Datasheet

Chapter 1
Introducing Exchange Server 2010
Email clients used to be fairly simple and text based. Email servers had few connectivity
options, no high-availability features, and no integrated directory. Then, beginning in the
mid-1990s we saw a big push toward providing email service to most of our user communities.
We also saw email go from an occasionally used convenience to a business-critical tool.
Business management and users demanded more features, better availability, and more
connectivity options as the email client and server evolved.
Microsoft released Exchange Server 4.0 (the first version of Exchange Server) in 1996 and
the product has b een evolving ever since. Exchange Server 2010 is the fifth major release of the
Exchange Server family and represents a significant evolution of the product. The features
and functions of this new release include not only feature requests from many thousands
of Microsoft’s customers, but also requirements shared internally at Microsoft by Microsoft
Consulting Services and their own IT department, which supports nearly 100,000 mailboxes.
When we started planning this chapter, we considered discussing exclusively what was new
in Exchange Server 2010 since the release of Exchange Server 2007. However, as of this writ-
ing most Exchange Server customers are still using Exchange Server 2003 rather than Exchange
Server 2007. For this reason, we want to incorporate into this chapter a summary of the changes
that have been made to Exchange Server since Exchange Server 2003.
In this chapter, you will learn to:
◆ Understand new high-availability options
◆ Understand new recipient management features
◆ Recognize Exchange architecture changes
Getting to Know Exchange Server 2010
It seems that we approach any new release of Exchange Server with a sense of both excitement
and trepidation. We look forward to the new features and capabilities that are introduced with
a newer version o f a product. Certainly features such as the Exchange Management Shell, new
database replication technology, antispam, resource management, and security features will
allow us to deliver better, more reliable messaging services to our end users.
On the other side of the coin is the feeling tha t there is a whole new series of features that
we have to learn inside and out so that w e can better use them. Sure, we know Exchange