Shortly after installing Windows 2003 server I installed Exchange 2003. I got the e-mail server up and running within hours. My single server configuration is simple, so installation completed without much problems. There is a cool little checklist bundled with the setup files, that gives you a list of things to do before the installation. It’s a simple little feature that helped greatly during the installation.
Part of the problem with installing Microsoft products is the inconsistent documentation that they publish on their website. When I was upgrading Exchange servers for from Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2000, one of the biggest problems I ran into was finding some good documentation. Some documents on Microsoft’s website would tell you one thing, and another document would contradict that. The checklist included with Exchange 2003 helps alleviate some of the confusion one might have installing the product. Another reason the installation was so simple, is the fact that I’ve upgraded the Exchange so many times; that the steps to do an upgrade is no longer a mystery to me. I no longer need to figure out how to use DCDIAG, or Forest Prep. Those strange tools are already familiar to me. Exchange 2003 is pretty straight forward if you done installation of Exchange 2000.
Recovered from the Wayback Machine — originally posted on woojae.com (“Where Nerds Meet”).