General Recommendations for FSMO Roles Placement

• Place the RID and PDC emulator roles on the same domain controller. Good communication from the PDC to the RID master is desirable as down level clients and applications target the PDC, making it a large consumer of RIDs.
  
  
• As a general rule, the infrastructure master should be located on a non global catalog server that has a direct connection object to some global catalog in the forest, preferably in the same Active Directory site. Because the global catalog server holds a partial replica of every object in the forest, the infrastructure master, if placed on a global catalog server, will never update anything, because it does not contain any references to objects that it does not hold. Two exceptions to the "do not place the infrastructure master on a global catalog server" rule are:
  
  
  1. Single domain forest: In a forest that contains a single Active Directory domain, there are no phantoms, and so the infrastructure master has no work to do. The infrastructure master may be placed on any domain controller in the domain, regardless of whether that domain controller hosts the global catalog or not.
  
  
  2. Multi domain forest: Where every domain controller in a domain holds the global catalog: If every domain controller in a domain that is part of a multi domain forest also hosts the global catalog, there are no phantoms or work for the infrastructure master to do. The infrastructure master may be put on any domain controller in that domain.
  
  
• At the forest level, the schema master and domain naming master roles should be placed on the same domain controller as they are rarely used and should be tightly controlled. Additionally, the domain naming master FSMO should also be a global catalog server. Certain operations that use the domain naming master, such as creating grand-child domains, will fail if this is not the case.
  
  
  Note: If the Schema Master or RID role is seized, it is critical that the original server never be restored and brought back to the forest. To do so may cause Schema corruption and data inconsistency.
  
  
• In order to facilitate faster user authentication, the PDC emulator should be placed in a location that includes a large number of users from that domain. In addition, ensure that the location is well connected to other locations to minimize replication latency.
  
  
  

What is FSMO (Flexible Single-Master Operation) Roles?

The Microsoft Windows Active Directory is the central repository in which all objects in an enterprise and their respective attributes are stored. It is a hierarchical, multi-master enabled database, capable of storing millions of objects. Because it is multi-master, changes to the database can be processed at any given domain controller (DC) in the enterprise regardless of whether the DC is connected or disconnected from the network. Because an Active Directory role is not bound to a single DC, it is referred to as a Flexible Single Master Operation (FSMO) Role.

Currently in Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 there are Five FSMO roles, which are owned by the First Domain Controller installed into the Forest, any new domain installed under the forest will have Three (Domain-Level) FSMO Roles. These roles break down into Two Forest-Level roles and Three domain-level roles.

The two forest-level roles are:

• The schema master, which governs changes to the schema, controls all updates and modifications to the Active Directory Schema. To update the schema of a forest, you must have access to the Schema Master; therefore you need to be member of Schema Admins Group in Active Directory. There can be only one schema master in the whole forest.
  
• The domain naming master, which adds domains to and removes domains from the forest, controls the addition or removal of domains in the forest. There can be only one domain naming master in the whole forest. You need to be member of Enterprise Admins Group in order to gain access on the Domain Naming Master Role Functionality.
  

The three domain-level roles for Active Directory domain controllers are:

• The primary domain controller (PDC) emulator, which processes any replication requests from Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 backup domain controllers (BDCs) and processes all password updates from clients not running the Active Directory client software. In addition, the PDC emulator is checked on an authentication failure to see if a password has been changed but has not had a chance to replicate to all the domain controllers at that point in time.
  
• The Relative Identifier (RID) master, which allocates RIDs to all domain controllers to ensure that all security principles are unique.
  
• The infrastructure master for a given domain, which maintains a list of the security principals from other domains that are members of groups within its domain
  

Windows Server 2008: Web, Virtualization, Security, and a Solid Foundation for Your Business Workloads

Windows Server 2008, with its built-in Web and virtualization technologies, enables you to increase the reliability and flexibility of your server infrastructure. Learn how new virtualization tools, Web resources, and security enhancements can help you save time, reduce costs, and provide a platform for a dynamic and optimized datacenter. Powerful new tools, such as Internet Information Services 7.0 (IIS7), Server Manager, and Windows PowerShell, allow you to have more control over your servers and streamline web, configuration, and management tasks. Advanced security and reliability enhancements, such as Network Access Protection (NAP) and the Read-Only Domain Controller, harden the operating system and protect your server environment to ensure you have a solid foundation to build your business on.

Webcasts
Watch these 90-minute Windows Server 2008 webcasts and learn how your organization can leverage the enhancements in Windows Server 2008. Tune in for live webcasts and stream or download webcasts for on-demand viewing.

Virtual Labs
Try out Windows Server 2008 during a virtual lab. It's simple—no complex setup or installation is required. You get a downloadable manual and a 90-minute block of time for each module, and you can sign up for additional 90-minute blocks anytime.

Podcasts
Stream or download these TechNet audio podcasts onto your favorite podcast software or mobile device. These podcasts are free and do not require registration—just click, listen, and learn about Windows Server 2008.

Chats
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Link : Windows Server 2008: Web, Virtualization, Security, and a Solid Foundation for Your Business Workloads

Some Usefull Commands / Shortcuts for IT People

These Shortcuts or commands for the people who loves working with shortcuts like me, to be honost with you, i forgot where is the location of Active Directory Users and Computers :) , whenever i want to access it, i ran the shortcut :). which is much easier for me to remember.



