Simple Exchange 2010 installation

Cut the bull crap. I have been through what seems like endless amounts of tutorials, blogs, and other instructional guides on a simple Exchange 2010 install for a small Windows domain environment(100 total systems/200 AD users). Why so many nonsensical/fluff included in these guides is beyond me.

Here is what worked for me:

• Pre-reqs: 
• Configure a Windows 2008 r2 domain controller and DNS server. (same system is fine)
• Create a domain account that is part of the following groups: <Schema Admins, Domain admins, and Enterprise Admins>
• Load the Exchange 2010 DVD and perform the three separate commands from command line on the DC itself since it also 'extends the AD schema'. Make sure you prepare AD first: 
• Log in as a member of the schema admins domain security group. If there is an existing Exchange organization in place, run setup /prepareAD from the drive containing the Exchange 2010 installation DVD. If there is no existing Exchange organization in this environment, run setup /prepareAD /OrganizationName:”<the name of your new exchange organization>”. In the example below, the following command is used: setup /prepareAD /OrganizationName:”First Organization”.
  
• Schema Updates (setup.com /pl, /ps and /p)
• Build a separate Windows 2008 r2 server with all updates for you Exchange server
• Load the Exchange 2010 DVD
• From command line: Install the Exchange pre-reqs:
• Run from this directory of the DVD: install\scripts>ServerManagerCMD -ip Exchange-Typical.xml
• Reboot
• Run the setup.exe file from Exchange DVD and complete installation.

• Make sure you uncheck those two options in IE as was previously mentioned in an earlier post or you will not be able to open the Exchange MMC.
• Then click on Exchange MMC and allow it to complete its initial setup.
• Bingo bango! Finished.

*Now remember this is for a small business or lab environment. When you get into Exchange clusters Edge Transport servers yada yada yada, it will be more complex than this. If your objective is to have an Exchange mail server to work for your internal network, this is all you have to do.