Script to install all Exchange 2010 prerequisites

Articles in the "Install Exchange 2010 Prerequisites" series

  1. Script to install all Exchange 2010 prerequisites [This article]
  2. Exchange 2010 prerequisite installation script updated
  3. Exchange 2010 prerequisite installation script updated
  4. Updated script to install Exchange 2010 prerequisites

There are already several sites which have scripts to install Exchange 2010 prerequisites, but they all seem to fall short in one aspect or another. Some make you choose the right script if you are on 2008 or 2008 R2. Others download some files but not others. None make sure that WinRM is installed, which is needed for PowerShell v2. So I started with a great script and made it better. My starting point is Bhargav Shukla’s script, which in turn started elsewhere.

My script checks whether the server is running Windows Server 2008 SP2 or Windows Server 2008 R2. (If you aren’t running SP2, it will tell you.) Because the command to add the Windows components is different between them (ServerManagerCmd.exe in DOS and Add-WindowsFeature in PowerShell), the appropriate command will be run.

Instead of just downloading the 2007 Office Filter Pack, I added the option to download each file (including WinRM) if it isn’t installed and not in the installation source directory. I also chose to install the 2010 Office Filter Pack, which includes support for 2007.

If Windows Remote Management isn’t installed, it will install it and reboot the server. You don’t have to uninstall PowerShell v1 to do this, so you can run the script and install WinRM, then run the script again after the reboot to continue (which is then implicitly using PowerShell v2).

I also added functions to enable remote PowerShell and enable the Windows Firewall service. The latter is required for Exchange setup to be successful so it can create the firewall exceptions. You can always disable the service after setup is complete.

I added the option to install the HT and CAS roles together, should that apply to you.

If you want to download the required files ahead of time and put them in the same directory as the script, they are listed below (direct download links). Note that I renamed the filter pack installation file to 2010FilterPack64bit.exe in order to distinguish it from the Office 2007 Filter Pack installation file. If you have the 2007 Filter pack installed, the 2010 install will replace it upon installation. If you manually download the filter pack, though, remember to rename it.

You can copy the script inline below, or download it via the link at the bottom of the post.

  Prepare-Exchange2010Install.zip (4.7 KiB)

3 thoughts on “Script to install all Exchange 2010 prerequisites

  1. Thank you for the script. I am reading “Forgotten God” by Francis Chan now. It is a good read.

  2. hmm. I think it needs updating. when I run it it receives various errors about windows version number, .net 3.5 version update not relevant anymore. stuff like that.

  3. You are correct that it doesn’t take into account the latest .NET updates that may have superseded what the script is looking for. It has been my intention to update the script to account for the latest fixes, but I haven’t had time to do so.

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