Installing Exchange Server 2019 on Windows Server 2022

Messaging and collaboration are so essential in modern businesses as they enable effective and efficient communication and teamwork across departments and teams. These tools make it easy to exchange information, foster project collaboration, and also enhance productivity. The most popular messaging and collaboration tools are Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Google Workspace, which offer instant messaging, file sharing, video conferencing, and real-time collaboration features. By providing a centralized platform for communication and collaboration, these tools promote effective teamwork, enable quick decision-making, and improve overall organizational efficiency.

Exchange Server is a messaging and collaboration platform developed by Microsoft. One of the primary functions of this tool is acting as an email server, providing businesses with features and capabilities to manage their email communications and related services. With Exchange Server, organizations can streamline email communication, enhance collaboration, and improve team productivity. It provides a secure and efficient platform for managing email, contacts, calendars, and mobile access, helping businesses manage their messaging and collaboration needs effectively.

Here are the key features offered by the Exchange Server:

• Mobile Access and Syncing: it seamlessly synchronizes emails, calendars, and contacts on mobile devices, enabling users to stay connected and productive while on the move.
• Efficient Email Management: It also enables seamless handling of emails, including composing, receiving, and organizing messages effectively.
• High Availability and Scalability: It provides continuous email services through high availability features like database replication, clustering, and failover mechanisms. These ensure uninterrupted email services and minimize downtime. Exchange Server also offers scalability options, allowing organizations to add more users and resources as their needs grow.
• Security and Compliance: It provides robust security features to protect against email-based threats. It supports encryption, secure protocols, spam filtering, and antivirus scanning. Additionally, it provides compliance features like archiving, data retention policies, and legal hold to meet regulatory requirements and ensure data governance.
• Centralized Contacts and Address Book: It provides a global address list and efficient contact management, allowing users to maintain a centralized directory of contact information within the organization.
• Calendar and Scheduling: It has the shared calendar feature that enables users to schedule meetings, appointments, and events. It supports scheduling assistance, availability checking, and meeting invitations, facilitating efficient coordination among team members.

In this guide, we will provide detailed instructions and best practices to help you set up Exchange Server 2019 on Windows Server 2022.

1. Setup Preparation

There are quite a number of configurations you need to pass before we proceed and install the Exchange Server 2019 on Windows Server 2022. The activities include:

• Install/build Active Directory Domain Controller on your network. This can be achieved by following the guide below:
  • Install Active Directory Domain Services in Windows Server 2022

The next thing to do is to create an administrative account on the Domain Controller host for the Exchange Server. Once the user has been created, they need to be added to the Domain Admins, Enterprise Admins and Schema Admins groups

Now login to the Domain Controller host using the created user, then download the Exchange Server 2019 ISO file, you need License but you can also proceed with the evaluation version(a time-limited edition)

Once the ISO has been downloaded, mount it and extend Active Directory schemas for Exchange Server using the below commands on the Domain Controller.

Mount-DiskImage (Disk image Path)\ExchangeServer2019-x64-CU12.ISO
Get-Volume

Sample Output:

Now prepare the server:

(Mount Path)\Setup.EXE /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms_DiagnosticDataON /PrepareSchema
(Mount Path)\Setup.EXE /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms_DiagnosticDataON /PrepareAD /OrganizationName:"Your_Exchange_Organization_Name "

Sample Output:

Once complete, dismount the disk:

Dismount-DiskImage (Disk image Path)\ExchangeServer2019-x64-CU12.iso

For example:

On the AD, you should have this:

The next thing to do is join the computer on which you want to set up the Exchange Server 2019 to AD. Once added, login to the computer

2. Install IIS Server

Begin by installing the Install IIS server. This can be done easily from the PowerShell as the admin user with the commands:

Install-WindowsFeature Web-Server -IncludeManagementTools

Verify if everything is okay by running a test on localhost

Invoke-WebRequest http://localhost 

Access it on the browser as shown.

You also need to download and install the Visual C++ redistributable package

Also, install the Unified Communications Managed API 4.0 Runtime.

