Recipe2.3.Preparing a Windows Server 2003 Computer for an Exchange Installation

Recipe 2.3. Preparing a Windows Server 2003 Computer for an Exchange Installation

Problem

You want to install Exchange Server 2003 on a computer running Windows Server 2003. You've already used Windows Update to ensure that the base OS has all current security patches and service packs.

Solution

Using a graphical user interface

From the Control Panel, open the Add/Remove Programs applet.
On the left side of the Add/Remove Programs window, click the Add/Remove Windows Components icon.
In the Windows Components page of the Windows Components Wizard, locate Application Server and select it, then click the Details button.
In the Application Server dialog box, ensure that ASP.NET and Internet Information Services (IIS) are checked.
Select Internet Information Services (IIS) and click the Details button.
In the Internet Information Services (IIS) dialog box, ensure that SMTP Service, NNTP Service, and World Wide Web Service are all checked, then click OK.
Click OK, and then click Next.
If prompted to do so, supply your Windows Server 2003 CD or some other kind of installation media so Windows can load the new files.

Using a command-line interface

Use your favorite text editor to create a text file containing the following lines. Each line lists an IIS component that's required for Exchange. There are some differences between this list and the component list for IIS 5.0: ASP.NET is new in IIS 6.0, and ASP support for IIS 5.0 is always installed.
```
[Components] iis_common = on iis_inetmgr = on aspnet = on iis_asp = on iis_www = on iis_smtp = on iis_nntp = on
```
Save the file; the name doesn't matter.
From a command prompt, use the sysocmgr command to tell Windows to install the components. Although sysocmgr takes several parameters, the switches we're interested in are /i (which specifies where the system's default component list is) and /u (which tells the utility to use the file you created to determine what to install). Here's an example:
```
> Sysocmgr /I:%systemroot%\inf\sysoc.inf /u:c:\temp\ex-smtp-prep.txt
```
If you add the /q switch, sysocmgr will suppress its user interface; otherwise, you'll see the standard Windows Component Wizard interface, but you won't necessarily be able to click on anything to affect the installation's progression. Note that you may still be prompted for installation media if Windows can't find the needed files at the install source path specified by the sysoc.inf file.
Verify that the components were installed by opening the IIS Manager (ISM) snap-in. If the installation succeeded, you'll see the Default SMTP Virtual Server and Default for the default SMTP and NNTP virtual servers.

Discussion

As with Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003 provides several prerequisite services for Exchange Server 2003 (remember, Exchange 2000 isn't supported on Windows Server 2003). These services have to be separately installed before Exchange itself can be installed. Exchange Setup checks for the presence of the IIS SMTP and NNTP services because the Exchange SMTP and NNTP components are actually extensions of those protocol servers.

The .NET framework, ASP.NET, and IIS (including the World Wide Web Publishing Service) must be installed and running before you can actually install Exchange Server 2003 Server on the computer. If these (and the services mentioned above) aren't present, Setup will stop and tell you what you still need to install before Exchange Server 2003.