Applies to: Exchange Server 2007 SP3, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP1
Topic Last Modified: 2008-07-23

This topic provides sample XML answer files that can be used as a starting point for creating the XML answer files required to make a build DVD to improve the server build process. You can modify the following procedures to create the necessary XML answer files for your organization.

The following samples must be modified as described in the remarks in order to make them functional in your specific environment. These sample XML files will help you automate many of the steps required to deploy an Exchange server in your environment.

Sample XML Support Files

Important:
These XML samples only provide illustration of how automation steps can be implemented. You must modify them to make them appropriate for your environment. You must test everything in a lab environment prior to attempting to use them in your production environment.

Before You Begin

To perform the following procedures, the account you use must be a member of the Local Administrators group.

For more information about permissions, delegating roles, and the rights that are required to administer Exchange 2007, see Permission Considerations.

Exchange-Base.xml

Procedure

Use Notepad to create an XML answer file to automate installation of Exchange prerequisites in your Exchange environment

  1. Open Notepad or another text editor.

  2. Copy the following code into a file and save the file with a descriptive name and the .bat extension. We recommend naming the file exchange-base.xml.

    Copy Code 
    #"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!  THIS IS NOT A MICROSOFT SUPPORTED XML File.  !!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!	TEST IN A LAB FOR DESIRED OUTCOME	!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!						!!!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
#" "
<!-- ServerManagerCmd Answer File compatible with Windows Server 2008   -->
<!-- Usage: ServerManagerCmd -ip Exchange-Base.xml-->
<!-- -->

<ServerManagerConfiguration
Action="Install"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sdm/Windows/ServerManager/Configuration/2007/1">

<!-- BASE: Install PowerShell feature -->
<Feature Id="PowerShell"/>

<!-- PREPARESCHEMA: Install LDIFDE and other directory tools -->
<Feature Id="RSAT-ADDS"/>

</ServerManagerConfiguration>

Exchange-CAS.xml

Procedure

Use Notepad to create an XML answer file to automate installation of Exchange 2007 servers with the Client Access server role installed in your Exchange environment

  1. Open Notepad or another text editor.

  2. Copy the following code into a file and save the file with a descriptive name and the .xml extension. We recommend naming the file exchange-CAS.xml.

    Copy Code 
    #"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!  THIS IS NOT A MICROSOFT SUPPORTED XML File.  !!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!	TEST IN A LAB FOR DESIRED OUTCOME	!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!						!!!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
#" "
<!-- ServerManagerCmd Answer File compatible with Windows Server 2008 -->
<!-- Usage: ServerManagerCmd -ip Exchange-CAS.xml-->
<!-- -->

<ServerManagerConfiguration
Action="Install"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sdm/Windows/ServerManager/Configuration/2007/1">

<!-- Install the Web Server role with additional child components -->
<Role Id="Web-Server"/>
<RoleService Id="Web-Metabase"/>
<RoleService Id="Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console"/>
<RoleService Id="Web-ISAPI-Ext"/>

<!-- Install the three authentication types for OWA, GZip compression, plus Outlook Anywhere support -->
<RoleService Id="Web-Basic-Auth"/>
<RoleService Id="Web-Digest-Auth"/>
<RoleService Id="Web-Windows-Auth"/>
<RoleService Id="Web-Dyn-Compression"/>
<Feature Id="RPC-over-HTTP-proxy"/>

</ServerManagerConfiguration>

Exchange-Edge.xml

Procedure

Use Notepad to create an XML answer file to automate installation of Exchange 2007 servers with the Edge Transport server role installed in your Exchange environment

  1. Open Notepad or another text editor.

  2. Copy the following code into a file and save the file with a descriptive name and the .xml extension. We recommend naming the file exchange-edge.xml.

