Re: Guideline for Exchange server in branch office

[Tom Jedrzejewicz <tomjedrz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 11:46 AM, Roger Vicker, CCP <rv-tech@xxxxxxxxxx>wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I am looking for some better (more up to date...) guidelines for setting
> up an Exchange server on SBS 2008 for a remote branch office where the
> internet domain is hosted elsewhere on a Linux server. The branch is
> pretty much a stand alone server and since the main email is hosted on
> Linux there is no Exchange to Exchange configuration chance.


Why have a separate mail server?  What are you trying to accomplish?

If the branch is small enough for SBS to make sense, the number of mailboxes
is likely not enough to make a difference on the main server.  I suspect
that it would over-complicate the environment.  Is SBS even allowed in this
kind of situation?

My first thought would be to put the users on the main server or get a
"sub-server" of the same flavor as the main server.  That said, I am sure it
can be done, but I don't know the specifics.  The Exchange side will need to
be setup to send outgoing mail to the main server, and the main server setup
to relay from the Exchange server, and the main server setup to forward the
mail for the Exchange users to the Exchange server.

The users want to use Outlook 2007 (not my argument since several
> managers have retirement dates on their calendars) but the company wants
> a single internet domain for everyone's email address.


The single "company.com" email domain is good .. I always wonder about
companies where there are several fiefdom.company.com emails. That said,
this is the requirement that makes it hard.

The primary email server should be able to forward particular addresses to
another internal mail server, even if it is a different "flavor". How that
is setup depends on the email server.


> I know how to

setup Outlook to use SMTP/POP3 or SMTP/IMAP directly to the main email
> server but would like the advantage of Exchange being able to recreate
> the user's desktop PST file when they get a new PC or it goes casters
> up.


I hate PST files .. they are more trouble than they are worth.  If you use
Outlook and connect to the mail server via IMAP, then there is no issue
about losing email when a user switches PCs because IMAP will sync the new
PC to the server.  That is the beauty of IMAP.  Don't use POP3.


> Also, I will be able to setup a public DNS entry to the branch so
> they would be able to use OWA when they are out of the office. The
> webmail to the main email server wouldn't have their address book or
> calendar entries.


I presume that the main email server doesn't have contact or calendar
capabilities.  If that is the thing you are trying to solve, find another
way to make contacts and calendar available.  For the calendar, they can use
Google Calendar


> So far the guides that I have found talked about Exchange 2000 or maybe
> 2003, but they seem to be pretty fragmented for this setup or don't
> apply to the new Exchange.  If anyone knows of a link that details setting
> up this configuration, without branching or calling in a bunch of other
> documents, please let

me know.


This is  a non-standard configuration .. that you can't see it documented
should tell you something.  It sounds like you are opening a hole can of
worms trying to put a "skunk-works" Exchange server at a branch office.  Be
careful.

-----
Tom Jedrzejewicz
tomjedrz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx