Windows Management Framework 3.0 on Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2010
Published Dec 14 2012 11:37 AM 52.9K Views

Update 9/19/13: A side-by-side coexistence of PowerShell 3.0 and PowerShell 2.0 is supported starting with Exchange 2010 SP3. Note that Exchange 2010 will only use PowerShell 2.0 so PowerShell 2.0 is still a required component.

Recently, Windows Update began offering the Windows Management Framework 3.0 as an Optional update. This includes all forms of update distribution, such as Microsoft Update, WSUS, System Center Configuration Manager and other mechanisms. The key bit here is that the Windows Management Framework 3.0 includes PowerShell 3.0.

Windows Management Framework 3.0 is being distributed as KB2506146 and KB2506143 (which one is offered depends on which server version you are running - Windows Server 2008 SP2 or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1).

What does that mean to you?

Windows Management Framework 3.0 (specifically PowerShell 3.0) is not yet supported on any version of Exchange except Exchange Server 2013, which requires it. If you install Windows Management Framework 3.0 on a server running Exchange 2007 or Exchange 2010, you will encounter problems, such as Exchange update rollups that will not install, or the Exchange Management Shell may not run properly.

We have seen Exchange update rollups not installing with the following symptoms:

  • If rollup is installed through Microsoft Update, the installation might error with error code 80070643
  • If rollup is installed from a download, the error displayed is Setup ended prematurely because of an error.
  • In both cases, Event ID 1024 may be logged in the Application event log with the error error code “1603”. For example, if you try to install update roll 5 for Exchange 2010 SP2, you may see the following description in event ID 1024:
    Product: Microsoft Exchange Server - Update 'Update Rollup 5-v2 for Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 2 (KB2785908) 14.2.328.10' could not be installed. Error code 1603. Windows Installer can create logs to help troubleshoot issues with installing software packages. Use the following link for instructions on turning on logging support: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=23127

Our guidance at this time is that Windows Management Framework 3.0 should not be deployed on servers running Exchange 2007 or Exchange 2010, or on workstations with the Exchange Management Tools for either version installed. If you have already deployed this update, it should be removed. Once you remove the update, functionality should be restored.

Ben Winzenz

  • 12/17/2012: Added details about Event ID 1024.
33 Comments
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Does "not yet supported" mean that there's going to be an update to 2007/2010 that will make it supported?

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And you heard it on my blog first, yesterday  :)

theessentialexchange.com/.../windows-management-framework-3-0-powershell-3-0-and-exchange.aspx

Actually, thanks to Susan Bradley (SBS MVP) and a couple of other folks who ran into this early so that we were able to track it down quickly.

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Thanks for the update not to update the updates :)

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That did the trick. Had to uninstall .NET Framework 4 too to make it work.

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@Entegy: I think it should be in 2010 SP3, which will support Server 2012 with it built-in.

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Michael: it would only be proper to say this headsup was "early enough", if MS communicated this BEFORE the update was issued and went viral..

Everybody can be so smart after an accident, but actually it could have been avoided if somebody had made just a minimal brain-excercise and thinking before acting!

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To Soder:

Rule of Susan - whenever you see an optional update, and not a security one there is no need to install this update.  A good patcher waits.

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Why even offer it on Exchange 2007?  Makes no sense - zero.

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That is not a ver nice Information. Microsoft, please inform us for this circumstands before offering those updates, or make a better Job in your Quality Management!

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Mr Whatever, it's not a update for Exchange, it's an update availbale to any Windows Server. So it's not offered "on Exchange 2007" as such.

But I agree this info should have preceeded the patch release by a couple of weeks.

Or even better, WMF3/PS3 should have been released after Exchange 2007/2010 updates that allowed them to keep working with WMF3/PS3.

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Installing this "optional" update to SBS2011 breaks a whole bunch of stuff - much more than Exchange.  It should never have been offered (even optionally) under these circumstances.

Updates are not supposed to break things.  Even Microsoft should know this.

