MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration Chapter Seven Configuring and Managing Exchange Server

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 2 Objectives Understand how and why additional administrative groups should be created Understand how and why additional routing groups should be created Describe front-end and back-end server configurations Describe how to manage virtual servers and virtual directories

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 3 Configuring and Managing Exchange Server Organizations usually need additional servers –Greater volume of users may be hosted –Dedicated servers perform specific tasks Load-balance processing across servers Two perspectives for organizing servers –Connectivity –Administrative HTTP virtual servers –Grant access and transfer files to client work stations –Are administered using Internet Services Manager

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 4 Administrative Groups Administrative groups –Define admin topology for an Exchange organization –Based on geography, department, division, or function Assigning administrative permissions –Is simplified by using administrative groups –Objects created or moved into an admin group object inherit its permissions Four objects may be created in administrative group –Policies, Routing Groups, Public Folder Trees, Servers

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 5 Administrative Models Three administrative models organize admin groups –Centralized, Decentralized, Mixed Centralized administrative model: –One group has full control over the Exchange servers –Routing group need not reflect administrative topology Decentralized administrative model: –Each location has a team of Exchange administrators –Groups are based on geographical or departmental needs –Groups can contain policies, servers, public folder trees, and other objects specific to the group

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8 Administrative Groups (continued) Issues migrating from Exchange Server 5.5 at multiple sites: –Forces use of decentralized administrative model –Exchange 5.5 sites are created as separate admin groups Mixed administrative model: –Restricts certain administrative functions –Does not create specialization for every function –Create admin groups by function, not department –Combines specialized admin functions and geographical factors into one model

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10 Activity 7-1: Creating an Administrative Group Time Required: 10 to 20 minutes Objective: Create an additional administrative group Description: Create an additional administrative group for your organization. By default when you install your first Exchange 2003 server, a default administrative group called First Administrative Group is created.

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MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 12 Managing Administrative Groups Exchange Server 2003 has two modes of operation –Mixed mode: pre-Exchange 2000 Servers are supported –Native mode: only Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 2003 are supported

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 13 Mixed Mode Mixed: the default operation mode for Exchange Server 2003 Mixed mode accommodates Exchange Server 5.5 Exchange 5.5 limits Exchange Server 2003 –Each admin group has only one functional routing group –Mailboxes cannot be moved between servers in different administrative groups –Some System Manager commands do not apply to Exchange Server 5.5 –You cannot edit directory object properties in Active Directory –InetOrgPerson and query-based distribution groups are not available

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 14 Native Mode Native mode operation –Exchange Server 2003 is not subject to mixed mode limitations Using Exchange Server 2003 you can: –Enable routing group support –Create additional routing groups as necessary Native mode drawback: –It cannot work with Exchange Server 5.5 or lower versions

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 15 Routing Groups Routing group: physical collection of servers The links between routing groups are assumed to be slow or unreliable Connectors join routing groups over slow WAN links –Costs may be implemented on connectors –Costs enable you to channel physical path Target server handles message communication within a routing group Bridgehead server handles message communication among routing groups

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 16 Routing Groups (continued) Bridgehead server is designated in each routing group Routing group connector is used by the bridgehead server to join routing groups Exchange System Manager is used to create separate routing groups Factors for deciding whether to set up a routing group: –Persistent connectivity –Common Active Directory forest –Relatively high bandwidth

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 17 Routing Groups (continued) Place servers prone to failure in separate routing groups Place a global catalog server in each routing group Five reasons for dividing Exchange Server 5.5 into multiple routing groups: –Minimum requirements outlined are not met –Messaging path must be altered to multiple hops –Messages must be queued and sent by schedule –Bandwidth between servers is less than 16 Kbps –Routing client connections to specific public folder replicas

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 18 Activity 7-2: Creating a Routing Group Time Required: 10 to 20 minutes Objective: Create an additional routing group using Exchange System Manager Description: Create an additional routing group within your organization. Routing groups help you to control mail flow and public folder referrals. Within a routing group, all servers communicate and transfer messages directly to one another.

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MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 20 Activity 7-3: Installing a Server into a New Administrative Group and Routing Group Time Required: 90 to 120 minutes Objective: Install an Exchange Server 2003 server into a second administrative and second routing group. Description: With administrative groups already preconfigured, you are prompted during the installation of any new servers as to which administrative group and routing group you want to install the server into

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MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 27 Front-End/Back-End Configurations Front-end/back-end configuration –Tasks are distributed between front-end/back-end servers Front-end server duties accept requests from clients –Proxies requests to appropriate back-end server Recommended topology for the following: –Multiple server organizations –Users of Microsoft Outlook Web Access, POP, IMAP, or Outlook 2003 (using RPC over HTTP) Front-end server specially configured No configuration option to designate back-end server

