MS Exchange 2007 FAQ

This is only some of the Ms Exchange 2007 FAQ

Q.

Why did Microsoft make the decision to offer Exchange 2007 as a 64-bit application?

A.

Exchange has been operating within the same 32-bit architecture for the past 10 years, since Exchange 4.0. The messaging environment has evolved over time into a mission-critical application for most businesses today, and demands placed on messaging systems will continue to grow. We witness this growth through the increase of e-mail traffic and larger attachments that now require larger mailboxes to store these messages. Users are also accessing their e-mail in more ways, such as with mobile devices, through Web browsers using Outlook Web Access, and other applications, including Microsoft Office Communicator, MSN desktop search, and Microsoft Customer Relationship Management (CRM) applications. Trends indicate that demands on messaging systems will continue to grow and 64-bit servers provide the system architecture to meet these demands while reducing costs within organizations through server and disk storage consolidations. With a larger addressable space, the Exchange servers can utilize more memory thereby reducing the required input/output per user (IOPS), enabling the use of larger disks as well as low cost storage such as SATA2 drives. Testing at Microsoft has shown an IOPS decrease of approximately 70% with Exchange Server 2007 on 64-bit hardware. Our beta customers have been able to directly translate this into an increased utilization of current drives in their storage area networks (SAN) as well as new direct attached storage (DAS) topologies, thus significantly reducing their storage costs, which make up roughly 80 percent of hardware capital costs today.

Q.

Why isn't Microsoft also delivering a 32-bit version of Exchange Server 2007?

A.

Exchange Server 2007 is designed to be a stable, reliable enterprise messaging platform that delivers the fundamentals of e-mail and calendaring while providing innovative new capabilities. These new capabilities make the messaging system more cost effective and scalable for your organization and at the same time more productive for users accessing the system. Simply put, given the new capabilities of Exchange Server 2007, Microsoft could not guarantee a high-quality 32-bit version.

Q.	Which 64-bit processors will be supported by Exchange Server 2007?
A.	Exchange Server 2007 will support servers with "x64" processors. Most new servers today ship with processors from Intel and AMD that include this x64 support, called Intel Extended Memory 64 Technology (EM64T) by Intel and AMD64 by AMD. Exchange Server 2007 will not offer support for Itanium (IA-64) processors, which are intended for more processor-intensive database and business applications.

Q.	Will I need Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 to run Exchange Server 2007?
A.	Yes, to deploy Exchange Server 2007, you will need an x64 edition of Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2003 R2. Volume-licensing customers are free to exchange their 32-bit version of Windows for the 64-bit version at any time, using their media kits.

Q.

How can I upgrade my current Exchange 2000 Server or Exchange Server 2003 environment to Exchange Server 2007?

A.

When upgrading to Exchange Server 2007, you cannot perform an in-place server upgrade on an existing Exchange server. Instead, you must install a new Exchange Server 2007 system into the existing organization, and then move the required data to the new server–a process known as migration. Exchange Server 2007 will also support mixed environments that include Exchange 2000 Server and/or Exchange Server 2003, allowing for an easier and more gradual transition. You can find more detailed information about planning and deployment on the Exchange Server 2007 TechCenter, which will continue to be updated with more guidance and tools as we get closer to general availability.

Q.

What are server roles?

A.

Exchange Server 2007 is a modular system of five server roles. Server roles add flexibility to Exchange environments, simplify deployment, and improve scalability and manageability. The five server roles in Exchange Server 2007 are: • Hub Transport: The Hub Transport server role (formerly referred to as "bridgehead") handles internal transport and routing and is tightly integrated with Active Directory directory services. The Hub Transport role can also apply policies to messages to enforce compliance requirements. • Client Access: The Client Access server role enables mailbox access through Outlook Web Access, POP3, IMAP4, Outlook Anywhere (formerly known as remote procedure call [RPC] over HTTP), and Exchange Server ActiveSync. • Edge Transport: The Edge Transport server role provides antivirus and anti-spam protection for the Exchange organization at the perimeter of the network. • Mailbox: The Mailbox server role is responsible for hosting mailbox databases. A mailbox database contains users' e-mail, calendar, contact, and task data. • Unified Messaging: The Unified Messaging server role enables users to receive voice mail, e-mail, fax messages, and calendar information in their Exchange inbox; voice access to the inbox from any phone; and speech-enabled Automated Attendant functionality that allow callers to interact through touch tone menus or their voice using speech recognition.

Q.	Can the Exchange Server 2007 server roles be deployed and configured on the same physical hardware?
A.	Yes, all Exchange Server 2007 server roles—except for the Edge Transport server role or, when clustering, the Mailbox server role—can be deployed on a single physical server.

For more just go to Frequently Asked Questions about Exchange Server 2007 Beta 2