Exchange Server prerequisites

Overview

This topic provides the steps for installing the necessary Windows Server operating system prerequisites for Exchange Server 2016 and Exchange Server 2019 Mailbox servers and Edge Transport servers, and also the Windows prerequisites for installing the Exchange Management Tools on Windows client computers.

After you've prepared your environment for Exchange Server, use the Microsoft Exchange Server Deployment Assistant for the next steps in your actual deployment. For information on hybrid deployments, see Exchange Server Hybrid Deployments.

To actually install Exchange Server, see Deploy new installations of Exchange.

What do you need to know before you begin?

This section provides comprehensive recommendations and the most up-to-date information about the components necessary for Exchange Server. These components are essential prerequisites for the proper functioning of Exchange Server.

• Verify that your Active Directory meets the requirements for Exchange 2016 or requirements for Exchange 2019.

• To ensure compatibility and optimal performance, make sure to use a supported operating systems for Exchange Server.

• Before you begin installing Exchange Server, ensure that your computer has the latest Windows updates installed.

• The Remote Registry Service must be set to Automatic and must not be set to Disabled. For recommended security guidelines, please refer to Security Guidelines regarding Remote Registry.

Windows Server prerequisites for Exchange 2019

The requirements to install Exchange 2019 on supported Operating Systems (OS) are described in the following sections. We recommend either of the following methods to install the Windows prerequisites for Exchange 2019:

• Use the /InstallWindowsComponents switch in unattended Setup mode.
• Select the check box in the Exchange Setup Wizard to install Windows prerequisites.

When you use one of these options, you don't need to restart the computer after the Windows components have been added.

Exchange 2019 preparing Active Directory

You can use any member of the Active Directory domain to prepare Active Directory for Exchange 2019. To prepare Active Directory using the graphical user interface (GUI), you need to install the Exchange Management Tools role.

1. The computer which is used to prepare the Active Directory requires the following software:

   1. Supported version of .NET Framework

      When installing on Windows Server Core, you must use the /q option to install this package. Additionally, you can use the /log [PATH] option to enable logging if desired.

   2. Visual C++ Redistributable Package for Visual Studio 2012

      If you're using unattended Setup from the command line to prepare Active Directory, this package isn't required. For an overview of the latest supported versions and more information, please refer to Prepare Active Directory and domains.

      The system requirements for the Visual C++ Redistributable package do not explicitly mention support for the latest Windows Server versions. However, the redistributable package is safe to install on these versions of Windows.

2. Install the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) for Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) by running the following command in Windows PowerShell:

   Install-WindowsFeature RSAT-ADDS
   

Exchange 2019 Management tools

1. Install the following software:

   1. Supported version of .NET Framework

   2. Visual C++ Redistributable Package for Visual Studio 2012

      The system requirements for the Visual C++ Redistributable package do not explicitly mention support for the latest Windows Server versions. However, the redistributable package is safe to install on these versions of Windows.

2. Install the following Windows features:

   1. If you want to install the Exchange Server Management tools on supported Windows Server OS, make sure to install the following Windows features:

      Install-WindowsFeature -Name Web-Mgmt-Console, Web-Metabase
      

   2. If you want to install the Exchange Server Management tools on supported Windows Client OS, make sure to install the following Windows features:

      Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName IIS-ManagementConsole, IIS-Metabase -All
      

Exchange 2019 Mailbox server role

1. Install the following software:

   1. Supported version of .NET Framework

      When installing on Windows Server Core, you must use the /q option to install this package. Additionally, you can use the /log [PATH] option to enable logging if desired.

   2. Visual C++ Redistributable Package for Visual Studio 2012

   3. Visual C++ Redistributable Package for Visual Studio 2013

      The system requirements for the Visual C++ Redistributable package do not explicitly mention support for the latest Windows Server versions. However, the redistributable package is safe to install on these versions of Windows.

2. Add the required Skype for Business Server components:

   1. Install the Server Media Foundation windows feature by executing the following command in Windows PowerShell:

      Install-WindowsFeature Server-Media-Foundation
      

   2. Install Unified Communications Managed API 4.0. This package is available for download and can be found in the \UCMARedist folder on the Exchange Server media.

      When installing on Windows Server Core, you must use the installation package located in \UCMARedist on distributed media. To install the package by using PowerShell, run the following command:

      .\UCMARunTimeSetup.exe -q
      

3. If you aren't going to use Exchange Setup to install the required Windows components (in the wizard or from the command line), run the one of the following commands in Windows PowerShell:

   1. Windows features:
      1. Desktop Experience:

         Install-WindowsFeature Server-Media-Foundation, NET-Framework-45-Core, NET-Framework-45-ASPNET, NET-WCF-HTTP-Activation45, NET-WCF-Pipe-Activation45, NET-WCF-TCP-Activation45, NET-WCF-TCP-PortSharing45, RPC-over-HTTP-proxy, RSAT-Clustering, RSAT-Clustering-CmdInterface, RSAT-Clustering-Mgmt, RSAT-Clustering-PowerShell, 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-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, RSAT-ADDS
         

      2. Server Core:

         Install-WindowsFeature Server-Media-Foundation, NET-Framework-45-Core, NET-Framework-45-ASPNET, NET-WCF-HTTP-Activation45, NET-WCF-Pipe-Activation45, NET-WCF-TCP-Activation45, NET-WCF-TCP-PortSharing45, RPC-over-HTTP-proxy, RSAT-Clustering, RSAT-Clustering-CmdInterface, RSAT-Clustering-PowerShell, 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-Metabase, Web-Mgmt-Service, Web-Net-Ext45, Web-Request-Monitor, Web-Server, Web-Stat-Compression, Web-Static-Content, Web-Windows-Auth, Web-WMI, RSAT-ADDS
         

      3. (Optional) Remove MSMQ: The Windows feature Message Queuing (MSMQ) is no longer a requirement for Exchange Server and can be safely uninstalled if it's currently installed:

         Remove-WindowsFeature NET-WCF-MSMQ-Activation45, MSMQ
         

   2. IIS URL Rewrite Module

Exchange 2019 Edge Transport server role

1. Install the following software:

   1. Supported version of .NET Framework

      When installing on Windows Server Core, you must use the /q option to install this package. Additionally, you can use the /log [PATH] option to enable logging if desired.

   2. Visual C++ Redistributable Package for Visual Studio 2012

      The system requirements for the Visual C++ Redistributable package do not explicitly mention support for the latest Windows Server versions. However, the redistributable package is safe to install on these versions of Windows.

2. If you aren't going to use Exchange Setup to install the required Windows components (in the wizard or from the command line), run the following command in Windows PowerShell:

   Install-WindowsFeature ADLDS