Setting up Exchange Server 2010 with SP1

Chart Your Course

Article from ADMIN 05/2011

By Thomas Joos

Exchange is the standard messaging solution on Windows. This article explains how to install Exchange 2010 and supplies elegant workarounds for some of the pitfalls.

Before you can install Exchange Server 2010, whether in a test environment or on a production network, you first need to fulfill a couple of requirements. The server needs to run Windows Server 2008, preferably Windows Server 2008 R2. Additionally, you need an Active Directory on your network. Ideally, you will want to install Service Pack 1 for Windows Server 2008 R2 before you launch into the Exchange Server 2010 install. After completing these preparations, you can install Exchange Server 2010. This article looks at the steps.

Preparation

Even if you are aiming for a plain vanilla installation of Exchange Server 2010, it still makes sense to launch the Active Directory extensions, which the installation program executes manually beforehand. And, before you even start with the installation, you need to ensure that the functional level of your forest and domain are at least Windows Server 2003, but preferably Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2. To check this, launch the Active Directory Domains and Trusts tool. Right-click the top item on the menu, Active Directory domains and trusts, and select Raise Forest Functional Level .

You can then see the current functional level in your forest and raise the functional level, if needed. Then, right-click the individual domains and select Raise Domain Functional Level . Again, you will need at least Windows Server 2003 for all of your domains.

If you intend to integrate Exchange Server 2010 with an existing organization that uses Exchange Server 2003/2007, you need to run the Setup /PrepareLegacyExchangePermissions command from the Exchange installation program in each domain in your forest to set up the required privileges in active directory and create the required security groups.

The Exchange Server 2010 setup program is located at the root level of the installation DVD. The

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