Exchange Server Exchange Server 2019 Microsoft

Automating Exchange Server Prerequisites

Microsoft Exchange 2019 Prerequisite PowerShell Script

Vikas JakhmolaLast Updated: June 29, 2025

27 6 minutes read

automating Exchange Server prerequisites

Table of Contents

Fully Automating Exchange Server Prerequisites with a PowerShell Script

If you are planning to install Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 and later, therefore thinking of automating Exchange Server Prerequisites to deploy it quickly. We’ve got you covered.

Installing Microsoft Exchange Server manually consumes a lot of time because you have to download the different software packages from different sources.

After downloading and installing them, you have to install the required Windows features and then extend the schema, prepare AD, and all domains.

Doing this manually takes time, and if you miss anything, Exchange Setup won’t continue and prompt to install the missing feature.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through a fully automated PowerShell script that sets up all necessary components for Exchange Server 2019.

Such as Windows features, .NET Framework, C++ redistributables, UCMA, and URL Rewrite.

This will be done with the help of the Exchange Server 2019 Prerequisites Script, which is a Fully Automated build in PowerShell.

This Exchange PowerShell script is quick, easy, and safe, therefore error-free, for automating Exchange Server prerequisites to quickly deploy the Exchange Server.

What the Script Does to Automatically

Usually, you know that there are multiple software and features that need to be installed prior to installing the Exchange server.

This script will automatically take care of installing the following software and features.

Installs .NET Framework 4.8
Installs Visual C++ Redistributables (2012 &2013)
Installs required Windows Server roles and features
Installs the URL Rewrite module
Installs UCMA 4.0
Ensures you’re ready for Exchange schema/domain prep

Therefore, it also checks if some feature or software is already installed.

However, if it finds the software and feature installed already, it will skip the step and proceed further.

Automatically Prepare Your Domain Controller as Well

As you know, we have to install .NET Framework, C++ Redistributables on the Domain controller as well, along with a few other Windows features.

To automate that, you can run the following script before running the Exchange Server Automating Prerequisites script.

# Active Directory Prerequisites Full Installer
# By Techi Jack

Write-Host "Starting Microsoft Exchange AD Prerequisite Installer..." -ForegroundColor Cyan

# Function to check if a redistributable is installed
function Is-VCRedistInstalled {
    param ([string]$DisplayName)
    $keys = @(
        "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*",
        "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*"
    )
    foreach ($key in $keys) {
        if (Get-ItemProperty $key -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*$DisplayName*" }) {
            return $true
        }
    }
    return $false
}

# Function to check .NET Framework 4.8 or later
function Is-DotNetFramework48Installed {
    $releaseKey = Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Release
    return ($releaseKey -ge 528040)
}

# Install .NET Framework 4.8 if not installed
if (-not (Is-DotNetFramework48Installed)) {
    Write-Host "Installing .NET Framework 4.8..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
    $dotNetUrl = "https://download.microsoft.com/download/2/4/8/24892799-1635-47E3-AAD7-9842E59990C3/ndp48-web.exe"
    $dotNetPath = "$env:TEMP\ndp48-web.exe"
    Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $dotNetUrl -OutFile $dotNetPath
    Start-Process -FilePath $dotNetPath -ArgumentList "/quiet /norestart" -Wait
} else {
    Write-Host ".NET Framework 4.8 or newer already installed, skipping..." -ForegroundColor Green
}

# C++ 2012 (x64)
if (-not (Is-VCRedistInstalled -DisplayName "Visual C++ 2012 x64")) {
    Write-Host "Installing Visual C++ 2012 x64..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
    $vc2012Url = "https://download.microsoft.com/download/1/6/b/16b06f60-3b20-4ff2-b699-5e9b7962f9ae/VSU_4/vcredist_x64.exe"
    $vc2012Path = "$env:TEMP\vcredist2012_x64.exe"
    Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $vc2012Url -OutFile $vc2012Path
    Start-Process -FilePath $vc2012Path -ArgumentList "/install /quiet /norestart" -Wait
} else {
    Write-Host "Visual C++ 2012 x64 already installed, skipping..." -ForegroundColor Green
}

# C++ 2013 (x64)
if (-not (Is-VCRedistInstalled -DisplayName "Visual C++ 2013 x64")) {
    Write-Host "Installing Visual C++ 2013 x64..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
    $vc2013Url = "https://download.visualstudio.microsoft.com/download/pr/10912041/cee5d6bca2ddbcd039da727bf4acb48a/vcredist_x64.exe"
    $vc2013Path = "$env:TEMP\vcredist2013x64.exe"
    Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $vc2013Url -OutFile $vc2013Path
    Start-Process -FilePath $vc2013Path -ArgumentList "/install /quiet /norestart" -Wait
} else {
    Write-Host "Visual C++ 2013 x64 already installed, skipping..." -ForegroundColor Green
}

