Fresh Install of Exchange 2000 & Windows 2000 - Need hints and tips 1

[Irestone]

I'm going to do a fresh install of Exchange 2000 and Windows 2000 Server. I've never installed either, but have done fresh installs of Win NT 4 and Exchange 5.5. I'm wondering if there are any hints or tips to help me avoid making mistakes while building this box.

Thanks,

Irestone

 

[yizhar]

HI.

* As with previous products, take some time for study and pilots. It will for sure be a benefit.

* Plan for DNS, and remember that you should install the DNS service localy for WIN2K AD to function properly.

* Note that 3rd party products - Backup software, Fax, Anti-Virus must all be the latest version that supports W2K and E2K.

Bye
Yizhar Hurwitz

http://come.to/yizhar

http://teachers.sivan.co.il/yizhar

 

[ashleym]

Yizhar makes a good point, DNS is crucial, not only to your Win 2000 install, but Exchange too. If it is screwed up, Win 2000 will complain bitterly and there is no point in installing Exchange, because it simply won't work properly, and you can't fix it without uninstalling Exchange.

Are you planning on hosting your own mail for a domain, or simply for internal mail. This is an important consideration. What you call your domain in active directory will have future implications if you want to host your own mail. If you have a domain today, called abc.com, for example, then call your domain abc.com, when you create it during your Win 2000 install. Even if you aren't going to host your own email, name your domain something.com, preferably after a domain you own. If you don't own a domain, you can call it a single name, just don't use underscores _ they don't work in Win 2000 DNS.

Good luck.
Ashley

 

[jeremymc]

In exchange setup make sure you do
setup.exe /forestprep
setup.exe /domainprep
and then run exchange setup and exchange service pack 1.

Otherwise the regular setup will fail the first time with out domain and forest preperation

 

[Irestone]

Thanks for all of your replies, this is exactly the direction I am looking for.

Jeremy, this may be a dumb question, but what is a forest??? Is that an AD thing?

 

[Xybertron]

Jeremy - Setup alone does those. We only run the seperate to troubleshoot.

Make sure DNS works and AD and that no adapters point external from DNS and your fine. Dan
Microsoft Exchange Support @ Microsoft