Windows 2008 has added a number of new security enhancement from firewalls to a more secure version of IIS, with these new security settings the installation of Exchange 2007 SP1 is slightly different. You cannot install Exchange 2007 on Windows 2008 but only Exchange 2007 SP1.

Thanks to Paul Bowden of Microsoft I am going to post a few Xml files which can make your installation of Exchange 2007 SP1 easier on a Windows 2008 server. These file where not included with the Exchange 2007 release but will be included in future version of Exchange

No longer is powershell a download and install but Windows 2008 has included powershell in the OS and can be installed from a command prompt as you will see later in this blog.

Note: the following xml files are not included with Exchange 2007 you can choose to use them to simplify an installation or manually install each component.

Windows 2008 has added a new command line tool that allows an administrator to install any number of Windows components from a command line. To evoke this tool you would use the command ServerMangerCmd the -i switch tell the system to install.

For Example to install powershell on a Windows 2008 server you would type ServerManagerCmd -i PowerShell

There are 5 Xmil files to install componets, notice the Hub do not have any special requirements and the base is all that is needed to install those roles.

XML Files:
1. Exchange-base.xml
2. Exchange-Typical.xml
3. Exchange-CAS.xml
4. Exchange-Mbx.xml

** Please note I had to remove bracets to display the information on the page, see the screen shot for the correct format***

I have also labeled each row with a letter so I can refer to each line of the code

a:ServerManagerCmd Answer File compatible with Longhorn
b:Usage: ServerManagerCmd -ip Exchange-Base.xml
c:Contact: PBowden
d:ServerManagerConfiguration
E: Action=”Install” xmlns=”http://schemas.microsoft.com/sdm/Windows/ServerManager/Configuration/2007/1“>
F:BASE: Install PowerShell feature
G:Feature Id=”PowerShell”
H:– PREPARESCHEMA: Install LDIFDE and other directory tools –
I:Feature Id=”RSAT-ADDS”
j:ServerManagerConfiguration

What does this file do?
The baseline file will install Powershell and the Directory tools for a Windows 2008 server, you can see in lines G and I calls to install those components.

to use this file I would open a command windows and type servermanagecmd -ip c:\exchange-base.xml

This would then install powershell and the Admin tools for Windows 2008

2. Exchange-Typical.xml
– ServerManagerCmd Answer File compatible with Longhorn Beta 3 –
- Usage: ServerManagerCmd -ip Exchange-Typical.xml –
– Contact: PBowden –
ServerManagerConfiguration Action=”Install” xmlns=”http://schemas.microsoft.com/sdm/Windows/ServerManager/Configuration/2007/1“>
– BASE: Install PowerShell feature –
Feature Id=”PowerShell”
– PREPARESCHEMA: Install LDIFDE and other directory tools –
Feature Id=”RSAT-ADDS”
– CAS/MBX: Install the Web Server role with additional child components –
Role Id=”Web-Server”
RoleService Id=”Web-Metabase”
RoleService Id=”Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console”
– CAS: Install the three authentication types for OWA, GZip compression, plus Outlook Anywhere support –
RoleService Id=”Web-Basic-Auth”
RoleService Id=”Web-Digest-Auth”
RoleService Id=”Web-Windows-Auth”
RoleService Id=”Web-Dyn-Compression”
Feature Id=”RPC-over-HTTP-proxy”
ServerManagerConfiguration

A typical Exchange 2007 installation would constist of the hub,cas, and mbx role and as we can see this xmil file install the required Windows componets including the components of the Exchange-base.xml file.

The following components are install in the typical file:
Feature Id=”PowerShell”
Feature Id=”RSAT-ADDS”
Role Id=”Web-Server”
RoleService Id=”Web-Metabase”
RoleService Id=”Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console”
RoleService Id=”Web-Basic-Auth”
RoleService Id=”Web-Digest-Auth”
RoleService Id=”Web-Windows-Auth”
RoleService Id=”Web-Dyn-Compression”
Feature Id=”RPC-over-HTTP-proxy”

3. Exchange-CAS.xml
– ServerManagerCmd Answer File compatible with Longhorn
– Usage: ServerManagerCmd -ip Exchange-CAS.xml –
- Contact: PBowden -
ServerManagerConfiguration Action=”Install” xmlns=”http://schemas.microsoft.com/sdm/Windows/ServerManager/Configuration/2007/1“>
– Install the Web Server role with additional child components -
Role Id=”Web-Server”
RoleService Id=”Web-Metabase”
RoleService Id=”Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console”
– Install the three authentication types for OWA, GZip compression, plus Outlook Anywhere support –

RoleService Id=”Web-Basic-Auth”
RoleService Id=”Web-Digest-Auth”
RoleService Id=”Web-Windows-Auth”
RoleService Id=”Web-Dyn-Compression”
Feature Id=”RPC-over-HTTP-proxy”

The Exchange-CAS.xml install the same components as the Exchange-Typical exceprt for powershell and the Adminsitration tools. This mean you would need to run the Exchange-base.xml file first or user the typical installation file which installs the same components.

4. Exchange-Mbx.xml
Exchange 2007 SP1 still requires a small amount of IIS components to be installed on the mailbox server.

ServerManagerConfiguration
Action=”Install” xmlns=”http://schemas.microsoft.com/sdm/Windows/ServerManager/Configuration/2007/1“>
– Install the Web Server role with default child components –
Role Id=”Web-Server”
– Install the optional IIS6 Metabase and console –
RoleService Id=”Web-Metabase”
RoleService Id=”Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console”
ServerManagerConfiguration

5. Exchange-Edge.xml
The Exchange-Edge.xml installs ADAMServerManagerConfiguration Action=”Install” xmlns=”http://schemas.microsoft.com/sdm/Windows/ServerManager/Configuration/2007/1“>
– Install AD Lightweight Directory Services (aka ADAM) –
Role Id=”ADLDS”
ServerManagerConfiguration

Lets go ahead use the exchange-base.xml and Exchange-typical with the exchange-typical.xml

1. Launch a command window with Administrative rights

2. either run from the directory or specify the path of the xml file utilizing the servermanagecmd cli tool.

Servermanagecmd -ip exchange-base.xml

3. Reboot the computer

4. Run the command prompt as Administrator again and launch the exchange-typical.xml file

Notice the following components are installed

6. Run the Exchange 2007 sp1 setup as administrator

- this can be done from the command line or gui, since we already have a command prompt open I am going to use the comannd window to start the installation.

7. setup /m:install /r:h,c,m

This command will install the Hub,CAS, and mailbox role on our Windows 2008 server

8. reboot the server

9. validate the installation

**Please note there have a been a number of issue with rpc/https and Windows 2008 when Ipv6 is enabled see the link below on how to disable ipv6
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/network/ipv6/ipv6faq.mspx