IMPORTANT: AAD Connect versions 1.x will retire August 31, 2022

Microsoft released AAD Connect version 2.0.8.0 on August 10, 2021 which included many important changes. Not the least of which is that the localDB database used by AADC was changed to SQL Server 2019. This means that AAD Connect version 2.x can only run on Windows Server 2016 or later, since that's a requirement for SQL Server 2019.

Today, Microsoft posted in the Azure Active Directory Connect version history that all 1.x versions of AAD Connect will be retired August 31, 2022, roughly one year after version 2.x was released.

Important

On 31 August 2022, all 1.x versions of Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) Connect will be retired because they include SQL Server 2012 components that will no longer be supported. Either upgrade to the most recent version of Azure AD Connect (2.x version) by that date, or evaluate and switch to Azure AD cloud sync.

You need to make sure you are running a recent version of Azure AD Connect to receive an optimal support experience.

If you run a retired version of Azure AD Connect it may unexpectedly stop working and you may not have the latest security fixes, performance improvements, troubleshooting and diagnostic tools and service enhancements. Moreover, if you require support we may not be able to provide you with the level of service your organization needs.

Go to this article to learn more about Azure Active Directory Connect V2.0, what has changed in V2.0 and how this change impacts you.

Please refer to this article to learn more about how to upgrade Azure AD Connect to the latest version.

For version history information on retired versions, see Azure AD Connect version release history archive

A few notes on this announcement:

1. "Retired" doesn't necessarily mean it won't work anymore, but I suspect Microsoft will eventually block it in the future. You should ALWAYS keep AAD Connect up-to-date for the best features, performance, and security.
2. Although the announcement mentions evaluating and switching to Azure AD cloud sync, be aware that AAD cloud sync is not compatible with Exchange. See my article, How to Decide Between Azure AD Connect and Azure AD Connect Cloud Sync on the Practical365 blog. I also recorded a video podcast about AAD cloud sync with Steve Goodman from Practical365 here.
3. Refer to my article, How to migrate AAD Connect to a new server for step-by-step instructions how to move AAD Connect to a new Windows 2016 Server using the latest version of AADC. There's really no better time to do it than now.

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Where do those "# Questionable URLs detected in message" emails come from?

Exchange Online admins may receive emails from time-to-time with the line, "# Questionable URLs detected in message:". The email includes the SMTP headers, a text-only version of the original message, and the original message included as an attachment.

Where are these emails coming from and why are you getting them?

The answer lies within the User Submissions configuration in the Microsoft Defender portal (https://security.microsoft.com). Go to User submissions - Microsoft 365 security and check the Send the reported messages to: configuration.

The default and recommended setting is to send reported messages only to Microsoft, but you can reconfigure it to send to Microsoft and another email address in your organization.

This will send diagnostic info to both Microsoft and the internal email address you specified.

What isn't obvious is that Safe Links in Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (formerly ATP) uses the same configuration. When Safe Links detects questionable URLs in an email, that diagnostic information is sent the same way as User Submissions. So if you've configured User Submissions to send reported messages to an internal email address, you will get Safe Link reports to that address, too.

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