Preparing the Environment for Installation

Exchange Server 2003 is not a program that should simply be put into the CD-ROM drive and installed without any preparation (see Figure 2.1). Installing Exchange Server 2003 has a lasting effect on the domain. Active Directory is extended and altered significantly, and those changes can be difficult to remove, even if Exchange Server 2003 is later uninstalled. For this reason, Microsoft has made sure that the 70-284 exam tests a candidate's knowledge of the necessary preparations that must be taken before the installation of Exchange Server 2003 begins. These preparations can be broadly divided into five categories:

• Network environment

• Hardware requirements

• Server platform requirements

• Forest preparation

• Domain preparation

Figure 2.1. The splash screen that is displayed when you insert the Exchange Server 2003 CD-ROM.

Each of these categories must be dealt with before the installation of Exchange Server 2003 begins. It is important to understand these requirements because if any of them are not met, Exchange Server 2003 will not install correctly.

Network Environment Requirements

The installation of Exchange Server 2003 requires a Windows network environment to meet certain specific criteria. Without meeting these criteria, Exchange Server 2003 will either not install or will not function correctly after installation. For the exam, it is important to know exactly what conditions the preexisting Windows network environment must meet before Exchange Server 2003 can be installed successfully. These conditions are as follows:

• All domain controllers (DCs) must be running Windows 2000 Server Service Pack 3 (or higher) OR Windows Server 2003 For example, if the environment in which you will be installing Exchange Server 2003 currently has domain controllers running Windows 2000 Server with Service Pack 2, you need to upgrade these servers so that they are all running Service Pack 3 or higher. If the environment in which you will be installing Exchange Server 2003 is running Windows Server 2003 on all domain controllers, no alteration needs to be made. If there is a mixture between Windows Server 2003 domain controllers and Windows 2000 Server domain controllers, you have already met the requirement for Exchange 2003 installation because Windows 2000 Server DCs can only work in a Windows Server 2003 environment if they are running Service Pack 3 or higher. Exchange Server 2003 cannot be installed in a Windows NT 4.0 domain environment.

• All global catalog servers must be running Windows 2000 Server Service Pack 3 (or higher) OR Windows Server 2003 This is similar to the limitations on domain controllers. Global catalog servers must also be running either Windows Server 2003 or if they are running Windows 2000 Server, they must be patched with Service Pack 3 or later. This requirement exists because of the way Exchange Server 2003 interacts with Active Directory. It is also advised that there be a global catalog server in each of the domains that will host Exchange Server 2003. Global catalog servers store information about all objects within the forest. Exchange uses global catalog servers to help in searching for AD objects, such as users and contacts. Without a global catalog server, other domains in the forest would need to be contacted individually, vastly increasing the amount of time required to locate information and populate address lists.

• Domain Name System (DNS) and Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) servers are configured correctly for each site It is recommended that DNS servers in a domain hosting Exchange Server 2003 be running in Active Directory Integrated mode, though this is not essential.

  Depending on the clients in the domain, WINS might also need to be configured. If hosted on Windows 2000 Server, the DNS and WINS servers, assuming that they are not on domain controllers, do not need to be patched at Service Pack 3 or higher, though it is always good practice to be as up-to-date as possible. In general, Windows Server 2003 networks do not require that WINS be installed if DNS is functioning correctly. If legacy client systems, such as Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98, are being supported, a WINS server is required for them to interact with the domain.

Hardware Requirements

To function effectively, Exchange Server 2003 must be installed on a server system that is sufficiently well provisioned with adequate hardware. Microsoft has published minimum and recommended hardware requirements to help you determine whether your current machines are adequate or what specifications new machines must have. In the real world, an administrator would be unlikely to install a new product, such as Exchange Server 2003, on a system with dated hardware, but exam candidates should be able to identify the minimum and recommended specifications, lest they appear on the 70-284 exam.

The requirements for the Enterprise Edition of Exchange Server 2003 are relatively similar to that of the Standard Edition. The main difference is in the recommended processor speed, 733MHz or compatible Intel Pentium on the Enterprise Edition versus 550MHz on the Standard Edition.

