Exchange Server 2007: Designing a Messaging Infrastructure

Course Overview

This three-day instructor-led course provides students with the knowledge and skills to design a messaging infrastructure. Students will learn to assess an existing infrastructure and determine technical and business requirements for both new Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 deployments and migrations. Students will create a design that addresses security, architecture, scalability, co-existence, and client access needs. They will also learn strategies for gaining approval for designs from stakeholders.

Audience

This course is intended for people with 3 or more years experience working with previous versions of Exchange Server and experience implementing Exchange Server 2007. Most students will have managed enterprise-level Exchange Server organizations. Students are expected to be new to participating in designing Exchange Server 2007 deployments on the job or be planning to design Exchange Server 2007 deployments in the near future. Students may have done some design for Exchange 2000 Server or Exchange Server 2003 deployments, but want to learn how to design Exchange Server 2007 environments. Students will also have experience in designing and managing Active Directory directory services and network infrastructure deployments.

• Must understand hardware concepts. For example, what RAID is, what a SAN is, processor options, memory requirements, how disk I/O functions and the limitations of disk I/O, and storage options for Exchange server. The differences in addressable memory spaces between 32 and 64 bit architectures.
• Must have extensive detailed knowledge of Active Directory concepts and design principles. For example, site replication, integrated authentication, schema extension, DNS, group and organization unit structure and inheritance, etc.
• Working experience with designing and implementing Active Directory in Windows Server 2003.
• Must understand Exchange architecture. For example, the purpose of server roles, functions of specific server roles, how message routing and queuing works in Exchange, standard messaging protocols (SMTP, IMAP4, POP3), how Exchange replicates data stores, client access methods, etc.
• Working experience with Exchange 2000 Server or Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange Server 2007. For example, must have installed, maintained, and supported a production Exchange environment.
• Must already know how to use:
• Exchange System Manager
• Exchange Best Practice Analyzer (ExBPA)
• Microsoft Visio(R) (to create infrastructure diagrams)
• Familiarity and experience with a Windows scripting or command line scripting

Skills Gained

• Gather business and technical requirements for a messaging infrastructure.
• Design an Active Directory directory service and message routing infrastructure.
• Design the hardware and system configuration for Exchange servers.
• Design security for the messaging environment.
• Design strategies for co-existence and interoperability.
• Design a strategy for upgrading to Exchange Server 2007.
• Design messaging policies.
• Obtain approval for a messaging infrastructure design.

Course Outline

• Module 1: Gathering Requirements for a Messaging Infrastructure
• Module 2: Designing Active Directory and Message Routing
• Module 3: Designing Exchange Servers
• Module 4: Designing Security for a Messaging Environment
• Module 5: Designing Co-Existence and Interoperability Strategies with Other Messaging Systems
• Module 6: Designing an Exchange Server 2007 Upgrade Strategy
• Module 7: Designing Messaging Policies
• Module 8: Obtaining Approval for a Messaging Infrastructure Design