Last Update: Sep 24, 2024 | Published: Jan 07, 2009
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:
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.
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…
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.
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.
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:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionUninstall
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.
Product Version Summary:
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?.