Authorization Manager -----> AZMAN.MSC
Certificates snap-in -----> CERTMGR.MSC
Certification Services -----> CERTSRV.MSC
Certificate Templates -----> CERTTMPL.MSC
Index Service -----> CIADV.MSC
Command Prompt -----> CMD.EXE
Computer Management -----> COMPMGMT.MSC
Computer Management other than local computer ----> COMPMGMT.MSC /COMPUTER=COMPUTERNAME
Domain Controller Security Policy -----> DCPOL.MSC
promote server to a Domain Controller -----> DCPROMO.EXE
Device Manager -----> DEVMGMT.MSC
Disk Defragmenter -----> DFRG.MSC
Distributed File System -----> DFSGUI.MSC
DHCP Manager -----> DHCPMGMT.MSC
Disk Management -----> DISKMGMT.MSC
DNS Manager -----> DNSMGMT.MSC
Active Directory Domains & Trust -----> DOMAIN.MSC
Domain Security Policy -----> DOMPOL.MSC
Active Directory Users & Computers -----> DSA.MSC
To run Active Directory Users & Computers for a specific domain, if you have Root/Child Domain Structure. -----> DSA.MSC /DOMAIN=domainname
To run Active Directory Users & Computers from a specific Domain Controller
-----> DSA.MSC /SERVER=servername
Active Directory Sites & Services -----> DSSITE.MSC
Event Viewer -----> EVENTVWR.MSC
File Server Management -----> FILESVR.MSC
Shared Folders -----> FSMGMT.MSC
Fax Service Manager -----> FXSADMIN.MSC
local Group Policy Editor -----> GPEDIT.MSC
Look and edit the local Group Policy on a remote machine ----->GPEDIT.MSC /gpcomputer:
machinename
Internet Authentication Service -----> IAS.MSC
Internet Information Service (\Windows\system32\inetsrv) -----> IIS.MSC
Local Users and Groups -----> LUSRMGR.MSC
Microsoft Management Console -----> MMC.EXE
Hardware and software configuration information -----> MSINFO32.EXE
Remote Desktop Connection -----> MSTSC
Connect to a Console Session of a Server -----> MSTSC /Console
Network Diagnostics scans your system to gather information about your hardware, software, and network connections -----> netsh diag gui
Removable Storage Manager -----> NTMSMGR.MSC
Removable Storage Operator Request -----> NTMSOPRQ.MSC
Performance Monitor -----> PERFMON.MSC
Run Registry Editor -----> REGEDIT.EXE
starts the Remote Installation Service setup wizard -----> RISETUP.EXE
Routing and Remote Access -----> RRASMGMT.MSC
Resultant Set of Policy -----> RSOP.MSC
Local Security Policy -----> SECPOL.MSC
Service Configuration -----> SERVICES.MSC
Telephony -----> TAPIMGMT.MSC
Terminal Services -----> TSCC.MSC
Remote Desktop -----> TSMMC.MSC
Windows Management Instrument -----> WMICORE.EXE
Windows Managment Instrumentation -----> WMIMGMT.MSC

Issue while configuring CCR with FSW (File Share Witness)

I want to share with you one of the issues that I found during Exchange Server 2007 – CCR Implementation. The issue appears while trying to configure FSW (File Share Witness) for the CCR, I don’t know if anyone faced this issue or problem before during his testing of CCR , but in case you didn’t , and you faced the same issue, I am sharing the solution of this issue with you in order to get over and solve this issue.

What is FSW ?


CCR uses the new File Share Witness feature introduced in an update to the Windows 2003 SP1 to act as the witness node instead of implementing a third node in the cluster for that purpose. Microsoft always recommends to install the FSW on one of the Hub servers. Also in site resilience implementation MS recommend to pre-provision another FSW on the Hub server that is hosted in the backup site and to be used to speed up the process of bringing up the backup site in case of disasters, and in order to facilitate such process of bringing up the other FSW and as a best practices MS recommend to use a CNAME record that is pointing to the server hosting the FSW so in case of disasters you just need to change the CNAME record to point to the other server hosting the standby FSW, easy task. so in general you will create the CNAME record in the DNS that will be pointing to the FSW server, and the issue is in this procedure.

So where is the problem???


sometimes when you try to use the CNAME record to populate the FSW or even to test the access to the FSW share using the CNAME you will got this error:

\\CName_Of_FSW

”You were not connected because a duplicate name exists on the network. Go to System in Control Panel to change the computer name and try again”


For example, if you deployed FSW on a HUB Server called (SRV-E2K7HUP-01) and you added a CNAME Record under the Active Directory called FSW, and you tried to access this CNAME from any of the CCR Nodes under this network, by running file://fsw/ from Rum Command, you will get the above mentioned error, and you will not be able to proceed, cause you need to configure Windows Cluster for the Two CCR Nodes with file://fsw.domain/MNS_FileShare_Name. and both CCR nodes needs to access this shared folder.

The Solution:

To solve this problem you have to disable the Strict Name Checking, from the Registry of the server that hosts the FSW (which is in our case the HUP Server SRV-E2K7HUP-01):

• Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
  
  
• Locate and click the following key in the registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters.
  
  
• On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry value:
  
  Value name: DisableStrictNameChecking
  Data type: REG_DWORD
  Radix: DecimalValue: 1
  
  
• You have to restart the server after that.
  
  
• After Restarting the server make sure that you can access the C-Name of the FSW Hosting Server from the Run command on both CCR Nodes.

Please let me know if anyone faced this problem before and could solve it with the same above steps, and if you could not test this on a CCR Environment, please try it now, so you will be familiar with the steps shown above.

I hope the above information is useful to you, and hope to bring again another more issues which might help you with Exchange Server 2007.

MS Exchange Server 2007 – Active Directory Preparation

How to Prepare Active Directory for Exchange Server 2007 Installation:

As we all know, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 uses the Active Directory directory service to store and share directory information with Microsoft Windows, so without Active Directory directory Services, you will not be able to have any version of Exchange Server 200x installed under your network. If you have already Active Directory deployed under your production network and you want to deploy Exchange Server 2007, then continue reading this article to know how to prepare Active Directory Domain Infrastructure for Exchange Server 2007 Deployment and Installation, but If you have NOT yet deployed Active Directory, stop reading this article and go and deploy Active Directory First then come here again to continue : ).

In order to be able to install and deploy MS Exchange Server 2007 under your production or testing lab environment, you need to first prepare your Active Directory for Exchange Server 2007 before doing any kind of Exchange Server 2007 installation. Here I will try to explain how to prepare the Active Directory directory service and domains for installing Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.

As I mentioned on my previous article posted previously in my blog under the name of “Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Requirements” you have to make sure that you have met all Exchange Server 2007 Hardware, Infrastructure, and System Requirements before you proceed with Active Directory Preparation Steps mentioned on this article.

Now, here are the steps required to prepare your Active Directory for Exchange Server 2007 Deployment and Installation under you Organization:

1. Prepare Exchange Legacy Permissions

If you have Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Server running under your Exchange Organization, then open a Command Prompt window from , and then run one of the following commands:

• To prepare legacy Exchange permissions in every domain in the forest that contains the Exchange Enterprise Servers and Exchange Domain Servers groups, run:
  
  setup /PrepareLegacyExchangePermissions
  
  
• To prepare legacy Exchange permissions in a specific domain, run
  
  setup /PrepareLegacyExchangePermissions:
  

Permission required to run these commands:

• To run this command to prepare every domain in the forest, you must be a member of the Enterprise Admins group.
  
