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From: Jason on 24 Mar 2010 16:43
It seems that Exchange is almost essential for anyone looking for an IT job
at the moment, unfortunately we don't use it where I work so I am looking
to teach myself at home, just as I did Cisco's CCNA. Can anyone give me any
guidance as to how to get started?

From the research I have done so far it seems that to get the full
production software to work you need 64 bit architecture, but it will run
on a 32 bit machine in a training mode. Is the training mode enough to get
a good feel of how it all works or is it worth investing in a cheap server
from eBay, if so can anyone recommend something I could pick up for around
�100 (US $150)? Also any good Exchange book recommendations would be
appreciated?

TIA, Jason
From: Leonid S. Knyshov // SBS Expert on 24 Mar 2010 18:46
On 3/24/2010 1:43 PM, Jason wrote:
> It seems that Exchange is almost essential for anyone looking for an IT job
> at the moment, unfortunately we don't use it where I work so I am looking
> to teach myself at home, just as I did Cisco's CCNA. Can anyone give me any
> guidance as to how to get started?
>
> From the research I have done so far it seems that to get the full
> production software to work you need 64 bit architecture, but it will run
> on a 32 bit machine in a training mode. Is the training mode enough to get
> a good feel of how it all works or is it worth investing in a cheap server
> from eBay, if so can anyone recommend something I could pick up for around
> �100 (US $150)? Also any good Exchange book recommendations would be
> appreciated?
>
> TIA, Jason

You would start here:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124558(EXCHG.80).aspx
Actually, I would start with Exchange 2003 as some information does not
get repeated in later versions of the documentation.

Yep, we pass MCP tests based on all that data.

The less painful way is to watch the webcasts and to complete some
virtual labs. http://www.microsoft.com/events/series/tnexchangeserver.aspx

The 24 hours of Exchange 2007 is a good series, in particular.
--
Leonid S. Knyshov
Crashproof Solutions
510-282-1008
Twitter: @wiseleo
http://crashproofsolutions.com
Microsoft Small Business Specialist
Try Exchange Online http://bit.ly/free-exchange-trial
Please vote "helpful" if I helped you :)
From: M on 24 Mar 2010 21:22
Hi Jason:

I don't want to burst your bubble, but as an experienced Exchange/Windows
admin, I'm concerned that the jobs for Exchange admins will not be as
plentiful in the future. Here are two reasons, IMO: 1.) Exchange admin jobs
can be easily offshored to other countries, and 2.) There are a lot of
companies pushing outsourced Exchange/e-mail as a service. MS is pushing
that model with Exchange. And Google now has some utility to migrate smaller
companies from Exchange to Google Apps.

Right now I work out of my home supporting Exchange for a large client. My
employer actually tried to offshore my position before I started, but
because our client is in a regulated industry, it didn't allow my employer
to outsource to a particular country. So I know for a fact that my job could
have been offshored.

If you can leverage your CCNA and get a job as a network tech doing hands-on
installation and administration of networking equipment, that'll be the way
to go. That type of hands-on work can never be outsourced. Don't get into
Exchange just because you think it can land you a job. If you like
networking, stick with that since you already have your CCNA.

Anyway, it won't hurt to know Exchange, but just don't expect to land a high
paying job right away because you know Exchange. And honestly, I don't think
you can ever learn Exchange from a book and be really good. There are some
advanced things that the books just don't cover thoroughly, and you really
need to know Exchange from version 5.5 forward to really appreciate and
understand the newer versions. I was fortunate that early in my career I got
to work in a huge company with some really smart Exchange admins. The stuff
I learned from that experience has never been in any book I've read.

Anyway, to answer your questions, yes, from what I've read, the 32-bit
Exchange eval version does pretty much everything the full 64-bit version
does. MS won't support the 32-bit version in production, and I doubt any
vendors would make Exchange-related software that would run on the 32-bit
version. You can run the 32- or 64-bit version in a VM on a desktop PC
running Hyper-V (Hyper-V server is free). To check a PC for Hyper-V
compatibility, see my posting at
http://sysadmin-e.com/2010/02/07/virt-compat/. You'd also want to max out
the RAM (at least 4 GB) and have at two HDs to keep your VMs off your OS
drive.

If you're not aware of it, MS has free, pre-configured VMs (in VHD format)
for evaluation purposes. They usually have a 90 day eval period. Check out
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/bb738372.aspx.

I'm not sure if there's been an update, but when I tried the Exchange 2007
VHD last summer, I could not get the darn thing to work properly. The base
OS VHDs will probably work fine since they aren't as complex.

Lastly, to be a good Exchange admin, you need to know AD well. I recommend
this book for AD:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596101732/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0596004664&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1R4TMP78BX3M34BGXMN7
(I have the 2nd edition, not sure if there's a newer edition after the 3rd).
For Exchange, books by Jim McBee are pretty good, but they're usually geared
towards experienced admins. MS has a ton of free online articles and videos
that cover the basics, so check them all out..

