Mail System Project

Author’s Note This annotated bibliography is being submitted on August 5th, 2013, for N234/CET2810C Section 01 Microsoft Exchange Server course.

Mail System Project When designing my Microsoft Exchange mailing system I will need to gather information about my environment. I will need to see if the installation is going to be a migration or am I walking in to a fresh setup. With a fresh installation I will have a lot of things to consider such as the customer requirements, mailbox profile requirements, geographic location, and server and data protection. I will also have to make assumptions based on all configurations. With the migration of an Exchange environment things become a little easier because some of the things you have to take into consideration during a fresh install are already done. You can just move the Exchange resources from one installation to the other such as mailboxes, public folders, and connectors. But you will need to determine the specific needs for the migration and I will need to archive non-essential data before I migrate to reduce cost and shorten my timeline. Also there are plenty of tools to assist in Exchange migration to where it becomes a simple task. So if you ask me if I want to go with a fresh install vs. migration if the already had Exchange in place my choice is Migration. Storage is also a big factor when setting up an exchange Server environment. There are a lot of architectural factors the play in to the storage design of my exchange server, the most important factors are, mailbox count, mailbox currency, mailbox size, mailbox user profile, E-mail client types, E-mail client extensions, server applications and also high availability requirements. When going over these specific requirements, this will allow me to base my design on the company’s growth and current state of storage usage. When setting up security for my exchange server there are a few options I have. One being relay restrictions which keep spammers from having a field day with my server. If relay restrictions are not implemented it means that anyone not just spammers can relay mail through my server. Another important security measure is a good virus protection. When it comes to virus protection for Exchange you have to purchase virus protection that is made especially for Exchange Server. The reason is because email viruses do not exist on Exchange Server in the form of a stand-alone file, instead they are stored in the Exchange mailbox with messages there for you need a virus protection that is designed to read the Exchange database. Another option for security is called RPC over HTTP it’s kind of like VPN but not, a RPC over HTTP connection is limits the scope of what resources can be accessed remotely. One more security measure is simple I’ll just run security and system updates regularly. When setting up and managing my mailing list I will more than likely go with the default address list this is called the global address list (GAL). Because it will automatically populate with new users, contacts, groups, or rooms as they are added to my OU (organizational unit). Setting up a solid back up strategy for Exchange Server is crucial regardless of system architecture and setup there is no running from the question, if something happens what is it exactly that I want to back up? I would have to have a plan set in place to make sure that if something where to happen that I would be backing up what is needed not wanted. On my list it would include Exchange database files (mailboxes, public folders), Exchange transaction logs, Message tracking logs, and protocol logs. Beyond using third party backup solutions to replicate everything I can also go virtual and back up everything in a snapshot this will protect even if I had total server failure.

Annotated Bibliography Simpson, R. (2011, January 21). Exchange 2010 Tested Solutions: 500 Mailboxes in a Single Site Running Hyper-V on Dell Servers. Retrieved August 5, 2013, from technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg436085(v=exchg.141).aspx In this analysis Robert Simpson presents facts on how he set up Microsoft Exchange 2010 on five hundred mailboxes in a single site running Hyper-V on Dell Servers. He begins by telling the importance of the customers’ requirements, stating the first steps in Exchange solution design is to accurately summarize the business and technical requirements that are critical to making the correct design decisions. He also presents the importance of geographic location requirements, by stating that understanding the distribution of mailbox users and datacenters is important when making design decisions about high availability and site resiliency. TechNet (2013, June 11). Migrate Public Folders to Exchange 2013 From Previous Versions: Exchange 2013 Help. Retrieved August 5, 2013, from technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj150486(v=exchg.150).aspx In this analysis the TechNet authors present facts on how easy is it for the migration of all Exchange information such as public folders from one server to the next. Then begin to go in to detail on how to accomplish this by following a step by step guide. By downloading migration scripts, creating public folder mailboxes on the new exchange server, and then finalizing and testing the migration. TechNet (2012, July 23). Mailbox Storage Design Process: Exchange 2010 Help. Retrieved August 5, 2013, from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff367907(v=exchg.141).aspx In this analysis the TechNet authors touch on some major key points to take when designing your storage architecture for you Exchange Server Environment. With providing me with the performance, Capacity, and reliability standards for every design factor to take into effect when setting up my storage configurations. Posey, B. (2006, September 27). 5 Exchange Server security tips - TechRepublic. Retrieved August 5, 2013, from http://www.techrepublic.com/article/5-exchange-server-security-tips/ In this article Brien Posey explains the importance of keeping you Exchange environment secure. By explaining the different option you had to make your Exchange Server safer. He goes in to great detail on how relay restrictions keep your Exchange Server safe from spammers or anyone for that matter trying to relay messages through your mailbox. He also explains the importance of getting a good virus protection that is made specifically for Exchange databases. Also the importance of keeping current on security and system updates. TechNet (2013, March 18). Address Lists: Exchange Online Help. Retrieved August 5, 2013, from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb232119(v=exchg.150).aspx#DALists In this analysis by the TechNet authors they explain the difference between the default address list and the custom address list. Explaining that with the global address list, when anyone or anything is added to your OU it will automatically add them or it to this list such as users, groups, contacts, and rooms. Mah, P. (2011, December 16). 4 Steps to Developing a Solid Backup Strategy for Exchange. Retrieved August 5, 2013, from http://www.gfi.com/blog/4-steps-to-developing-a-solid-backup-strategy-for-exchange/ In this article Paul Mah describes what practices he would use in back up strategy’s that he recommends for his Exchange Server Environment, by creating a check list for people to use during the set up of there back up procedure for Exchange. Also he provided some other tips and examples for people to use.