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May it will be better not to update any of the running Exchange 2010 servers and still waiting for the RTM version of IBM Domino server 9 ;-))

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No offense, but are you out of your mind? I can´t believe this. If an update is delivered via the standard windows update online mechanism, quality asurance at ms HAS TO make sure there are no conflicts or problems. This is a huge step back from my point of view.

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Thanks for posting this heads up.  We had planned maintenance for a number of clients. (a lot of SBS too)

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On our servers, this update is presented as an "Important" update. There is no indication in WSUS or anywhere else that this update is 1) optional or 2) not supported. After breaking one Exchange server over the weekend, I skipped the update on the other two. Over the past few years Microsoft had improved its reputation for quality checking software updates and releasing them on a predictable schedule, but instances like this one and the recent fiasco with Rollups 4 and 5 are a step in the wrong direction.

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This particular update was marked as "Important" not optional

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Sure would have been nice to have had some heads-up communication about this much earlier.

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Windows Management Framework 3.0 also breaks System Center 2010 RTM and will not be supported until SP1 is released in Q1 2013 when it is made generally available.

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SO at MMS 2012 we had classes going over the power and flexibility of PS 3.0 and the new WMF.  So now it gets pushed out and Exchange 2010, SCVMM 2012, and a possibly other systems flat out don't work with it?

This seems so .... wrong ...

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So customers test updates, not Microsoft?

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Really disappointed that MSFT did not properly regression test the Framework prior to deployment. Exchange 2010 is not a fringe product. Customers should not have to deal with mopping up due to bad planning and testing on MSFT's part. In addition to a pre-deployment heads-up regarding the compatibility issues, Windows Update should have been configured to not suggest the Framework if a conflicting product was installed on the target computer. Not good. Very disappointed. I am venting here; however I am not faulting the Exchange team on this ... if anything, thanks go to them for the notification ... it is just that others should have been more careful and responsible.

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today WSUS marked KB2506146 and KB2506143 as “expired”.

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MS is focusing on cloud so much these days. MS has forgot many many customers are On-Premise and will be On-Premise in future. So please, QA patches before sending patches to On-Premise customers.

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Updates frequently becoming bigger threat than hacks or virus attacks!

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Is there any help out there for those who foolishly plunged into WMF 3.0?  Does anyone have a backout procedure they could point me to?  social.technet.microsoft.com/.../bbc0a9c2-ce30-465a-928d-39727f56fbbb

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Perhaps the Exchange Team should next publish an article describing the joys and benefits of testing patches/updates on your non-production Exchange servers... BEFORE deploying to your production environment.

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After unistalling Windows Management Framework 3.0 I could install the RU5v2. But for some problems I had to remove my userprofile. After that the following Error still exists: In the Eventlog I always get an error If I open "Administrative Events". That Error says "at least one protokoll in the query contains an error". The Protokoll is "Forwarded Events". On our other Server this in German - probably the unsinstall routine changed that on the particular server to english.

Has anytone a solution for this?

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Hey Guys.  Your menu item on this page: "Library +" >> "Exchange Server TechNet Library" points to technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa996058(EXCHG.80).aspx, which is no longer available.  Just an FYI.

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@Jose: Thanks for catching that. The Library link has been updated.

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About time Microsoft figured this out. When I encountered it several months ago, the guy over at http://exchangeblog.pl was the only crumb of information I could find on it.

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Now this is lovely. During this month's patch cycle I am trying to uninstall WMF from the Exchange machine. It says it is successful, then during the reboot it gets to 98%, fails, reverts all the changes back, reboots again, and when it's finally running, WMF is still installed.

It seems that every six months or so I end up building a new Exchange server and migrating everything for one reason or another. Here we go again.

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@Pepper: Sorry you're having that unusual experience. I'd recommend contacting Support before you decide to rebuild a server. Additionally, if not already deployed, look into HA mechanisms like Database Availability Groups.

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I see that SP3 is out for Exchange 2010, will SP3 get installed if a server has WMF 3.0?

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