Microsoft Exchange has an interesting history. It is part of the server products offered by Microsoft Servers and is used by many companies. Popular features include email, contacts, calendar, tasks, and support. Data storage is also offered.
The history of Microsoft Exchange is quite interesting and it started in 1993 when the XENIX system was changed to Exchange Server. Just two years later, approximately 500 companies were using Exchange Server Beta 1. In 1996, the public was able to buy the original Exchange Server 4.0 for the first time. It was offered as an update to Microsoft Mail 3.5. However, it was very different and offered many services. Exchange Server offers a mail system with a database store that offers X500 directory services. The directory used became Active Directory Service, which Windows 2000 integrated as the basis for Windows Server domains.
The next edition was released in 1997. It was called Exchange Server 5.0, and it allowed access to SMTP-based networks for the first time. This new mail standard allowed the 5.0 edition to communicate with servers through the Internet Mail Connector. A new interface for web-based email is also included in this release, called Exchange Web Access, which was renamed Outlook Web Access in a later service pack. Along with this version, a new version 8.01 of Outlook was released, as well as 7.5 of Microsoft Schedule and 5.0 for Microsoft Exchange Client.
Not long after a version 5.5 of Exchange Server was released. It had two editions, Standard and Enterprise. Database size, clustering and more were a bit different. There were many different features that came with version 5.5, including Outlook Web Access in a new version, deleted item recovery, and support for IMAP4 and LDAP v3 clients. This was the last version to have separate NNTP, SMTP and directory services.
Then came Exchange Server 2000. It was released in late 2000 and was better than previous versions. Four cluster servers were offered instead of two, and the databases were larger. Instant messaging was also supported in Exchange Server 2000, but that was later changed. Exchange Server 2003 improved some of the limitations of version 2000, and many Exchange Server 5.5 users waited for version 2003 to upgrade. Windows 2000 was also required. Others used Windows NT 4.0 and Exchange Server 5.5, but these are no longer supported by Microsoft . As a result, anyone interested in learning should go through Microsoft Exchange Training. The latest edition is Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2007 training is required. Exchange 2007 training classes will help any professional become proficient in this new edition.