Microsoft Exchange 2010
Microsoft Exchange 2010 completely redefines the platform of messaging. Very similar to what Exchange 2007 did to exchange 2003. Exchange server 2010 no longer uses Single copy clusters, clustered mailboxes, Local continuous replication, or storage groups. In older releases of Exchange (2003, 2007) storage groups were critical for grouping public folders and mailboxes into logical units. With Microsoft Exchange 2010 the mailboxes and public folders are managed at the OU level.
High Availability
High availability is something integral to all companies and it is something tha tis built into the core of Exchange 2010. SCR ( Standby continuous replication) and CCR (cluster continuous replication) are integrated together for both off site and on site replication. With this new built in technology there is no longer a need for additional cluster hardware or any type of advanced clustering configuration. Mailboxes that are in the same Database Availability Group will fail over automatically.
With Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, databases are disconnected from the server and can continue their replication since the replication happens at the database level and not with the storage group.
Exchange Server 2010 Versions
Like many Microsoft products there are different versions. This is also the case with Exchange 2010. The two versions are listed below:
- Exchange Server 2010 Standard Edition
- Exchange Server 2010 Enterprise Edition
The main difference between the two is the amount of databases they support. Standard supports 1-5 databases where as Enterprise supports 6-100 databases. Each database has a limit of 16 Terabytes. With both of these versions the client accessing the servers now requires a CAL (Client Access License)
Operating System Requirements
Exchange 2010 runs on Windows 2008 SP2 or later meaning Window 2008 R2 is also compatible. The Schema Master Domain controller must be on Windows 2003 SP1 or later. The AD forest where Exchange 2010 server will be installed must be set at Windows 2000 Sever native mode or higher. The exchange installation requires, .NET 3.5.1, Windows Powershell 2.0 and MMC 3.0 or greater.
Exchange Routing
As with Exchange 2007 server, Microsoft Exchange 2010 integration with Active Directory is critical. The Exchange information is stored in AD and is used to route the mail to the appropriate destination. Along with AD exchange routes email using Hub Transport servers. The Hub Transport servers checks with AD to find the necessary info on where the message needs to go.
Information Stores
There are 4 data stores for exchange that are stored in AD.
- Configuration Data
- Domain Data
- Schema Data
- Application Data
During the installation of exchange 2010 many exchange related schema updates are added to the Active Directory domain controllers. These updates creates the exchange agents and exchange connectors.
In conclusion
A lot goes into the architecture and decisions of either implementing a brand new installation or an upgrade of an existing environment. There are many benefits with moving toward a Microsoft Exchange 2010 environment, but whether you move forward with it all depends on the current environment you are working in. But all in all there are many reasons to move forward with Exchange server 2010.
