Get Started with Exchange Server 2019: Download, Setup, and Configure
Exchange Server 2019 Download: A Guide for IT Professionals
If you are looking for a reliable, secure, and scalable email and collaboration platform for your organization, you might want to consider downloading Exchange Server 2019. Exchange Server 2019 is the latest version of Microsoft's flagship messaging and calendaring solution, designed to meet the needs of modern businesses and users. In this article, we will explain what Exchange Server 2019 is, what are its main features and benefits, what are its system requirements, and how to install it on your servers.
What is Exchange Server 2019 and why you should consider downloading it
Exchange Server 2019 is a server software that provides email, calendar, contacts, tasks, and other communication and collaboration features for your organization. You can deploy Exchange Server 2019 on-premises, in a hybrid configuration with Microsoft 365 or Office 365, or in a cloud-only scenario. By downloading Exchange Server 2019, you can take advantage of the following benefits:
exchange server 2019 download
Security: Exchange Server 2019 supports Windows Server Core installation, which reduces the attack surface and the maintenance overhead of your servers. It also blocks external access to the Exchange admin center (EAC) and the Exchange Management Shell by default, allowing you to control who can administer your Exchange environment. Moreover, it enables TLS 1.2 as the only version by default, enhancing the security of client and server connections.
Performance: Exchange Server 2019 improves the performance of your servers by using a new search infrastructure that allows for faster and more reliable indexing and failover. It also introduces a new feature called MetaCache Database (MCDB), which leverages SSD disks to store mailbox metadata and improve user experience. Additionally, it supports modern hardware with up to 256 GB of memory and 48 CPU cores, and uses dynamic database cache allocation to optimize memory usage.
Scalability: Exchange Server 2019 allows you to scale up your storage capacity by supporting larger disks (up to 16 TB) in a JBOD configuration. It also enables you to scale out your mailbox databases by supporting up to 100 databases per server in the Enterprise edition. Furthermore, it simplifies your backup and restore operations by integrating the search index with the mailbox database.
User experience: Exchange Server 2019 enhances the user experience by providing faster logon times, quicker response times, and less latency for Outlook clients. It also supports new features such as calendar sharing with Microsoft Teams, do-not-forward meeting option, simplified calendar sharing outside your organization, removal of legacy ciphers and hashing algorithms, and more.
Exchange Server 2019 system requirements
Before you download and install Exchange Server 2019, you need to make sure that your network, hardware, software, clients, and other elements meet the requirements for Exchange Server 2019. The following table summarizes the main system requirements for Exchange Server 2019:
ComponentRequirement
Domain controllersAll domain controllers in the forest need to be running one of the following versions of Windows Server: Windows Server 2022 Standard or Datacenter; Windows Server 2019 Standard or Datacenter; Windows Server 201 6 Standard or Datacenter; Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard or Datacenter.
Active Directory forestThe Active Directory forest functional level needs to be at least Windows Server 2012 R2 or higher.
NetworkThe network needs to support IPv4 and/or IPv6, and have a properly configured DNS infrastructure. The network also needs to allow TCP port 80 and 443 traffic to and from the Internet for Exchange services.
HardwareThe hardware needs to meet the minimum requirements for CPU, memory, disk space, and disk performance. The recommended hardware configuration depends on the size and usage of your Exchange environment. You can use the Exchange Server Role Requirements Calculator to estimate the optimal hardware configuration for your servers.
SoftwareThe software needs to include the following components: Windows Server 2019 Standard or Datacenter with Desktop Experience or Server Core installation option; .NET Framework 4.8 or later; Visual C++ Redistributable Package for Visual Studio 2012; Windows PowerShell 5.1 or later; Windows Management Framework (WMF) 5.1 or later; Unified Communications Managed API (UCMA) 4.0.
