exchange 2003

GC server should be on what you would typically call your "Primary Domain Controller"

To find out which of your DC's has the GC role;

Go to Active Directory Sites and Services ->Sites -> Default First Site Name (or whatever)-> ServerName -> NTDS Settings -Properties. Check box is there for GC.

Log file path is where you want to output a log.

im not using SBS as been advised as yet, that can be for a later date.

i have been having problems trying to send and receive emails externally even though now i have my very own "static ip" address.  my email was being sent from the client but getting stuck in my smtp queue and as ive not been able to log back onto this account for sometime i decided to as per advice.

separate my primary dc and exchange that was on the same server, but also after doing some reading exchange should work although there are issues unless changed could arise and unless im proficient in how to resolve all issues, which im not i will have these exchange issues.

so as per my comments above im at this point!

just so you know, yes i have now:

- 1 x primary dc where i will create all my accounts which is on a domain.
1. - 1 x exchange server which is also now on the domain, with DNS which is active as per procedures automatically, so im assuming this is correct as i wish for my exchange server to be on a domain for my users?

2. i know there are other scenarios but just wish to be able to send & receive emails externally.  ive changed and added my new "static IP" Address on my firewall for port 25 but not quite sure if right, but once i get to the point of sending email externally then presumably I will then need to confirm this?

ive located the AD sites & services and there is no name in tabs:

- general
1. - connections - although here is shows - replicates from: my primary dc  & replicates to: my primary dc.  so i added this name in the deploy tools and it still said invalid server name?
- object
- security

2.  as for log files, where do i locate them for this?

1. in ADS&S  navigate to your site, expand the servers container, expand the serevr itself, right-click on NTDS settings, properties, if 'global catalog' is checked, it's a GC

2. as for the log files? give the system any path you want - it will create the log files there (they don't currently exist)

ive logged on both:

- primary dc - global unticked
- exchange server - global unticked

1. but i thought when win 2003 is installed that global is created automatically?
2.  im assuming whether i tick one or the other it will be selected from both places?
3.  and ive just sent an email from my client pc which is on the domain and linked to the exchange and for some reason the email sent is sat in the smtp queue!  is No 2 the reason?

tick the box on the primary DC to make it a GC as well

yes - the GC should have been created automatically on the first DC in the domain. Bt it is not creaetd automatically on any other machine you promote to DC status - you nee to go into NTDS settings and tell the machine that it is also to be a GC

if you are running Exchange on a machine configured to be a DC you might want to consider promoting another machine to DC and demoting the machine the Exchage server is running on - it's not best practice to haev Exchange running on a DC - yes, I know you can do it, I've done it myself from time to time, but I try to avoid it as much as possible

No - if you tick GC on one machine it will not cause a GC to be created on bothmachines - it will only be created on the one you have chosen.

3. I wasn't aware that you had actually reached the point where you had Exchange up and running - if the email is stuck in the queue I would look at how things are configured, as well as making sure I had the addressing right, and that outbound connectivity is working properly - but that is a subject for another question

I just added the tick for global on the primary dc and it also did take affect on the exchange server as well.

3. yes exchange is up.  but i dont know how to check the configuration of the outbound?

- ive already added - smtp@ntltelewest.businness.co.uk in the recipient policy as per instructions

note:  i created a user called "corinne" on the primary dc.

send a mail to an external email address - if it gets there, your outbound connector is working correctly and configured properly

did you give corinne an email address/mailbox?

And we are moving well away from the scope of the original question

can you run orgprepcheck and the deployment tools correctly now?

ive already sent an email to an external email address, but it is stuck in the smtp queue.

yes when i created the user corinne i also created a mailbox.  i will leave this for the time being though.

going back to the original question:  orgprepcheck.  when i use the exchange disc to run this command it wants to know the GC, but it doesnt recognise the primary dc server

the server or the exchange server hasnt prompted a reboot so unless this could be the issue?

the GC might not have finished initializing yet

look for event 1119 in your event logs - that will tell you that the macine is now advertising itself as a GC

yes 1119 it says the exchange server that the DC is now a GC.

ive also looked on the eventviewer for the primary dc and it says:

that there was was a write conflict caused by simultaneous changes to the same object or changes to other objects that have attributes etc etc.  also the functional level of the forest is set to win 2000.

1. i know that in AD domains & trusts it states the functional level is win 2000 native, although im not using win 2000 and expected it to be win 2003 which is in the list to choose if i wish, but thought i would leave this and see if things work itself out.  what do you suggest?

I suggest trying to run orgprepcheck from the deployment tools to see if it will run correctly now

as per my above comment:

going back to the original question:  orgprepcheck.  when i use the exchange disc to run this command it wants to know the GC, but it doesnt recognise the primary dc server

in deploy tools it guides me through the install process and one of the options asks me to add the GC which does not work, so i typed it at the command prompt:

D:\support\exdeploy\exdeploy.exe /gc:dc1.local /t:orgprepcheck - this showed me a list but didnt appear to show anything constructive!

what did it list?

and what output has been logged in exdeploy.log?

Look for the data between

 #*** Exdeploy began: 01/03/2004 03:25:48 ***#

and

#*** Exdeploy finished: 01/03/2004 03:25:49 ***#

yes it works:

D:\support\exdeploy\exdeploy.exe /gc:dc1.local /t:orgprepcheck

it says:  completed successfully.

then we are done

appreciated!!

ive tried adding it from deploy tools but it doesnt work.

the ip address instead of the GC also works.