  
• To run this command to prepare a specific domain, you must be a member of the Exchange Organization Administrators group and you must be a member of the Domain Admins group in the domain that you will prepare.
  
  
• If you do not specify a domain, the domain in which you run this command must be able to contact all domains in the forest.
  
  
• After you run this command, you must wait for the permissions to replicate across your Exchange organization before continuing to the next step. If the permissions have not replicated, the Recipient Update Service on your Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Server computers could fail. The amount of time that replication takes depends on your Active Directory site topology.
  
  
• To track the progress of Active Directory replication, you can use the Active Directory Replication Monitor tool (replmon.exe), which is installed as part of the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Support Tools Setup. By default, it is located at "%programfiles%\support tools\." Add your domain controllers as monitored servers so that you can track the progress of replication throughout the domain
  
  

2. Prepare Active Directory Schema

From a Command Prompt window, run the following command:

setup /PrepareSchema

Very Important Note: You must NOT run this command in a forest in which you do not plan to run setup /PrepareAD. If you do, the forest will be configured incorrectly, and you will not be able to read some attributes on user objects. So, if you didn’t follow the steps here correctly, Don’t Blame meJ.

Permission required to run these commands:

• This command connects to the schema master and imports LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIF) files to update the schema with Exchange 2007 specific attributes.
  
  
• To run this command, you must be a member of the Schema Admins group and the Enterprise Admins group.
  
  
• You must run this command on a computer that is in the same domain and the same Active Directory site as the schema master.
  
  
• If you have not completed Step 1, setup /PrepareSchema will perform the PrepareLegacyExchangePermissions step. To complete the PrepareLegacyExchangePermissions step, the domain in which you run this command must be able to contact all domains in the forest.
  
  
• After you run this command, you should wait for the changes to replicate across your Exchange organization before continuing to the next step. The amount of time this takes is dependent upon your Active Directory site topology.
  

3. Prepare Active Directory directory Service

From a Command Prompt window, run the following command:

setup /PrepareAD [/OrganizationName: ]

What does this command do ?

• This command configures global Exchange objects in Active Directory, creates the Exchange Universal Security Groups (USGs) in the root domain, sets permissions on the Exchange configuration objects, and prepares the current domain. The global objects reside under the Exchange organization container. If no Exchange organization container exists, you must specify an organization name by using the /OrganizationName parameter. The organization container will be created with the name that you specify.
  
  
• This command creates the Exchange 2007 Administrative Group called Exchange Administrative Group (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT). It also creates the Exchange 2007 Routing Group called Exchange Routing Group (DWBGZMFD01QNBJR).
  
  Very Important Notes:
  
  Do not move Exchange 2007 servers out of Exchange Administrative Group (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT) and do not rename Exchange Administrative Group (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT) by using a low-level directory editor. Exchange 2007 must use this administrative group for configuration data storage. We do not support moving Exchange 2007 servers out of Exchange Administrative Group (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT) or renaming of Exchange Administrative Group (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT).
  
  Do not move Exchange 2007 servers out of Exchange Routing Group (DWBGZMFD01QNBJR) and do not rename Exchange Routing Group (DWBGZMFD01QNBJR) by using a low-level directory editor. Exchange 2007 must use this routing group for communication with earlier versions of Exchange . We do not support moving Exchange 2007 servers out of Exchange Routing Group (DWBGZMFD01QNBJR) or renaming of Exchange Routing Group (DWBGZMFD01QNBJR).
  
  
• This command creates the Unified Messaging Voice Originator contact in the Microsoft Exchange System Objects container of the root domain.
  
  
• This command prepares the local domain for Exchange 2007.
  To run this command, you must be a member of the Enterprise Admins group.
  
  
• If you have Exchange Server 2003 servers in your organization, you must be an Exchange Full Administrator to run this command.
  
  
• The Exchange organization name cannot contain the following characters: ~ (tilde), ` (grave accent), ! (exclamation point), @ (at sign), # (number sign), $ (dollar sign), % (percent sign), ^ (caret), & (ampersand), * (asterisk), () (parentheses), _ (underscore), + (plus sign), = (equal sign), {} (braces), [] (brackets), (vertical bar), \ (backslash), : (colon), ; (semicolon)," (quotation mark), ' (apostrophe), <> (angle brackets), , (comma), . (period), ? (question mark), / (slash mark), White spaces at the beginning or end.
  
  
• You must run this command on a computer that is in the same domain and the same Active Directory site as the Schema Master.
  
  
• If you have not completed Step 1, setup /PrepareAD will perform the PrepareLegacyExchangePermissions step. To complete the PrepareLegacyExchangePermissions step, the domain in which you run this command must be able to contact all domains in the forest. If you are also a member of the Schema Admins group, and if you have not completed Step 2, setup /PrepareAD will perform the PrepareSchema step.
  
  
• After you run this command, you should wait for the changes to replicate across your Exchange organization before continuing to the next step. The amount of time this takes is dependent upon your Active Directory site topology.

To verify that this step completed successfully, make sure that there is a new organizational unit (OU) in the root domain called Microsoft Exchange Security Groups. This OU should contain the following new Exchange USGs:

• Exchange Organization Administrators
• Exchange Recipient Administrators
• Exchange View-Only Administrators
• Exchange Servers
• ExchangeLegacyInterop

When you install Exchange 2007, Setup will add the Exchange Organization Administrators USG as a member of the local Administrators group on the computer on which you are installing Exchange. Be aware that the local Administrators group on a domain controller has different permissions than the local Administrators group on a member server. If you install Exchange 2007 on a domain controller, the users who are Exchange Organization Administrators will have additional Windows permissions that they do not have if you install Exchange 2007 on a computer that is not a domain controller.

4. Prepare other specific Domains (if exists).

From a Command Prompt window, run one of the following commands:

• Run setup /PrepareDomain to prepare the local domain. Note that you do not need to run this in the domain where you ran Step 3. Running setup /PrepareAD prepares the local domain.
  
  
• Run setup /PrepareDomain: to prepare a specific domain.
  
  
• Run setup /PrepareAllDomains to prepare all domains in your organization.
  

These commands perform the following tasks:

• Sets permissions on the Domain container for the Exchange Servers, Exchange Organization Administrators, Authenticated Users, and Exchange Mailbox Administrators.
  
