What’s my Exchange 2000/2003 Version?

How can I tell if I am running Exchange Enterprise server or Standard server?

Exchange 2000/2003 Standard edition differs from the Enterprise edition in quite a few aspects. Among them is the 16GB database size limit, lack of Clustering support, lack of ability to act as a Front-End server (this limit was in fact removed in Exchange Server 2003 Standard Edition) and more.
As much as it may seem strange, Microsoft did not allow for an easy way for us to tell whether an Exchange server is in fact a standard or enterprise edition. However there are a few ways to find out:

Method #1

The easiest way is to open the properties for your server in Exchange System Manager (ESM), and on the General tab if you see the option “This is a front-end server” then your running Enterprise, otherwise you are running Standard.


Note for Exchange Server 2003: In Exchange 2003 method #1 no longer works because Exchange 2003 Standard Servers can also act as Front-End servers, which was not true in Exchange 2000.

Method #2

In Exchange 2003 just open up the Exchange System Manager (ESM) and navigate to the Servers folder. In the right pane you’ll see a list of all the servers in your organization (or in your administrative group if you have that view enabled).
Scroll a bit to the right and take a look at the column named “Edition” (if it’s not already visible):

Note: This doesn’t work for Exchange 2000…

Method #3

You can also look for Event ID 1217 in the Event Viewer console under the Application Log.
If you see a “…has unlimited storage capacity enabled…” you know you’ve got the Enterprise Server version.

• Event ID 1216 is logged if the server is running the Standard Edition.
• Event ID 1217 is logged if the server is running the Enterprise Edition

Method #4

Another thing you can do is to try and create an additional Mailbox store on your server.
Can you do that? It’s an Enterprise server. You cannot? It’s a plain regular Standard server.
Read more – Upgrading From Exchange Server Standard Edition to the Enterprise Edition.

Method #5

Thanks to reader Michael Siculiano for the heads up!

Nice site! I was always perplexed on how to tell what version of Exchange 2000 I was running; and you’re article was helpful, but I found a more surefire answer. The article on your site I was referring to is: Petri.co.il>>>Knowledge Base>>>Tips and Tricks How can I tell if I am running Exchange Enterprise server or Standard server? These are good suggestions, but the surefire answer from Microsoft is: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/240152/en-us
Thanks for a nice site! -Mike
Here is the info:

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
2. Locate the following key in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

1. Find the appropriate GUID registry subkey as listed below. Verify that the DisplayName in the right pane equals Microsoft Exchange 2000. The following subkeys indicate the version of Exchange 2000 that is installed on the server:

​DB20F7FD-67BC-4813-8808-78F63E89EB56: Standard Version Upgrade Package (VUP)
775CF3DA-C007-4709-B4CC-CE2239BE2E03: Standard Full Packaged Product (FPP)
FC6FA539-452D-4a9b-8065-C1FA74B86F83: Standard Evaluation 120 days (EVAL)
D3574E0C-360A-44d5-858C-33323C2D79F2: Enterprise Version Upgrade Package (VUP)
F8567801-906B-439b-8D6A-87BDFEC9BA52: Enterprise Product Upgrade Package (PUP)
65D9643D-06E8-47d6-865E-80F4CC9BB879: Enterprise Full Packaged Product (FPP)
8B102332-6052-4af3-ADFA-35A3DED0506A: Enterprise Evaluation 120 days (EVAL)

Note: Microsoft does not support attempts to change the value of this registry key. If you change the subkey value, it will not change the version or functionality of the Exchange 2000 software that is installed.

1. Quit Registry Editor.

Product Version Summary:

• Full Packaged Product (FPP): This is a complete product that has no limitations.
• Version Upgrade Package (VUP): This is the upgrade only to upgrade from a previous version of the product to the current version (for example, upgrading from Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 Standard Edition to Exchange 2000 Standard Edition).
• Product Upgrade Package (PUP): This is only for a product of the same release (for example, an upgrade from Exchange 2000 Standard Edition to Exchange 2000 Enterprise Edition).
• Evaluation Edition (EVAL): This is identical to the FPP version except that it expires 120 days from the date of installation.

Well, although it’s a bit more complicated than the first 3 methods, it is indeed a valid method of obtaining your Exchange server version. If you need to script your query this might method be valuable to you.
You may also want to read What’s my Exchange 2003 SP Version? and What’s my Exchange 2000 SP Version?.