Planning a Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Infrastructure : Unattended Setup

Unattended installations are also useful when you were deploying a number of new Exchange servers in an existing organization. With the ability to also perform unattended installations of Windows Server 2003, you can save time deploying multiple servers by automating the entire installation process.

Creating an .ini File for Unattended Setup

Creating an unattended installation file can be very useful for deploying Exchange Server 2003. The process of creating the file is essentially the same as the process for a manual setup: selecting the components you want to install and the installation path; choosing whether to create a new organization or to join an existing one; agreeing to the licensing; and so on. However, rather than beginning installation of the components after you confirm your installation choices on the Installation Summary dialog box, the Microsoft Exchange Installation Wizard writes the configuration to an .ini file, which is a text file formatted specifically for use with the /unattendfile Setup switch.

In this lesson, you will add a second Exchange Server 2003 server to the existing forest and domain. You can also use the unattended installation to create a new organization. The only limitation when creating a new organization with an unattended installation file is that the file is not reusable because Setup would not be able to create the organization on subsequent installations. Therefore, creating an unattended installation file is more useful for additional installations after the creation of the organization.

You can choose any name for the .ini file; however, the extension should be .ini. While technically you can use any extension, such as .txt, the format is that of an .ini file and it is recommended to leave the extension as such for consistency. Creating an .ini file for an unattended installation will be covered in the practice at the end of this lesson.

Unless there is a specific need for all your unattended installations to have custom components installed, choose a Typical installation. If you change the installation path for Exchange Server 2003, it will apply to all servers on which you run the unattended installation. Plan carefully to ensure that the Windows servers are configured consistently with their drives and partitions.

When you are deploying a test environment of Exchange Server 2003, it isn’t sufficient to set up a separate lab server in an existing production forest or domain; you must set up a separate Active Directory forest for testing. Otherwise, you may be faced with unwanted forest level settings that are difficult to get rid of when you go to a live deployment of Exchange Server 2003.

When you run Setup and create an Unattend.ini file, you are creating a text file that contains the configuration settings you selected. Since it is a text file, you can view Unattend.ini in Microsoft Notepad. When you do, you’ll see something similar to the following: “This Unattend.ini file was created using a Typical installation onto a new server in an Active Directory domain, which already has another domain controller running an Exchange 2003 organization.” Because you selected a Typical installation, fields for components that aren’t being installed are blank. The [InstallOrder] subsection tells you which components are being installed.

[Version]
Signature="$Windows NT$"
Provider="Microsoft Exchange"
[CompleteComponentList]
exsetdata.dll
srchcomp.dll

 [PreInstallOrder]
gfn_mid microsoft search
gfn_mid microsoft exchange
gfn_mid microsoft exchange server component
gfn_mid microsoft exchange system management tools

[InstallOrder]
gfn_mid microsoft search
gfn_mid microsoft exchange
gfn_mid microsoft exchange server component
gfn_mid microsoft exchange system management tools

[PostInstallOrder]
gfn_mid microsoft search
gfn_mid microsoft exchange
gfn_mid microsoft exchange server component
gfn_mid microsoft exchange system management tools

[Component Error List]
[gfn_mid microsoft search]
gfn_pid stockprop hidden=1

[Additional Global Property Names]
{DF8FF64A-1967-4871-9E32-CA2F819BAB81},HWNDForLoadingDialog,0,0

[Global Properties]
gfn_pid core password=
gfn_pid core autologon=0
gfn_pid core autologon previously enabled=0
gfn_pid core user name=Will Willis
gfn_pid core organization=
gfn_pid core pid 20=111-1111111
gfn_pid core pid 30=J6T48-XCF7K-QCGKD-QV887-4BJYB
gfn_pid core license file=eula.txt
gfn_pid core suite directory=C:\Program Files\Microsoft Integration
gfn_pid core post reboot=0
gfn_pid core suite name=Microsoft Exchange
gfn_pid core disk requirement=31457280
gfn_pid core progress show subs=1
gfn_pid core progress show tasks=0
gfn_pid core ask for pre install=0
gfn_pid core ask for post install=0
gfn_pid core suite mode=0

gfn_pid core suite baseline=0
gfn_pid core install scenario baseline=0
gfn_pid core force disk space ok=0
gfn_pid core ignore final disk space check=0
gfn_pid core registry=Software\Microsoft\Microsoft Integration\3D5A0E1C-B6DA-42a7-A871-
03CD2E30FEA3\SetupData
gfn_pid core no error log=0
gfn_pid core no event log=0
gfn_pid core system drive=C:
gfn_pid core program files=C:\Program Files\
gfn_pid encrypted mode=0
{E0C022B6-2029-11D3-8DFC-00C04F797FB8}=10
{CDD00162-2E69-11D3-A829-00C04FB1799F}=3D5A0E1C-B6DA-42a7-A871-03CD2E30FEA3
{CDD00163-2E69-11D3-A829-00C04FB1799F}=
{AA62DF98-3F2C-11D3-887B-00C04F8ECDD6}=0
{F24FCE05-8B5C-472F-9F53-9C9BB3DE50AF}=7
gfn_pid core dont install suite files=0
{9843461C-2F7A-4000-B91C-2DDD224C9E91}=c:\Unattend.ini
{DF8FF64A-1967-4871-9E32-CA2F819BAB81}=0
[Scenario Factory]
ActiveScenario={8BED5C7A-CDC9-11D2-92F4-00C04F79F1A8}


					  

You can edit this file manually to make changes to the installation behavior, such as if you want Setup to install the server into a specific administrative or routing group. Other options you might configure are those under the [Global Properties] subsection, such as changing the installation path. If you do edit the file, ensure that Notepad doesn’t add a .txt extension when you save the file.

Performing an Unattended Installation of Exchange Server 2003

Using an unattended installation .ini file is a matter of using the /UnattendFile Setup switch with the correct Unattend.ini file. The following command line is an example of starting an unattended installation with the Unattend.ini file on a floppy disk in drive A and the Exchange Server 2003 CD in the D drive:

D:\setup\i386\setup.exe /unattendfile a:\unattend.ini

After executing the command, Setup will run without any input required. It is not a “silent” installation without user interface displayed; the progress window opens, and you can see the installation tasks being performed. Unlike a manual installation, Setup will not prompt you when it is finished installing Exchange Server 2003. Setup quits automatically when complete.

Practice: Performing an Unattended Installation of Exchange Server 2003

In this practice, you will create a file named Unattend.ini and then install Exchange Server 2003 using the file. The procedure will result in a second Exchange 2003 server being installed in your organization.

Exercise 1: Create an Unattend.ini Configuration File

Exercise 2: Perform an Unattended Installation of Exchange Server 2003