    Copy Code 
    #"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!  THIS IS NOT A MICROSOFT SUPPORTED XML File.  !!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!	TEST IN A LAB FOR DESIRED OUTCOME	!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!						!!!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
#" "
<!-- ServerManagerCmd Answer File compatible with Windows Server 2008 -->
<!-- Usage: ServerManagerCmd -ip Exchange-Edge.xml-->
<!-- -->

<ServerManagerConfiguration
Action="Install"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sdm/Windows/ServerManager/Configuration/2007/1">

<!-- Install AD Lightweight Directory Services (aka ADAM) -->
<Role Id="ADLDS"/>

</ServerManagerConfiguration>

Exchange-MBX.xml

Procedure

Use Notepad to create an XML answer file to automate installation of Exchange 2007 servers with the Mailbox server role installed in your Exchange environment

  1. Open Notepad or another text editor.

  2. Copy the following code into a file and save the file with a descriptive name and the .xml extension. We recommend naming the file exchange-mbx.xml.

    Copy Code 
    #"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!  THIS IS NOT A MICROSOFT SUPPORTED XML File.  !!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!	TEST IN A LAB FOR DESIRED OUTCOME	!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!						!!!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
#" "
<!-- ServerManagerCmd Answer File compatible with Windows Server 2008 -->
<!-- Usage: ServerManagerCmd -ip Exchange-MBX.xml-->
<!-- -->

<ServerManagerConfiguration
Action="Install"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sdm/Windows/ServerManager/Configuration/2007/1">

<!-- Install the Web Server role with default child components -->
<Role Id="Web-Server"/>

<!-- Install the optional IIS6 Metabase and console -->
<RoleService Id="Web-Metabase"/>
<RoleService Id="Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console"/>
<RoleService Id="Web-ISAPI-Ext"/>

<!-- Install auth types for DAV support -->
<RoleService Id="Web-Basic-Auth"/>
<RoleService Id="Web-Windows-Auth"/>

</ServerManagerConfiguration>

Exchange-ClusMBX.xml

Procedure

Use Notepad to create an XML answer file to automate installation of Exchange 2007 clustered mailbox servers in your Exchange environment

  1. Open Notepad or another text editor.

  2. Copy the following code into a file and save the file with a descriptive name and the .xml extension. We recommend naming the file exchange-clusmbx.xml.

    Copy Code 
    #"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!  THIS IS NOT A MICROSOFT SUPPORTED XML File.  !!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!	TEST IN A LAB FOR DESIRED OUTCOME	!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!						!!!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
#" "
<!-- ServerManagerCmd Answer File compatible with Windows Server 2008 -->
<!-- Usage: ServerManagerCmd -ip Exchange-ClusMBX.xml-->
<!-- -->

<ServerManagerConfiguration
Action="Install"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sdm/Windows/ServerManager/Configuration/2007/1">

<!-- Install clustering support -->
<Feature Id="Failover-Clustering"/>

<!-- Install the Web Server role with default child components -->
<Role Id="Web-Server"/>

<!-- Install the optional IIS6 Metabase and console -->
<RoleService Id="Web-Metabase"/>
<RoleService Id="Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console"/>
<RoleService Id="Web-ISAPI-Ext"/>

<!-- Install auth types for DAV support -->
<RoleService Id="Web-Basic-Auth"/>
<RoleService Id="Web-Windows-Auth"/>

</ServerManagerConfiguration>

Exchange-UM.xml

Procedure

Use Notepad to create an XML answer file to automate installation of Exchange 2007 servers with the Unified Messaging server role installed in your Exchange environment

  1. Open Notepad or another text editor.

  2. Copy the following code into a file and save the file with a descriptive name and the .xml extension. We recommend naming the file exchange-um.xml.

    Copy Code 
    #"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!  THIS IS NOT A MICROSOFT SUPPORTED XML File.  !!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!	TEST IN A LAB FOR DESIRED OUTCOME	!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!						!!!!!!!!!!"
#"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
#" "
<!-- ServerManagerCmd Answer File compatible with Windows Server 2008 -->
<!-- Usage: ServerManagerCmd -ip Exchange-UM.xml-->
<!-- -->

<ServerManagerConfiguration
Action="Install"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sdm/Windows/ServerManager/Configuration/2007/1">

<!-- Install the Windows Media Player components -->
<Feature Id="Desktop-Experience"/>

</ServerManagerConfiguration>

For More Information

For more information about documenting and automating your Exchange server build process, see Server Installation and Automation Guides.