In this article we are going to install Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. We are going to install all the default settings and do no configuration, just do the default setup. Before you install Exchange 2007 you need to meet the minimum hardware requirements. For starters you need to be running a 64-bit Operating system and hardware. I am running 32-bit but I am only using the evaluation copy so that’s OK.  For a full listing visit http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa996719.aspx

Server Role	Minimum Processor	Rec Processor	Min RAM	Rec RAM
Edge Transport	1	2	2GB	2GB minimum
Hub Transport	1	4	2GB	2GB minimum
Client Access	1	4	2GB	2GB minimum
Mailbox	1	4	2GB	2GB + 2-5MB per mailbox
Unified Messaging	1	4	2GB	2GB minimum
Multiple Roles	1	4	2GB	4GB + 2-5MB per mailbox

So I’ve got my virtual environment prepped using MS Virtual Server 2007. I’ve got a 2003 R2 DC running with 256MB RAM and another 2003 R2 server with 1GB RAM running, this will be the exchange server.  I’ve also downloaded a 120-day trial of exchange 2007 from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/bb736128.aspx

I’ve installed and set up DNS & Active Directory on the Domain Controller and joined the Exchange server to the domain which is called TEST.LOCAL

After you’ve run the setup program you are presented with an installation screen which checks to see if you have the minimum software requirements which are:

• .NET Framework v2.0 SP1
• Microsoft Management Console
• Windows Powershell
• Internet Information Server

Next you are able to select which roles you want to install. Roles are new to Exchange Server 2007 and each one has its own job to do. I will discuss the roles in detail in a further topic. The roles that exist are:

• Hub Transport (responsible for routing mail in the environment)
• Client Access (responsible for serving non-MAPI clients i.e. windows mobile, OWA etc etc)
• Mailbox Server (responsible for hosting internal mailboxes)
• Unified Messaging (speaks for itself, VOIP, Office Communications server etc)
• Edge Transport (sits in the DMZ and is responsible for external email processing, SPAM filtering etc)

Default options are the Hub, Client and Mailbox roles which are the minimum requirements to run an exchange 2007 organisation. From this screen you can also change the default installation path and also select individual roles if required. Most large organisations would probably prefer to run each role on its own server for performance and redundancy reasons.

Next you are asked to provide your exchange organisation name. Please note that once this is set it CANNOT be renamed so get it right first time!! Otherwise you will have to remove/reinstall Exchange.

The next screen asks you if you any Outlook 2003 clients running. It is actually asking if you want a public folder store creating or not. Microsoft have stated that in the next version of Exchange public folders will not be supported, they are trying to move people over to Sharepoint server instead! It really does not really matter what you select here as you can add a public folder store later on if required.

The next step looks at your AD Environment and see’s if its suitable to install Exchange 2007 onto.  I got the following report:

Summary: 4 item(s). 0 succeeded, 4 failed.

Elapsed time: 00:00:51

Organization Prerequisites

Failed

Error:

This computer requires a software update. Download and install the software from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=74469. The computer will need to be rebooted before restarting setup.

Recommended Action: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=30939&l=en&v=ExBPA.3&id=729d1648-ff17-43f9-a1cf-4285a82d4917

Error:

Active Directory domain ‘DC=test,DC=local’ is in mixed mode. To install Exchange Server 2007, the domain functional level must be raised to Windows 2000 native mode or above.

Recommended Action: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=30939&l=en&v=ExBPA.3&id=b88d3253-db66-4bc2-9423-65aff6b9f0a9

Error:

Active Directory root domain ‘DC=test,DC=local’ is in mixed mode. To install Exchange Server 2007, this domain must be Windows 2000 native mode or above.

Recommended Action: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=30939&l=en&v=ExBPA.3&id=b88d3253-db66-4bc2-9423-65aff6b9f0a9

Warning:

When you run Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) on Windows Server 2003 or earlier versions of the operating system, we recommend that you install Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 1 (SP1). If you cannot install .NET Framework 2.0 SP1, install hotfix Microsoft Knowledge Base article 942027 from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=101219.

