I've opted to use the command line to install Exchange 2015. Once we have navigated to the location of the Exchange installation files, one line is all that is necessary:
setup /mode:install /roles:ClientAccess,Mailbox /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms
It is possible to abbreviate some of the terms:
setup /m:install /r:ClientAccess,Mailbox /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms
That is, in fact, the command that I used.
In previous versions of Exchange, we could abbreviate even further in the selection of roles:
/r:c,m
I did not go to that extent so I'm not even sure it would work with Exchange 2015. At any rate, we save little time by typing some letters less - and hardly compensate the long /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms.
If we use the GUI for the installation, there are a number of choices, such as enabling error reporting (or not), that the administrator is not required to make when using the command line. The command will execute without these parameters. However, these parameters, as well as several others, can be specified if desired.
For example:
or
/CustomerFeedbackEnabled:true
We could indicate "false" as well but in that case, we might just as well omit the parameter.
This Technet article lists these optional parameters.
Install Exchange 2015 Using Unattended Mode
But once again, we could just use the command indicated above, which would produce this output:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Welcome to Microsoft Exchange Server 2015 Service Pack 1 Unattended Setup
Copying Files...
File copy complete. Setup will now collect additional information needed for installation.
Languages
Management tools
Mailbox role: Transport service
Mailbox role: Client Access service
Mailbox role: Unified Messaging service
Mailbox role: Mailbox service
Client Access role: Front End Transport service
Client Access role: Client Access Front End service
Performing Microsoft Exchange Server Prerequisite Check
Configuring Prerequisites COMPLETED
Prerequisite Analysis COMPLETED
Configuring Microsoft Exchange Server
Preparing Setup COMPLETED
Stopping Services COMPLETED
Copying Exchange Files COMPLETED
Language Files COMPLETED
Restoring Services COMPLETED
Language Configuration COMPLETED
Exchange Management Tools COMPLETED
Mailbox role: Transport service COMPLETED
Mailbox role: Client Access service COMPLETED
Mailbox role: Unified Messaging service COMPLETED
Mailbox role: Mailbox service COMPLETED
Client Access role: Front End Transport service COMPLETED
Client Access role: Client Access Front End service COMPLETED
Finalizing Setup COMPLETED
The Exchange Server setup operation completed successfully.
Setup has made changes to operating system settings that require a reboot to take effect. Please reboot this server prior to placing it into production.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
And that's all.
The Exchange Server Deployment Assistant suggests that we enter the Get-ExchangeServer cmdlet to verify that the installation worked. In my case, I was most interested in the following details (the roles installed and the version):
[PS] C:\>Get-ExchangeServer | fl name,ServerRole,AdminDisplayVersion
Name : ex1
ServerRole : Mailbox, ClientAccess, HubTransport
AdminDisplayVersion : Version 8.3 (Build 83.6)
Name : EX13-1
ServerRole : 16439
AdminDisplayVersion : Version 15.0 (Build 847.32)
If you want more details, you can enter the command like this:
[PS] C:\>Get-ExchangeServer | fl
As with previous versions of Exchange, we can also consult the installation log file, located here:
<system drive>\ExchangeSetupLogs\ExchangeSetup.log
In a production environment, we would do well to make some verifications before continuing but if there are no error messages, the chances are good that the installation was successful.
***
Once we have installed Exchange 2015, we will probably want to take a look at the new web-based "Exchange Administrative Center" (EAC). If we attempt to connect with "https://localhost/ecp", we will encounter an error:
No, this is not the typical certificate error message (which we might expect, not having configured certificates yet).
This happens because we have attempted to open the EAC with an account that does not have an Exchange 2015 mailbox. The Exchange Server Deployment Assistant recommends that we create a mailbox for a user that is added to the Organization Management role and then use that user to connect.
Otherwise, we can use the following URL:
https://ex13-1/ecp?/ExchClientVer=15
Yes, if we indicate the version of Exchange 2015 (15), we gain access to the EAC:
I created a shortcut with that URL, and saved it to the desktop, so I would not have to enter it manually each time I want to access the EAC.
***
Now that Exchange 2015 is installed, we will use the information gathered in the previous posts to configure it. In particular, we will concentrate on:
- Certificates
- Internal and external URLs
- Outlook Anywhere
These will be the subjects of my next posts.
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