Windows EBS Installation Overview

Applies To: Windows Essential Business Server

Windows EBS automates many of the installation and configuration tasks that you usually must perform manually when you install servers. This document provides an overview of the tasks that are completed during installation.

After running the Preparation Wizard and the Planning Wizard, you install and configure Windows EBS by following these steps:

1. Make physical connections for power and network connectivity and prepare your existing environment to meet Windows EBS prerequisites.

   Important

   Before installing Windows EBS in a production environment, be sure to perform a complete backup of your existing environment, including a system state backup.

2. Install Windows EBS software on three servers: the Windows EBS Management Server, Security Server, and Messaging Server. This process includes a procedure to integrate the servers running Windows EBS into your existing environment.

   Note

   The procedures for installing Windows EBS instruct you to install the software from the Windows EBS installation discs and to create a partition on each server to install the operating system. If you bought your servers for Windows EBS from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), your installation media may differ and some components of Windows EBS may be preinstalled. For more information, refer to the documentation supplied with the hardware from your OEM.

   You can use Windows Deployment Services to deploy Windows EBS to your new servers. To deploy Windows EBS from a server that is running Windows Deployment Services, you must add the images for the Management Server, Messaging Server, and Security Server to the server that is running Windows Deployment Services. For more information about using Windows Deployment Services, see “Windows Deployment Services Step-by-Step Guide” at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=125837). You must finish the installation process on all three Windows EBS servers after you deploy the images.

3. Set the time zone on each server to the local time zone in your area. For more information, see Set the time zone on each computer.

4. Finish configuration and migration tasks to start using your servers. These tasks are finished by using tools and guidance in the Configuration and Migration Tasks page, which you open in the Windows EBS Administration Console after the Windows EBS software is installed.

Installation sequence

Windows EBS installation is tightly integrated among the Preparation Wizard, the Planning Wizard, and the three servers. You are guided to install Windows EBS on the servers in the following order:

1. The Management Server

2. The Security Server

3. The Messaging Server

After the installation is finished on each server, the Installation Wizard lists the components, server roles, and services that are installed. After Windows EBS is installed on the Messaging Server, you can complete the configuration and migration tasks that are necessary to optimize use of the servers. Complete these tasks by using the Configuration and Migration Tasks page that starts when you open the Windows EBS Administration Console on the Management Server. This page describes each task, provides links to associated tools and documentation, and provides a checklist to help you track your progress.

Installation Wizard

The Installation Wizard performs some verification checks, installs Windows EBS, and establishes the Windows EBS Security Server as a network firewall.

The Installation Wizard completes several functions, including the following:

• Verifies that you have run and finished the Preparation Wizard and the Planning Wizard

• Verifies the compatibility of your current network with Windows EBS, and then helps you perform updates to ensure compatibility

• Connects to the Microsoft Update Web site to download and install critical updates

• Installs Windows Server® 2008

• Installs the product technologies, applications, and components of Windows EBS

• Performs initial configuration of network services, such as DHCP Server service and Active Directory® Domain Services

• Performs initial configuration of network security services on the Security Server.

• Guides you through the steps to establish the Windows EBS Security Server as your external gateway and primary firewall during the Security Server installation

• Performs initial configuration of messaging services on the Messaging Server

After you install all three of the servers for Windows EBS, the Installation Wizard prompts you to complete a list of configuration and migration tasks on the Windows EBS Administration Console. These tasks complete your network configuration and move your primary workloads to the servers running Windows EBS.

Network operation during installation

The Windows EBS installation process minimizes interruptions and demands on your current network services. Brief, temporary network outages occur at specific times during installation. The Installation Wizard explains when these outages occur and what processes take place when they happen. Even though outages are not extensive, it is recommended that you schedule installation of Windows EBS during a period of low user access to the network, such as a weekend or evening.

Although network activity may increase during installation as updates are downloaded and information is shared between your servers, Windows EBS installation minimizes traffic across your network.

Network security during installation

During installation, the servers are updated automatically with current critical security updates from the Microsoft Update Web site. This is by design to help protect your servers during installation.

If you choose, the Installation Wizard also connects to the Microsoft Update Web site after the software and roles are configured on each server, to check for remaining optional updates to download and install. Optional updates include the following classifications:

• Update

• Update rollup

• Service pack

• Feature pack

• Critical update

• Definition update

It is recommended that you configure the Installation Wizard to download and install the optional updates automatically as part of the installation of Windows EBS. To enable the automatic download and installation of the optional updates for the three Windows EBS servers, select the check box on the Microsoft Update page of the Management Server Installation Wizard. To disable the automatic download and installation of the optional updates for the three servers, clear the check box on the Microsoft Update page.

If you choose to disable the automatic installation of optional updates, you are still prompted to download optional updates before you finish the installation of Windows EBS on each server. You can choose at that time to download and install the optional updates or to finish the installation without the optional updates.

If there is a problem downloading or installing an update from Microsoft Update, you can successfully finish the installation of Windows EBS without applying the update. After you finish the installation of Windows EBS on the three servers, use the update-management tools in Windows EBS to apply updates.

Participate in the Microsoft Customer Experience Improvement Program

Microsoft continually works to improve its products. One of the ways it does this is to ask customers to share information with Microsoft about the types of errors and issues that they experience with Microsoft products. That information helps Microsoft learn which features its customers use most frequently, where errors are occurring, and how they occur. You may participate in two ways—through error reporting and through usage and reliability reporting. You can choose to participate in either or both programs by selecting options during your installation. To change your options at any time after installation, click the Administration Console Help menu, and then select Customer Experience Options or Error Reporting Options.