Dealing with Windows 2003 Standard, SP1 and Exchange 2003 SP2.
I am doing a migration from one server to another. I am trying to do most of it "online". I disabled the GC on our original server and it broke Exchange. The GC exists on a second domain controller, yet Exchange still broke down. I must be missing something. Here are the details:
I am migrating our existing server (which runs ADS, Exchange and SQL) to a new server (that will run all the same stuff). I have configured the new server as a second ADS server in our domain. I installed Exchange and configured ADS onthe new server. I've also started the Public Folder replication. I've transfered the 5 major roles from the old server, to the new server: Schema Master, PDC Emulator, Domain Naming Master, RID Master and Infrastructure Master.
I made the new server a Global Catalog server as well. Things have been up like this for several days now. Our original server is still hosting our Exchange stuff, at this point.
So the other day, for kicks, I went and unchecked the GC option on the OLD server, as the new server has been up for several days now without issue. This broke our Exchange server connections. I checked out Event Viewer on the original server (called "Zen") and saw:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: MSExchangeDSAccess
Event Category: Topology
Event ID: 2103
Date: 2/14/2007
Time: 11:36:51 AM
User: N/A
Computer: ZEN
Description:
Process MAD.EXE (PID=332). All Global Catalog Servers in use are not responding:
ZEN.mycompanydomain.org
server.mycompanydomain.org
After about 5 minutes, I re-enabled the GC on the original server "Zen" and Exchange started working again.
I plan on uninstalling Exchange and removing Zen (the original server) from our Domain using DCPromo once I have everything migrated to our new server (called "Server").
But if the fact that I disabled the GC on the original server and it broke Exchange, leads me to believe I am missing a step somewhere. I have documentation I am following for Exchange portion of the migrating, but I want to make sure ADS is in order first (Exchange migration docs that I am referencing are here:
http://www.amset.info/exchange/migration.asp) . I thought I could safely remove the GC from the old server once the new server had picked it up? Am I wrong here?
