10 Minute Guide to Microsoft Exchange 5.0 - Lesson 1 - Welcome to Exchange In this lesson, you learn how Microsoft Exchange handles the interaction between the Exchange Client software installed on your computer (also known as the workstation or the Exchange Client) and the Exchange Server software installed on the network server. The server software is what controls the exchange of messages between your computer and others on the network. Understanding Microsoft Exchange Server Your Microsoft Exchange software is part of Microsoft Exchange Server, a network-wide system that's been installed in your company to handle messaging, scheduling, and other exchanges of information among employees, as well as between employees and the outside world. Microsoft Exchange Server consists of two components: The server. A server is a computer that contains information valuable to one or many users. Placing information on a server makes it available to multiple users simultaneously. This information could include annual reports, graphics, spreadsheets, or anything else that can be stored electronically. In the case of an Exchange Server, the server also holds users' e-mail messages and schedules. The client.A client is a computer that connects to a server computer to access information. Client computers are also called workstations. Workstations use the Exchange client software to connect to an Exchange Server. Then, workstations send and receive e-mail messages and/or update and retrieve schedule information. There are a number of elements within each of these two components, and they all work together to accomplish tasks across a network or a group of networks. The Exchange Client Software The client software for Microsoft Exchange Server runs on the following operating systems: Windows 3.1 Windows for Workgroups 3.1 Windows NT 3.51 Workstation Windows NT 4.0 Workstation Windows 95 Macintosh 7.x While the client software also runs on DOS (version 5.0 or later), only messaging functions are supported; all other features are inaccessible. The Windows NT Workstation and Windows 95 versions of Exchange Server Client are the most commonly used. They also look and behave the same, so throughout this book, I'll discuss Exchange Server Client from that perspective. If you're using Windows 3.x or Macintosh, your Exchange software may look slightly different, but the functions will operate the same. How Client and Server Software Work Together Microsoft Exchange Server is a modular client/server system. It is modular because a number of different components are available, so each company can install and use the features it needs. It is client/server based because the performance of tasks takes place at both the client and the server. Performing a client process may require information that is maintained on the server (such as getting a name from the company's e-mail address book). If this occurs, the client requests the information from the server. Upon receiving the request, the server sends the information to the client. The client can then use the data to complete a process, such as composing a message. Figure 1.1 illustrates the process that takes place when a client requests this type of information from the server. Figure 1.1 Clicking the button that displays the list of names sends a request to the server that holds that list. The server sends the list to the user's workstation, and the user selects one or more names and continues the task without any further input from the server. Sometimes when a client sends a request to a server, the completion of the task requires a server-based process. In that case, the server proceeds with the task. For example, the client might ask the server to deliver a message to another user. Figure 1.2 shows that server process. Figure 1.2 After preparing a message at the workstation, the user sends it to the recipient. This causes the message to be sent to the server, where all the mailboxes are stored. The message is placed in the recipient's mailbox, and a copy is stored in the sender's mailbox. Understanding Objects Object is the term used by Exchange to describe the way the elements in your Exchange software are viewed. Every element is treated as an object, including files, folders, messages, lists, and even computers. Objects are represented on your screen as icons. Even though you see many objects in the Exchange window when you're using the software, they aren't all stored in the same place—they are just displayed in one place. You can't tell by looking at an object where it is stored. Your mailbox, for example, is located on a server that is running Microsoft Exchange, and you are connected to that server. The server receives the messages you've composed and sends them to the server-based mailboxes of the recipients. When other users send mail to you, it is placed in your mailbox. If your company has multiple locations, and therefore has installed multiple Microsoft Exchange servers, the administrators have devised a system of delivering mail among all the servers. Your mailbox name appears on the list of users all through your company, and the mailbox names displayed on your computer include everyone in your company. When you send a message, you can't tell where the recipient is, or to which server that recipient is attached. But it doesn't matter. Microsoft Exchange Server follows a route from server to server to get and deliver your mail. Figure 1.3 shows how all the users end up being displayed on your computer's monitor as one group, regardless of their locations or which server they're connected to. Figure 1.3 All the networks a company maintains have servers that are linked (usually by telephone lines). So each user sees every mailbox available in the company, no matter where the individual mailboxes are stored. LAN LAN stands for Local Area Network. A LAN consists of computers that are grouped together. They are connected by wiring and software that allows them to communicate with each other. A company may have many separate LANs at a single location, or they may establish a single LAN at each office they maintain. Regardless of its location, each LAN can be configured so that it can communicate with other LANs. In this lesson, you learned how the Microsoft Exchange Server and the Exchange Client software work together, and what it means to be working in a client/server environment. In the next lesson, you learn how to open and close the Microsoft Exchange Client software, and you'll also learn how to use your mailbox.

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