Exchange Server 70-284 Study Guide

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Study Time: Two Months (Two Hours Daily Min)
Materials: MS Press Book 70-284 & CBT Nuggets
Mock Exam: MS Readiness Review Suite
Exam: 48 Questions

Lab

4 x Windows 2003 Servers Enterprise R2 Edition
2 x Windows XP Pro SP2 Clients

Configuration

Server01 Roles

Domain Controller, Active Directory Integrated DNS, DHCP, Terminal Server & File Server

Server02 Roles

Domain Controller, Active Directory Integrated DNS, DHCP, WSUS, Print Server & IIS

Server03 Roles

Exchange Bridgehead Server

Server04 Roles

Exchange Server

Clients

2 x Windows XP Clients running Outlook 2007

Deployment

My main aim here was to do all of the exercises in the MS Press book and ensured that it worked. Plus trying to mimic wherever possible my own work environment. In the end my lab consisted of the following:

Administrative Groups – Created separate Administrative Groups on each server (remember to do this before installing your next Exchange Server otherwise it defaults to the first administrative group).

Backup & Restore – Spent a lot of time on this and backed up various information and restored these using Recovery Storage Groups for both individual mailboxes, public folders and the Exchange database, and Also configured Exchange to keep all messages until the backup had occurred and configured Mail Retention Policies. Top tip watch out for using Exmerge, ensure you do not use a Security Group with Exchange Full Administrator Rights!

Clustering – Was not able to create a Cluster due to the Microsoft’s hardware requirements, however ensured I understood exactly how to do it and what is required.

Front End/Back End Server – Made a backup first before implementing this! Upgraded Server03 to a Front End Server and moved all mailboxes to Server04. Placed Server03 into a DMZ with a Firewall in-between this and the Back End Server04.

General Administration – Deployed Storage Limits via Policies, moved mailboxes using Exchange Wizard between Server03 and Server04. Created new Storage Groups and Public Folder Stores and configured access to various Security Groups. Changed various settings such as no out of office for external emails replies, not letting emails in from unidentified domains.

Installation – Installed 2 x Exchange Servers to practise Forest Prep and then Domain Prep, configured a Service Account for Exchange to run under. Created a brand new Security Group called Exchange and gave them full Exchange rights. Deployed Exchange System Manager onto XP Workstations.

Network Lord Balancing – Created NLB between Server03 and Server04 with Server03 acting as the ‘lead’.

OWA – Deployed OWA using HTTP SSL.

Public Folders – Created various mail enabled Public Folders and brand new Public Folder Stores configured these to allow visibility to certain groups and Send As/Receive As rights. Also deployed these to be accessible using OWA as well. Ensuring that replication occurred between Server03 and Server04.

Routing Groups – Configured Server03 as Bridgehead Server so that all emails from Server04 are routed via this to enable you to configure network traffic flow. Verified this was working by checking internet headers from emails sent from Users with Mailboxes on Server04.

Upgrading – Was not able to do this as did not have a Exchange 5.5 environment to play with. Only used Native Mode.

Virtual Servers – Created various Virtual Servers and Virtual Directories using HTTP SSL authentication from a Root CA. Locked down the Virtual Directories so that only certain Security Groups have access via OWA and Outlook.

Make sure you keep your studying up every day, day in day out just keep plugging away and things will make sense. If they don't then ask here, your work colleagues, friends etc.

My study methodology, hasn't changed since my first exam. I'm of the if it's not broken then don't change it mentality as it has proved successful so far!

1. I start of reading the MS Press book and make notes on relevant points that I could either forget or need to reinforce. I normally study for around 2 hours per day weekdays and 2 hours per day at the weekends. I manage to get the MS Press book down to around 150 pages of A4 note paper.

2. I would then at the end of each Chapter install and use whatever I had learnt from the MS Press book, configuring it to mimic my working environment.

3. Once I have finished the MS Press book, I then use CBT Nuggets. When I have watched the first objective video, I then take the Objective Exam in on the MS Press CD. The purpose of this is to reinforce the oldest material that I have learnt.

4. I then rebuilt my whole entire Lab, to reinforce everything that I had learnt.

5. I then keep going over my Notes on a daily basis at work, during lunch, in the evening. Just a brief flick threw.

6. The last of all I take the MS Readiness Review tests on a daily basis. Normally do around one a day for three days before the exam as not to get to many questions repeated. Also in my limited experience so far, the MS Readiness Review has always been alot harder than the exam.

7. Take the exam!

Hope that helps some people out and if you have any questions please ask.

 

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Will be sure to use this when i get around to this exam Rep left!

 

Thanks guys, I just hope it helps people who are studying for this exam as there was not a huge amount of guidance on this subject on these forums.

 

Cheers craigie gives me some ideas in my head. Finally got my book now so will start reading tonight or tomorrow.

my poor 70-291 lab is going to get flattened!

 

It is best to be on Win2003 R2 for this exam?
What service pack level for exchange 2003?

Craigie, how much HD space did you give to your servers?

Just checking before i build, clone etc....

 

I have always used Server 2003 R2 for my labs.

The Exchange Server is Enterprise Edition and I deployed updates via WSUS. They would have had the newest Patches and Packs.

I gave each Exchange Server 2 x 5GB Hard Drives, one for OS install and the other for database, transaction files etc.

HTH

 

cheers craigie, i got a little bit lazy when i came back form hols and need to catch up now!!

 

Im the man of many questions at the moment.

How did you set up your AD and DNS domains?