Exchange 2007 roles

Exchange 2007 roles explained each of the 5 roles

Exchange 2007 features a brand new concept for the Exchange organizations which basically refers to the concept associated to the server roles. It is quite similar to the ways the Windows server is capable of hosting more than one role at a time. A much similar kind of configuration is now implemented with the Exchange server 2007.
A server role is something that allows an administrator splitting the various functions of the Exchange Server and then placing either every role or combination of roles on various different servers within the organization. This may be done for various reasons which include management reasons, performance reasons, or any other possible reasons deemed essential as per the policies of the organization.
As per the existing Exchange servers, one can either make a Front End server or go for the Back End one and this is what covers it all. As far as the Exchange 2007 is concerned, it offers five different roles to Exchange Organization which includes the following:

• The Hub Transport
• The Edge Transport
• The Mailbox
• Unified Messaging
• Client Access

Given below is a brief description about each one of these five different roles:

• Hub Transport Role:It is a role which is held responsible for all the internal mail flow. It is quite similar to the one known as the bridgehead server within the Exchange 2000 or 2003 organization. In fact, this role was originally known as the Bridgehead Role till the time, its name got changed and later it came to be known as the Hub Transport Role. The Hub Transport server along with various other server roles is installed on the member server or servers within the Active Directory domain. Neither ADAM nor any other role apart from Edge Transport is required on this. It is due to the fact that it is a member of the AD domain thus all the configuration information gets stored within AD and any of the other Hub Transport servers that one installs gets its configuration from AD itself.

The Inbound mails are known to be accepted from Edge Transport and are then passed on towards the mailbox of the users. Then all the outbound mails are relayed from Hub Transport towards the Edge Transport and finally out to internet. Anti-Spam as well Anti-Virus features that are part of the Edge Transport may easily be configured on Hub Transport with a view of reduction of numbers of servers required.

• Edge Transport Role: This role is installed on edge of network and thus appears to be installed on standalone server which basically is not a member of Active Directory domain. Just of the server not being the member of the Active Directory domain, the Active Directory Application Mode which is most commonly known as the ADAM is used for synching up Ad with Edge Transport server.

Edge Transport role is known to perform several different functions that includes anti-virus and anti-spam protection. It makes use of the connection filtering, recipient filtering, content filtering, sender ID, and IP and sender reputation in order to decrease the overall quantities of Spam delivered to the mailboxes of the end users. One of the most important features includes the capability for the Outlook 2003 as well as 2007 towards merging the Spam settings to Edge Transport server for increasing the accuracy and efficiency of these filters.

• Mailbox Role: This is the simplest of all the five available roles. It is responsible towards holding the Exchange databases that contain the mailboxes of the users. It is the place, wherein the Public Folder databases reside in case on enables the Public Folders option. Unlike other organizations, they are not at all enabled by default within the Exchange 2007.

• Unified Messaging Role: This is the coolest role which is responsible towards the merging of the VOIP infrastructure along with the Exchange organization. This thus allows for several things to be done that includes the fax, combined voice, and mail in single mailbox. The other features include access to the voice, fax, and then mails through multiple interfaces. People who need checking their voicemail but all they have is internet access can easily connect to Exchange server with the Outlook Web Access. This helps find the voicemail in email messages as well as in the form of attachments. 

In addition it offers features such as calling the Exchange server and moving the start of people’s appointment in their calendars and further the attendees with getting an email notification regarding the change. Unified messaging seems to have the potential of changing the users’ way of accessing fax, voice, and emails. But this would require certain special hardware for interaction with their phone system.

• Client Access Role: This role appears quite similar to the one held by the Front-End server in Exchange 2000 or 2003 organization. Client Access server is basically the one to which the users connect through their mobile devices, mail clients, and even web browser. It handles almost all the connections irrespective of their coming places which may be any of the applications like Outlook 2003, 2007, Outlook Express or be it may other client. Moreover, this server seem handling the connections made through the mobile devices like the smart phone, Windows Mobile, or any other kind of devices by making use of the Exchange ActiveSync.

Further this role provides OWA which refers to the Outlook Web Access that allows the users access their mailboxes from web browser as well as have complete access to all sorts of information in their mailboxes which includes the task list, mail items, calendar information, and public folders. One of the latest functions of Outlook Web Access includes the UNC access and SharePoint. Now the users are able to access the SharePoint document libraries as well as the UNC shared decreasing the requirement of configuring the complex VPN.

All the above information brings light to each and every role of Exchange 2007 along with providing a detailed explanation regarding their capabilities.