Microsoft Exchange 2010

So we have heard that in some circumstances upgrading to Exchange 2010 isn’t such a good idea. The expense, the basic archiving functions, the server overhead for indexing functions and the allegedly clumsy way of email retrieval. There are positive points to the new system though, and we shall highlight a few of them here.

While Microsoft doesn’t hide the fact that it’s going to cost more than the last version, it does cite the benefits. Upgrading is going to be a significant burden on IT departments that are already squeezed tight, but a study released by Forrester alleges the cost of ownership can be recouped within six months for the average rollout. This can be done by making savings in other areas.

There are a few assumptions made, but in an ideal world, they do make sense. The first is that an organization can save money by not having to purchase SAN solutions. Improvements in Exchange I/O handling means it now plays nicely with slower storage. So the extra capacity you’ll need to use the archiving doesn’t have to be at a premium price.

There is the first assumption. To be able to use the new function, you’re going to need more storage. The spin here is not mentioning the need for the storage, but the fact you can spend less money on it that you might have had to. Neat trick huh?

One definite benefit of Exchange 2010 is its ability to take voicemail. The assumption here is that once you use it to take voicemails, you won’t need other systems to do it for you. Therefore, saving money on a separate system. Another great theory, and if you can find me a medium to large organization that uses only one system, has no legacy systems or who uses nothing but Blackberries then they will be the ones who will save money.

The inclusion of the archiving element to Exchange 2010 has already been mentioned in the storage area of the benefits, but can also be highlighted again in its own right. The ability to archive its own mail is an added benefit, and one of the reasons the platform is more expensive. The cost saving implication is that you don’t have to use third party vendors for email archiving.

The assumption here is that you have enough IT staff to index emails, retrieve them from storage, can extract them and make them usable. Also that you don’t mind having your Exchange servers running the significant processing overhead of full-text indexing to allow this to happen.

For those organizations who are committed to use Microsoft products and have the spare budget, Exchange 2010 will be a good investment. It can do more, offers more and is easier to manage and use than Exchange 2007. The ability to have voicemails translated to text is a good feature, as is the archive function. From the beta, Exchange 2010 looks to be a polished and capable platform for future email messaging. If you have the budget to cope with the upgrade.

If you want to try before you buy, the beta of Exchange 2010 is still available online if you don’t already have it. Installation is fairly straightforward, but we will go through it step by step here.

This article won’t discuss the active directory side of the installation, as most organizations will have that configured already. We will instead concentrate on Exchange 2010 and getting it ready for first use.

To install the platform you will need a Server 2008 x64 system. There are and never will be a 32 bit version. It will support Server 2003 domain controllers, but the host machine must be Server 2008.

If the base system meets all the prerequisites and is fully updates, let’s get on with the install. For this guide we will use the GUI install, command line is quicker, but is harder to follow in print.

Launching Setup.exe will present you with an Exchange 2010 splash screen with three areas. Plan, Install and Enhance. Plan allows you do explore the system and read the deployment notes. Install speaks for itself, and Enhance is for existing installs that need ForeFront security.

Depending on how ready your system is, the Install option will have 2 or 5 steps highlighted. Step 1 is for .Net framework, step 2 is for Windows Remote Management and step 2 is for the Microsoft PowerShell. Once these are installed, step 4 is to install Exchange.

Click the Install Microsoft Exchange link and the screen will disappear. The machine will process the setup files for a bit then present you with an introduction page. Click next, select a language and click Next again.

Agree with the license agreement and click Next. Select the error reporting function you want and click Next. Then the Exchange Installation Type window will appear. The choice is yours but I would choose Custom so you can specify exactly what goes where, and how.

Next you should see the role selection. There are several options here, and a description of each on the right of the window. Select whichever is most appropriate and then click Next. You will now be presented with the Exchange Organization screen. Here you have to name your organization and click Next.

Next is the client settings where you choose what mail clients you want to be able to access Exchange 2010. If you have Outlook 2003 or earlier, select Yes, the Next. The next windows is for Readiness Checks. These will ensure that everything is in place in order to allow the system to run properly. It may take a few minutes to run, and you can only progress if it passes all of them.

Once passed, the Install button should be highlighted. Click it and let the real work begin. Let the installer do its work and sit back and relax.

Once completed the last window is the finalization. Check the box next to Finalize installation box then click Finish. You now have Exchange 2010 installed on your system.