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How to Designate a Front-End Server

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A front-end server is an Exchange server that accepts requests from clients and proxies them to the appropriate back-end server for processing.

Before You Begin

To successfully complete the procedures in this topic, confirm the following:

  • The server that you will designate as a front-end server is a member of the same Microsoft® Windows® forest as the back-end servers.

  • The server that you will designate as a front-end server is a member of the same Exchange organization as the back-end servers.

Procedure

To designate a front-end server

  1. Install the server that will be running Exchange Server in the organization.

    Note

    With Exchange 2000 Server, only Enterprise Edition servers can be configured as front-end servers. In Exchange Server 2003, both Standard Edition and Enterprise Edition can be configured as front-end servers.

  2. Use Exchange System Manager to go to the server object, right-click the server object, and then click Properties.

  3. Select This is a front-end server, and then close the page.

  4. To begin using the front-end server do one of the following:

    • Restart the computer.

    • Stop and restart the HTTP, POP3, and IMAP4 services.

  5. The default Exchange virtual directories have now been configured for you. However, it is recommended that you also configure SSL. For detailed instructions on how to configure SSL for POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP, see "How to Configure SSL for POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP" in the Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange 2000 Server Front-End and Back-End Server Topology Guide. For detailed instructions about how to configure SSL for HTTP, see How to Configure SSL for HTTP in the Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange 2000 Server Front-End and Back-End Server Topology Guide.

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