Elapsed Time: 00:00:21

Hub Transport Role Prerequisites

Failed

Error:

This computer requires a software update. Download and install the software from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=74469. The computer will need to be rebooted before restarting setup.

Recommended Action: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=30939&l=en&v=ExBPA.3&id=729d1648-ff17-43f9-a1cf-4285a82d4917

Warning:

The 32-bit version of Exchange Server 2007 is not supported for production use.

Warning:

Setup cannot detect an SMTP or Send connector with an address space of ‘*’. Mail flow to the Internet may not work properly.

Warning:

The installation of Microsoft Internet Information Services Common Files is recommended as it allows for the administration of all server roles. Install the component via Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs.

Warning:

When you run Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) on Windows Server 2003 or earlier versions of the operating system, we recommend that you install Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 1 (SP1). If you cannot install .NET Framework 2.0 SP1, install hotfix Microsoft Knowledge Base article 942027 from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=101219.

Elapsed Time: 00:00:09

Client Access Role Prerequisites

Failed

Error:

Unable to read data from the Metabase. Ensure that Microsoft Internet Information Services is installed.

Recommended Action: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=30939&l=en&v=ExBPA.3&id=a4a4d339-4009-4fb7-b842-ca2ba79f13f0

Error:

The World Wide Web (W3SVC) service is either disabled or not installed on this computer. You must exit Setup, install the required component, then restart the Setup process.

Recommended Action: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=30939&l=en&v=ExBPA.3&id=9eeaa77f-4d46-4d9a-9c36-f262a075392b

Error:

This computer requires a software update. Download and install the software from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=74469. The computer will need to be rebooted before restarting setup.

Recommended Action: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=30939&l=en&v=ExBPA.3&id=729d1648-ff17-43f9-a1cf-4285a82d4917

Warning:

The 32-bit version of Exchange Server 2007 is not supported for production use.

Warning:

When you run Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) on Windows Server 2003 or earlier versions of the operating system, we recommend that you install Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 1 (SP1). If you cannot install .NET Framework 2.0 SP1, install hotfix Microsoft Knowledge Base article 942027 from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=101219.

Elapsed Time: 00:00:10

Mailbox Role Prerequisites

Failed

Error:

Unable to read data from the Metabase. Ensure that Microsoft Internet Information Services is installed.

Recommended Action: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=30939&l=en&v=ExBPA.3&id=a4a4d339-4009-4fb7-b842-ca2ba79f13f0

Error:

The World Wide Web (W3SVC) service is either disabled or not installed on this computer. You must exit Setup, install the required component, then restart the Setup process.

Recommended Action: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=30939&l=en&v=ExBPA.3&id=9eeaa77f-4d46-4d9a-9c36-f262a075392b

Error:

This computer requires a software update. Download and install the software from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=74469. The computer will need to be rebooted before restarting setup.

Recommended Action: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=30939&l=en&v=ExBPA.3&id=729d1648-ff17-43f9-a1cf-4285a82d4917

Warning:

The 32-bit version of Exchange Server 2007 is not supported for production use.

Warning:

When you run Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) on Windows Server 2003 or earlier versions of the operating system, we recommend that you install Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 1 (SP1). If you cannot install .NET Framework 2.0 SP1, install hotfix Microsoft Knowledge Base article 942027 from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=101219.

To get rid of these errors I had to perform the following:

• Install IIS
• Raise domain functional level to Windows 2003
• Install .NET Framework 2.0 SP1

After doing so and rebooting the server the installation was able to continue:

And finally complete:

And there you have it, a fully functioning Exchange 2007 organisation. In future posts I shall go into the configuration and setup. You can read more about Exchange 2007 at http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/default.mspx and also http://msexchange.org/

That’s all for now!