Step by Step Guide on Exchange Server 2013 Installation

In this post we will see the step by step guide on Exchange 2013 installation. I have a test environment with this configuration and below are some of the assumption which was not shown on the step by step guide
Domain Controller:

• Computer Name: LE-DC-1
• Operating System: Windows Server 2012 Standard Edition
• IP Address: 10.10.0.4\255.255.255.192\10.10.0.1 with DNS IP as 127.0.0.1
• Domain Name: LearnExchange.in
• Forest and Domain Functional Level: Windows Server 2012

Exchange 2013 server:

• Computer Name: LE-EX-1
• Operating System: Windows Server 2012 Datacenter Edition
• IP Address: 10.10.0.5\255.255.255.192\10.10.0.1 with DNS IP as 10.10.0.4

Assumption: Domain Controller configuration is completed as mentioned above, where the DNS Server role is installed and configured on the LE-DC-1 server during the DC promotion. Also the Exchange 2013 server operating system is installed.
Step by Step Guide on Exchange 2013 Installation

Step 1: Configure the Computer Name as LE-EX-1 and set the IP Address as 10.10.0.5\255.255.255.192\10.10.0.1 with DNS IP as 10.10.0.4
Step 2: Add the LE-EX-1 server to domain
Step 3: Install the ADDS server roles -> From Server Manager -> Add Roles and Features -> Click Next-> Select the Active Directory Domain Services role -> Click Add New feature on the new prompt ->Click Next and complete the installation
Step 4: Add the below additional Windows features that are required for Exchange server 2013 installation. Open Windows Powershell and enter the below shell command

Install-WindowsFeature AS-HTTP-Activation, Desktop-Experience, NET-Framework-45-Features, RPC-over-HTTP-proxy, RSAT-Clustering, RSAT-Clustering-CmdInterface, Web-Mgmt-Console, WAS-Process-Model, Web-Asp-Net45, Web-Basic-Auth, Web-Client-Auth, Web-Digest-Auth, Web-Dir-Browsing, Web-Dyn-Compression, Web-Http-Errors, Web-Http-Logging, Web-Http-Redirect, Web-Http-Tracing, Web-ISAPI-Ext, Web-ISAPI-Filter, Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console, Web-Metabase, Web-Mgmt-Console, Web-Mgmt-Service, Web-Net-Ext45, Web-Request-Monitor, Web-Server, Web-Stat-Compression, Web-Static-Content, Web-Windows-Auth, Web-WMI, Windows-Identity-Foundation

On the completion of above features installation, restart the server and login to server with Domain Administrator Credential
Step 5: Install the below additional software prerequisites required for Exchange Server 2013 installation. You can download the software from internet and install it in Exchange 2013 server

• Microsoft Unified Communications Managed API 4.0, Core Runtime 64-bit
• Microsoft Office 2010 Filter Pack 64 bit
• Microsoft Office 2010 Filter Pack SP1 64 bit

On all the above perquisites are installed then restart the server.
Step 6: Schema Preparation
Active Directory schema preparation is required for Exchange Server 2013 installation, so prior the exchange 2013 installation updates the schema and verifies whether the schema preparation is replication to all the active directory sites. We can run the schema preparation using the below command

Exchange installation file directory>Setup /PrepareSchema /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms

Step 7: Active Directory Preparation
Active Directory preparation can be done by running the below command, We can skip the schema preparation and directly run the active directory preparation which will update the schema first and run the active directory preparation

Exchange installation file directory>Setup /PrepareAD /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms /OrganizationName:LearnExchange

 Active Directory preparation creates the Microsoft Exchange Security Group object which will have the below default security groups

Domain preparation can be done if we have multiple domains. Since this is a test environment, I’m leaving this step which will be done automatically during the Exchange 2013 installation
Step 8: Install the Exchange 2013 Server
Double click on the Exchange 2013 installation file and on the Check for Update and Introduction Window read the information and click next

 On the License Agreement window click I Access… and click next to continue

 On the Recommended Settings windows choose the option which you want and click next

 On the Server Role Selection window, select all the server roles and click next. If we have not installed the server roles properly, the Automatically Install Windows Server roles and features… option install the required features

 On the Installation Space and Location window, choose the right directory in which we need the Exchange installation and click next

 On the Exchange Organization Give a name and click next, if we are already completed the active directory preparation, this option will not appear

 Exchange Server 2013 has a new Malware Protection which will be installed and configured by default, if we are having different software for Malware protection then we can disable this one, and if needed we can enable this feature later after the installation.

 If the prerequisites that are required for Exchange Server 2013 is not met the Readiness Checks window will prompt you with the error message and the actions to be done to resolve this issue. Once all the prerequisites required for Exchange 2013 is completed, you will have the option to click install.

Exchange 2013 installation is a 15 steps process and it will take some time to complete.

Above screen shows the successful completion of Exchange Server 2013 installation. We can reboot the server once and work on the New Exchange Management Console named the Exchange Admin Center using https://ClientAccessServerName/ECP
Let us know if you are having any issue in installing Exchange Server 2013. We will assist you for sure.