You also need the IIS URL Rewrite module

Once all the above prerequisites have been met, proceed and install the Exchange Server 2019 with the below steps.

3. Install Exchange Server 2019 on Windows Server 2022

After passing through all the above steps, you need to go through the server requirements for Exchange Server 2019 and ensure that your system meets them.

You can install the Exchange Server 2019 on Windows Server 2022 using two methods.

• Using PowerShell
• Using GUI

Here, you also need to have the Exchange Server 2019 ISO file ready. Then log in as the administrative domain account for Exchange Server you added on AD.

Method 1: Install Exchange Server 2019 using PowerShell

Run PowerShell as the admin user and mount the Exchange Server 2019 ISO using the command:

Mount-DiskImage C:\Users\exchange_user\Downloads\ExchangeServer2019-x64-CU12.iso 

Get the volume:

Get-Volume

Navigate to the volume identified above:

cd E:\

Run the installation:

.\setup.EXE /Mode:Install /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms_DiagnosticDataON /Roles:Mailbox /InstallWindowsComponents

Once complete, restart the system.

Restart-Computer -Force

Once the system restarts, you can verify the installation:

LaunchEMS 
Get-ExchangeServer | Format-Table -AutoSize -Wrap 

Sample Output:

Method 2: Install Exchange Server 2019 using GUI

You can also do the Exchange Server 2019 installation using the GUI. Log in as the administrative domain account for Exchange Server you added on AD and mount the ISO file you downloaded.

Access the drive and run the setup.exe

Allow the system to check for updates:

Proceed and agree to the license terms.

Select the settings you want, for this guide, we will use the recommended settings.

Set the Exchange Server Role. For the general purpose of Mail Server, we will use the Mailbox role. Also, allow the installation to automatically install the required roles.

Set the installation Path:

Enable/disable Malware Protection settings.

Requirements will be checked, and once everything is configured as required, start the installation.

Once complete, you will see this:

Finish and restart the system for the changes to apply.

4. Access the Exchange Server 2019 Admin Center

The Exchange Server 2019 Admin Center is used to manage the settings for your server. Launch the Admin Centre from the start menu as shown on the host to which the server has been installed.

Accept the certificate warning then log in using the exchange user as shown.

Once authenticated, you can manage your Exchange Server 2019 as desired.

You can also access the Exchange Server 2019 Admin Center remotely because it is a web application with the URL https://domain_name/ecp

5. Create a Mailbox on Exchange Server 2019

You can create a mailbox on the Exchange Server 2019 using two methods. The first method is by using the PowerShell with elevated privileges:

LaunchEMS 
net user /domain 

Sample Output:

Create a mailbox for the existing domain:

Enable-Mailbox -Identity john 

Sample Output:

Verify the creation.

Get-Mailbox 

Sample Output:

You can as well create a new domain account and a mailbox:

New-Mailbox -UserPrincipalName [email protected] `
-Name "test user"`
-Password (ConvertTo-SecureString -AsPlainText "Passw0rd!" -Force) `
-FirstName Test `
-LastName User `
-DisplayName "Test User" `
-ResetPasswordOnNextLogon $False

Verify the changes:

Get-Mailbox 

Sample Output:

You can also create a Mailbox from the web UI. Navigate to Recipients->mailboxes then select User mailbox.

On this tab, you can create a mailbox for a new or existing user(click on browser and select the desired user)

Once created, they will appear here.

6. Send Emails using Exchange Server

Once the Mailbox has been created, you can send emails using the Exchange Server. Access the web page using the URL https://Exchange_IP_address/owa

Once authenticated, set the timezone and language.

After the settings, you will have access to your mailbox. Here, you can send and receive emails.

To send a mail, click on New and proceed as shown.

You can verify if the recipient has received the email in their inbox.

Next reading:

• Configure Mailbox Quotas, Archives and Retention Policies on Exchange Server 2019

Conclusion

I hope you have benefitted from the expert tips and best practices throughout the installation process. We’ve shared insights and recommendations to ensure a secure and efficient deployment of Exchange Server 2019 on Windows Server 2022. I hope that was significant to you.

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