ClientsThe clients need to support the following versions of Outlook: Outlook 2019; Outlook 2016; Outlook 2013 with the latest cumulative update; Outlook for Mac for Office 365; Outlook for Mac 2019; Outlook for Mac 2016. Other clients such as Outlook on the web, Outlook for iOS and Android, and Exchange ActiveSync are also supported.
Coexistence and hybridThe coexistence and hybrid scenarios need to support the following versions of Exchange Server: Exchange Server 2016 with the latest cumulative update; Exchange Server 2013 with the latest cumulative update; Exchange Online in Microsoft 365 or Office 365. Other versions of Exchange Server are not supported for coexistence or hybrid with Exchange Server 2019.
Exchange Server 2019 installation steps
Once you have verified that your system meets the requirements for Exchange Server 2019, you can proceed with the installation steps. The installation steps vary depending on whether you are installing a new Exchange organization or upgrading an existing one, and whether you are installing the Exchange Mailbox server role or the Edge Transport server role. In this article, we will focus on installing the Exchange Mailbox server role in a new Exchange organization using the Setup wizard or unattended mode. The following are the main steps for installing Exchange Server 2019:
Step 1: Download the Exchange Server 2019 ISO file
To download the Exchange Server 2019 ISO file, you need to have a valid license key and a Microsoft account. You can obtain a license key from the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) or from a Microsoft partner. You can also use a trial key that is valid for 180 days. To download the ISO file, follow these steps:
Go to the .
Sign in with your Microsoft account.
Select Exchange Server 2019 from the drop-down menu.
Enter your license key and click Continue.
Select your preferred language and click Download.
Save the ISO file to your local drive or a network share.
Step 2: Install the Windows prerequisites for Exchange Server 2019
To install the Windows prerequisites for Exchange Server 2019, you need to run some PowerShell commands on your server. The commands vary depending on whether you are using Windows Server Core or Desktop Experience, and whether you are installing Exchange on an Internet-facing server or not. The following are some examples of PowerShell commands for installing the Windows prerequisites:
Windows Server Core with Internet access:
# Install .NET Framework Install-WindowsFeature NET-Framework-45-Core # Install Visual C++ Redistributable Package Invoke-WebRequest -Uri -OutFile vc_redist.x64.exe .\vc_redist.x64.exe /quiet /norestart # Install UCMA Invoke-WebRequest -Uri F/UCMA4.0_RTM_WindowsInstaller.msi -OutFile UCMA4.0.msi msiexec /i UCMA4.0.msi /quiet /norestart # Install Windows features Install-WindowsFeature Server-Media-Foundation, RSAT-ADDS
Windows Server Desktop Experience with Internet access:
# Install .NET Framework Install-WindowsFeature NET-Framework-45-Features, 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-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console, 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 # Install Visual C++ Redistributable Package Invoke-WebRequest -Uri -OutFile vc_redist.x64.exe .\vc_redist.x64.exe /quiet /norestart # Install UCMA Invoke-WebRequest -Uri -OutFile UCMA4.0.msi msiexec /i UCMA4.0.msi /quiet /norestart
Windows Server Core or Desktop Experience without Internet access:
# Copy the .NET Framework 4.8 offline installer from a source with Internet access to your server # Run the installer with the following command NDP48-x86-x64-Allos-KB4486153.exe /quiet /norestart # Copy the Visual C++ Redistributable Package from a source with Internet access to your server # Run the installer with the following command vc_redist.x64.exe /quiet /norestart # Copy the UCMA 4.0 installer from a source with Internet access to your server # Run the installer with the following command msiexec /i UCMA4.0.msi /quiet /norestart # Copy the Windows features source files from a source with Internet access to your server # Install the Windows features with the following command (replace D:\sources\sxs with the path to your source files) Install-WindowsFeature Server-Media-Foundation, RSAT-ADDS -Source D:\sources\sxs
Step 3: Install the Exchange Mailbox server role using the Setup wizard or unattended mode
To install the Exchange Mailbox server role using the Setup wizard or unattended mode, you need to mount or extract