Microsoft’s Exchange Server:
Email is a mission critical tool for business. How do you provide that capability? Hosted, in-house, BPOS? There are many options. With Exchange you gain the following:
- A reliable and flexible messaging platform for business communications.
- Provides e-mail capabilities
- Also provides calendar access and contact management
- Users can have access to their communications anywhere; through their browser, mobile device, or their Outlook client.
Exchange 2010 adds the following:
- Provides the email typical for Exchange that we’ve come to expect. Some features are the same as Exchange 2007, but new features are notable.
- Continues the Server Roles for your organization’s deployment strategy. (5 Roles)
- Includes High Availability and Site Resilience
- Allows Unified Communications through the Unified Messaging Server Role that will give users a Universal Inbox (fax’s, voicemail, etc)
5 Server Roles: – Prior to Exchange Server 2010, you installed the entire Exchange infrastructure on an Exchange Server. Eg. if a Front-end server was only needed, you still had to install the entire Exchange Infrastructure. Now you have a lighter footprint with Roles. Server 2008 also uses Roles and Features.
- The Mailbox Role: user mailboxes with mailbox DB’s. Also contains public folders.
- Client Access Role: connection point for all users to their mailboxes internally or externally. (MAPI, OWA, Outlook Anywhere, ActiveSync, IMAP/POP)
- Hub Transport Role: Flow of traffic to and from the Mailbox server. (These first 3 roles need to be installed in order for Exchange to work, but not necessarily on the same server.)
- Optional Role – Unified Messaging Role: Provides the Universal Inbox for voicemail, email, faxes, etc.
- Optional Role (recommended)- Edge Transport Role: Perimeter-based server to handle anti-spam and anti-virus protection and additional transport rules.
Requirments for Exchange 2010:
1. Domain Controller – AD Domain controller
2. DNS Services
3. Member Server (on which you will install Exchange)
For Exchange 2010 running behind your firewall or DMZ on your internal network, you can install the following 4 roles on their own server: Client Access Server, Mailbox Server, Hub Transport Server, and Unified Messaging Server.
To add an Edge Transport Server to your network, you will need to setup a Member Server that is not a member of the Domain. You install Exchange, but only the ET server role. This will sit out on the Perimeter Network (between internal and external firewalls – DMZ). Again, the ET server cannot be a member of the Domain.
New in Exchange 2010:
Storage Architecture – There’s a new focus on the database itself, not on a storage group. Storage groups have been removed from Exchange’s DB design (Exchange 2000 – 2007)
High Availability and Site Resiliency – Database Availability Groups have replaced legacy Exchange HA versions.
Permissions – Role-based access control has been implemented – permissions to manage exchange.
Control – A cool new Web-Based Exchange Control Panel (ECP). Carries over Exchange 2007’s exchange management console and an exchange management shell.
Voicemail and Unified Messaging – including voicemail preview, better protection.
Exchange 2010 has something for everyone. It is a complete communications platform for organizations large and small.
A good majority of the content provided in my Exchange series is derived from J. Peter Bruzzese’ excellent Train Signals Exchange Server 2010 Video Disk Series. Trainsignal.com is an invaluable source for accurate, easy to understand, IT information and training. http://www.trainsignal.com