Tables 2.2 and 2.3 list the minimum and recommended hardware requirements of both Exchange Server 2003 Standard and Enterprise editions.

Table 2.2. Hardware Requirements of Exchange Server 2003, Standard Edition

Component	Minimum	Recommended
Processor	Intel Pentium 133MHz compatible or higher.	Intel Pentium 550MHz compatible or higher.
Memory	256MB of RAM.	512MB of RAM.
Available hard disk space	500MB on volume where Exchange is installed; 200MB on system volume.	500MB on volume where Exchange is installed; 200MB on system volume.
File format	Disk partitions must be formatted with NTFS. This applies to the System partition, the partition that stores Exchange binaries, and the partitions containing the transaction log, database, and other Exchange files.	Disk partitions must be formatted with NTFS. This applies to the System partition, the partition that stores Exchange binaries, and the partitions containing the transaction log, database, and other Exchange files.
Additional peripherals	CD-ROM, mouse, VGA-compatible monitor.	CD-ROM, mouse, VGA-compatible monitor.

Table 2.3. Hardware Requirements of Exchange Server 2003, Enterprise Edition

Component	Minimum	Recommended
Processor	Intel Pentium 133MHz compatible or higher.	Intel Pentium 733MHz compatible or higher.
Memory	256MB of RAM.	512MB of RAM.
Available hard disk space	500MB on volume where Exchange is installed; 200MB on system volume.	500MB on volume where Exchange is installed; 200MB on system volume.
File format	Disk partitions must be formatted with NTFS. This applies to the System partition, the partition that stores Exchange binaries, and the partitions containing the transaction log, database, and other Exchange files.	Disk partitions must be formatted with NTFS. This applies to the System partition, the partition that stores Exchange binaries, and the partitions containing the transaction log, database, and other Exchange files.
Additional peripherals	CD-ROM, mouse, VGA-compatible monitor.	CD-ROM, mouse, VGA-compatible monitor.

Server Platform Requirements

As noted, the server system that Exchange Server 2003 is installed onto must meet several requirements. Recall that if Exchange Server 2003 is being installed on a Windows 2000 Server, that Windows 2000 Server system must be patched with at least Service Pack 3. Other system requirements that you need to be aware of deal with services that must be installed and running at the time that Exchange Server 2003 is installed. These services must be installed, configured, and running regardless of whether Exchange Server 2003 is being installed on Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003. These services can be installed (as shown in Figure 2.2) by going to the Add/Remove Windows Components in the Add/Remove Programs applet of Control Panel. The services that need to be installed and running for Exchange Server 2003 installation to work are

• .NET Framework

• ASP.NET

• IIS, including WWW Publishing Service, SMTP Service, and NNTP Service

Figure 2.2. Installing requisite IIS components.

The only one of these services that is optional is ASP.NET. If ASP.NET is not available, a custom installation must be performed and the Outlook Mobile Access component will not be available. If Exchange Server 2003 is installed on the Windows 2000 Server platform,.NET Framework and ASP.NET are automatically installed if not already present. The .NET Framework is automatically installed on Windows Server 2003, which was originally called Windows .NET Server before its final release.

Exchange Server 2003 Deployment Tools

The Exchange Server 2003 deployment tools are a set of tools and product documentation designed to lead you through the installation process. The tools, shown in Figure 2.3, take the form of a checklist (see Figure 2.4) that you complete as you proceed with the installation process:

• The first item on the checklist for a new Exchange Server 2003 installation is to ensure, if you are running Windows 2000 Server, that the appropriate service pack has been installed.

• The second item on the checklist is to ensure that NNTP, SMTP, and the World Wide Web Service are installed and running. Windows Server 2003 administrators need to verify that ASP.NET is installed. NNTP, SMTP, and the World Wide Web Service are not installed by default on Windows Server 2003. NNTP is the only one not installed by default on Windows 2000 Server.

• The third item on the checklist encourages you to install the Windows Support Tools found in the Support folder of the Windows installation media. The Windows Support Tools include DCDiag and NetDiag, utilities you will run during items four and five of the checklist.

