Microsoft Exchange Server is an email server and e-mail calendaring server based on Microsoft. It runs on Windows Server OS. The first incarnation was known as Exchange Server 4.0, to put it into perspective, as the replacement for the long-established Microsoft Mail 3.5. Exchange originally utilized the classic architecture based on the GUI (Graphical User Interface) and the old MSS (Mail Transport Server) technology.
Microsoft Exchange Server has several unique features.
One of them is the Microsoft 365 platform, which provides the most out of the services and features available in the Microsoft product line. This is one of the reasons why Microsoft Exchange Server has been named as the leader in the field of enterprise solutions. The most prominent services offered by the product include: high availability, compatibility and mobility. This post has discussed the characteristics of Microsoft Exchange Server and how these features help organizations in incorporating them into their business.
High availability refers to the ability of the mail server to support different email clients. It should be noted that the Microsoft Exchange Server works on an on-demand basis. This means that new mailboxes are always being added to the database and this allows the user to add multiple mailboxes to the server. The other services provided by the product include:
Microsoft Exchange Server offers four types of email clients:
the standard, web, Outlook Express and the Classic. The first version of the product was released as Exchange Server 2007. The second version of the product is also based on the same platform and this is the Exchange Server 2010. There is also another version known as Microsoft Exchange Server 2011.
As far as on-premises servers are concerned, there are four types available – the traditional model, the database, front office model and the clustered database. The traditional model allows users to access the email database from the host using their username and password. With the database, users can create local copies of the database and these are usually stored on the user’s desktop. Users also have the option of installing the OST files. The third model is the front office model which is a web based application and this is accessed through a browser.
Users have the choice between on-premises or hosted exchange services. The on-premises services are offered by Microsoft Exchange Server while the hosted service is offered by third parties. The former is obviously cheaper than the latter. Users can choose from several plans such as the Per Instance, the Shared, the Managed and the Reserved plans. Users can also make use of the features such as auto response and auto-complete features. There is also the flexibility to configure the account including customizing the username and the password.
The clustered Exchange Server is different from the other two servers because it has its own set of dedicated hardware, and it can create and manage clusters. This type of server comes with a database management system (DBMS) called Microsoft Exchange Server Comprehensive Database Management system (EDBMS). It also comes with Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Business Portal. The cluster nodes of the clustered Exchange Server are the web servers and the connection to the cluster nodes is done through the internet (through the VPN).
Another interesting feature is called as passive-active clustered hosting. This system allows users to have control over their computers by having the ability to specify how they would like to control their servers and how the data will be distributed.
- For instance, when a user connects to a Windows server, it will show up on the screen as an interactive desktop.
- In the interactive desktop, a user can have the option to open email and also can perform basic tasks.
- The interactive desktop comes as a result of having clustered Exchange Server running in the same machine.