Active Directory and Exchange Server Upgrade

Question

Hi Guys,

for your assistance please

Our Company is currently running a Windows Server 2008 (AD,DNS,FILESERVER, WSUS) linked to a Windows Exchanged Server 2013.

Domain name is sample.com.ph (user account in AD: ******@sample.com.ph) email address: ******@sample.com.ph

Now we have created a new environment and newly purchased servers and licenses because we plan to upgrade this.

New server box and new licenses Windows Server 2022 (AD, DNS, FILESERVER, WSUS) and Windows Exchange server 2019.

Domain name is sample.com.ph (user account in AD: jjdelacruz) email address: ******@samplecom.ph

My question is:

1. Does Exchange server requires a activedirectory to work? Or can this work independently?
2. Since we plan to configure from scratch again to upgrade no migration will be created, can you recommend the proper way to this new setup.
3. Im confuse why does exhange always needs the active directory to work.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Active Directory servers must be available for Exchange to function correctly.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/plan-and-deploy/active-directory/ad-access?view=exchserver-2019

--please don't forget to upvote and Accept as answer if the reply is helpful--

Answer 2

Exchange does require AD to work - why? how can you prove Juan Delacruz is Juan Delacruz? Active directory is the identity (******@sample.com.ph) and authentication mechanism in place to verify Juan is Juan. Then the question is does Juan Delacruz have authorization to an exchange mailbox. All of this is done with Active Directory on-prem.

If you were in the cloud and using O365, you would be using Microsoft EntraID (formally known as Azure AD) to do the identity, authentication, and authorization portions.

Answer 3

Migration is the best way - you already have a system in place - use the deployment assistant

https://setup.microsoft.com/exchange/deployment-assistant