--
Regards,
M
MCTS, MCSA
http://SysAdmin-E.com

"Jason" <SpamSpamSpam(a)SpanishInquisition.co.uk> wrote in message
news:Xns9D45D2CD79DB0SpamSpamSpamSpanishI(a)207.46.248.16...
> It seems that Exchange is almost essential for anyone looking for an IT
> job
> at the moment, unfortunately we don't use it where I work so I am looking
> to teach myself at home, just as I did Cisco's CCNA. Can anyone give me
> any
> guidance as to how to get started?
>
> From the research I have done so far it seems that to get the full
> production software to work you need 64 bit architecture, but it will run
> on a 32 bit machine in a training mode. Is the training mode enough to get
> a good feel of how it all works or is it worth investing in a cheap server
> from eBay, if so can anyone recommend something I could pick up for around
> �100 (US $150)? Also any good Exchange book recommendations would be
> appreciated?
>
> TIA, Jason


From: Ingmar Van Glabbeek on 25 Mar 2010 12:28
You can easily build your own home setup for a few hundred bucks, the
microsoft books on exchange are very solid from my point of view.


Op 24/03/2010 21:43, Jason schreef:
> It seems that Exchange is almost essential for anyone looking for an IT job
> at the moment, unfortunately we don't use it where I work so I am looking
> to teach myself at home, just as I did Cisco's CCNA. Can anyone give me any
> guidance as to how to get started?
>
> From the research I have done so far it seems that to get the full
> production software to work you need 64 bit architecture, but it will run
> on a 32 bit machine in a training mode. Is the training mode enough to get
> a good feel of how it all works or is it worth investing in a cheap server
> from eBay, if so can anyone recommend something I could pick up for around
> �100 (US $150)? Also any good Exchange book recommendations would be
> appreciated?
>
> TIA, Jason

From: Jason on 25 Mar 2010 17:53
"M" <m(a)nowhere.com> wrote in news:eQS9dm7yKHA.3264(a)TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl:

> Hi Jason:
>
> I don't want to burst your bubble, but as an experienced
> Exchange/Windows admin, I'm concerned that the jobs for Exchange
> admins will not be as plentiful in the future. Here are two reasons,
> IMO: 1.) Exchange admin jobs can be easily offshored to other
> countries, and 2.) There are a lot of companies pushing outsourced
> Exchange/e-mail as a service. MS is pushing that model with Exchange.
> And Google now has some utility to migrate smaller companies from
> Exchange to Google Apps.
>
> Right now I work out of my home supporting Exchange for a large
> client. My employer actually tried to offshore my position before I
> started, but because our client is in a regulated industry, it didn't
> allow my employer to outsource to a particular country. So I know for
> a fact that my job could have been offshored.
>
> If you can leverage your CCNA and get a job as a network tech doing
> hands-on installation and administration of networking equipment,
> that'll be the way to go. That type of hands-on work can never be
> outsourced. Don't get into Exchange just because you think it can land
> you a job. If you like networking, stick with that since you already
> have your CCNA.
>
> Anyway, it won't hurt to know Exchange, but just don't expect to land
> a high paying job right away because you know Exchange. And honestly,
> I don't think you can ever learn Exchange from a book and be really
> good. There are some advanced things that the books just don't cover
> thoroughly, and you really need to know Exchange from version 5.5
> forward to really appreciate and understand the newer versions. I was
> fortunate that early in my career I got to work in a huge company with
> some really smart Exchange admins. The stuff I learned from that
> experience has never been in any book I've read.
>
> Anyway, to answer your questions, yes, from what I've read, the 32-bit
> Exchange eval version does pretty much everything the full 64-bit
> version does. MS won't support the 32-bit version in production, and I
> doubt any vendors would make Exchange-related software that would run
> on the 32-bit version. You can run the 32- or 64-bit version in a VM
> on a desktop PC running Hyper-V (Hyper-V server is free). To check a
> PC for Hyper-V compatibility, see my posting at
> http://sysadmin-e.com/2010/02/07/virt-compat/. You'd also want to max
> out the RAM (at least 4 GB) and have at two HDs to keep your VMs off
> your OS drive.
>
> If you're not aware of it, MS has free, pre-configured VMs (in VHD
> format) for evaluation purposes. They usually have a 90 day eval
> period. Check out http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/bb738372.aspx.
>
> I'm not sure if there's been an update, but when I tried the Exchange
> 2007 VHD last summer, I could not get the darn thing to work properly.
> The base OS VHDs will probably work fine since they aren't as complex.
>
> Lastly, to be a good Exchange admin, you need to know AD well. I
> recommend this book for AD:
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596101732/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?
pf_rd
> _p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0596004664
&pf
> _rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1R4TMP78BX3M34BGXMN7 (I have the 2nd
> edition, not sure if there's a newer edition after the 3rd). For
> Exchange, books by Jim McBee are pretty good, but they're usually
> geared towards experienced admins. MS has a ton of free online
> articles and videos that cover the basics, so check them all out..
>

Thanks for the great advice, I really appreciate the time you've taken
to write such a comprehensive & useful reply. I've already ordered the
O'Reilly book from Amazon UK, at a very reasonable price & I'm also
looking at some PCs on eBay to use as a Virtual Server (I'm quite
tempted by a box with an AMD X3 435 processor which seems excellent
value).

Cheers, Jason
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