Hello All, I am new to the Exchange world, and I am looking for some information on the following: 1) Functionality of 07 vs. 03 2) Server specs for running 07 (drives, raid levels, ram, etc) 3) exchange 07 with Blackberrys 4) CAL/License needs I am being taskedwith finding out information on deploying a new exchange server 2007 for my firm and to this point all my information has come from books and TechNet guides. I read over a lot of this information, but I seem to be getting bogged down (a little overwhelmed) with a bunch of information. While this information is definately going to help once I get to the deployment, I am wanting to first be able to sale it to my superiors, and to do this I need the above information. Sometimes dollar signs speak more than technology, especially when you are selling to suits. I can justify the technology with the information I am picking up in the books and guides, but I also know I am going to need new servers, CALS/Licenses, and need to be able to explain that they will still be able to use their BBs. I am curious about the differences in 07 and 03, for further info, since I have not really worked with them that much. thanks to anyone available to help out.

Exchange 2007 is clearly the better choice. You have better security features, increased mailstore capability. These two items are biggies. Also, Exchange Server 2003 is based on a 32 bit infrastructure. So even if you deploy it on a 64 bit server, you won't get the most out of your Exchange investment. With all the new server toys, you definitely want to roll out with a 64 bit environment across the board. And yes, Blackberry Server software will run on Exchange 2007. I deployed one a couple of months ago. Per a contact within RIM, the only drawback is that OWA may be affected by deploying Blackberry Server on the same box. You may want another box to deploy Blackberry server on. None of my client's employees used OWA, so I didn't bother verifying. Any sophisticated server deployment with critical databases should utilize RAID5, at least. You shouldn't build the box with anything less than 8GB of RAM to start. Make sure you choose a system that scales up to 32GB of ram and buy 4GB FBDIMS. A lot of these so-called server boards only accept 4 or 8 GB of RAM. There are different CALs with 2007, but you won't need the Enterprise CAL unless you utilize additional microsoft add-ons such as anti-spam via Forefront and other Unified Communication features. For most deployments, the standard CAL should work fine. And finally, you might as well dive into Windows Server 2008. It is a great OS. I'm running it with one Hyper-V virtual machine and no worries. You'll need a native exchange SP1 install to go on a 2008 box. Good luck and have fun with your deployment.

Hi Exchange 2007 has added a lot of new features. SoI recommend you to deploy Exchange 2007 in your network. 1. for Functionality of 07 vs. 03,you can refer to the below article: New in Exchange 2007 http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa996018(EXCHG.80).aspx 2. For Server specs for running 07 (drives, raid levels, ram, etc) As with any Exchange Server configuration, for better recoverability and performance, mailbox and public folder databases must be placed on separate physical disk drives or logical units (LUNs). Transaction logs should reside on RAID 1 or RAID 0+1 LUNs. Database files should reside on RAID 0+1 LUNs. Also please refer to the below article: Exchange 2007 System Requirements http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa996719(EXCHG.80).aspx New Performance and Scalability Functionality http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa998586(EXCHG.80).aspx 3. exchange 07 with Blackberrys Implementing BlackBerry in an Exchange Environment http://blogs.technet.com/industry_insiders/articles/BlackBerry_Exchange.aspx 4. For CAL question, you can refer to: What are the Exchange Server 2007 licensing options?( What do I get with the Exchange Enterprise CAL vs. the Exchange Standard CAL?) http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb123811(EXCHG.80).aspx Hope it helps. Best regards, Xiu Zhang