  
• Creates the Microsoft Exchange System Objects container if it does not exist, and sets permissions on this container for the Exchange Servers, Exchange Organization Administrators, and Authenticated Users.
  
  
• Creates a new domain global group in the current domain called Exchange Install Domain Servers. It also adds the Exchange Install Domain Servers group to the Exchange Servers USG in the root domain.
  

Note the following:

• For domains that are in an Active Directory site other than the root domain, /PrepareDomain might fail with the following messages:
  
  "PrepareDomain for domain has partially completed. Because of the Active Directory site configuration, you must wait at least 15 minutes for replication to occur, and run PrepareDomain for again."
  
  "Active Directory operation failed on . This error is not retriable. Additional information: The specified group type is invalid.Active Directory response: 00002141: SvcErr: DSID-031A0FC0, problem 5003 (WILL_NOT_PERFORM), data 0The server cannot handle directory requests."
  
  If you see these messages, wait for or force Active Directory replication between this domain and the root domain, and then run /PrepareDomain again.
  
• To run setup /PrepareAllDomains you must be a member of the Enterprise Admins group.
  
  
• To run setup /PrepareDomain, if the domain that you are preparing existed before you ran setup /PrepareAD, you must be a member of the Domain Admins group in the domain. If the domain that you are preparing was created after you ran setup /PrepareAD, you must be a member of the Exchange Organization Administrators group, and you must be a member of the Domain Admins group in the domain.
  

To verify that this step completed successfully, confirm the following:

• You have a new global group in the Microsoft Exchange System Objects container called Exchange Install Domain Servers. To view the Microsoft Exchange System Objects container in Active Directory Users and Computers, on the View menu, click Advanced Features. The Exchange Install Domain Servers group is used if you install Exchange 2007 in a child domain that is an Active Directory site other than the root domain. The creation of this group allows you to avoid installation errors if group memberships have not replicated to the child domain.
  
  
• The Exchange Install Domain Servers group is a member of the Exchange Servers USG in the root domain.
  
  
• On each domain controller in a domain in which you will install Exchange 2007, the Exchange Servers USG has permissions on the Domain Controller Security Policy\Local Policies\User Rights Assignment\Manage Auditing and Security Log policy.

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Requirements

Hardware Requirements

Microsoft maintains a list of minimum hardware requirements to install Exchange Server 2007. Microsoft recommends the following minimum hardware requirements for Exchange Server 2007:

Processor:

• Intel Extended Memory 64 Technology (Intel EM64T). or
• AMD Opteron or AMD Athlon 64 processor, which supports AMD64 platform.

Memory:

• 2GB of RAM per server plus 5MB per user minimum.
  

Disk space:

• At least 1.2GB on the hard disk where Exchange Server 2007 will be installed.
• 200MB on the system drive
  

Paging file size:

• Page File Size should be equal to the amount of RAM in the Server plus 10 MB.
  

Note:

• That Inter Itanium IA64 Processors are NOT SUPPORTED.
• These hardware requirements from Microsoft are the bare minimum and should not be used in best-practice scenarios. In addition, hardware requirements can change because of features and functionality required by the company, for example, the implementation of Unified Messaging voice mail services or clustering on an Exchange 2007 server can require more memory

Infrastructure Requirements for Exchange Server 2007

Exchange Server 2007 has the following infrastructure requirements:

• The Schema Master Domain Controller must have Windows Server 2003 SP 1 or Windows Server 2003 R2 Installed.
• Global Catalog Server used by Exchange Server 2007 must be running Windows Server 2003 SP 1 or Windows Server 2003 R2 Installed.
• Active Directory Domain Functional Level must be Windows 2000 Native or higher for all domains in the Active Directory Forest where you will install Exchange Server 2007 or have mailbox-enabled users.
• Forest Functional Level must be Windows Server 2003 Functional Level.
• No Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 Servers should be in the Exchange Organization and the Exchange Organization must be in Native Mode.
• Domain Name System (DNS) is configured correctly in the Active Directory Forest.
• Active Directory is prepared for the Exchange Server 2007.
• WINS is not required anymore for Exchange Server 2007 Installation, operation and management.
  

Exchange Server 2007 System Requirements

Exchange 2007 has the following requirements for Installation:

• Windows Server 2003 – 64-Bit (or Windows Server 2003 R2 – 64-Bit) as Operating System.
• .Net Framework 2.0
• Microsoft Management Console (MMC) v 3.0
• Microsoft PowerShell v 1.0.
• Windows Security Updates.
  

For each and every Exchange Server 2007 which will be deployed under the Production network, all the above software and updates must be installed prior to install Exchange Server 2007. You will not be able to proceed with Exchange Server 2007 Installation on any server if one of the system requirements was not installed on the server.

What's New in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 is the latest release of the messaging and communications system from Microsoft built on the Windows operating system. At its core, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 is an email, calendaring, and address book system that runs on a centralized Windows Server 2003 server system. However with the release of Exchange 2007, now the sixth major release of Exchange in the 12-year history of the product, Microsoft has made significant improvements in the areas of security, reliability, scalability, mobility, and unified communications. In this Article, We will list some of the New Features of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, not a comprehensive list of all the new features in Exchange 2007, but It is intended to help you start testing and running Exchange 2007. For a complete list of all the new and improved features, see the Following Microsoft Site “Features of Exchange Server 2007”.

• Exchange Management Console: The Exchange Management Console is one of two new administrative interfaces for Exchange 2007 and is based on Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 3.0. The Exchange Management Console is required to install and manage Exchange 2007. The Exchange Management Console combines all management tasks into one user interface. By using the Exchange Management Console, you can manage all Exchange servers, recipients, and organizational components in your Exchange 2007 organization.

• Exchange Management Shell: The Exchange Management Shell is a new task-based command line shell and scripting language for system administration. You can use the Exchange Management Shell to perform every task that the Exchange Management Console can perform and additional tasks that cannot be performed in the Exchange Management Console.





• Unified Messaging: Exchange 2007 includes support for Unified Messaging (UM). Unified Messaging combines multiple messaging infrastructures into a single messaging infrastructure. Therefore, Exchange 2007 users who are enabled for Unified Messaging can receive all voice mail, e-mail, and fax messages in their Exchange 2007 mailboxes and can access their mailboxes from a variety of devices. These devices include mobile devices and cellular, analog, or digital telephones.

