This post is a continuation of Step by step Exchange Server 2016 Part I and covers installation steps for Exchange Server 2016.

First of all, configure IP addresses and join server to the domain.

Note: You can assign IPv6 to Exchange Server 2016 but make sure it is dynamic (provided by DHCP).

Install .Net Framework 4.5.2

Install required server roles and features.

“Install-WindowsFeature AS-HTTP-Activation, Desktop-Experience, NET-Framework-45-Features, RPC-over-HTTP-proxy, RSAT-Clustering, RSAT-Clustering-CmdInterface, RSAT-Clustering-Mgmt, RSAT-Clustering-PowerShell, Web-Mgmt-Console, WAS-Process-Model, Web-Asp-Net45, Web-Basic-Auth, Web-Client-Auth, Web-Digest-Auth, Web-Dir-Browsing, Web-Dyn-Compression, Web-Http-Errors, Web-Http-Logging, Web-Http-Redirect, Web-Http-Tracing, Web-ISAPI-Ext, Web-ISAPI-Filter, Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console, Web-Metabase, Web-Mgmt-Console, Web-Mgmt-Service, Web-Net-Ext45, Web-Request-Monitor, Web-Server, Web-Stat-Compression, Web-Static-Content, Web-Windows-Auth, Web-WMI, Windows-Identity-Foundation”

Once installation finishes, restart the server.

Install UCMA 4.0

Once UCMA 4.0 installation completes, connect exchange server 2016 media to your server.

Run setup.exe and follow the steps.

You can check for the updates online if the server has internet access otherwise you can download all the updates and dump in a folder and give the folder path once online update process fails or you can it update later after installation.

In the next step it will copy all the files.

In the next step, it will initialize setup.

Click on Next

Select “I accept the terms in the license agreement”

You can select option based on your requirement.

Select Server role as I am installing Mailbox role, I’ll select “Mailbox role”, “Management tools” and “Automatically install Windows Server roles and features that are required to install Exchange Server”

See selection below.

Browse for the installation path, I am using default.

Select Malware Protection Settings based on your requirements.

Now it will do readiness checks.

Click on “Install” button.

The installation process will complete after 14 steps.

Once installation completes, you will get message “Setup has finished successfully.

Use the same process to install Exchange Server 2016 on multiple servers.

I hope you enjoyed J

Exchange Server 2016 is a 9^th major release for Exchange on premise and 4^th major release for Exchange online. Exchange Server 2016 is a very mature messaging platform which comes with simplified architecture and enhanced features. In this post, I am describing how to prepare for Exchange Server 2016 installation and part 2 of this article will describe how to install Exchange Server 2016.

It is quite simple to install Exchange Server 2016 in a green field environment while for the coexistent with Exchange Server 2010 or 2016, you have to make sure the following things;

1. Exchange Server 2010 must be running with at least SP3 RU11
2. Exchange Server 2013 must be running with at least CU10
3. Coexistence with Exchange 2007 is not supported.

Installation process is as same as the previous versions of Exchange.

First of all, arrange all the prerequisites and Exchange Server 2016 media.

Download Exchange Server 2016 RTM

Download .Net Framework 4.5.2

Download UCMA 4.0

Your Active Directory must be running on Windows Server 2008 or later operating system and FFL/DFL must be set to Windows Server 2008 or higher.

You can install Exchange Server 2016 on Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2.

See Hardware requirements for Exchange Server 2016

In this post, I am describing two node Exchange deployment with Windows Server 2012 R2.

Install operating system, configure IP and join computer to the domain.

Install .Net Framework 4.5.2 on one of the server.

Run Install-WindowsFeature RSAT-ADDS

Note: To prepare AD, user should be member of Schema Admins, Enterprise Admins and Domain Admins.

Now copy Exchange binaries and prepare schema

Setup.exe /PrepareSchema /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms

Once Schema is prepared successfully then prepare AD

Setup.exe /PrepareAD /OrganizationName:”YourExchangeOrganizationName” /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms

Finally prepare all domains or a particular domain based on your requirement.

Setup.exe /PrepareAllDomains /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms

You can also perform Active Directory preparation from any Exchange management server. Next part of this post will describe how to install Exchange Server 2016.