Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 1 - Introduction
Monitoring and Managing Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server
by Mike Daugherty
Digital Press 2001

Overview

Electronic messaging has long since ceased being a novelty and is considered mission critical for most enterprises . Competitive pressure requires a nonstop flow of communication using electronic mail. When the e-mail environment goes down, work slows (or stops), information is delayed, and money is lost.

The choices made during deployment of Exchange 2000 affect the monitoring, management, and administrative options that can be made afterwards. Administrative procedures should be planned during the design and planning stages of the project. Successful Exchange management begins before the first Exchange 2000 server is installed and continues throughout the life of the messaging system. Proactive and consistent management is the key to maintaining a successful messaging environment.

Messaging system architects and designers spend considerable time carefully selecting and configuring the hardware and software. Exchange 2000 implementations require equally careful planning for system management, administration, and monitoring to reduce messaging downtime and improve troubleshooting. Yet, monitoring, management, and administration are often an afterthought, although it is estimated that the cost of the hardware and software is far less than the lifetime cost of managing the messaging environment. Keeping Exchange servers operational requires discipline and some well-thought-out management practices.

Before you can develop your Exchange system management, administration, and monitoring plans, you must have a good understanding of Exchange 2000. A key element of this is understanding the relationship and dependencies between Exchange 2000 and the underlying operating system, Windows 2000. Just as the design decisions made during Exchange 2000 deployment affect your management options, the Windows 2000 design and management decisions may influence or constrain the implementation strategies you can use to effectively and efficiently support Exchange.

Microsofts design goals for Exchange 2000 are different than previous releases, and these differences may provide new choices for how you design and implement your support infrastructure, how you monitor and manage messaging traffic, and how you avoid disaster through proactive planning and management. You should understand Microsofts design goals for this release.

If you are already managing an Exchange 5.5 environment, you may be tempted to simply continue using your existing management practices. However, after you review the differences between Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2000, you will understand that too much has changed. Exchange 2000 is a major redesign. The underlying architecture is new, the interaction between components is new, and many of the management tools are new. You must understand these differences to effectively monitor, manage, and troubleshoot your Exchange servers, messaging connections, and interoperability with foreign mail systems.

This chapter will provide you with the basic prerequisite knowledge about Microsofts design goals, the differences between Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2000, and the relationship between Windows 2000 and Exchange 2000. Understanding these topics is essential for making the critical decisions required to successfully manage Exchange.