Install Exchange 2019

Guide to installing Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 CU12+ on Windows Server 2019/2022 Core or Desktop.

Prerequisites

OS: Windows Server 2019 or 2022 Standard/Datacenter.
AD Directory: Forest Functional Level must be Server 2012 R2 or higher.
Hardware: 128GB RAM (Recommended), 30GB Disk for install.
User: Enterprise Admin & Schema Admin permissions.

Step 1: Install Required Windows Features

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

Install-WindowsFeature Server-Media-Foundation, NET-Framework-45-Features, RPC-over-HTTP-proxy, RSAT-Clustering, RSAT-Clustering-CmdInterface, RSAT-Clustering-Mgmt, RSAT-Clustering-PowerShell, WAS-Process-Model, Web-Asp-Net45, Web-Basic-Auth, Web-Client-Auth, Web-Digest-Auth, Web-Dir-Browsing, Web-Dyn-Compression, Web-Http-Errors, Web-Http-Logging, Web-Http-Redirect, Web-Http-Tracing, Web-ISAPI-Ext, Web-ISAPI-Filter, Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console, Web-Metabase, Web-Mgmt-Console, Web-Mgmt-Service, Web-Net-Ext45, Web-Request-Monitor, Web-Server, Web-Stat-Compression, Web-Static-Content, Web-Windows-Auth, Web-WMI, Windows-Identity-Foundation, RSAT-ADDS

Restart the server:

Restart-Computer

Step 2: Install Software Prerequisites

Download and install in this order:

.NET Framework 4.8 (Usually included in newer Server OS).
Visual C++ Redistributable 2012 (Important!).
Visual C++ Redistributable 2013.
Unified Communications Managed API 4.0 (UCMA) using this command (Install from ISO sources folder or download):
```
Setup.exe /PrepareAD /OrganizationName:"YourOrgName" /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms_DiagnosticDataON
```
(Actually, install the UCMA Runtime MSI first).
IIS URL Rewrite Module 2.1.

Step 3: Prepare Active Directory (Schema)

Mount the Exchange ISO (e.g., E:). Open CMD:

E:\Setup.exe /PrepareSchema /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms_DiagnosticDataON
E:\Setup.exe /PrepareAD /OrganizationName:"MyCompany" /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms_DiagnosticDataON
E:\Setup.exe /PrepareAllDomains /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms_DiagnosticDataON

Step 4: Install Exchange

Run the setup wizard or unattended command:

E:\Setup.exe /m:Install /Roles:Mailbox /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms_DiagnosticDataON /InstallWindowsComponents

Step 5: Post-Installation

Enter Product Key: Login to Exchange Admin Center (EAC) -> Servers -> Enter Product Key. Or PowerShell:
```
Set-ExchangeServer -Identity "EX01" -ProductKey "XXXXX-..."
```
Configure URLs: Configure Virtual Directories (OWA, ECP, ActiveSync) to use your public/internal FQDNs.

Create Send Connector: To send mail to the internet:

New-SendConnector -Name "Internet" -Usage Internet -AddressSpaces "*" -DNSRoutingEnabled $true

Install SSL Certificate: Import your PFX certificate and assign services (IIS, SMTP).

Troubleshooting

"Reboot Pending" Error

If setup fails saying a reboot is pending:

Open Regedit.
Delete key: HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\PendingFileRenameOperations.
Try again.