Exchange Server 2007 Rollup 1 ready to roll

Microsoft has made available for download Exchange Server 2007 Update Rollup 1, several  performance and operational fixes for Exchange Server 2007.

The download of Exchange Server 2007 Rollup 1 can be obtained here.

Update Rollup 1 is not the same thing as Service Pack (SP) 1. Microsoft released to selected beta testers a first test build of Exchange Server 2007 SP1 earlier in April. The final version of Exchange Server 2007 SP1 is expected to go live later this year.

When Microsoft delivered Exchange Server 2007 in December, company officials said that Microsoft planned to introduce a new servicing model for Exchange as part of the latest release. In February, 2007, Microsoft officials clarified the differences between Exchange service packs and rollups. Officials explained:

"With this new model, when we ship a cumulative rollup, it will contain all hotfixes we have done since the last major milestone (read as RTM or last service pack). We can do this with a high level of confidence that we’re not introducing new problems because of our much more automated test system. So, for Exchange 2007, the process will be more controlled, better tested, and easier to keep a server up to date with all known problems fixed. We can confidently tell people just to stay on the latest rollup patch, and they’ll be as up to date as possible without reading through a myriad of documentation on exactly which patches to apply and which to skip over."

It's not clear (at least to me) how many rollups Microsoft is planning and whether rollups will also include the fixes that will be part of service packs. But it does sound like Microsoft is planning to introduce the rollup-date model across a variety of its products.

Guess we'll see whether and when rollups ultimately supplant -- or will perpetually suplement -- service packs as we roll forward.