• Performance improvements: Exchange 2007 supports deployment on a 64-bit architecture for improved performance and capacity. Because of the move from a 32-bit architecture to a 64-bit architecture, the Enterprise Edition of Exchange Server 2007 now supports a larger number of storage groups and databases per server. Exchange 2007 lets you create as many as 50 storage groups per server. Although a storage group can contain as many as 5 databases, there is a limit of 50 databases per server.
  

32 bit = 232 or 4 gigabytes of addressable memory
64 bit = 264 or 16 exabytes of addressable memory

• Availability: When multiple Exchange 2007 computers that are running the Hub Transport server role are deployed in a site, mail flow between Hub Transport servers and Mailbox servers is automatically load balanced and does not require any additional configuration by the administrator. If a Hub Transport server (formerly known as a bridgehead server) is unavailable because of a failure or regularly scheduled maintenance, failover to the other Hub Transport servers is automatic.

• High availability: for Mailbox servers Exchange 2007 includes three Inbox features that provide high availability for Mailbox servers: Local continuous replication (LCR), cluster continuous replication (CCR), and single copy clusters (SCC). The continuous replication features use log shipping to create a second copy of a production storage group. In an LCR environment, the second copy is located on the same server as the production storage group. In a CCR environment, the second copy is located on the passive node in the cluster.
  


• Messaging Policy and Compliance Features: Exchange 2007 includes many new messaging compliance features. You can use the policy and compliance features of Exchange 2007 to apply rules to messages that are sent and to enforce retention requirements for stored data. The new Messaging Records Management (MRM) feature in Exchange 2007 helps users and organizations retain the messages that they need for business or legal reasons.

• Security and Protection: Exchange 2007 includes several improvements to the suite of anti-spam and antivirus features that were introduced in Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. In Exchange 2007, the anti-spam and antivirus features provide services to block viruses and spam, also known as unsolicited commercial e-mail, at the network perimeter.
  
  

• Autodiscover: To optimize bandwidth, when a remote user connects to an Exchange 2007 computer that has the Client Access server role installed, the Client Access server that accepts the initial request locates the user's mailbox. After the user's Mailbox server is located, the client request is redirected to the Client Access server that is nearest to the user's Mailbox server.

• Extensibility and Programmability: Exchange 2007 includes a new set of services, known as Exchange Web Services, which enable developers to interact with Exchange mailboxes and contents by using standard HTTP. Exchange Web Services provides access to the mailboxes of authenticated users and the items in their mailboxes.

Introducing Server Roles in MS Exchange Server 2007

Exchange Server 2007 has a new architecture based on server roles. Server roles organize Exchange Server 2007 services and features into preset server configurations. While Exchange Server 2003 provided primitive server roles in the form of back-end servers and front-end servers, Exchange Server 2007 has more granular divisions.

There are five server roles in Exchange Server 2007:

• Mailbox: Hosts mailbox databases, which contain user mailboxes and public folders.


• Client Access: Allows browser-based, remote, and mobile clients to communicate with Exchange Server through Outlook Anywhere (RPC/HTTP), Outlook Web Access, ActiveSync, POP3, or IMAP4.


• Hub Transport: Provides message transport services within the organization. All messages flow through the hub transport, allowing organization-wide enforcement of policies.


• Unified Messaging: Provides telephony capabilities including voice mail, fax receiving, automated attendant, and Outlook Voice Access.


• Edge Transport: Serves as an e-mail gateway, helping to block spam and viruses at the network perimeter before they reach internal mail servers.

What is Microsoft Forefront ?

Microsoft Forefront is a comprehensive line of business security products providing greater protection and control through integration with your existing IT infrastructure and through simplified deployment, management, and analysis. The Microsoft Forefront line of business security products helps provide protection for the Client Machines, Server Applications and the Network Edge. The Forefront product line consists of the following:

• Microsoft Forefront Client Security (formerly called Microsoft Client Protection)

• Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server (currently called Microsoft Antigen for

Exchange)

• Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint (currently called Antigen for SharePoint)
• Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communications Server (currently called Antigen for

Instant Messaging)
• Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2006

Visit the following Microsoft Links if you would like to know more information about this new comprehensive security product, see the Road Map, and to download the Trial Version of this Product:

• Introducing Microsoft Forefront.

• Microsoft Forefront Overview.

• Download Forefront Security for Exchange Server Beta.

• Download Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server Beta.

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Cluster Continuous Replication in Exchange Server 2007

What is CCR in Exchange Server 2007 ?

Cluster continuous replication (CCR) is a high availability feature of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 that combines the asynchronous log shipping and replay technology built into Exchange 2007 with the failover and management features provided by the Microsoft Cluster service.
CCR is designed to provide high availability for Exchange 2007 Mailbox servers by providing a solution that addresses the following requirements:

• Mailbox solution with no single point of failure
• Data availability and resiliency to failure
• Service availability and resiliency to failure
• Backup data center support with very current data
• Rapid recovery with current data to any single failure
• Low cost, high availability for Mailbox server
• High availability support for a wide range of disk technologies
• Simplified high availability solution

Here is the Link for the Technical Center Documentation about this new Technology.

Cluster Continuous Replication TechCenter Link

Creating a Virtual Exchange Server for Exchange 2003 Clustering

This article will go through the steps which will guide the Cluster Implementor to build Exchange Server 2003 - Virtual Group under Windows Clustering. the article writer posts some images to bring the full picture for the implementor and to easy the life for him :).

Here is the Link: Creating a Virtual Exchange Server for Exchange 2003 Clustering

Become an MSExchange.org Member and get the latest articles and tutorials delivered to your mailbox!

Every day thousands of Exchange administrators rely on MSExchange.org as a source of exclusive and reliable information concerning Microsoft Exchange Server. Signing up and becoming a member gives you instant notification whenever fresh articles and tutorials are published on the site. You can also sign up for the all new MSExchange.org Monthly Newsletter, written by Exchange MVP Henrik Walther, containing news, the hottest tips, Exchange links of the month and much more. Subscribe today and don't miss a thing! Subscribe Now

Get all the latest ISA Server 2004 news, articles, tutorials and tips in your mailbox

The ISAserver.org Monthly Newsletter, written by ISA expert Dr. Tom Shinder, is brimming with the latest news, the hottest tips, Q&A, links of the month and more. And of course, we'll have much to say about ISA Server 2004 as we take an in-depth look at all the new possibilities in our forthcoming articles. That's why we also offer you a convenient way of keeping informed about all the latest articles added to the site through our "Real-Time Article Update" Newsletters. This is a wonderfull site, it keeps you updates with all the latest news and updates articles related to ISA versions, if you didn't subscribe till now, please visit the following site and subscribe. To subscribe with ISAServer.Org Site, click on the Here.