• The fourth item on the checklist is to run DCDiag. DCDiag is a command-line tool that examines domain controllers. It is used to troubleshoot DCs when there might be some problem that may interfere with the operation of Exchange Server 2003. These tests include whether the DC is registered in DNS, can be pinged, has LDAP and RPC connectivity, checks replication errors, is advertising roles properly, whether appropriate services are running, that the system is running without errors, and a host of other checks. (An example output of DCDiag is shown in Figure 2.5.) More information on DCDiag can be located in the Windows Support Tools help file after the tools have been installed.

  Figure 2.5. Output of DCDiag.

  
  
  

• The fifth item on the checklist is to run NetDiag. NetDiag is a command-line tool that is used for diagnosing network and connectivity issues. The NetDiag tool presents information about the network card driver being used, the send and receive capability of the system, and information on the protocol stack. (An example output of NetDiag is shown in Figure 2.6.) More information on the NetDiag utility can be found in the Windows Support Tools help file after the tools have been installed.

  Figure 2.6. Partial output of NetDiag.

  
  
  

Figure 2.3. The Exchange Server 2003 deployment tools provide an intuitive way of installing the messaging system.

Figure 2.4. The deployment tools checklist for the first Exchange Server 2003 system installed in an environment without Exchange.

The final three items on the checklist are running ForestPrep, running DomainPrep, and then finally installing Exchange Server 2003. These steps are covered in their own sections, later in this chapter.

If you are installing subsequent Exchange Server 2003 servers in a domain, the checklist provided by the Exchange Server deployment tools provides different options. For example, there is no need to run ForestPrep or DomainPrep because these steps have already been completed. Checklists also exist for situations in which there is a preexisting Exchange Server 5.5 or Exchange 2000 Server environment; these situations are covered in Chapter 3.

ForestPrep

Each domain in an Active Directory forest shares a common schema. The schema is maintained by a single server in the forest. That server holds the Schema Master role. Generally, the Schema Master is the first domain controller installed in a forest. Do note that the Schema Master role can be transferred, so the first domain controller might not always be the Schema Master. Indeed, the Schema Master need not remain in the original forest root domain.

To prepare Active Directory for Exchange Server 2003 installation, ForestPrep must be run in the domain in which the Schema Master resides.

The ForestPrep utility (see Figure 2.7) extends the schema to include enhancements specific to Exchange Server 2003. These enhancements include specific AD classes and attributes. The ForestPrep utility also creates a container object within AD for the Exchange Server 2003 organization. ForestPrep only needs to be run once, unlike DomainPrep, which must be run in each domain that will use Exchange in the forest. For those considering upgrading from Exchange 2000 Server to Exchange Server 2003, it is important to realize that the schema extensions installed by running the ForestPrep utility for Exchange Server 2003 are different than those installed when you run the ForestPrep utility for Exchange 2000 Server.

Figure 2.7. Preparing to run ForestPrep.

Hence, even if you have run ForestPrep when you installed Exchange 2000 Server, you need to do this again before you install Exchange Server 2003. Installing Exchange Server 2003 in existing Exchange environments is covered more thoroughly in Chapter 3.

The account used to run the Exchange Server 2003 ForestPrep utility must be a member of both the Schema Administrators and the Enterprise Administrators group. If the account is not a member of both of these groups, ForestPrep will not run correctly. While running ForestPrep, you will be instructed to select a group or particular user account that has the right to install and manage Exchange Server 2003 in all domains within the forest (see Figure 2.8). This right is known as the Exchange Full Administrator permission. This particular user or group has the authority to delegate further Exchange Full Administrator permissions after the first Exchange Server 2003 system is installed.

Figure 2.8. Delegating the Exchange Full Administrator permission to an account.

Running ForestPrep on a domain controller in the forest root domain, as opposed to a member server in the forest root domain, speeds up the ForestPrep process because replication of the changes will propagate more quickly. Microsoft recommends that Exchange roles be delegated only to Global or Universal security groups rather than Domain Local security groups. This is less important in a situation in which there is only a single domain in the forest.