# Define required features
$features = @(
    "RSAT-ADDS"
)

Write-Host "Checking and installing Windows prerequisites..." -ForegroundColor Cyan

foreach ($feature in $features) {
    $status = Get-WindowsFeature -Name $feature
    if ($status.Installed) {
        Write-Host "$feature is already installed. Skipping..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
    } else {
        Write-Host "Installing $feature..." -ForegroundColor Green
        Install-WindowsFeature -Name $feature -IncludeAllSubFeature -Verbose
    }
}



Write-Host "All AD prerequisites handled successfully." -ForegroundColor Magenta

How to Use the Exchange Prerequisites Automating Script

You can copy the script from the below snippet and save it with any name with a .ps1 extension.

In our case, we saved it inside the script folder on the C drive.

# Exchange Server 2019 Prerequisites Full Installer
# By Techi Jack

Write-Host "Starting Microsoft Exchange Prerequisite Installer..." -ForegroundColor Cyan

# Function to check if a redistributable is installed
function Is-VCRedistInstalled {
    param ([string]$DisplayName)
    $keys = @(
        "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*",
        "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*"
    )
    foreach ($key in $keys) {
        if (Get-ItemProperty $key -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*$DisplayName*" }) {
            return $true
        }
    }
    return $false
}

# Function to check .NET Framework 4.8 or later
function Is-DotNetFramework48Installed {
    $releaseKey = Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Release
    return ($releaseKey -ge 528040)
}

# Install .NET Framework 4.8 if not installed
if (-not (Is-DotNetFramework48Installed)) {
    Write-Host "Installing .NET Framework 4.8..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
    $dotNetUrl = "https://download.microsoft.com/download/2/4/8/24892799-1635-47E3-AAD7-9842E59990C3/ndp48-web.exe"
    $dotNetPath = "$env:TEMP\ndp48-web.exe"
    Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $dotNetUrl -OutFile $dotNetPath
    Start-Process -FilePath $dotNetPath -ArgumentList "/quiet /norestart" -Wait
} else {
    Write-Host ".NET Framework 4.8 or newer already installed, skipping..." -ForegroundColor Green
}

# C++ 2012 (x64)
if (-not (Is-VCRedistInstalled -DisplayName "Visual C++ 2012 x64")) {
    Write-Host "Installing Visual C++ 2012 x64..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
    $vc2012Url = "https://download.microsoft.com/download/1/6/b/16b06f60-3b20-4ff2-b699-5e9b7962f9ae/VSU_4/vcredist_x64.exe"
    $vc2012Path = "$env:TEMP\vcredist2012_x64.exe"
    Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $vc2012Url -OutFile $vc2012Path
    Start-Process -FilePath $vc2012Path -ArgumentList "/install /quiet /norestart" -Wait
} else {
    Write-Host "Visual C++ 2012 x64 already installed, skipping..." -ForegroundColor Green
}

# C++ 2013 (x64)
if (-not (Is-VCRedistInstalled -DisplayName "Visual C++ 2013 x64")) {
    Write-Host "Installing Visual C++ 2013 x64..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
    $vc2013Url = "https://download.visualstudio.microsoft.com/download/pr/10912041/cee5d6bca2ddbcd039da727bf4acb48a/vcredist_x64.exe"
    $vc2013Path = "$env:TEMP\vcredist2013x64.exe"
    Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $vc2013Url -OutFile $vc2013Path
    Start-Process -FilePath $vc2013Path -ArgumentList "/install /quiet /norestart" -Wait
} else {
    Write-Host "Visual C++ 2013 x64 already installed, skipping..." -ForegroundColor Green
}

# Define required features
$features = @(
    "Server-Media-Foundation", "NET-Framework-45-Features", "RPC-over-HTTP-proxy", "RSAT-Clustering",
    "RSAT-Clustering-CmdInterface", "RSAT-Clustering-Mgmt", "RSAT-Clustering-PowerShell", "WAS-Process-Model", 
    "Web-Asp-Net45", "Web-Basic-Auth", "Web-Client-Auth", "Web-Digest-Auth", "Web-Dir-Browsing", "Web-Dyn-Compression",
    "Web-Http-Errors", "Web-Http-Logging", "Web-Http-Redirect", "Web-Http-Tracing", "Web-ISAPI-Ext", "Web-ISAPI-Filter",
    "Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console", "Web-Metabase", "Web-Mgmt-Console", "Web-Mgmt-Service", "Web-Net-Ext45", "Web-Request-Monitor",
    "Web-Server", "Web-Stat-Compression", "Web-Static-Content", "Web-Windows-Auth", "Web-WMI", "Windows-Identity-Foundation",
    "RSAT-ADDS", "NET-WCF-HTTP-Activation45", "NET-WCF-Pipe-Activation45"
)