Exchange Server 2007 Beta 2 - Technical Articles

The Following Technical Articles covers Exchange Server 2007 Beta 2 Installation and Configuraiton. also it covers some good features related to the new Exchange Server release "Exchange Server 2007":

1. Installing Exchange Server 2007 - Part 1, By Rodney Buike
2. Installating Exchange Server 2007 - Part 2, By Rodney Buike.
3. Introduction to Exchange 2007 Server Roles, By rodney Buike.
4. How to use Transport Rules in Exchange Server 2007- By Anderson Patricio
5. A First Look at the New Exchange 2007 System Management Console, By Henrik Walther.

6. Drilldown of the new OWA Direct File Access Feature in Exchange Server 2007: Part 1 (Server-side), By Henrik Walther

7. overview of Recipient Management in Exchange 2007 - The new Management Console.

Exchange Server 2007 Beta 2 available for Download Now

Microsoft announced that "Exchange Server 2007 Beta 2" is now available for download -offering built-in features to help protect against spam and viruses, and improvements that provide people in your organization with anywhere access to e-mail, voice mail, calendars, and contacts from a range of devices. Download or order the beta today! The new capabilities of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 deliver the advanced protection your company demands, the anywhere access your people want, and the operational efficiency you need. To get your own copy visit the Exchange Server 2007 Beta 2 site.

Exchange Server 2003 and the Device Emulator 1.0 with MSFP

A long time ago Microsoft published the Standalone Version of the Device Emulator 1.0 to simulate some Mobile Features for Exchange Server 2003 without having a Mobile Phone or Smartphone. The Standalone Version was very nice for demonstration purposes and in Training situations or for a presentation of Exchange Servers mobile power. Beginning with Exchange Server 2003 SP2 Microsoft enhanced the Mobile features with Direct Push Technology, Windows Mobile 5.0 and MSFP (Microsoft Security Feature Pack). MSFP is only available from the Mobile Manufacturer. A few days ago Microsoft published an updated Version of the Standalone Device Emulator 1.0 with MSFP. Read the Full posted Article

Download the MSFP version of the Device Emulator

What's New in Windows Server 2003 R2

Windows Server 2003 R2 extends the Windows Server 2003 operating system, providing a more efficient way to manage and control access to local and remote resources while easily integrating into your existing Windows Server 2003 environment. Windows Server 2003 R2 provides a scalable, security-enhanced Web platform, seamless interoperability with UNIX-based systems and enables new scenarios including simplified branch server management, improved identity and access management, and more efficient storage management. Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition also delivers dynamic new licensing that allows customers to get even more value out of server virtualization. This page provides an overview of benefits, new features, and improvements in Windows Server 2003 R2. Read the Full Article

Microsoft announced the availability for Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 Beta 2

Operations Manager 2007 simplifies monitoring of your IT services, reliably scales across your organization and environment, and includes the Microsoft application and OS knowledge you need to rapidly resolve your operational problems. Operations Manager 2007 will help you increase deployment of current products; drive adoption of the 2007 Office System, Windows Vista, and Exchange 2007 products; lower customer total cost of ownership; and improve customer satisfaction. With our new service-oriented monitoring capability this also becomes a great solution for monitoring line of business applications built on Microsoft SQL Server 2005.

Here is the Full Story

Microsoft Exchange Site was uploaded with MS Exchange Server 2007 Beta 2 Resources

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 beta 2 will be available soon, so the Microsoft Exchange site has been loaded with Beta 2 information:

Exchange Server 2007 Beta 2 Product Overview
Exchange Server 2007 Beta 2 Features
Exchange Server 2007 Beta 2 Demos.


Evaluate the beta with these resources under Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Beta 2 Site

Microsoft Announces “People-Ready” Business Vision

NEW YORK — March 16, 2006 — Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer today outlined the company’s vision for how people, armed with the right software, are the key to driving business success. Called “People-Ready”. This vision for business is the backdrop for a series of innovative solutions in new and existing categories that Microsoft will bring to market over the next year. Addressing more than 500 business customers, Ballmer showcased new business solutions and explained how they are enabled by the integration across the company’s forthcoming versions of the Windows Vista™ operating system, the 2007 Microsoft® Office system, Windows Mobile® software and the next version of Microsoft Exchange Server, as well as infrastructure offerings such as Windows Server™ 2003 and SQL Server™ 2005.

Read the full story here.

SQL Server 2005 Books Online (April 2006)

The SQL Server 2005 Books Online April download has been refreshed as of May 4, 2006 to correct a problem that was found with the SQL Server Express search filter. Download an updated version of Books Online for Microsoft SQL Server 2005. Books Online is the primary documentation for SQL Server 2005. The April 2006 update to Books Online contains new material and fixes to documentation problems reported by customers after SQL Server 2005 was released. Refer to "New and Updated Books Online Topics" for a list of topics that are new or updated in this version. Topics with significant updates have a Change History table at the bottom of the topic that summarizes the changes. Beginning with the April 2006 update, SQL Server 2005 Books Online reflects product upgrades included in SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Books Online includes the following types of information:

• Setup and upgrade instructions.
• Information about new features and backward compatibility.
• Conceptual descriptions of the technologies and features in SQL Server 2005.
• Procedural topics describing how to use the various features in SQL Server 2005.
• Tutorials that guide you through common tasks.
• Reference documentation for the graphical tools, command prompt utilities, programming languages, and application programming interfaces (APIs) that are supported by SQL Server 2005.
• Descriptions of the sample databases and applications included with SQL Server 2005.

You can Download an updated version of the documentation and tutorials for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 by visiting this Microsoft Link.

Exchange 2003 Mobile Messaging Part 4 – Accessing the Corporate GAL from your Mobile Device Using GAL Lookup

This is part 4 in this 5 part article series covering Mobile Messaging using Exchange 2003 Server with SP2 applied and Windows Mobile 5.0 devices with the Messaging and Security Feature Pack installed. In this article we’ll take a closer look at the GAL lookup feature.

