Over the years, Exchange Server has become a complicated messaging solution that many organizations rely on. Many companies have not upgraded to Exchange Server 2007 and are still using Exchange Server 2003. With the release of Exchange Server 2010, they are now contemplating upgrading to take advantage of this new version’s larger mailbox support, advanced high availability options, and simple archiving and retention features.

Administrators who have been in the trenches supporting Exchange Server 2007 and previous versions of Exchange for the last few years must now upgrade their skills in preparation for the upgrade to Exchange 2010. For example, many administrators will be unfamiliar with the concept of server roles, PowerShell administration, and continuous replication. For Exchange Server 2007 administrators, Client Access servers, Exchange Control Panel, and the new high availability options will be new.

In addition, new Exchange administrators will need to understand the basic components of Exchange and how to perform common administrative tasks. This book aims to cover the information that both new and experienced Exchange administrators need to be successful working with Exchange Server 2010. Since this book was not rushed to market to coincide with the release of Exchange Server 2010, additional time was taken to validate the content. In fact, many chapters include features and updates included with Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1.

This book was written from two perspectives. First, it covers the most important design, deployment, and administrative tasks that any messaging administrator will need to perform. Second, both the book and the contents of the CD (videos and practice exams) cover the objectives for the MCITP: Enterprise Messaging Administrator 2010 exams, 70-662 and 70-663. Whether you’re preparing for these exams or preparing for your career as a messaging administrator, you’ll find this book a useful reference.