Server Editions

Each physical or virtual server that runs all or part of the Exchange Server software requires an Exchange Server license. Small and midsize organizations not requiring fault tolerance could implement an Exchange system on a single server, but larger organizations generally use several servers for reasons of performance, high availability, administrative flexibility, and security. In a multiserver architecture, each server is typically dedicated to a specific Exchange role—such as mailbox server, edge transport server, or unified messaging server—and needs a license. (A brief explanation of each of the roles can be found in the illustration “Exchange Server Licensing Scenario“.)

Like its predecessors, Exchange Server 2010 is offered in both a Standard Edition (SE) and an Enterprise Edition (EE). The two editions are indistinguishable from an end-user perspective, but have technical differences of substantial interest to IT. SE is suitable for all Exchange roles, and EE offers advanced capabilities exclusively for servers running the mailbox role—only servers operating in the mailbox role ever need EE.