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Posted in: Exchange Server 2013

How to configure Windows Server 2012 as a Domain Controller

We will have a look on how to configure the Windows Server 2012 as a Domain Controller here. Configure a Windows Server 2012 as DC is the same process which we used to configure a normal server as DC in earlier version of Windows
Prerequisites

1. Computer name has to be properly set before configuring the Server as DC
2. Configure the IP Address details prior to the DC Promotion
3. Decide whether you are going to configure the DC prior to the DC promotion or during the time of DC Promotion
4. Install the Active Directory Domain Services windows server role
5. Run the DCPROMO switch

For this demo, we are going to configure a Windows Server 2012 Standard Edition server as a Domain Controller. The computer name will be le-dc1 and the domain name will be learnexchange.in
Step 1: Computer Name Configuration

On the Server Manager Click on Local Server and Select the Computer Name, this will open the system properties page

 On the System Properties window, click on Change

 We will have the option to change the computer name here as shown below

Change the Computer name as required and click OK and it will ask for system reboot, click ok to restart the computer so that new computer name will be applied on the server
Step 2: Configuring Network Properties

To configure the Network Properties, Open Network and Sharing center -> Select Change Adapter Settings -> Double click on the Network Adaptor -> Select Internet Protocol Version 4 and click on Properties -> Click on Use the following IP address and configure the IP Address and Subnet Mask of your network and click Ok.

Step 3: Install the Active Directory Domain Services Roles

To install the Active Directory Domain Services Roles, Open Server Manager -> Click on Add Roles and Features wizard

 On the next page, click Next and on the Installation Type page click on Role-based or feature-based installation and click next

 On the Server Selection window make sure the respective server is selected and click next

 On the Server Roles section, select Active Directory Domain Services, a pop will appear to add the required features for that role installation, click Add features and click next

 On the features Window click next and on ADDS windows click next and on the confirmation window click install

 Blow shows the Active Directory Domain Services roles installation

Step 4: Run the DC Promo wizard to configure the standalone Windows Server 2012 as a Domain Controller

Once the ADDS server role installation is completed, Windows Server 2012 Server Manager notification bar will show a post-deployment configuration option to promote this server to a domain controller, click on that option

 On the Deployment Configuration window, select Add a new forest and type the domain name and click next, for this test lab I select my domain name as learnexchange.i

 On the Domain Controller Options windows, review the settings and set a restore mode password and click next. Make note that we are leaving the DNS Server roles configuration to take place automatically during the DC promotion, so I selected DNS server option

 On the DNS option click next and on additional option check whether correct NetBIOS name is selected and click next

 On the Paths window page leave the default and on the Review Options page read the configuration information and click next

 If any issue with the selection or configuration, the prerequisites will prompt for issues to be corrected. If no issues it will allow you an option to Install

 Once the installation is completed the server will reboot. We have configured the Windows Server 2012 as additional domain controller now.

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Posted in: Window Server 2012

Exchange 2013 Server Roles Installation Order

We all know that we have only two server roles in Exchange Server 2013 and this is like front end and backend architect server role in Exchange Server 2003. In this post will discuss on which Exchange Server 2013 server role to be installed first.
In Exchange Server 2010 and 2007 installation, if it is a typical installation which will install the CAS, HUB & Mailbox server roles together on a single machine, then there is no need to look on the server roles installation order, but if we planned to deploy each role on a different servers, then Microsoft recommends to install the server roles in below order

1. Client Access Server Role
2. Hub Transport Server Role
3. Mailbox Server Role
4. Unified Messaging Server Role
5. Edge Transport Server

Lot of Architecture changes in Exchange Server 2013 which was released only with two server roles. Again if we are deploying both the server roles are on same server then there is no need to worry about which role to be installed first, but if we are separating server roles, then Microsoft recommends installing the roles in below order

1. Mailbox Server Role
2. Client Access Server Role

Also to have a proper functionality of Exchange Server 2013 both the server roles to be deployed in an Exchange Server organization and if we are deploying a Mailbox Server Role in an Actie Directory Site, then the Client Access Server role has to be deployed.

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Posted in: Exchange Server 2013

Exchange 2013 Server Roles in short note

We all know Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 released with only two server roles as Mailbox Server Role and Client Access Server. Other server roles components from Hub Transport Server and Unified Messaging Server are now included with MB and CAS server roles. In this post we will see those Server roles functions in short note.
Mailbox Server Role:

Mailbox Server Role in Exchange server 2013 has the components like Client Access Protocols, the mailbox database, the transport service and unified messaging components. So the Mailbox Server role in Exchange 2013 now functions as a legacy Mailbox Server Roles, Hub Transport Server Role, Unified Messaging Server Role and part of Client Access Server role. Mailbox Server Role in Exchange Server 2013 perform the below functions

1. Provides Client Access features for Exchange 2013 clients
2. Responsible for all means of Internal Mail flow and process the external inbound\outbound emails to Front End Transport Service in Client Access Server
3. Hold the Mailbox Databases and Public Folder Mailboxes
4. Responsible for Unified Messaging functionality (CAS redirects the SIP traffic from incoming emails to Mailbox Servers

Note: if we are separating the server roles installation then the mailbox server role has to be first server role which has to be installed first.
Client Access Server Role:

The Client Access Server provides authentication, limited redirection and proxy services to all client Access Protocols like http, pop and imap, and SMTP. The client access wont process any emails, it is a thin and stateless server which won’t do any data rendering and it won’t queue or store any emails in CAS server.
As mentioned above Client Access Server role has 3 components

• Client Access Protocols
• SMTP
• UM Call Router

CAS server is an Exchange aware Proxy Server and it supports the Proxy and Redirection logic for Client Protocols.

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Posted in: Exchange Server 2013