Microsoft Exchange 12 will be 64-bit only
November 30, 2005 at 10:38 AM
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This is actually old news now, but at the Microsoft IT Forum 2005, Microsoft confirmed rumors that Exchange 12 will be 64-bit only.
Some quick facts:
- Most of the server-class hardware that is shipping today is already capable of running Microsoft Windows 2003 64-bit
- The initial performance testing on the early versions of Exchange 12 running on 64-bit hardware found a 75% performance improvement in I/O when compared with the 32-bit version
- Exchange 12 will probably be available in 2007. By that time, most organizations will upgrade hardware to 64-bit. Usually organizations upgrade their hardware when upgrading to a never version of Exchange Server.
- The announcement now will ensure that 3rd party vendors (antivirus, backup,...) get their 64-bit products ready
- Little off-topic: Exchange 2003 has been awarded Common Criteria Certification EAL 4. The Microsoft commitment to Security is directly reflected in the successful effort to design Exchange Server 2003 to meet and exceed the EAL4 security requirements specified for commercially available systems. More information about EAL4 can be found here.