Hi I'm about to purchase Exchange 2007 I have a server running Server 2003 x64 that I'm going to use for Exchange 2007 I then read the white paper and it informs me that I need 2 servers TheHub Server inside my network and an Edge Server on the perimeter I then read the following page: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/7d5cedbe-91c8-4087-8b7e-e0e2f6cb6959.aspx which says "If you do not have an Edge Transport server, you can configure the Hub Transport server to relay Internet messages directly. You can also install and configure the Edge Transport server agents on the Hub Transport server to provide anti-spam and antivirus protection inside the organization." If you can run the Edge server on the Hub server why does the white paper not say this? How are other people setting the servers for Exchange Server 2007? Thanks Hermann

Hello Hermann, The short answer is,it "doesn't say that you can run the Edge Server on the Hub Server because you can't"... I have found the Exchange Server 2007 Documentation is a little lacking in it's clarity. The pieces are all there, but it's just not as clear as it could be. BasicallyExchange Server 2007has changedhowExchange works to a great degree. They have introduced a concept called "Server Roles". Some of the "Server Roles" are able to be run on a the same Server,while other "Server Roles" must be run on separate Servers. The Idea behind the "Edge Server Role" is a good idea, but the "Edge Server Role" is not compatible with the "Mailbox Server Role", the "Client Access Server Role", and the "Hub Transport Server Role". (This order was taken from the "Exchange Server Maintenance Mode Dialog" which allows Server Roles to be selected/changed. Providing they don't conflict.) The three previously mentioned "Server Roles" are the main components that are necessary for a fully functioning Exchange Server. ("Fully functioning" is defined by me in this case, as the "same level of functionaly as previous versions of Exchange Server.) What the documentation means, is that you can configure your "Exchange 2007 Server" with the three primary "Server Roles" and configure it to send/receive Email to/from the Internet WITHOUT using the "Edge Server Role". (Basically this is configure in the "Microsoft Exchange", "Organization Configuration", "Hub Transport", and the "Send Connectors" tab. The "Edge Server Role" does provide a lot of additional capabilities. Currently we already have a SMTP Gateway setup outside of our Internal Domain that performs this function. I all likelihood though, we will play with the "Edge Server Role" over this year, and make a decision for next year wheather to "bag" our current SMTP Gateway or not. If I do understand the "Edge Server Role" , which I have only looked over at a terciary level, it provides both "Domain wide Configuration Settings" as well as "Server Configuration Settings". The "Domain wide Configuration Settings" are replicated through Active Directory to all Servers configured in the "Edge Server Role". This way you can set things to "block", one time, and the entire Domain will abide by it. (That alone is VERY nice.) I am not entirely clear how this affects/works with Exchange Server Licensing though. (But then again, this is something for later for us.) I hope this helps. Thanks,Jim F P.S. DON'T, make the mistake I made, and expect the Exhange Server 2007 Management Console to look like ANYTHING LIKE the Exchange Server 2003 Management Console. I had expected to find a Management Console VERY similar to the Exchange Server 2003 Management Console except refined, and with some problems fixed. What I found was a COMPLETELY foriegn Management Console with a SLEW of it's own problems and issue. (For instance... If you create a "Send Connector" there several questions to answer. One of which is the "Select the Intended use for this Connector"... (The intended use, as best as I can determine, sets up Rights and Priveleges and maybe some functionality as well. Once the "Send Connector" has been defined though... I don't see ANY PLACE on the properties of the "Send Connector" that will tell you what the "Intended use for this Connector" is... To "ME", that's a problem/issue...) To "help" there is the "NEW Exchange Management Shell" command line interface! (Which I am SURE that if you had a really complex Exchange Server based Email system with 5 or 6 Exchange Servers would be "REALLY COOL"... But when you have 2 or 3, and there are a whole bunch of things you can't do from the Management Console GUI, that is a pain...) Oh, one last "gripe"... If you read about how "Exmerge Functionality" has been integrated into Exchange Server 2007, so that you can FINALLY create PST's in the New Outlook 2003 Format for Mailboxes larger than 2gb... (Which I was DEARLY WAITING FOR, and wanting...) Don't get too excited... I guess "technically' the "Exmerge Functionality" is there, but I consider part of the "Exmerge Functionality" to be the GUI. Until, the claim is, Service Pack 1 it is an "Exchange Management Shell" interface... NO GUI. There are many improvements though. It is "MUCH FASTER", there are a lot of nice things added, and "Service Pack 1", from what I understand, should go a long way to minimize use of the "Exchange Management Shell" by the casual user...

Thanks for the response. that explains things better than the MS documentation I'll have a play when I get the software probably tomorrow. I've also booked myself onto a MS course about instlling and managing Exchange 2007. I'm sure that will be interesting and I'll get to grips with it quicker Thank Again Hermann

Thanks for your thought Jim, your explanation is the best guides that I've ever seen so far. Cheers