Exchange server 2013 step by step
Installing exchange server
1- Join the machine to the domain
2- Install the prerequisites roles “power shell”
3- Install framework update and Microsoft Unified Communications Managed API 4.0, Core Runtime 64-bit
4- Prepare the forest and the domain
5- Install the exchange server
Working inside
1- Rename the default database “GUI” and change its path “power shell”
2-create new databases as many as you need depend on the quota, the location, the department, the journaling ……
3- Change the mailbox quota as the requirements
4- Change the “keep deleted items and deleted mailbox” duration
5- Export the exchange self sign certificate and trusted it using the group policy
6- Create the mailboxes for the exiting and the new users
7- Create the distribution groups as needed
8- For the existing universal security groups email them using power shell
9- Create a redirection for the OWA inside the IIS for the simplicity
10- To use one email with multiple users
- Group with send as permission
- Shared mailbox with send as permission
- Public folder with send as permission
11- Use the journaling to archive emails
12- Use the transport rules to control the email flow “allow, deny, redirect, delete, reject, add CC, Add BCC, add subject, add disclaimer …….
13-to archive mailboxes
- Create databases for the archiving
- Enable the archiving option for the users and choose the archiving database
- Create retention tags and retention polices for the times you need for the archiving
- Apply the retention policy to the users
14- Check the offline address book and create and apply a new one if you need to the users
To work outside
1- Buy at least one public domain and one public IP address
2- Create an accepted domain and a domain address policy if you needed
3- Change the CAS URLs with the new domain name “ 6 URLs using the GUI and One using power shell or ADSI edit”
4- Buy a SAN certificate with at least 2 FQDN “Auto discover.publicdomain and the other chosen FQDN” or buy Wildcard certificate
5- Install the certificate on the CAS and assign the services to the new certificate “IIS, POP, IMAP and SMTP”
6- in the internal DNS create a zone with the new domain if needed and create 3 A records “autodiscover, the chosen FQDN and another simple FQDN for the OWA redirect” and point them to the CAS IP
7- In the public DNS
- Create 3 A records “autodiscover, the chosen FQDN and another simple FQDN for the OWA redirect” and point them to the Public IP
- Create MX record that point to the A record of the public IP
- Create SPF record “TXT record” the point to the servers that send Emails “your server or the smart host”
8- Open or publish the necessary ports on the firewall “80, 443, 110, 995, 143, 993, 25 and any custom ports”
9- Create send connectors to allow the exchange to send emails outside “using MX, smart host or mixed”
10- Change the receive connector ports or create new one if needed
To allow POP3 and IMAP4 Clients
- Change the services to be startup automatic and start them on both Mailbox and CAS servers
- Change the security connections as you needed “secure TLS or Plain test” on both server and client sides
- Cpen or publish the ports on the firewall
- Enable the exchange users permission on the receive connector
To work on high availability
1- for the CAS
- Install a new server
- Export the certificate from the old server and import it to the new one
- Change the Services on the new CAS to work with the New certificate “IIS, POP, IMAP and SMTP”
- Change its URLs
- Add it to the existing send connectors
- Create on it the exact receive connectors with the same ports and permissions
- Create the exact IIS redirect
- Change the POP3 and IMAP4 services and it security if needed
- Publish it through the firewall
- Change the DNS records internal and external to point to the new server with the existing one
2- for MailBox server
- Install the new server
- add a new network card for each Mailbox server, change the order to be the alternate NIC don’t allow them to register on the DNS and configure them in a new subnet
-Create the same volumes on the new server like the old one
- On the witness server “the domain controller in most cases” add the exchange subsystem group to the administrators group
- On the witness server create an empty folder
- Through the exchange GUI create a DAG “ give it name, the witness server, the witness folder and the shared IP within the same client subnet ”
- After the creation add both Mailbox servers “the old one and the new one” to the DAG
- After that go to the database and for each one choose to add a copy from it to the other server
After all of that don not forget the backup solution
