Question : Where can I get information on how to install, configure and maintain an MS Exchange environment

I am helping a friend out with his small business and he would like to install MS Exchange but has no idea on what it encompasses. Is there any documentation out there that shows and explain how to install a mail environment. These different documentation would include everything as far as:

1. Installing and configuring an MS Exchange server on your network
2. What do you need to set up on the outside so external emails would come to your email  server.
3. What do you need to configure on your firewall router?

I keep hearing aboutt creating MX records that is needed with the MS Exchange environment but I am unable to find any documentation that explains why we need to have that and how does it associate with your internal MS Exchange server going through a firewall.

I am new to the MS Exchange environment and I know there is more that just installing Exchange system on a server and there is more to it in order for internal users to be able to send and receive internal and external emails as well configuring your echane environment so that the outside customers can send emails to us.

Answer : Where can I get information on how to install, configure and maintain an MS Exchange environment

First off, what version of Exchange are you planning on trying to setup?  If it is a SBS, it is going to be the easiest for beginners as it steps you through the process. If you have just exchange server, in an ideal scenerio, you would install it on a second server as it is not recommended to install on a domain controller, but, if need be, it can be accomplished.

For starters, you need a domain name. If you dont have one go out and register it with say Godaddy, HostGator or one of the other million domain registers on the net. Once that is completed, you should have some sort of user panel to control DNS. (If not, the hosting company will normally make the changes for you). Once the domain is registered, go into the DNS panel and make a couple changes. First, create an A record and have it pointing back to your WAN IP address (www.whatismyip.com). I would call it something like mail, webmail something along those lines. This is going to be the name you access OWA (outlook web access) with; ie mail.yourdoamin.com. Next you will want to change the MX record and also make it point back to your WAN IP Address.

Now on your exchange server you will also want to create a MX record and point it to the LAN IP Address of the exchange server. Also create an A record for mail, or webmail and have it poining to the LAN Address of the Exchange Server. You will also need to open port 25 on your firewall. You can test to see if the outside world can connect to the exchange box by going to http://www.mxtoolbox.com/ and putting in your mail server information.

Here is a tutorial on setting up exchange server 2003:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124186(EXCHG.65).aspx

It is a little more complex than what I have posted, but a good start. There are plenty of tutorials on the web that will help as well.