Chapter 3 -- Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Architecture

Chapter 3

About This Chapter

Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server is a complex, component-oriented client/server messaging and collaboration system. Active modules running on the server machine perform dedicated tasks, such as storing e-mail messages, routing messages to the correct destinations, and so forth. To fulfill their particular tasks, these components have to communicate with each other and with services provided by Windows 2000, such as the Active Directory directory service and the extended Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) service.

Depending on your specific situation, you need to install and configure more or fewer Exchange 2000 Server components. For instance, it might be necessary to connect Exchange 2000 Server to a foreign mail system, in which case you have to configure an appropriate gateway. You can go without various components and save precious server resources if connectivity to a foreign mail platform or other specific functionality is not needed. However, the basic functionality of a messaging and workgroup platform will exist no matter how you configure your system. By default, users can send e-mail messages and share information through public folders.

This chapter examines the architecture of Exchange 2000 Server, the interaction of its components, and the server-to-server communication in more detail. In the first lesson you will find a concise description of the essential Exchange 2000 Server elements. The following lesson then addresses the communication paths among the various server components and covers the message flow as handled by Exchange 2000 Server.

Before You Begin

To complete this chapter:

• Prepare your test environment according to the descriptions given in the "Getting Started" section of "About This Book."
• Have a general understanding of Windows 2000 Server networking technologies and the TCP/IP protocol suite.