Question

Upgrading Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2003

Asked by: pspera

Requirements for Microsoft Exchange 2003

I am performing my first upgrade of my career, and honestly I am getting a little nervous about it.  I have read the majority of the Deployment guide, and I am feeling semi confident.  This is my planned upgrade:

I have 5 servers running windows NT 4.0 Server, I have alreay upgraded 2 to Windows 2003 Server.  My plan is to take Server 1, which currently hosts Internet, Exchange 5.5 and some Files.  Server 2 which is currently nothing, running windows 2003 server standard edition on it.  I would like to across my network upgrade the Exchange 5.5 information, Mailboxes and all public folders from Server 1 to Server 2 Exchnage 2003.  

When reading the deployment guide it is telling me that as a System-Wide Requirement of domain Controllers must be running Server 2000 or greater - Which mine is currently running NT 4.0

Global Catalog Server??????

Servers are running Active Directory.

Is this information true for every server on the Network and do you have any hints for the upgrade?

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Asked On
2004-06-04 at 12:14:22ID21014008
Tags

upgrade

Topic

Windows 2003 Server

Participating Experts
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Answers

 

by: SembeePosted on 2004-06-04 at 12:21:10ID: 11235825

Lots of questions, so break it down for a bit.
If you don't have any Windows 2000 domain controllers then you aren't running AD.
You need to get that out of the way first. Can you confirm what the position is with domain controllers?

The first Windows 200x domain controller will be a global catalog server. You can make other servers global catalogs as well. If you have two DCs then it doesn't do any harm to make them both GCs. I would be looking to make all of your DCs Windows 2003 - but they don't have to be the existing DCs upgraded. Only problem is, the only supported way to change a NT4 DC in to a member server takes a wipe and rebuild.

As for the upgrade, swing is your friend.
Install Exchange 2003 in to your existing 5.5 organisation, with all the connectors etc. Then move the mailboxes across.

Now I have made it sound very simple, and if it goes correctly then it is.
Read the white papers from Microsoft on upgrading from 5.5. They are pushing it now in a big way and there is loads of information on their web site.

Simon.

 

by: psperaPosted on 2004-06-04 at 13:21:30ID: 11236377

My Current Domain Controller is running windows nt Server 4.0.

Should I make my new Exchange Server the Domain Controller then? so I would then satisfy the AD needs.  On a Network how do I make a new DC and stop the old DC since it is a NT Server.  

What is a Global Catalog, and how do I make the New DC the Global Catalog

What do you mean by swing is my friend????

Are you suggesting install Microsoft Exchange 2003 on my exiting Exchnage 5.5. Server, I thought I would not be able to tdo this becase that server is Windows NT server.  

 

by: psperaPosted on 2004-06-04 at 13:28:30ID: 11236434

Nevermind about the "swing"

 

by: SembeePosted on 2004-06-04 at 14:24:03ID: 11236790

If your existing domain controller (singular) is NT 4 then you don't have AD.

The way i do AD upgrades is to use one, preferably two desktops.
I install NT4 on both, as backup domain controllers. Once finished and updated, one is turned off and isolated. This is the backup in case things go wrong.
The other is promoted to PDC. After a suitable time for the domain to update, this new PDC is upgraded to Windows 2003. This makes it a domain controller.
Wipe and rebild the existing NT DC to Windows 2003 - if it will take it. This will allow you to remove the desktop DC.
With Windows 200x you don't just wipe a DC, you have to remove the domain controller correctly - using a tool called DCPROMO. This can make a domain controller and turn a DC back in to member server.

You can now do whatever Exchange install that you need to do. Install Windows 2003/Exchange 2003 on to a new machine, connecting it to the existing Exchagne organisation. You can then swing the mailboxes over to it.

I wouldn't recommend making your Exchange server a DC. If you have as many servers as you have listed, then a file server can do the job. Leave the Exchange server to do its job - just as an Exchange server.

Making a DC a global catalog is just a matter of ticking a box in the AD configuration tool. Wait a little while for it to replicate.

Given you type of questions, I would advise that you go and look at some of the docs on Microsoft's web site or at http://www.labmice.net/ and get some grounding in how AD works - it isn't something that you want to get wrong.
If you can get the budget, get a high spec workstation and a copy of VMWARE and build yourself a test environment to familise yourself with the new tools. They are very different to NT4's tools.

Simon.

 

by: psperaPosted on 2004-06-04 at 16:52:46ID: 11237430

Current Configuration

Server 1 - E-Mail, Internet - NT
Server 2 - Nothing - 2003
SErver 3 - Oracle - 2003
Server 4 - PDC - NT
Server 5 - BDC - NT

Furture Configuration
Server 1 - PDC, Files - 2003
Server 2 - E-Mail Internet - 2003
Server 3 - Oracle - 2003

Server 4-5 Nothing

With what you said and what my goals are I am thinking this might be my best bet.  Take two desktop CPU's Install NT 4 Server onto them and make them BDC's.  Once they take, shut one off, wipe and install 2003 onto my old PDC using DCPROMO to take over the PDC roles.  At what point does AD get put into place?  Once that is complete I can then swing my mailboxes to Server 2.  When the mailboxes have successfully moved, I can then wipe Server 1 and install 2003 onto it.  Then I can premote that server to the PDC, move any appropriate files over to it.  When that is accomplished the only other role that I will need to fill would be my bdc.  Does that make sense, or I am thinking incorrectly?

 

by: SembeePosted on 2004-06-05 at 03:09:36ID: 11238896

You don't wipe the second desktop BDC.
Promote it to PDC and then do an inplace upgrade. That will create an AD domain from your existing domain.

There is also no PDC and BDC in AD. They are all domain controllers. You do have roles on the domain controllers, and have one DC that holds many of the roles. However by proper use of the DCPROMO tool, these can be handed over to another machine quite cleanly.

Once you are happy the AD upgrade is working, you can wipe the BDC that is currently turned off. Make sure you don't plug it in to the network before you wipe it.

When removing machines, make sure that you follow the Microsoft procedure so that they are removed correctly. This is so critical with domain controllers and Exchange Servers in Active Directory.

The only thing I would probably add would be to use one of the Server 4 or 5 as an additional domain controller. Even if it doesn't have all the roles, it can take over in the event of the failure of the other domain controller. Running with just one AD is too risky - especially with Exchange and other services so tightly integrated.

The last thing I will say is that DNS is so critical in AD. Half the problems with AD are down to DNS issues.
DNS Server should be installed on all the domain controllers. The DCs should be pointing at themselves for DNS and the client machines should ONLY be pointing at the DCs for DNS.

Again I have made it sound quite easy, but do lots of reading and make sure you are comfortable with each stage.

Simon.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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