David Strome's Blog : Exchange Server 2010

Exchange 2010 Beta Available

dstrome — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:45:00 GMT

Exchange 2010 Beta bits, get em while they're hot!

Exchange 2010 is available now for download. We've worked for two and a half years to create the most advanced e-mail system available. There are dozens of new features in every area of the product - and entirely new feature areas that are just plain cool - mailbox, high availability and resiliency, compliance, permissions, end-user self-management, distribution group self-management...the list can go on and on.

Go to the Exchange 2010 download page and grab the beta bits now. It's a 360 day evaluation. There are several installation prerequisites you'll need to install first. You can find more information about those prereqs on the Exchange 2010 Prerequisites page.

You can learn about all the new features of Exchange 2010 on the What's New page.

Finally, check out the documentation we've put together for you. It's a beta, so content is still being written. Please make use of the feedback button and tell us what you think of the docs. The beta is as much about getting the documentation right as it is about getting the code right. We need your feedback!

Over the next while I'll be posting more about Exchange 2010 in general but specifically about my feature areas - Role Based Access Control - the new, highly flexible and extremely powerful permissions model in Exchange 2010, and the Exchange Management Shell - the command line interface first introduced in Exchange 2007. We've made some pretty interesting changes to the shell infrastructure that you should find interesting.

Now get going and get downloading! :)

Exchange 14 Intro Video

dstrome — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:19:14 GMT

OK this is exciting for me – I’ve been waiting a couple years to post something…anything…on the next version of Exchange. Finally I can :)

KC Lemson and Jim Lucey from the Exchange team provided an introductory look at “Exchange 14” (E14) today in a post and video on the Exchange Team blog. This is the first look at E14 that we’ve provided to the public. E14 is the first release of the product that embraces not only on-premises, which are the traditional deployments that Exchange is known for – physical deployments of Exchange servers in organizations, but also embraces services - which offers Exchange over the internet as a web application. The post talks a bit about our Exchange Labs service that we’re currently testing with our Live@EDU customers.

In the video, Jim walks you through the new web interface that allows you to access everything you’d expect – e-mail, calendar, and so on. While it’s commonplace in the enterprise now, the collaborative features of Exchange becoming available to educational institutions is significant. KC is right – why sit outside the prof’s office for hours for a few minutes of face time when you can schedule an appointment over e-mail? Obviously that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Jim then gives you a peek at the new web options and administration interface for users and administrators. Individual users can perform self management of their own account (want to create your own distribution group or update your personal info? Go for it!) while administrators can manage mailboxes, contacts, etc. Of course, Outlook is there as is Windows Mobile and ActiveSync. And Windows PowerShell will naturally be part of the administration model too.

We have a lot more in store for you in this release of Exchange. More videos will be posted over time giving you more peeks at what’s coming. Watch the videos as they come out and be sure to send in feedback on the Exchange Team blog with what you think of this new version.

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Exchange Demo Day

dstrome — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:24:55 GMT

I can't wait for Exchange 14 to hit the streets. The Exchange team recently held a demo day where we all got together to see all the new features being packed into the next release of Exchange. That weekend I got Exchange 14 up and running on my home network handling my personal email.

Demo days are events we hold every few months in Exchange where people from each of the teams get up in front of close to 500 of their peers and demo their features. It's a mass migration from building 34 to Kodiak in building 33 driven mainly by the general anticipation of seeing what everyone else has been working on for months. And free food and lattes. New features are great but when we're in there for four hours - we combined the demo day with an all hands meeting - free stuff rocks. I really like these days because it's pretty rare that the entire team gets into one room and the management gives a really good overview of the state of the business. I get to see people I haven't been able to talk to in a while too...and I get free food.

As you can imagine, demo day is pretty interesting. For presenters, imagine walking up to the front of a huge, packed, auditorium, two massive screens on either side of the podium, projecting your demo machine's screen - running code that was checked into the product a few hours ago. And asking it to work perfectly :) Oh, and the VP is watching it all. No pressure. For the audience, it's a combination of getting to see amazing new features mixed with a nervous anticipation. Will it work or will it go down in flames? :)

I wish I could tell you everything we saw. The team has done an amazing job and I personally think that what we have in store for you in Exchange 14 is on par with what we gave you in Exchange 2007. Although if you can't wait until we release, why not take a look over at the exCHANGE your Career web site and come work with us? :)

Exchange Management Shell Help Feedback

dstrome — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:20:32 GMT

As you know we're working on Exchange 14, the next version of Exchange Server. As part of that work we're taking a look at how we write content for all of the features of Exchange. I'm working on defining the guidelines for how we write the content for the Exchange Management Shell - what overview and procedural topics need to be written to what content we put into the individual cmdlet topics and how its displayed to you.

I'm really interested in what you think of the Exchange Management Shell help in Exchange Server 2007. What do you like about it? What do you, well, hate? Is it how it's displayed? Or are we missing something important that would make your life easier if we'd included it? Or did you discover something that just made things 'click' for you?

I want to know about it. Put together a wish list or list of things you love (or both!) and send them to me. I'll be taking your feedback and seeing how it can help us to improve the E14 product documentation. Some things will be easier to do and some will likely be harder so I can't promise everything you send to me can be addressed. But I will take everything you say seriously and work to align the shell help to meet your expectations.

The best way to send your feedback to me is to click on the Email link on the left side of this site. Or you can copy this URL into your address bar: http://blogs.technet.com/dstrome/contact.aspx. Please pass this blog post on to your colleagues and ask them to send their feedback too. The more the better.

Thanks!

David.

PS. Don't forget to send feedback on individual topics in the Exchange Server 2007 documentation library located here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124558.aspx. Click on the "Click to Rate and Give Feedback" link in the top right corner of the page. Every comment and rating you submit with that tool gets submitted directly into a database that we continually monitor. That link is the best way to get attention on topics that need work or to send kudos on topics you especially like.