As of today, April 11, 2007, the first service Pack for Exchange Server 2007 is available for download. I provide you with a heads up since the beginning of April and it appears that Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 Beta is available for download via TechNet and MSDN. Both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Exchange Server 2007 SP1 beta can be accessed through TechNet. At this point in time, MSDN users may be experiencing problems with the x86 version of Exchange Server 2007 SP1 beta.

Microsoft has made the Release Notes for Exchange Server 2007 SP1 since March. The notes will provide comprehensive guidance through the new features that SP1 will bring to the table but also on how to install the service pack, the issues that customers are most likely to face and the adjacent workarounds.

The release of the first beta for Exchange Server 2007 SP1 was announced since back in February by representatives of the Microsoft Exchange Team. It appears that the Redmond Company is right on track with the development of the first service pack. According to Microsoft, Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 will be made available in the second half of 2007.

"As far as hardware requirements are concerned, SP1 will not change the existing Exchange 2007 RTM system requirements. Regarding the operating system, SP1 for Exchange 2007 will require Windows Server 2003 SP2. This will be a hard dependency for installation, so the operating system must be upgraded to Windows Server 2003 SP2 before you upgrade the Exchange 2007 RTM installation to Exchange 2007 SP1, or before installing a fresh build of Exchange 2007 SP1," Ed Banti, Technical Product Manager on the Exchange Server marketing team, revealed.