You might want to create a special account to which you delegate the Exchange Full Administrator permission, rather than to the regular domain administrator account. This is more secure, and the account can be disabled when it is not in use.

DomainPrep

After ForestPrep has been run to add the necessary extensions to the AD schema, individual domains must be prepared by using the DomainPrep utility (see Figure 2.9). DomainPrep works within a domain to create the necessary groups and permissions that Exchange Server 2003 servers use to read and modify user attributes. Running DomainPrep does the following:

• Creates two security groups: Exchange Domain Servers and Exchange Enterprise Servers.

• Nests the global group Exchange Domain Servers into the local group Exchange Enterprise Servers.

• Creates a container within AD for storing all mail-enabled public folders. This container is known as Exchange System Objects.

• Configures permissions for the Exchange Enterprise Servers group so that the Recipient Update Service has the necessary rights to process recipient objects within the directory.

• Performs preinstallation checks.

• Adds the Exchange Domain Servers group to the Pre-Windows 2000 Compatible Access group.

• Modifies the AdminSdHolder template for the configuration of permissions for members of the Domain Admins local security group.

Figure 2.9. Preparing to run DomainPrep on the domain.

DomainPrep must also be run in the root domain, in domains that need to contain mailbox-enabled users or groups (regardless of whether Exchange will actually be installed in these domains), and in any domain that contains users or groups who will be given permission to manage the Exchange Server 2003 organization.

The user who runs DomainPrep does not need to have any Exchange permissions. This user merely needs Domain Administrator permissions for the domain in which DomainPrep is being run. Permissions required for specific installation steps are covered more fully in Table 2.4.

Table 2.4. Installation Steps and the Permissions Required to Perform Them

Action	Permissions Required
Run ForestPrep on a DC in the domain that hosts the Schema Master.	Enterprise Administrator Schema Administrator Domain Administrator Local Machine Administrator
Run DomainPrep.	Domain Administrator Local Machine Administrator
Install Exchange Server 2003 on the first server in a domain.	Exchange Full Administrator role at the organizational level Local Machine Administrator
Install Exchange Server 2003 on other systems within the domain.	Exchange Full Administrator role at the organizational level Local Machine Administrator
Install the first connector.	Exchange Full Administrator role at the organizational level

Troubleshooting ForestPrep and DomainPrep

Several problems can occur when you run ForestPrep. The most easily diagnosable is when the user account used to run ForestPrep does not have the correct permissions to modify the schema. Diagnosis is easy because the installation routine informs you with a message that the account you are using does not have the correct permissions (see Figure 2.10). To rectify the problem, ensure that an account that has Enterprise, Schema, and Domain Administrator permissions is used to run ForestPrep.

Figure 2.10. The error that occurs when attempting to run ForestPrep without the correct permissions.

If ForestPrep is run in a domain other than the one in which the Schema Master resides, it produces an error message instructing the administrator as to which domain the utility should be run in. To rectify this error, run ForestPrep in the domain containing the Schema Master.

Another problem that might occur is when ForestPrep cannot contact any domain controller in the root domain of the forest (see Figure 2.11). In this case, you need to go back to DCDiag and NetDiag to attempt to locate the problem. It might be that the server hosting the Schema Master is down or that there is some other problem preventing communication between the server on which you are running ForestPrep and the rest of the domain.

Figure 2.11. Installation fails because Schema Master is unable to be contacted.

DomainPrep is less stringent in its permissions requirement and is thus less likely to cause errors. If DomainPrep is unable to run, it is because the account used to execute the utility does not have Domain Administrator privileges. The possible remedies are to run DomainPrep using an account that does have these permissions or to add the current account to the Domain Administrators group. DomainPrep can also fail if ForestPrep has not been run in the forest first, as the error message in Figure 2.12 shows.

Figure 2.12. The error message that occurs when DomainPrep is run without ForestPrep being run first.

If there are connectivity problems, again attempt to resolve them via DCDiag or NetDiag. Regardless of the permissions available, if a domain controller cannot be contacted, DomainPrep will be unable to execute properly.