With the new GAL Lookup feature included in the Messaging and Security Feature Pack, you can now lookup contacts in the Global Address List (GAL) on your corporate Exchange Server 2003 SP2 Server(s). Those of you who own a Windows Mobile device which doesn’t have the MSFP installed know that you can only look up contacts in your personal contacts list stored locally on your device. Well actually this statement isn’t completely true, as you can get access to the Global Address Book (GAL) by installing the free Microsoft Global Contact Access add-on on the device. Of course the Microsoft Global Contact Access add-on is not as integrated in the Windows Mobile 5.0 OS as the GAL Lookup, but it’s definitely worth checking out while you wait for a build with the MSFP included for your particular device.

Enjoy reading Part 4 of this series.

Microsoft Lunches thier new Support Site - it is really Fantastic

Today while I was browsing Microsoft Support Center Site(http://support.microsoft.com) I noticed that they totally changed the site. It is really fantastic, they added a module called "Tob Solution Center" where they lists the most common products that every body is using during thier day to day activities and they need the support for. The new site includes common issues, frequently asked questions, helpful links, tips and how-tos, and latest downloads. If you didn't see it, they you have to check it now by your self.

If you used ADMT v 2.0 then you need to see ADMT v 3.0

The Active Directory Migration Tool version 3 (ADMT v3) simplifies the process of restructuring your operating environment to meet the needs of your organization. You can use ADMT v3 to migrate users, groups, and computers from Microsoft® Windows NT® 4.0 domains to Active Directory® directory service domains; between Active Directory domains in different forests (interforest migration); and between Active Directory domains in the same forest (intraforest migration). ADMT v3 also performs security translation from Windows NT 4.0 domains to Active Directory domains and between Active Directory domains in different forests.

I personally used ADMT v2.0 to migrate 5400 Users with password from NT4.0 to 2000 and the migration was successfully. and i used it to migrate 1000 users from 2000 to 2003. I saw my friend doing a full migration from NT4.0 to 2003 with desktops been joined to the new domain without changing of their profiles, also he migrated Directory Services from 5.5 to 2003.

I love this utility, and for you to start love it you need to download it & read about it :):)

Step-by-Step Guide to Deploying Windows Mobile-based Devices with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2

This document is designed primarily for Information Technology (IT) professionals who are responsible for planning and deploying mobile messaging systems that use Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 with Service Pack 2 (SP2) and Microsoft Windows Mobile-based devices that have the Messaging and Security Feature Pack.
This document is divided into two main sections that describe the following:

• The essential elements of a mobile messaging system, including requirements; a summary of deployment procedures; an overview of the features of the Messaging and Security Feature Pack; and best practices for networking, security, and device management.
• The guidelines and resources for the deployment of a mobile messaging system, including updating Exchange Server 2003 SP2, setting up Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync for mobile access, creating a protected communications environment, and procedures for setting up and managing mobile devices..

This Document is available in 14 Web Pages, it is not downloadable document. So you have to view it online, here is the Link.

Automated Deployment Services (ADS) in Windows Server 2003

Automated Deployment Services (ADS) is add-on to Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition providing a solution for rapidly deploying Windows server operating systems onto bare-metal servers across large, scaled-out installations. With support for script-based mass server administration, ADS also enables administrators to administer hundreds of servers as if they were one. If you don't know anything about this new feature and you want to read more about it, here is the link, and i am sure you will start using it in your IT :)

Automated Deployment Services (ADS) Home Page

MIIS 2003 Global Address List Synchronization

These walkthroughs introduce users to the fundamental concepts and functionality of Microsoft® Identity Integration Server (MIIS) 2003. They are self-paced, hands-on practice guides that demonstrate how MIIS 2003 functions in specific scenarios. Walkthroughs contain an overview of the scenario presented, guidelines for setting up the practice environment, and step-by-step instructions that describe how to implement MIIS 2003 to meet the requirements of the scenario. Download the walkthroughs now.

SQL Server 2005 - Service Pack 1 is Available for Download Now

Microsoft announces the availability of SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 1 with Database Mirroring, SQL Server Management Studio Express, additional options for ISVs, and feature fixes. Explor the new features of SQL 2005 Service Pack 1 by updating your SQL Servers. The release of SQL Server 2005 SP1 follows the March 2006 Community Technology Preview (CTP) and the initiation of a new customer collaboration model, which allowed active customer feedback to drive final updates and routine fixes delivered in this service pack. SQL Server 2005 includes functionality for the largest enterprise to the smallest hobbyist, non-professional or ISV, delivering on the team’s vision to provide a complete data platform for all users of every size. To download SQL Server 2005 - SP1 , Click Here.

Exchange 2003 Mobile Messaging Part 3 – Installing, Administering, and Using the Microsoft Exchange Server ActiveSync Web Administration tool

In this article you will go through how to install and configure the Exchange Server ActiveSync Web Administration tool, as well as how to use the tool to initiate remote wipes, check transaction log entries, etc. Have a nice time

Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services Overview

Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services is composed of four distinct services that help organizations protect themselves from e-mail-borne malware, satisfy retention requirements for compliance, encrypt data to preserve confidentiality, and preserve access to e-mail during and after emergency situations. The services are deployed over the Internet, which helps minimize up-front capital investment, free up IT resources to focus on value-producing initiatives, and mitigate messaging risks before they reach the corporate firewall.

Here is the overview of MS Exchange Hosting Service.

Microsoft Exchange Server Best Practices Analyzer Tool v2.6

The Exchange Server Best Practices Analyzer programmatically collects settings and values from data repositories such as Active Directory, registry, metabase and performance monitor. Once collected, a set of comprehensive ‘best practice’ rules are applied to the topology. Administrators running this tool will get a detailed report listing the recommendations that can be made to the environment to achieve greater performance, scalability and uptime.

To download "Microsoft Exchange Server Best Practices Analyzer Tool v2.6" Click Here Now.

Virtual Server 2005 R2 Now Available as a Free Download, Yes Its True :)

Today Microsoft announced that Virtual Server 2005 R2 is now available as FREE DOWNLOAD. This also will apply to the forthcoming service pack 1 of Virtual Server 2005 R2. In addition, Microsoft announced the availability of Virtual Machine Add-Ins for Linux and a technical product support model for Linux guest operating systems running on Virtual Server 2005 R2.

