SfB 2019 Server update – July 2025

This July 1 2025 update to Skype for Business is somewhat momentous. In what looks to be ‘a giant leap for SfB-kind’, it takes a server running March 2025’s 7.0.2046.548 all the way to 7.0.2046.810.

This is no ordinary Cumulative Update!

To install this CU you need to “move” your servers using Topology Builder to the new “Skype for Business Subscription Edition”. You would have followed this process previously if you’ve performed an in-place upgrade from, say, SfB2015 -> 2019.

Skype for Business Server Subscription Edition (SE)

Skype for Business Server Subscription Edition (SE) was released for general availability on July 1, 2025. The Skype for Business Server SE RTM build can be installed as a cumulative update (CU) to Skype for Business Server 2019, and it can be joined to your organizations. The version number of this update is 7.0.2046.810.

Skype for Business Server SE introduces changes to how SFB SE is serviced and licensed. This means there is no fixed end date for support, provided that configurations remain current. The product will be serviced continuously as an evergreen release, with no additional major, year-based versions planned for the future release.

For more information about the upgrade process, see Upgrading your organization from current versions to Skype for Business Server SE.

What’s Fixed?

I can only find ONE named fix, the announcement copied above:

5063048 July 2025 cumulative update 7.0.2046.810 for Skype for Business Server Subscription Edition (SE)

What’s New?

Subscription Edition!

What’s Changed?

Nothing noted. There are no new cmdlets in the SfB PowerShell module.

Known Issues

In the current release of Skype for Business Server, the setup dialog displays a pre-release label as part of the product name. This is a cosmetic issue only and does not impact the installation process or the functionality of the product. The label is expected to be removed in a future update.

Download

Note that the download link has a “PersistentChatUpdateInstaller.exe”, which might also be relevant.

Installation

The article “Unable to upgrade Skype for Business Server 2019 to Skype for Business Server Subscription Edition (SE)” explains the steps required.

As an initial step, one server in your deployment needs the CU installed in order to update the deployment tools.

After you click Install on the box shown above you’re prompted to accept the updated licence terms:

…and here’s the “before” view of it going on to my Lab’s Standard Edition Front-End:

(Yes, that’s a LOT of red!)

OcsCore.msp failed initially, but was then followed by the remaining 21 components successfully:

At the end of the process I simply clicked Install on the still-present GUI, and it was able to add OcsCore without any issue:

Bootstrapper wouldn’t run clean because I’d not found/completed the Topology changes required at this stage:

Testing and updating the databases was also “problematic”. Here’s the output of Test-csComputer:

The roles in the topology and the installed roles do not match. "<FE-server.FQDN>" has 0 configured services and 10 installed services.. Installed: [Applicationserver,Applicationstore,Backupservice,ConfServic diationServer,Registrar,UserServices,UserStore,WebServices]. Configured: []. Run Bootstrapper to update the roles installed on this computer.

OUCH! 0 configured services but 10 installed??

Off to Topology Builder we go – on this machine, now it has the updated Topo Builder.exe from the CU – to find “Subscription Edition” now in the tree:

Right-clicking on each of your 2019 Front-Ends provides the option to migrate them to Subscription Edition – unfortunately not a unique acronym. Here I’m migrating my SE FE to SE: