Features of Exchange Server 2007
Review the features available with Exchange Server 2007, including features available through Service Pack 2 (SP2).
For more comprehensive information on the new features in Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2), please see the following Microsoft TechNet article: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa996018.aspx
On This Page
 | Built-in Protection |
| Anywhere Access |
| Operational Efficiency |
Built-in Protection
Exchange Server 2007 includes built-in protection with features like Edge Transport, Hosted Filtering Integration, and anti-spam filtering and extensibility for antivirus protection. See the table below for more information.
Anti-spam and Antivirus
| Feature | New or Updated | Description |
Edge Transport server role |
| This server role is for perimeter network deployment. It supports Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) routing, provides anti-spam filtering technologies and support for antivirus extensibility. The Edge Transport server should be isolated from the Active Directory directory services, but can still leverage Active Directory for recipient filtering by using Active Directory Application Mode (ADAM). EdgeSync in Exchange Server 2007 publishes pertinent organization information, encrypted, to the Edge Transport server for use in robust recipient filtering and respects Microsoft Outlook safe sender lists on the Edge. Communications between the Edge Transport server and the internal network in an Exchange Server 2007 organization are encrypted by default. Edge Transport includes anti-spam technologies that protect at many layers. |
Anti-spam: Connection Filtering |
| Exchange Server 2007 provides an integrated, IP based block-and-allow list based on sender reputation. Lists are automatically updated as new versions become available. Administrators can establish additional IP allow-or-deny lists as needed. |
Anti-spam: Sender and Recipient Filtering |
| Sender reputation is dynamically analyzed and updated. When the Edge Transport server spots specific trends from a given domain, it can impose certain actions to either quarantine or reject incoming messages. Sender ID is also used to verify that each e-mail message originates from the Internet domain from which it claims to come from based on the sender's SMTP server IP address. Once a Sender ID record has been verified, the results can be cross-referenced to past traffic patterns and sender reputation, creating an associate weight into the domain reputation. Finally, recipients are validated, and administrators have the ability to block messages sent to non-existent user accounts or internal-only distribution lists |
Anti-spam: Safe Sender List Aggregation |
| Via EdgeSync, the Edge Transport server respects Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007 safe sender lists to help reduce false positives. |
Anti-spam: Sender ID |
| Exchange Server 2007 embeds support for Sender ID, an e-mail industry initiative designed to verify that each e-mail message originates from the Internet domain from which it claims to come based on the sender's SMTP server IP address. Sender ID helps prevent domain spoofing and protect legitimate senders’ domain names and reputation and helps recipients more effectively identify and filter junk e-mail and phishing scams. |
Anti-spam: Content Filtering |
| Content is analyzed using the Intelligent Message Filter (IMF), Exchange Server's implementation of Microsoft SmartScreen content filtering technology. SmartScreen is based on Microsoft Research's patented machine-learning technology. Anti-phishing capabilities are also built-in to the IMF to help detect fraudulent links or spoofed domains and protect users from these types of online scams. When used with Outlook 2007, a phishing warning or block appears in the user interface. Customers are protected from emerging spam attacks through the automatic filter updates for Exchange Server 2007, which are published on a frequent basis. Should the administrator require additional control, the Edge Transport server enables customization, including the ability to add words or phrases to the filter. |
Anti-spam: Outlook E-Mail Postmark |
| Exchange 2007 verifies Outlook E-mail Postmarks attached to messages sent from Outlook 2007. The Outlook E-mail Postmark can reduce false positives for messages from legitimate senders that have little to no reputation. |
Anti-spam: Spam Assessment |
| In addition to scanning message content, the IMF consolidates guidance from Connection, Sender/Recipient, Sender Reputation, Sender ID verification, and Outlook E-mail Postmark validation to apply a Spam Confidence Level (SCL) rating to a given message. Administrators can preconfigure actions on the message based on this SCL rating. Actions may include deliver to the inbox or junk mail folder, deliver to the spam quarantine, or reject outright and no deliver. |
Anti-spam: Service Resilience |
| The Edge Transport server role controls the inbound SMTP message receipt rate for increased availability. This control, coupled with the ability to detect open proxy machines, can aid in preventing denial of service attacks. Tar pitting is supported to slow the server response for certain SMTP communication patterns, minimizing exposure to directory harvest attacks. |
Anti-spam: Anti-spam Stamp |
| Messages filtered by the Edge Transport server role are stamped with information, including why the message was considered spam and which combination of filters and reputation services (IP, domain, sender, recipient, content) determined its spam assessment. Administrators may use this information in an aggregate way to understand the effectiveness of filtering across their multilayered approach and tune appropriately. |
Anti-spam: Two-Tiered Spam Quarantine |
| The Exchange Server 2007 environment enables two-tiered spam quarantine. First, administrators have access to a Spam Quarantine housed in the perimeter network. Using Outlook, administrators can access the Spam Quarantine to search for messages, release to the recipient, or reject and delete. Messages with borderline SCL ratings (borderline definition configured by the administrator) may be released to the end user's junk mail folder in Outlook, and are converted to plain text for further protection. |
Anti-spam: Consolidated Management |
| Management of the Edge Transport Server role and corresponding rules is consistent with the rest of the Exchange environment and can be performed using the Exchange Management Console graphical interface or the Exchange Management Shell for automation. Finally, the administrator can leverage notifications through Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) or reports within Exchange to analyze the effectiveness of their anti-spam filters. |
Antivirus Extensibility:Attachment Filtering |
| To effectively protect against worms delivered via e-mail, the administrator can strip attachments based on their size, content or file type. Zip file manifests can be examined as well for offending file types. |
Antivirus Extensibility: Edge Protocol Rules |
| As a reactive defense mechanism, protocol rules provide a layer of protection before antivirus signature updates become available. Administrators can filter on known text patterns in malware carriers and drop the connection. |
Antivirus Extensibility: Antivirus Stamp |
| Messages scanned in the Exchange environment can be assigned an antivirus stamp. This stamp identifies which engine did the scanning, which signature was used, and when the message was last scanned. |
Antivirus Extensibility: Deep Integration for Antivirus Scanning |
| Antivirus solutions can be more tightly integrated in the Exchange Server 2007 environment. Antivirus solutions have access to the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) parsers and can scan the message stream in transport (on Edge Transport or Hub Transport servers). Catching viruses in transport helps prevent their delivery and storage in Exchange mailboxes. |
Hosted Filtering Integration |
| Exchange Server 2007 provides integration with Exchange Hosted Services, offering off-site protection against spam and viruses. |
Confidential Messaging
| Feature | New or Updated | Description |
Intra-Org Encryption |
| All mail traveling within an Exchange Server 2007 organization is encrypted by default. Transport Layer Security (TLS) is used for server-to-server traffic, Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is used for Outlook connections, and Secure Socket Layers (SSL) is used for Client Access traffic (Outlook Web Access, Exchange ActiveSync, and Web Services). This prevents spoofing and provides confidentiality messages in transit. |
SSL Certificates Automatically Installed |
| SSL certificates are installed by default in Exchange Server 2007, enabling broad use of SSL and TLS encryption from clients such as Outlook Web Access and other SMTP servers. |
Opportunistic TLS Encryption |
| If the destination SMTP server supports TLS (via the “STARTTLS” SMTP command) when sending outbound e-mail from Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server will automatically encrypt the outbound content using TLS. In addition, inbound e-mail sent to Exchange Server 2007 from the internet will be encrypted if the sending server supports TLS (Exchange Server 2007 automatically installs SSL certificates). |
S/MIME Support | SP1 | Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) enables users to send signed and encrypted e-mail to one another from a variety of devices, including Outlook, Outlook Web Access, and Windows Mobile 6.0 using Exchange ActiveSync. |
Compliance
| Feature | New or Updated | Description |
Transport Rules | SP1 | Exchange Server 2007 includes a policy engine based on rules that execute on Hub Transport servers. With Transport Rules, administrators and compliance officers can establish and enforce regulatory or corporate policies on internal or outbound e-mail, voice mail, or fax. For example, using a wizard in the Exchange Management Console or the command line in Exchange Management Shell, rules can be written that would prohibit communication between members of distinct distribution lists, append a disclaimer to any message being sent externally, or BCC the compliance officer anytime a specific phrase appears in the subject or content of a message. |
Messaging Records Management |
| Various corporate retention policies exist for e-mail, voice mail, and fax communications. With Managed Folders, a user can organize messages into Outlook folders that are provisioned and managed by the administrator. An automated process scans the inbox and these folders to retain, expire, or journal communications based on compliance requirements. |
Flexible Journaling |
| Journaling is flexible in Exchange Server 2007. Journaling can be triggered per database, per distribution list, or per user. All messages can be journaled, or just those sent internally or externally. |
Multi-Mailbox Search |
| Using the Microsoft standard search technology, content in Exchange Server 2007 mailboxes is fully indexed and searchable using a variety of criteria. If compliance or legal requirements require information discovery, administrators can search across multiple mailboxes within an organization with a single query, routing the results to a Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services site, a new or existing local PST file, or mailbox that can be made available via Outlook to HR, compliance officers, or others. |
Archive Integration |
| Journaled messages can be archived to any SMTP address, including an Exchange mailbox or Windows SharePoint Services site. |
Enhanced Auditing | SP2 | Exchange auditing events and audit log repository enable Exchange administrators to more easily audit the activities occurring on their Exchange servers. It allows the right balance of granularity, performance, and easy access to audited events via a dedicated audit log repository. This simplifies the auditing process and makes review of audited events easier by segregating audited events in a dedicated location. |
Business Continuity
| Feature | New or Updated | Description |
Local Continuous Replication |
| Availability can be increased using continuous replication of data across multiple disks on a single server. This establishes a second copy of the production database on the local server that is kept up-to-date automatically. In the event of a disk failure or data corruption, switching over to the copy database provides a less costly and less complex recovery solution for the administrator. |
Cluster Continuous Replication |
| Availability can be increased using replication in an active/passive cluster. Data recorded on the active server node is copied to the passive server node, enabling a copy of not only server configuration and settings but data as well. By not requiring shared storage, the active node and passive node can be located in separate geographical locations without the performance impact of synchronous replication solutions. Automated failover to the passive server node is transparent to the end user, dramatically reducing the risk of data loss by relying on logs and queues and providing a less costly and less complex recovery solution for the administrator. |
Standby Continuous Replication | SP1 | Availability can be increased using replication between geographically dispersed data centers in combination with LCR and CCR. Data recorded on the source server node is copied to a destination server node (the standby server) and multiple destination servers can be created for a single source server. In the event of a disk failure, data corruption, or complete site failure, the administrator can switch to the standby server preventing data loss and enabling a seamless transition for users, providing a less costly and less complex recovery solution for the administrator. |
Fast and Fewer Backups |
| Backups can be run against the copy of the production database on either the local server or passive server node, decreasing the performance impact on production. Continuous Replication also reduces the frequency of costly, full disk or tape backups currently used for disaster recovery. |
Database Portability |
| In the case of a complete server failure, an empty dial tone mailbox database can be created on a new server, enabling users to send and receive e-mail while recovery is underway. A backup of the mailbox database can then be recovered into the dial tone database even though the original database in the backup was created on a different server. |
Anywhere Access
Exchange Server 2007 offers features that allow you and your employees anywhere access to e-mail, calendaring, and more. See what features are included with Exchange Server 2007 for anywhere access in the table below.
Calendaring
| Feature | New or Updated | Description |
Calendar Attendant |
| The Calendar Attendant reduces scheduling conflicts by limiting calendar items (request, declines, accepts) in the inbox to the latest version. The Calendar Attendant also marks meeting requests as tentative on recipient calendars until users can act on the request and relies on the Exchange Server 2007 free/busy Web service for always up-to-date availability information. |
Resource Booking Attendant |
| The Resource Booking Attendant enables resources, including meeting rooms or other equipment, to be automatically managed. Resources can auto-accept requests when available or decline and provide details explaining the decline. Administrators can set granular policies on resources, including available hours or scheduling permissions. |
Scheduling Assistant |
| The Scheduling Assistant helps users efficiently schedule meetings by providing visual guidance on the best and worst dates and times to meet based on meeting invitees and required resources. |
Schedulable Out of Office |
| Out of Office (OOF) messages can now be scheduled to begin and end on specific dates and times, reducing the likelihood of a user’s out of OOF not being set. A separate out of office message can be sent to external recipients, a capability the administrator can enable or disable. Out of Office messages can also be set or unset from a mobile device. |
Mobile Messaging
| Feature | New or Updated | Description |
Search |
| Information can be quickly found from a mobile device using the search capability of Exchange ActiveSync. When executing a search from a mobile device, both the local device store and the user’s entire Exchange mailbox are queried. Results found through the over-the-air search of the Exchange mailbox can be rapidly retrieved to the device. This capability enables access to information sent or received days, weeks, or even months before, regardless of the storage limitations of the mobile device. |
Direct Push |
| Mobile devices incorporating Exchange ActiveSync maintain a secure connection with Exchange Server 2007, receiving new or updated e-mail, calendar, contacts, and tasks as soon as they arrive on the server. This push method optimizes bandwidth usage while keeping users up-to-date. |
Rich Experience on a Breadth of Devices |
| Users can get a familiar experience on a range of mobile devices without requiring the organization to deploy expensive third-party software or services. The Exchange Server 2007 ActiveSync protocol is licensed for use by Windows Mobile, Nokia, Symbian, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Palm, and DataViz. Given the breadth of partners, device choice continues to expand. |
Device Security and Management | SP1 | Administrators may choose to enforce policies on devices used in their organizations including requiring PINs of varying length and strength and enforcing a device wipe of data and applications, should the device be lost or stolen. These controls become granular with Exchange Server 2007, allowing per-user policies. Device usage can be tracked and managed centrally within the Exchange Server environment. Service Pack 1 (SP1) includes 28 new policies across device, network, application, and security control. |
LinkAccess |
| When a user receives a link to a Windows SharePoint Services site or file share while using a mobile device, Exchange Server 2007 uses LinkAccess to retrieve and display the document, no VPN or tunnel required. |
Calendaring and Out of Office |
| With Exchange Server 2007, users have many new options when accessing their calendar from a mobile device using Exchange ActiveSync. They can reply to a meeting invitation with a message, forward the invitation to another person, and view acceptance tracking for meeting attendees. Out of Office messages can also be set from the mobile device. |
Web-based Messaging
| Feature | New or Updated | Description | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Outlook 2007 Experience | SP1 | Outlook Web Access, an AJAX application since its first release with Exchange Server 5.5, provides a rich, Outlook like experience in a browser. New features in Outlook Web Access 2007 enable users to:
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Access Security |
| Outlook Web Access 2007 security is improved. Two-factor authentication is supported, and administrators can enforce HTML-only document viewing to avoid information being left behind on public kiosks. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Self-Service Support | SP1 | The Outlook Web Access 2007 Options menu allows users to quickly and easily resolve many of the most common sources of helpdesk calls on their own. OWA users can request a Unified Messaging voice mail PIN reset, issue a remote wipe request to their mobile device should it be lost or stolen, and add senders to their safe or block list all within Outlook Web Access. Service Pack 1 (SP1) includes a confirmation from Exchange when the remote wipe request is successfully completed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Outlook Web Access Light | SP1 | Outlook Web Access Light provides a rich Outlook Web Access experience over slow connections and enables many of the new features in Outlook Web Access 2007, including schedulable Out of Office messages (internal and external), Really Simple Syndication (RSS) subscriptions, and Managed E-Mail Folder access. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Search |
| Exchange Server 2007 mailboxes are fully indexed by default, allowing users to quickly search for information from Outlook Web Access. Re-indexing is significantly faster than Exchange Server 2003, and search spans both content within the e-mail itself and data contained in attachments. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Remote Document Access: LinkAccess |
| When a user receives a link to a Windows SharePoint Services site or file share while working remotely using Outlook Web Access, Exchange Server 2007 uses LinkAccess to retrieve and display the document, no virtual private network (VPN) or tunnel required. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Remote Document Access: WebReady Document Viewing | SP1 | Outlook Web Access 2007 can transcode a variety of document types – including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and PDF files – from their native format into HTML so that they can be viewed in a client browser even if the application that created the document is not installed on the client. This allows users to be productive from almost any machine and keeps viewed documents safe, even on kiosk machines, since HTML documents are purged by Outlook Web Access at logoff or session timeout. Service Pack 1 (SP1) includes support for Microsoft Office 2007 file formats. |
Unified Messaging
| Feature | New or Updated | Description |
Voice Messaging System |
| Voice mail can now be stored in the mailbox and accessed from a unified inbox in Outlook, Outlook Web Access, on a mobile device, or from a standard telephone. This unification improves employee productivity by simplifying access to the most common types of communications. It also dramatically reduces cost by removing the need for a standalone voice mail system and by taking advantage of any existing investments in Active Directory. Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging can be connected with a legacy private branch exchange (PBX) infrastructure through an IP gateway, or can be directly connected with certain IP PBX installations. |
Fax Messaging System |
| Faxes can now be stored in the mailbox and accessed from the user’s unified inbox in Outlook, Outlook Web Access, or their mobile device. Unified Messaging centralizes the management of inbound fax services within the Exchange infrastructure. |
Speech-Enabled Automated Attendant |
| The Attendant answers calls using an automated operator, with customizable menus (e.g. “press 1 for sales”), and global address list directory lookups (e.g. “who would you like to contact?”). Callers can interact with the Automated Attendant through touch tone menus or their voice using speech recognition. |
Self-Service Voice Mail Support |
| Using Outlook Web Access, users can request a reset of their voice mail PIN, set their voice mail greeting, record their out-of-office voice message, and specify mailbox folders to access when calling in by phone to hear e-mail messages through text-to-speech translation. |
Outlook Voice Access |
| Users can access their Exchange mailbox using a standard telephone, available anywhere. Through touch tone or speech-enabled menus, they can hear and act on their calendar, listen to e-mail messages (translated from text to speech), listen to voice mail messages, call their contacts, or call users listed in the directory. |
Play on Phone |
| Exchange Unified Messaging allows users to playback voice messages received in their Exchange inbox on a designated phone. This feature is useful when a user is in a public place and does not want to play the voice mail over their computer speakers. Play on Phone routes the voice mail to a cell phone, desk phone, or other number specified by the user. |
New Voice Mail Alerts | SP1 | When combined with Office Communication Server 2007 (OCS), users can get an indicator on their Office Communicator client or OC-enabled desktop phone that a new voice mail message is in their inbox. |
Direct Dial into Outlook Voice Access | SP1 | Using Office Communicator, users can dial into Outlook Voice Access with a single click, without the need to input their extension or PIN. |
Operational Efficiency
Exchange Server 2007 helps IT professionals administer, automate, and deploy more efficiently. See what features are included with Exchange Server 2007 for operational efficiency in the table below.
Administration and Automation
| Feature | New or Updated | Description |
Exchange Management Console | SP1/SP2 | Improves the graphical user interface for management. Management actions are easily discovered through the action pane, and the navigation tree is simplified to three levels deep. Exchange management and troubleshooting tools are integrated in the toolbox. The Exchange Management Console is built upon the Exchange Management Shell; actions taken in the Console are also available, and visible, through the command line shell. SP2 adds a new user interface for easy configuration and manage of diagnostic logging. |
Centralized Organizational Settings | SP2 | New cmdlet parameters that have been added in SP2 that enable centralized management of many of the Exchange organization settings. |
Exchange Management Shell | SP1 | The Exchange Management Shell, based on Microsoft Windows PowerShell, is a highly extensible and flexible management environment that complements the graphical interface available through the Exchange Management Console. It enables rapid management through a scriptable command line for automation, batching, and reporting and integrates with Active Directory. To help administrators quickly learn the syntax of the Exchange Management Shell and build custom scripts, wizards in the graphical Exchange Management Console display the command line syntax for each action the administrator has specified via the wizard. This text can be cut and pasted directly into the Exchange Management Shell or into a script file. |
Extended Integration with Active Directory |
| Use of Active Directory sites helps automate new server discovery and configuration within the organization. The topology of an Exchange Server 2007 environment is defined and managed through Active Directory, alongside other servers in the infrastructure. |
Exchange Backup Functionality | SP2 | A new Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) plug-in for Windows Server Backup to support Exchange backups. Windows Server Backup can now be used to back up and restore Exchange Server 2007 SP2 databases. This plug-in is automatically installed by SP2 on all Exchange Server 2007 Mailbox servers. |
Exchange Management Pack for Microsoft Operations Manager |
| Manual configuration for synthetic transactions has been dramatically reduced or eliminated. All synthetic transactions are now accessible from the Exchange Management Shell. Rules directly align with Exchange Server 2007 server roles. New reports are introduced for Exchange ActiveSync, unified messaging service availability, message hygiene features, and server performance. Exchange Best Practices Analyzer (ExBPA) integration features are also included. |
Exchange Troubleshooting Tools |
| In addition to the deep integration of Exchange Best Practices Analyzer, Exchange Server 2007 provides several troubleshooting tools within the toolbox in the Exchange Management Console. These tools are kept up-to-date with the latest information and capabilities through integration with Microsoft Update. Included in the toolbox are the Exchange Mail Flow Troubleshooter, Exchange Database Troubleshooter, and the Exchange Performance Troubleshooter. The Exchange Mail Flow Troubleshooter can diagnose and help remediate inbound and outbound e-mail failures. The Exchange Database Troubleshooter isolates database mounting failures, is used to manage recovery storage groups, and walks the administrator through dial tone recovery. Finally, the Exchange Performance Troubleshooter identifies the cause of Outlook or Exchange performance problems and advises on remediation. |
Public Folder Management Console | SP1 | In addition to Exchange Management Shell, the Public Folder Management Console will enable administrators to quickly manage public folders, including creation, deletion, and replication configuration of individual folders. |
Public Folder Quota Management | SP2 | Provides a more efficient way to manage Public Folder quotas by improving the current cmdlets and removing the dependency on the Public Folder Distributed Authoring and Versioning Administration to perform management tasks. |
Flexible Permission Model |
| Permissions become more granular and straightforward to manage in the Exchange Server 2007 environment. The permissions model enables a set of new, predefined administrator “roles.” |
Automatic Server Updates |
| Automates Exchange Server updating and patching using either Microsoft Update on the Web, Windows Update Server on-site, or Microsoft Systems Management Server, soon to be released as System Center Configuration Manager. |
Deployment
| Feature | New or Updated | Description |
Server Roles |
| Exchange Server 2007 is a modular system of five server roles–Edge Transport, Hub Transport, Mailbox, Client Access, and Unified Messaging – that reduces the time required for installation; minimizes manual, post-install configuration by the administrator; and limits the surface area available for attack to increase security. Administrators also gain the flexibility to deploy only the features and services necessary on a given server and manage accordingly. All server roles, with the exception of Edge Transport, can be deployed on a single server, and only the Hub Transport and Mailbox server roles are required for Exchange Server 2007 installation. |
Setup | SP1 | A new setup process goes from installation to configuration and reduces complexity by incorporating the modular, server role architecture of Exchange Server 2007 into the process. Microsoft Windows Installer technology provides distinct installation packages and smart default settings. Exchange Best Practices Analyzer (ExBPA) is integrated with a setup process to perform prerequisite checking and identify potential deployment errors. To ease deployments in large environments, Exchange Management Shell scripts can be used to automate server installation and provisioning. |
Exchange Best Practices Analyzer |
| Embedded in the Exchange Server 2007 setup process and available through the Exchange Management Console toolbox, the Exchange Best Practices Analyzer can be used to proactively examine the topology and individual servers for configuration discrepancies that may lead to service outages and reliability problems in the future. The Analyzer surfaces warnings or error messages to the administrator and information on how to address the warning or error. It is recommended that the Exchange Best Practice Analyzer be run periodically against an Exchange environment to ensure optimal configuration. |
Autodiscover |
| Configuring Outlook 2007 to connect with Exchange is easier than ever before. If logged on to the network, Exchange Server 2007 automatically completes all inputs required for the user to initiate the connection. Even for users not logged on to the network, connecting Outlook 2007 to Exchange Server 2007 using Outlook Anywhere (formerly known as RPC over HTTP or RPC/HTTP) requires only the user name, e-mail address, and password; no Exchange server name is required. In the event of a mailbox move, migration or disaster, Autodiscover eliminates the need for users to change their settings by automatically detecting the new server and reconfiguring the connection. |
Single Migration Engine |
| Exchange Server 2007 provides a single, comprehensive tool for administrators to perform intra or inter-organizational migrations, minimizing migration complexity. |
Dynamic Active Directory Schema Validation | SP2 | The dynamic Active Directory (AD) schema update and validation feature allows for future schema updates to be dynamic deployed as well as proactively preventing conflicts whenever a new property is added to the AD schema. Once this capability is deployed it will enable easier management of future schema updates and will prevent support issues when adding properties that do not exist in the AD schema. |
Exchange Server 2010 Co-existence | SP2 | Service Pack 2 adds the necessary elements to the Active Directory (AD) schema that enable the co-existence with the next release of Exchange Server. |
Scalability and Performance
| Feature | New or Updated | Description |
Native x64 |
| As a native 64-bit application, Exchange can access more memory, ensuring high performance and reliability as mailbox sizes and the number of user accounts per server increase. |
Windows Server 2008 Support | SP1 | Windows Server 2008 support provides added security features as well as deployment and administrative experience benefits to administrators while enabling Exchange to run on the newest Windows Server platform. |
Storage Optimization |
| With reduced input/output (I/O) requirements (up to 75 percent reduction in I/O per second) enabled by the larger memory caches available on x64 systems, Exchange Server 2007 makes better use of existing storage systems and also allows administrators to use low-cost options like Direct Attached Storage, even in demanding, enterprise environments. |
Optimized Browser Access |
| Outlook Web Access (OWA) 2007 delivers improved performance and decreased latency. Increased client caching reduces server roundtrips, thereby reducing bandwidth usage and providing an optimal user experience when accessing over slow connections. |
Simplified Routing and Optimized Bandwidth |
| Message routing is automatically determined, and mail is delivered using the most direct route by default. Administrators can also configure schedule and priority to optimize bandwidth usage. |
Extensibility and Programmability
| Feature | New or Updated | Description |
Web Services Application Programming Interface (API) | SP1 | Developers now have a simple way to embed information from the Exchange Server 2007 mailbox or calendar within line-of-business or other custom applications. The Exchange Web Services API provides a single, documented, standards-based API to be called from any client, language, or platform. |
OWA Web Parts |
| Developers can easily embed Outlook Web Access functionality into their custom portals and portal applications using OWA Web Parts. |
Free/Busy Web Service |
| The Free/Busy Web Service offers a flexible, extensible way to access free/busy information in Exchange Server 2007. Used by clients such as Outlook, Outlook Web Access, and mobile devices based on Exchange ActiveSync, the Free/Busy Web Service allows developers to embed free/busy information in line-of-business or custom applications |
.NET Integration |
| Commands or scripts used in the Exchange Management Shell can be called from managed code such as C# or VB.NET. This allows developers to build custom applications which organizations may use to execute common management tasks in the messaging environment. |