The recommended computer on which to install the Exchange Server Best Practices Analyzer is a dedicated management station. For more information about how to install and use a dedicated management station, see the Exchange Server 2003 Administration Guide (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=21769).

To install the tool on a computer that is outside the Exchange organization you need to explicitly set the user names and passwords for logging on to the Active Directory® directory service and the Exchange servers. For more information about how to set the credentials for the user account under which the scan will run, see Permissions.

You can also install the tool on an Exchange server. The tool can run on an Exchange server; however, it will consume a large amount of system resources, most notably CPU and RAM. Therefore, it is recommended that you install the tool on a separate computer. If you install the tool on an Exchange server, it is recommended that you scan only that Exchange server.

When you start the Exchange Server Best Practices Analyzer, it will determine whether there is a new file with best practices rules available from www.microsoft.com. If there is a new version, you can download the new file. You must be logged on to the computer as an administrator to download the file. If you choose not to download the new file, or if the tool cannot access the Internet, it will try to use the copy of the file that is on the computer where you are running the tool.

To manually copy the new version of the configuration file

1. In the directory where the tool is installed, rename the existing ExBPA.Config.xml file.

2. Navigate to http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=34290 in your Web browser.

3. Download the self-extracting package and extract the new files to the directory where the tool is installed (typically C:\Program Files\ExBPA).

Concepts

Effect of the Tool on Exchange Performance
Permissions

Other Resources

Setting Up the Scan