Expert Reference Series of White Papers

Ten Things You Should Know About Exchange Server 2010

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Ten Things You Should Know About Exchange Server 2010

Allan Jacobs, Global Knowledge Instructor, MCT, MCITP, MCTS, MCSE

Introduction
By the time you read this paper, Microsoft will likely have released the first of its Wave 14 Office products, the eagerly awaited Exchange Server 2010. There are many new and improved features in the new version. This white paper outlines ten items to consider when planning and deploying an Exchange Server 2010 infrastructure, as well as some considerations to keep in mind when making the decision to move on to the latest and greatest iteration. 1. Reorganized Administration 2. New Storage Model 3. Archiving Without a Third Party Solution 4. Self-Service Administration With the ECP 5. Server Upgrade Requires Exchange Upgrade 6. All Mail Flows Through the CAS 7. Single Item RecoveryFinally 8. OWA Premium for Firefox 9. Windows Mobile 10. Improved Performance

1. Reorganized Administration
Exchange Server 2010 employs Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), as opposed to the permission-based Access Control List model used in prior versions. While Microsoft does provide pre-defined roles, an organization will have the ability to granularly create roles to match their needs. This approach is a positive step forward, but will require careful planning to ensure that each level of administrator is provided the abilities required without overlooking the least privilege approach. Organizations should take the time and devote the resources necessary to identify what tasks need to be done and who should perform those tasks.

2. New Storage Model

In earlier versions of Exchange, many large enterprises used a classic clustering model, storing their mailboxes in a Storage Area Network (SAN) structure. Regardless of how redundantly a SAN is configured, it presents a single point of failure. It is also an expensive alternative.
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The release of Exchange 2007 provided storage designers with several new options for providing redundancy, Local Continuous Replication (LCR), Cluster Continuous Replication (CCR), and Standby Continuous Replication (SCR). With Exchange 2010, we can forget all of those three-letter acronyms and move to a single one, the DAG, or Database Availability Group. The DAG replaces each of the above options and provides the organization the ability to have as many as 16 replicas of the mailbox database. The replicas can be configured to automatically failover or to hold back on the replication, thus incorporating elements of the CCR and SCR technologies. With multiple replicas, organizations might chose to forgo backups to tape altogether. Of course, that change in backup philosophy would require considerable testing and a shift in the IT philosophy for many entities. By the way, the Public Folder store cannot be part of a DAG. Public Folder Replication will be the same as it has always been. Microsoft lets you keep the Public Folders, but it has no intention of encouraging their use by improving their functionality.

3. Archiving Without a Third Party Solution

Prior to Exchange 2010, organizations with significant archiving and retention requirements had to employ expensive and complicated third-party solutions to satisfy their statutory and compliance requirements. Exchange 2010 provides those organizations with new options to move e-mail from user mailboxes to more appropriate locations over time. The solution also includes a Personal Archive that will appear to the user in Outlook and be searchable with appropriate permissions simultaneously with other mailboxes using advanced filtering.

4. Self-Service Administration with the ECP

The new web-based Exchange Control Panel (ECP) provides administrators with a tool to manage the Exchange environment without requiring the installation of anything on the local computer. That alone makes the ECP very useful, but it gets much better. The ECP can be used to allow the end-user the ability to perform limited administrative functions concerning their messaging environment. I know that some organizations bristle at the thought of self-service administration, but it can significantly cut down the number of service and help desk calls.

5. Server Upgrade Requires Exchange Upgrade

This item is not technically an Exchange Server 2010 item, but it is important for those organizations that will be deploying Exchange Server 2008 R2. That server platform will not support any version of Exchange other than 2010. This seemingly small incompatibility could have a big impact on organizations that plan to move their server platform prior to their messaging platform. On a brighter note, the compatibility issues that Exchange Server 2010 Beta had with Server 2003 have been resolved and any of the 64-bit versions of Server 2003 or Server 64 can support Exchange 2010. Of course, Mailbox Servers that are participating in a DAG must sit on at least the Enterprise Edition of the Server.

Copyright 2009 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved.

6. All Mail Flows through the CAS

The Client Access Server (CAS) role now includes responsibility for all mail connections, not just the web-based clients. The new CAS functionality, which includes the MAPI (Outlook) client connection, will improve recovery scenarios and provide a more easily-expandable infrastructure.

7. Single Item Recovery

Annoying as it may be for the administrator, end-users have been deleting items that they cannot live without since they were provided with access to computers. In the prior versions of Exchange, the retrieval of a single item was an administrator-driven, time-consuming process. With 2010, Exchange users will have their e-mail maintained in an upgraded version of mailbox dumpster that can extend the time period for end-user recovery. Also available with Exchange 2010 is the capability of placing a Litigation Hold on certain mail items so they cannot be deleted under any circumstances.

8. OWA Premium for Firefox

Not everyone loves Internet Explorer. With Exchange Server 2010 Outlook Web Access (OWA), both Firefox and Safari browser platforms are supported for the OWA client. Other OWA enhancements include the ability to see Shared Calendars and Contacts, enhanced presence indicators, and full instant messaging (IM) for organizations that use Office Communications Server to control IM.

9. Improved Windows Mobile Experience

Mobile users will be able to organize their messages into a Conversation View that will permit their management as a single entity. Also available for Windows Mobile devices with Exchange 2010, is the ability to perform lookups of the availability of contact through the calendar. In addition text message can be synchronized to a users mailbox as well as its normal location on the mobile device.

10. Performance
In Exchange 2007, the combination of the 64-bit architecture and the increase of the page size to 8 KB resulted in a 70% decrease in Exchange Input/Output per second (IOPS). With Exchange 2010, the page size increase to 32 KB and other enhancements have decreased IOPS by an additional 50%. For the enterprises that have been running Exchange 2003, the performance bump is substantial. That performance increase will allow organizations to consider less costly hard drives without losing any of the functionality that they expect.

Conclusion
It is easy to see that Exchange Server 2010 will bring many enhancements to an organizations messaging environment. These ten items are just the beginning of the ways that the new version of Exchange will provide e-mail, scheduling, mobile access, and voice mail more efficiently and effectively. While fear of a new Microsoft product might cause some hesitation, Exchange 2010 is a solid option, with enough improvements over its predecessor to encourage its deployment.

Copyright 2009 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved.

Learn More
Learn more about how you can improve productivity, enhance efficiency, and sharpen your competitive edge. Check out the following Global Knowledge courses: Installing, Configuring, and Maintaining Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 For more information or to register, visit www.globalknowledge.com or call 1-800-COURSES to speak with a sales representative. Our courses and enhanced, hands-on labs offer practical skills and tips that you can immediately put to use. Our expert instructors draw upon their experiences to help you understand key concepts and how to apply them to your specific work situation. Choose from our more than 1,200 courses, delivered through Classrooms, e-Learning, and On-site sessions, to meet your IT and business training needs.

About the Author

Allan Jacobs is a trainer, consultant, and writer based in New York City. While technically an independent, Allan works almost exclusively for Global Knowledge and spends a good deal of his time traveling to client sites and training centers throughout the US. While his current interests are concentrated in the Unified Communications field, he continues to work with the Windows Server and Client Operating Systems, SharePoint, and the Systems Center suite. He has served as a speaker at the MCT Virtual Summit for Office Communications Server 2007 R2, as an Expert at TechEd in Unified Communications, and Expert at the Launch of Exchange and SharePoint 2007. Allan was also co-author of the revision of the Microsoft Official Courseware for OCS 2007 R2. In his younger days, Allan practiced law, something that he has successfully avoided for the last ten years.

Copyright 2009 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved.