How to Migrate from MX 2000 to MX 2003

you just use ADUC and click their name and move mailbox.

for pointing to new servername .. just leave your old exchange box online for a while and next time the user logs in it will change their mailbox server

ADUC? Can you give more help? How do  I use this tool?

Can I retain the servername?

He means Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC). You may right-click select batches of users and use Move Mailbox under Exchange Tasks. As bilbus said, you do not need to keep the same server name as Outlook will re-configure itself when it determines that the mailbox has been re-homed.

(Do not accept this answer)

ADUC - click username, exchange tasks, move mailbox

choose new mailbox location (mailbox store 3rd box)

after each client logs in one time (to the old server) their outlook profile will change the server name for them. So just keep the old server up and running for a little bit

Do you have any particular reason to want to retain the server name?
If you will drop that requirement, then the migration is very easy.

Nothing you have put in to your question is unique.

The key thing is to ensure that both servers are alive when the users connect for the first time. They will then redirect automatically.

Simon.

sembee:
no there's no unique requirement - i was juz being paranoid, that changing the servername might affect the clients.

Since I am moving the mailboxes, what are the chances of corruption during the move? How do I recover them?

Mailbox moves are painless and quite reliable. On the odd occasion that I have seen it fail I have been able to move the mailbox back to the original server and restore service. Mailbox moves should be done when the user is logged out of their mailbox.

Mailbox moves are very painless. If it fails then you will find that the mailbox is on the original server. I have had power outages during moves and not had any ill effects.

As long as both the old and the new server are available when the clients log in for the first time, then the clients will redirect automatically. I have just moved well over 2000 mailboxes this weekend and no one touched the workstations. Monday morning the users didn't even notice anything had changed. The client was sceptical as well.

Simon.

Thats great to know, I want to take a step back at my post...was the suggestion from "flyguybob" as IN-PLACE upgrade?

"Move system folders and functions off of 2000."
How do I do this?

"Uninstall the 2000 server."
Is there a need for this? Can't I just pull it out of the domain?

"Change Exchange 2003 to native mode."
How do I do this?

If the above method the most efficient way to do this?

>"Move system folders and functions off of 2000."
>How do I do this?

See "How to Remove the First Exchange 2003 Server Computer from the Site" [1]. Chapter 3 of the Exchange Deployment Guide [2] also deals with this.


>"Uninstall the 2000 server."
>Is there a need for this? Can't I just pull it out of the domain?

LOL. You could cross the road without looking...but I wouldn't advise it. Uninstalling Exchange notifies AD and the other Exchange servers that server has gracefully left the Exchange organisation. Anything else will generate problems.

>"Change Exchange 2003 to native mode."
>How do I do this?

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/327779/

[1] http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/Remove-Exchange-server-entire-Exchange-organization.html
[2] http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=77B6D819-C7B3-42D1-8FBB-FE6339FFA1ED&displaylang=en

You must remove Exchange correctly - otherwise you will have problems with the operation of the other Exchange servers. Exchange servers talk to each other a lot, and if you don't follow the correct procedure then you will have a mess on your hands.

An in-place upgrade is where you install Exchange/Windows on the same machine as the existing installation. I don't recommend them under any circumstances.

Simon.

I agree in-place upgrades should bo avoided

Movig mailboxes are painless, may take a little time if its a big box. move a few at a time.

Oh ya like the others said move your mailbox first, better to loose your stuff then someone elses.

ryangorman:
See "How to Remove the First Exchange 2003 Server Computer from the Site" [1]. Chapter 3 of the Exchange Deployment Guide [2] also deals with this.

But I am not removing 2003MX, instead i'll be removing 2000MX...do you have any UGs on how to "Move system folders and functions off of 2000."?

2000 and 2003 are very similar so the process should be the same.

However if you Google 'remove first exchange 2000 server' http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=remove+first+exchange+2000+server+&btnG=Google+Search

you get http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307917/ as the first entry.

hi...

i'm sorry...but i'm quite confused...this was on hold for a while, but now its gotta be done next week.

I'd apprecate if someone could condense the process & just gimme a step-step....really appreciate it !

guys...really appreciate it..real concise!

ryangorman :
Before doing the MX migration, I will have to do the AD migration (that's another post) - I undertand that I need to do adprep on the 2000AD. Lets assume this is done.

 Do I need to do a "adprep / forestprep" & "adprep /domainprep" on the MX2000 ??

You're confusing your preps

You run adprep with the /FORESTPREP /DOMAINPREP switches to prepare your forest and domain for Windows 2003 R2 Domain Controlllers. See [1]

You run the Exchange setup program with the /FORESTPREP /DOMAINPREP switches to prepare your forest and domain for Exchange 2003. See [2]

Both utilities make changes to the domain controllers rather than to application servers. You would run /FORESTPREP on a domain controller with good connectivity to the Schema Master - like itself. You would run /DOMAINPREP on a domain controller in each domain.

[1] http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;325379
[2] http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/Forestprep-Domainprep-Explained.html

ryangorman :

Ok so if run adprep for my AD migration, I don't need to run it again for my MX migration?

i think i get it:

For AD Migration I do this (with the adprep tool):

adprep /forestprep
adprep /domainprep

For MX migration I do this (from the MX CD):

setup.exe /forestprep
setup.exe /domainrep

Correct. Simon is correct though - start the Public/System folder re-home before the mailbox move and complete it afterwards.

sembee:

"Public and system folders need to go to the new server before any user mailboxes go across. If they don't then you will get some performance hits or parts of Outlook will not work correctly.
Specifically free/busy information and the offline address books. "

Anyway to gauge the size of folders => time taken to replicate?
What factors should I consider?

Time taken to replicate? At least a week, probably more. Doesn't matter if you 10k or 100mb of public and system folders. Replication off Exchange 2000 is very slow and there is nothing that you can do to speed it up.

To give you an idea, I install Exchange 2003 on a Monday before I want to do the migration on the weekend, and will then leave it all week. Sometimes I will install it the week before the migration, giving it almost two full weeks to replicate.

Simon.

sembee
gosh...i was planning a weekend migration, as I din't know about the system folders taking this long.

So you installed the mx2003 on monday & started the public/system folders replication left it there for about a week & came back to the the mailbox migration? (how long did this take?)

(boy...am i screwed!)

So there is no way to expedite this process? & its a safe bet to say "up to 2 weeks for system folders migration?" & so even if the customer "puts his foot down" theres nothing we can do rite?

There is nothing that can be done to speed up the process. The client can scream shout, call Microsoft, do whatever they like - there is nothing that can be done. Exchange 2000 is very conservative with its replication - remember it is seven years old, when network speeds were 10mb at best. Now I have gb at home!

The only way that you can speed things up is a manual migration.
This means copying everything in public folders to PST files, then deleting the original content and recreating it on the new server. That means recreation - you lose all the permissions, email addresses - they have to be recreated.
That isn't usually a massive issue.

The problem comes down to system folders. You cannot do the same thing with those. The system folders come down to two items - the OAB and the Free/Busy data. OAB can be easily replaced. The Free/Busy data is not so easy. This is published automatically by Outlook when something changes in the calendar. While you can ask the users to create an entry once they have been moved, then delete it a short while later, this is not foolproof. If I suggest this to a client (usually after the replication hasn't done anything for sometime), then it is with the big provisio that the meeting system within Outlook cannot be relied upon for a week or more while everything is published up again.

Where Exchange 2000 is involved, the longer the you can leave the new server in place the better. I have gone longer. I did a migration for a client earlier this year where the new server was in place for an entire month before any mailboxes were moved. When it came to the switch over, everything was in place and the migration went very smoothly. The biggest problem I had was keeping the client off the server as they wanted to show off the new OWA in Exchange 2003.

Simon.

So if I start the system migration, I cannot move the user mailboxes until the system files are completely replicated?

Does the system prompt when replication is complete?

While the replication is taking place the users can still their mail from the old server, yes?

Can I restore the public/system folder of the old server to the new one instead of replicating it?

also..just taking step back here ...
ryangorman:

2. Forest Prep on schema master. Wait for replication.
3. Domain Prep on a DC. Wait for replication.

These are performed under the assumption that the SM & DC are still running 2000 at this point right?

If you are moving from one version of Windows to another OR from one version of Exchange to another, then you have to prep. If you are staying on the same version of Windows/Exchange then you do not have to prep again.

Replication does not impact the users in any way. You can carry out replication while the users are using the old server. You don't get any prompts that replication is complete.

As I stated above, you can move public folder data by hand using PST files, but you CANNOT move system folder data manually. That either needs to replicated or you have to take the performance and functionality hit while Exchange rebuilds the information on its own.

While you can move mailboxes before the replication is complete, you will see a performance and functionality hit - the same type of hit that you would get if you decided to abandon the old server and just move everything across.
With public folders, users wouldn't see the content that hasn't been replicated across and diary information would be incomplete.

There are no effective shortcuts. I have done many migrations and have tried everything.

Simon.

hi sembee,

i have updates from the customer that there are in fact 2x MX2000 servers, 1 front-end & 1 back-end. Does this in nay way change the migration steps that you have mentioned ?

Not really.
The only issue is that you cannot install Exchange 2003 while there is an Exchange 2000 frontend in place. The Exchange 2000 frontend will have to have its frontend role disabled. You can then start the install.
You should be able to prep beforehand and once the installation has started re-enable the frontend role on the machine again. However all subsequent installations will fail while the frontend Exchange 2000 server is actively marked as a frontend.

Simon.

1. How do i disable the front end server?

2. Why do I need to re-enable the frontend? Because after the migration there will only be 1 mail server - mx2003

To disable frontend you simply deselect the option "This server is a frontend server" on the Properties of the server in ESM, Servers.

If it is your intention to return to a single server deployment, then I would make that change first. Remove the frontend server correctly using add/remove programs and adjust your firewall to send the traffic that was going to the frontend server directly the backend.
Simplify matters first - then do the migration.

Simon.

Hi Simon,

- any services that need to be stopped prior ?

- when i do an uninstall i just remove exchange right? or is there a particular extension for front-end servers that i need to uninstall or just exchange?

- any preps i have to do 1st?

Just run the uninstall. It does everything else. If the uninstall will not work it will soon tell you. No prep, no services to be stopped.

Simon.

Hi,

I tried running setup /domainprep from my MX2K3, came up with this error message:

"The componment "Microsoft Exchange Domain Preparation" cannot be assigned the action "DomainPrep" because:
- Setup encountered an error while trying to contact the Windows Active Directory: The error was:

(No error was given !!!)

Advise?

Note:
-----
Adprep has been done. MX2K3 is being installed on additional DC

You can run forest prep and domain prep from any machine. I tend to run it on a domain controller.
It is a domain setting, not a machine specific setting.

Simon.

Hi Simon,

You misunderstood ADPREP ran successfully.  I was refering to mx2003's "setup /domainprep"

My comment still stands.
Exchange prep is also a domain setting, not machine. You can run it from any machine.

Simon.

Fair enough, so how do I resolve this error?

"The componment "Microsoft Exchange Domain Preparation" cannot be assigned the action "DomainPrep" because:
- Setup encountered an error while trying to contact the Windows Active Directory: The error was:

(No error was given !!!)

Are you logged in as THE administrator?
There is a checklist off the auto play menu for some tests. Does the server/domain pass all those tests?

If you install the Support Tools on to the Exchange server from the Windows Server CD, then run the following command

netdom query fsmo

are all the roles held by valid servers?

Simon.