As with every new version, Exchange 2013 brings a lot of new features which make it a compelling choice, as a messaging and collaboration solution, for the enterprise. However, a lot of features and functionality (ex. coexistence with previous versions, S-Mime support in OWA) were not present in the initial RTM version. That left the feeling of incompleteness and justified the decision to postpone the installation of Exchange Server 2013 in a production environment, until a later build is released.

The new Cumulative Update (CU) model looks like a promising change, where each CU is a standalone installation of Exchange 2013, bringing new features and bug fixes, not unlike the former service packs. Despite of this, the re-release of Exchange 2013 RTM CU2, due to Public Folder permissions bug, brings again the importance of pre-testing and postponing, if necessary, the installation of a new CU.

In this step-by-step screencast, we demonstrate how to install Exchange 2013 RTM CU2 v2 (the re-released version – 15.00.0712.024) on Windows Server 2012. As usual, we start with Active Directory requirements and health check, as this is a fundamental prerequisite for successful Exchange 2013 installation.

Small details, which are often overlooked (like a domain name containing underscore) Fig. 1
Fig.1 Prerequisite checks error. , can have a profound effect on the result of the installation process. That is the reason we spend a significant amount of time and efforts on the preparation of Active Directory and the new Exchange 2013 server. Finally, we demonstrate different ways to validate and test the Exchange 2013 server installation.

For your convenience, we have published the text file with the commands we are using in the Screencast here

Step 1 We start with Active Directory health check, and make sure that our network covers Exchange 2013 requirements.

Step 2 Next, we extend the schema and introduce Exchange configuration data into the forest. Then, we confirm the result by checking the schema version and msExchProductId value for the created Exchange organization object.

Step 3 In this step, we prepare the new Exchange 2013 server and perform the actual Exchange installation.

Step 4 Finally, we demonstrate different ways to validate the Exchange 2013 installation and test our new server.