Check your installation

check all the components of your server. They should be “Active”

Get-ServerComponentState $env:COMPUTERNAME | Format-Table Component,State -Autosize

Check you replication. The state must be “Up”

Get-ClusterNode $env:COMPUTERNAME | Format-List

If you got it, check with GSX Monitor the status of the EWS, the status of the server in the main view should be OK. If it is the case that mean your DAG is running, your queues are running and you mail flow is OK. If you don’t have it…you should 

At this step you have to do others mailbox then your CAS.