After you perform all of the required preinstallation steps and verify that your server is working optimally, it’s time to perform the Exchange Server 2007 installation. The following steps get you started.
1. Place the installation media in the drive.
The Autorun feature should display the opening installation dialog box shown in Figure 2-11. If you’re using an OEM or MSDN version of the Exchange Server 2007 DVD, you need to navigate to the Exchange2007 folder for your language, such as \English\Exchange2007\SP1\
x64, and double-click the file you find there. After Windows extracts the files, go to the extraction folder and double-click Setup.EXE to start the installation program. You see the opening installation dialog box.
Figure 2-11:
The main installation dialog box provides step-by-step tasks.
If you’re installing Exchange Server 2007 on Windows Server 2008 (as used for this book), the first two steps are always complete because Windows Server 2008 comes with .NET Framework 2.0 (see the
“Installing .NET Framework 2.0” section of this chapter for details) and Microsoft Management Console (MMC) installed. If you’re using an older version of Windows, click these two links in turn (starting with Step 1: Install .NET Framework 2.0) and follow the few prompts required to complete these prerequisite installations. In addition, you can use the instructions in the “Installing Windows PowerShell” section of this chap-ter to install Windows PowerShell.
2. When you have completed the first three steps, click Step 4: Install Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 SP1.
You see an Introduction window that lists some of the new features of Exchange Server 2007.
3. Click Next.
The setup program displays a licensing agreement.
4. Read the licensing agreement, select I Accept the Terms in the License Agreement, and click next.
Microsoft asks whether you want to send error information to them automatically. The Error Reporting window provides you with some details of the process and promises that Microsoft will encrypt your data before sending it over the Internet. Whether you accept or reject this offer depends on your company policy. Make sure you choose the option that your organization allows.
5. Choose an error reporting option (the default is No) and click Next.
You see the Installation Type window shown in Figure 2-12. The Typical Exchange Server Installation option works for most small organizations, many medium-sized organizations, and even a few large organizations.
This chapter assumes that you’re using the Typical Exchange Server Installation option.
Figure 2-12:
Select the type of Exchange Server installation you want to perform.
6. Click Browse and choose a location for your Exchange Server installation.
In many cases, choosing a location other than your boot drive (the default selection) will improve overall Exchange Server performance. Of course, this option makes a performance difference only when you have multiple physical drives on your system; placing Exchange Server on another parti-tion of the same drive won’t provide much of a performance gain because you’re still waiting for the same drive to perform tasks.
7. Select an installation type and click Next.
Setup asks you to provide a name for your organization.
8. In the field provided, type your organization name and click Next.
You see a Client Settings folder that might be easy to click past too easily. Make sure you choose the right setting here. If any of your client computers have Outlook 2003 or earlier or Entourage installed, you must select Yes here.
9. Select a client option and click Next.
At this point, the setup program performs a series of readiness tests.
These tests determine whether your server will successfully run Exchange Server. It’s helpful if you have an Internet connection because the setup program will download the latest version of these tests from the Internet, which tends to reduce the probability of a failed installa-tion.
If the readiness tests fail, read the reasons carefully and fix each error.
Click Retry when you complete the required changes to ensure that the installation will succeed. In some cases, such as changes to IIS, you may have to restart the installation. When the installation fails, perform Steps 1 through 9 again.
10. Click Install.
The setup program shows the progress of the installation. Be patient;
some installation steps can take a long time. For example, the time required to import your Active Directory schema depends on the complexity of your Active Directory setup. Even a simple schema on a relatively fast server can require ten or more minutes to complete.
Eventually, you see the completed installation screen. Make sure that all completion indicators are green.
11. Click Finish.
You see a reboot notification dialog box.
12. Click OK.
The installation program returns to the initial Exchange Server setup screen shown in Figure 2-5.
13. Click Step 5: Get Critical Updates for Microsoft Exchange.
Windows opens Internet Explorer and takes you to the Microsoft Update Web site. Follow the instructions on this Web page to accept the terms of use and install the Exchange Server update feature in Windows Update. After you follow these steps, you see the Windows Update window. Windows will check for updates to Exchange Server and help you install them.
14. Reboot your server.
The Exchange Server installation is complete. Of course, you still need to configure Exchange Server before you can use it.