Write-Host "Checking and installing Windows prerequisites..." -ForegroundColor Cyan

foreach ($feature in $features) {
    $status = Get-WindowsFeature -Name $feature
    if ($status.Installed) {
        Write-Host "$feature is already installed. Skipping..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
    } else {
        Write-Host "Installing $feature..." -ForegroundColor Green
        Install-WindowsFeature -Name $feature -IncludeAllSubFeature -Verbose
    }
}


# URL Rewrite
$rewriteDll = "$env:SystemRoot\System32\inetsrv\rewrite.dll"
if (-not (Test-Path $rewriteDll)) {
    Write-Host "Installing IIS URL Rewrite Module 2.1..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
    $urlRewriteUrl = "https://download.microsoft.com/download/1/2/8/128E2E22-C1B9-44A4-BE2A-5859ED1D4592/rewrite_amd64_en-US.msi"
    $urlRewritePath = "$env:TEMP\rewrite_2.1_x64.msi"
    Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $urlRewriteUrl -OutFile $urlRewritePath
    Start-Process -FilePath "msiexec.exe" -ArgumentList "/i `"$urlRewritePath`" /quiet /norestart" -Wait
    Write-Host "URL Rewrite Module installed." -ForegroundColor Cyan
} else {
    Write-Host "URL Rewrite already installed, skipping..." -ForegroundColor Green
}

function Is-UCMAInstalled {
    $ucmaPath = "C:\Program Files\Microsoft UCMA 4.0"
    return (Test-Path $ucmaPath)
}

$UcmaDownloadUrl = "https://download.microsoft.com/download/2/c/4/2c47a5c1-a1f3-4843-b9fe-84c0032c61ec/UcmaRuntimeSetup.exe"
$UcmaInstaller = "$env:TEMP\UcmaRuntimeSetup.exe"

if (-not (Is-UCMAInstalled)) {
    Write-Host "UCMA 4.0 not detected." -ForegroundColor Cyan

    if (-not (Test-Path $UcmaInstaller)) {
        Write-Host "Downloading UCMA installer..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
        Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $UcmaDownloadUrl -OutFile $UcmaInstaller -UseBasicParsing
    } else {
        Write-Host "UCMA installer already exists. Skipping download." -ForegroundColor Yellow
    }

    Write-Host "Installing UCMA 4.0..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
    Start-Process -FilePath $UcmaInstaller -ArgumentList "/quiet" -Wait
    Write-Host "UCMA 4.0 installation completed." -ForegroundColor Green
} else {
    Write-Host "UCMA 4.0 is already installed. Skipping installation and download." -ForegroundColor Green
}


Write-Host "All prerequisites handled successfully." -ForegroundColor Magenta

Make sure Windows Server 2019 or 2022 (latest patched)
Admin rights (Run as Administrator)
Internet access (to download dependencies

Open PowerShell as an Administrator

Navigate to the script folder and run the script

If you saved the script by the name of ExchangePrerequisites.ps1, run the following command

Example:

c:\scripts> .\ExchangePrerequisites.ps1

Once the script starts, you can follow the screen prompts to check the process.

It will automatically download and install the software and Windows features.

How Automating Exchange Server Prerequisites Helps

It saves hours of manual configuration
Avoids missed prerequisites or Exchange Setup errors
Perfect for lab deployments, production, or consulting work
Quite safe as it’s a fresh server, so you lose nothing

Quick Troubleshooting Tips

If the script is not running, then set the execution policy first by running the following cmdlet

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope Process

If URL rewrite fails, make sure IIS is installed first

Therefore, if UCMA is not installing, check internet connectivity, or if the URL to the software changes, install it manually.

Note: However, this script will install the IIS feature first, so that URL Rewrite will not prompt for any error

Final Thoughts

If you’re setting up Exchange Server 2019 and want a quick, error-free setup, this script will make your job much easier. Bookmark this page or subscribe to my channel for more Exchange, Proxmox, and Mailcow content.

I hope you will also like some Microsoft Exchange tutorials

How to Renew Exchange Federation Certificate

Exchange Server Health Checker PowerShell Script

Therefore, if you face any issue with your Exchange Server, on-premises, or Hybrid Exchange

Feel free to contact us at info@techijack.com

Moreover, see every step in action, including real-time installation and what each component does.

YouTube video

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Vikas JakhmolaLast Updated: June 29, 2025

27 6 minutes read

Vikas Jakhmola

Vikas Jakhmola, the founder of Techijack, with over 15+ years of experience in the IT industry.