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 28 Advantages of Front-End/Back-End Configuration Three advantages of front-end/back-end topology: –Single namespace across organization User need not know name of server hosting mailbox (accessed with Web, POP, or IMAP interface) –Ability to balance load across servers Front-end server handles SSL encryption/decryption Encryption/decryption offloaded from back-end servers –Ability to use firewalls to protect back-end Front-end provides additional layer behind firewall Front-end hides back-end configuration Front-end authenticates mailbox/public folder requests

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 29 Front-End/Back-End Functionality Front-end proxies client requests to back-end Front-end/back-end configuration with a firewall –Complex due to communication with Active Directory –Exchange Server uses DSAccess to detect directory servers –DSAccess uses LDAPs and RPCs –RPCs require many open ports on the firewall –High number of open ports introduces security issues

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 30 Front-End/Back-End Functionality (continued) Front-end/back-end configuration without a firewall: –Helps maintain a single namespace for servers –Scalable using Outlook Web Access, POP, IMAP Using IMAP or POP access: –Client sends log-on request with mailbox name –Front-end determines location of user's mailbox –Front-end proxies request to back-end –User is authenticated –Back-end sends results of log-on to front-end –Front-end presents results to user

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 31 Activity 7-4: Setting Up a Front-End Server Configuration for POP and OWA Access Time Required: 20 to 30 minutes Objective: Configure a front-end server to act as a POP server for the Exchange Server 2003 organization Description: Configure the newly installed server that was created in the previous activity as a front- end server for POP access to the organization. This server will accept POP connections and proxy the requests to the back-end server on behalf of the client to retrieve information from the mailbox.

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MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 33 Front-End Server Configuration for POP and OWA Access SMTP protocol should be configured on the front- end SMTP is used by IMAP and POP clients for outgoing communication Using Outlook Web Access: –HTTP client requests are sent to the front-end server –Front-end server uses Active Directory to isolate back-end server –Front-end server forwards request to back-end server –HTTP host header remains unchanged

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 34 Front-End Server Configuration for POP and OWA Access (continued) Exchange Server 2003 improvements for front- end/back-end configuration: –Kerberos authentication –RPC over HTTP: encapsulate RPC within HTTP –Forms-based authentication

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 35 Managing HTTP Virtual Servers IIS: Internet Information Services –Provides transport services to access folders/mailboxes –Uses Internet protocol (HTTP, POP, or IMAP) Exchange integrates with Windows 2000/2003 IIS Exchange stores configuration in IIS metabase Directory Service Metabase Synchronization (DS2MB) –Part of Exchange System Attendant –Replicates configuration changes made in Active Directory to the metabase –Overrides changes made directly to the IIS metabase

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 36 Managing HTTP Virtual Servers (continued) Each HTTP virtual server is represented as a Web site Default Web site represents default HTTP server Five important HTTP virtual server directories: –Exadmin: Web-based administration of the HTTP virtual server –Exchange: used to access mailboxes –ExchWeb: provides calendaring, address book, other functions –OMA: directory to which Outlook Mobile Access users connect to access Exchange data –Public: used to access the default public folders tree

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MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 38 Activity 7-5: Configuring an Additional Virtual Server Time Required: 20 to 40 minutes Objective: Create an additional HTTP virtual server to host an additional domain Description: Create an additional HTTP virtual server that will be configured to host an additional SMTP domain in three stages. A fourth stage will test the new virtual server.

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MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 41 Activity 7-6: Configuring Additional Virtual Directories Time Required: 20 to 40 minutes Objective: Create an additional HTTP virtual directory to host an additional domain Description: Create an additional HTTP virtual directory that will be configured to host an additional SMTP domain in two stages

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 42 Activity 7-7: Configuring Connection Values Time Required: 10 to 15 minutes Objective: Walk through the steps outlining how to configure connection settings for your HTTP virtual server Description: Walk through the steps for how you could configure the connection limits and connection timeout values for your SMTP virtual server

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 43 Activity 7-8: Starting and Stopping Virtual Servers and the World Wide Web Service Time Required: 10 to 20 minutes Objective: Walk through the steps outlining how to start and stop an HTTP virtual server and the World Wide Web publishing service Description: Walk through the steps that you can take to stop and start HTTP virtual servers within your Exchange Server 2003 organization as well as the World Wide Web publishing service

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 44 Summary Administrative groups define admin topology Admin groups are based on geography, department, division, function Three approaches to administrative group design: centralized, decentralized, mixed Admin group operation is based on Exchange Server 2003 mode (native or mixed) Routing group: collection of servers with high- bandwidth connectivity

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 45 Summary (continued) Routing groups are determined by physical topology Connectors join routing groups over slow WAN links Exchange Server 2003 perceives a single routing group (default) Front-end/back-end configuration distributes tasks Front-end server receives client requests

MCSE Guide to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administration 46 Summary (continued) Front-end servers proxy requests to back-end Front-end servers may or may not fall behind a firewall IIS virtual servers provide transport services Multiple virtual servers require one SSL certificate for each domain name HTTP virtual servers run under World Wide Web Publishing Service