Microsoft Exchange Service Pack 2 has been released and is available for download.

SP2 is a major update to Exchange 2010 provides the following enhancements Exchange 2010.

• Hybrid Configuration Wizard - provides customers with a streamlined process to configure a hybrid deployment between on-premises and Office 365 Exchange organizations.
• Address Book Policies - determines the global address list (GAL), offline address book (OAB), room list, and address lists that are visible to the mailbox user that is assigned the policy. Address book policies provide a simpler mechanism to accomplish GAL separation for the on-premises organization that needs to run disparate GALs.
• Cross-Site Silent Redirection for Outlook Web App - enables a silent redirection when a Client Access server receives a client request that is better serviced by a Client Access server located in another Active Directory site.
• Mini Version of Outlook Web App - a lightweight browser-based client, similar to the Outlook Mobile Access client in Exchange 2003.
• Mailbox Replication Service - parameters have been added to the New-WebServicesVirtualDirectory and Set-WebServicesVirtualDirectory cmdlets so that you don’t have to perform the manual configuration: MRSProxyEnabled and MaxMRSProxyConnections.
• Mailbox Auto-Mapping - administrators can turn off the auto-mapping feature by setting the value of the new Automapping parameter to $false on the Add-MailboxPermission cmdlets.
• Multi-Valued Custom Attributes - introduces five new multi-value custom attributes that you can use to store additional information for mail recipient objects.
• Litigation Hold - you can’t disable or remove a mailbox that has been placed on litigation hold.

Last month, October 28th to be precise, Microsoft released Update Rollup 6 for Exchange Server 2010 SP1.

Here are the details from the Microsoft Exchange Team blog:

This update contains a number of customer reported and internally found issues since the release of RU5. In particular we would like to specifically call out the following fixes which are included in this release:

• 2627769  Some time zones in OWA are not synchronized with Windows in an Exchange Server 2010 environment
• 2528854  The Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Replication service crashes on a computer that has Exchange Server 2010 SP1 installed
• 2544246 You receive a NRN of a meeting request 120 days later after the recipient accepted the request in an Exchange Server 2010 SP1 environment
• 2616127  “0×80041606″ error code when you use Outlook in online mode to search for a keyword against a mailbox in an Exchange Server 2010 environment.
• 2549183  “There are no objects to select” message when you try to use the EMC to specify a server to connect to in an Exchange Server 2010 SP1 environment

Well today, I ordered my new 13″ MacBook. This is a significant change for me, as it will be the smallest screened laptop I have ever used on a regular basis. Currently I am on my second 15″ MacBook Pro, and prior to those I was using 17″ HP, with 15″ and 14″ laptops before that. I opted to go with a smaller laptop in an effort to be more mobile. I am looking to be less tied to a desk and more out and about. Additionally, I would like to travel more, and the 15″ screen is still a little large for most airplane seats.

The new Mac should arrive in a day or three, at which time I will give a review. Look for future updates.