Overview of Contents

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Exchange 2000 Server Administrator's Companion is divided into six parts, roughly corresponding to each stage in the implementation of an Exchange 2000 network.

Part I: Introduction

We begin by outlining the new features of Exchange 2000 Server. Then we dive in for a close look at the program's storage and routing architecture. Chapter 1 is designed to get you up to speed quickly on what Exchange Server is and some of the features it offers. This first chapter also serves as a roadmap for the rest of the book. Chapters 2 and 3 show you how to plan for and implement your routing architecture. They introduce Exchange 2000 Server's new Web store, demonstrate how the databases and transaction logs provide you with a high level of recoverability, and discuss the new link state protocol—all dramatic improvements over the routing architecture of Exchange 5.5. Chapter 4 explains the tight integration between Exchange 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Server, particularly the integration between Exchange and Windows 2000 Active Directory, Internet Information Server 5.0, and Windows DNS.

Part II: Planning

Every successful implementation of a messaging system requires good planning, and Exchange 2000 Server is no exception. Two chapters are devoted to planning issues. Chapter 5 looks at methods for taking stock of a current network and assessing the needs of users on that network prior to an Exchange 2000 Server deployment. Chapter 6 examines ways to create an actual deployment plan, based on the needs assessment methods outlined in Chapter 5.

Part III: Deployment

After learning about the architecture of Exchange 2000 Server and how to plan for its deployment, you're ready to get your hands dirty. In this section (the longest) we outline how to install Exchange 2000 Server and how to implement its various features in the way that best suits your organization. Chapter 7 details the various methods of installing Exchange 2000 Server, including installing a new organization, installing into an existing organization, and upgrading an Exchange 5.5 installation. The chapter also shows how to make sure a server is ready for Exchange 2000 Server installation. Chapter 8 introduces you to the Microsoft Management Console (MMC)—the new management interface included with Windows 2000—and it provides a tour of the management resources in the Exchange System Manager snap-in for the MMC.

The next groups of chapters—Chapters 9 to 13—cover a whole host of other topics: the creation and management of recipients (users, contacts, groups, and public folders), storage groups, routing and administrative groups, and routing group connectors, such as the SMTP and X.400 connectors. Since many of you will be performing migrations, Chapter 14 covers this very important topic. Here we discuss the Active Directory Connector and Site Replication Services and explain just how Exchange 2000 server can co-exist with Exchange 5.5 servers on the same network.

Part IV: Clients

The best implementation of Exchange 2000 Server won't do your organization much good if there aren't any clients to connect to it and use it; in this section we've provided an overview of the clients for Exchange 2000 Server. The topics presented here could easily be expanded into their own book, so we've covered the more important topics and referenced other materials where appropriate. Chapter 15 gives a general introduction to the various types of clients that can be used to connect to an Exchange 2000 Server: Chapter 16 focuses on Outlook 2000 and examines the issues surrounding its deployment, and Chapter 17 covers the basic protocols—NNTP, SMTP, IMAP4 and OWA. We go over the basic commands of each and discuss how to use the logging features for troubleshooting purposes.

Part V: Functionality

Exchange 2000 Server ships with several new and interesting features. Among them are two Real Time Collaboration programs: Chat Service and Instant Messaging. Chapter 18 discusses Chat Service, both the client and the server sides. (Chat is most often used in conjunction with video conferencing, a topic not covered in this book.) Chapter 19 covers Instant Messaging, detailing how to setup routing and home servers and outlining how to setup the client for this service.

Exchange 2000 takes advantage of the new Active/Active clustering services of Windows 2000 Server, which is covered in Chapter 20. Chapter 21 looks at the procedures for connecting Exchange 2000 Server organizations to foreign messaging systems, such as Microsoft Mail for PC Networks and X.400 systems.

Security is a primary concern of any network administrator, and Exchange 2000 in collaboration with Windows 2000 offers enhanced options for protecting your organization. While this is another topic that could easily fill a book of its own, in Chapter 21 we offer as comprehensive a look at security as this space permits, including details on Certificate Authority and the Key Management Service.

Part VI: Maintenance

Every system—even Exchange 2000 Server—needs maintenance. We've addressed the most important maintenance tasks in this section. In Chapter 24, we cover the critical topic of backup and restoration of your databases. Moreover, we outline how to monitor your Exchange 2000 Servers (Chapter 23), how to perform basic troubleshooting for the server (Chapter 25), and how to tune your Exchange 2000 Server for maximum performance (Chapter 26).