Virtual Server 2005 R2 Download Now

Implementing Captcha Validation with OWA 2003 and Forms-Based Authentication

The word ‘Captcha’ stands for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. Most World Wide Web users will have seen this kind of test in the form of a picture of a word (usually distorted), which the user must type into an input box to prove that they are a real person, and not just a spambot, or some other computerized agent trawling the Web for exploits, you should seen this if you joined any of Yahoo Groups. now this technology can be integrated with MS Exchange Server 2003 which uses OWA and Form-Based Authentication , to know how to do it, please refer to the following Article which was published on MSExchange.Org Site.
Read the Article.

Internet Explorer V 7.0 - Beta 2 is available for download now

Internet Explorer 7 - Beta 2 is a major step forward in ease of use and security. Download it now, and explore the new Features.

Exchange 12 (E12) is now officially named "Exchange Server 2007"

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 is the next version of Microsoft Exchange Server, code-named Exchange "12". The “2007” denotes the close alignment of this release with the Office 2007 wave of products, which together deliver a best-in-class enterprise messaging and collaboration solution to both information technology (IT) professionals and information workers.

Get to know the new Exchange 2007

Announcing Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007

Operations Manager 2007 lets you easily monitor your IT services, reliably scales across your organization and environment, and includes the Microsoft application and operating system (OS) knowledge you need to rapidly resolve your operational problems. As companies grow their business, adding more employees and rolling out new applications and services, their IT environment becomes increasingly more challenging to manage. The result is a constant treadmill of complexity and costs that hinder the ability of IT to focus on delivering value to the business. System Center Operations Manager 2007 helps businesses address these IT management challenges and spend more time focusing on driving business success.
System Center Operations Manager 2007 lets you easily monitor your IT services, reliably scales across your organization and environment, and includes the Microsoft application and operating system (OS) knowledge you need to rapidly resolve your operational problems.
With this new release, Operations Manager will:

• Proactively manages business critical IT services including applications, the supporting infrastructure and hardware, and end user clients.
• Reduce the complexities of managing your IT environment by providing a monitoring solution that is designed with ease of use in mind.
• Provide a highly reliable infrastructure by leveraging Windows Server and SQL Server 2005 clustering for high availability and through agents that automatically failover to a secondary management server if connectivity to the primary is lost.
• Include management packs with prescriptive knowledge developed by the application and OS development teams at Microsoft and verified in production deployments to improve monitoring, troubleshooting, and problem resolution for more than 50 Microsoft applications and Windows server components.

To find out more about System Center Operations Manager 2007 and to receive more information about our future beta program, register today!

Microsoft Infrastructure Optimization Journey - IOI

The Infrastructure Optimization Model from Microsoft helps customers understand and subsequently improve the current state of their IT infrastructure and what that means in terms of cost, security risk, and operational agility. Dramatic cost savings can be realized by moving from an unmanaged environment towards a dynamic environment. Security improves from highly vulnerable in a Basic infrastructure to dynamically proactive in a more mature infrastructure.

IT infrastructure management changes from highly manual and reactive to highly automated and proactive. Microsoft and Partners can provide the technologies, processes, and procedures to help customers move up through the infrastructure optimization journey. Processes move from fragmented or nonexistent to optimized and repeatable. A customer's ability to use technology to improve their business agility and deliver business value increases as they move from the Basic state up the continuum toward a Dynamic state, empowering information workers, managers, and supporting new business opportunities.

More information can be found here.....

Exchange 2003 Mobile Messaging Part 2 - Uncovering the Device Security Policies

Exchange 2003 Mobile Messaging Part 2 - Uncovering the Device Security PoliciesWe all know how easy it is to lose a mobile device, or even worse have it stolen. Now that we have the possibility of synchronizing our devices with a mailbox, we need a way to properly secure our devices, so that any corporate information or other sensitive data can be held secure. With Exchange 2003 SP2 applied, you as an administrator have the possibility of configuring mandatory PIN or password requirements for the Windows 5.0 Mobile Devices that synchronize with the Exchange servers in your organization. You could for example configure a device to require a four-digit personal identification number (PIN), that the users would need to enter before they were allowed access to their device. If a user were to enter this PIN incorrectly let's say four times, you could even configure the device security settings so that all data on the device would be erased (equal to a local wipe). More information can be found here...

Knowledge Base of "How To ...................." Articles

Winodws:

• - Install/Upgrade to Windows Server 2003 R2
• - Create an Active Directory Server in Windows Server 2003
• - Upgrade Windows 2000 Domain Controllers to Windows Server 2003
• - Upgrade a NT 4.0- PDC to a Windows Server 2003- Domain Controller
• - Raise Domain and Forest Functional Levels in Windows Server 2003
• - How to remove data in Active Directory after an unsuccessful domain controller demotion

Exchange:

• - Implementing a Two Node Cluster with Windows 2003 Enterprise
• - Implement Exchange Server 2003 on a Windows 2000 / 2003 Cluster.
• - How to Verify That ForestPrep and DomainPrep Completed Successfully in Exchange 2000 Serveror Exchange Server 2003.
• - How to move Exchange 2000/2003 to new hardware and keep the same Server Name

Exchange 2003 Mobile Messaging Part 1 - A look at the Microsoft DirectPush technology

One of the most interesting features available in Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2 is without doubt the new DirectPush Technology (aka AUTD v2), which improves the mobile messaging experience for your end-users by providing close to real over the air (OTA) push technology. In this article, which is the first in a 5 part article series on mobile messaging using Exchange 2003 with SP2 applied and mobile devices running Windows Mobile 5.0 with the Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP) installed, we’ll take a closer look at the new DirectPush technology. More Information can be found here

Symantec Mail Security - Voted MSExchange.org Readers’ Choice Award Winner - Anti Virus Category

April 25, 2006 – Symantec Mail Security was selected the winner in the Anti Virus category of the MSExchange.org Readers’ Choice Awards. Trend Micro ScanMail and ALWIL Software's avast! were first runner-up and second runner-up respectively. Symantec Mail Security was selected the winner in the Anti Virus category of the MSExchange.org Readers’ Choice Awards. Trend Micro ScanMail and ALWIL Software's avast! were first runner-up and second runner-up respectively. More information can be found here.....

Learn about the Next Version of Exchange Server, Code-Named "Exchange 12"

The next version of Microsoft Exchange Server, code-named Exchange "12", is designed to meet the growing demands of messaging for your organization. Exchange "12" offers a security-enhanced, reliable enterprise messaging platform that covers the fundamentals of e-mail and calendaring while delivering innovative new capabilities. Browse Microsoft Website for More information.