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Exchange 2007 Removal
We are currently running Exchange 2010 and I am preparing to migrate to Exchange 2013. We use public folders and we have an old Exchange 2007 server that was shut down but never removed fully. I am attempting to remove this Exchange 2007 server.
I have powered up the old exchange server and selected to uninstall 2007. It errors due to the public folder database not being empty. I read a solution to move all replicas to the new server. I ran the moveallreplicas script to accomplish this however it seems this data had been replicated prior to the server being shut down but also had a replica to itself so the data existed in both locations. After running the moveallreplicas it is attempting to populate the Exchange 2010 public folders with data that is already present so users were getting thousands of conflict messages, 1 for every piece of data in the public folder structure (or at least this is what I think is happeneing). Due to complaints from management I had no option but to shut down the old Exchange 2007 server, which is where I am now at.
My quandry is that I cannot remove exchange 2007 without first emptying the PF database. I cannot empty the PF database without getting thousands of conflict messages ?
Any ideas ?
I have powered up the old exchange server and selected to uninstall 2007. It errors due to the public folder database not being empty. I read a solution to move all replicas to the new server. I ran the moveallreplicas script to accomplish this however it seems this data had been replicated prior to the server being shut down but also had a replica to itself so the data existed in both locations. After running the moveallreplicas it is attempting to populate the Exchange 2010 public folders with data that is already present so users were getting thousands of conflict messages, 1 for every piece of data in the public folder structure (or at least this is what I think is happeneing). Due to complaints from management I had no option but to shut down the old Exchange 2007 server, which is where I am now at.
My quandry is that I cannot remove exchange 2007 without first emptying the PF database. I cannot empty the PF database without getting thousands of conflict messages ?
Any ideas ?
Are you sure the Public Folder database content was successfully moved prior to it being turned off? Sounds like it was turned off for some time? And it sounds like you just want the database to go away (no data from 2007 needed).
I know this is for decommissioning 2010 but the same principle applies to 2007. But check Pete Long's article here. Steps 7 through 10 (2nd set of steps - last half of page)
http://supertekboy.com/certificates-for-microsoft-exchange/
In summary he says to dismount the database, rename the EDB file to .OLD for example. Mount it. Tell it to make a blank new database. And then delete it. I can say that this does work.
I know this is for decommissioning 2010 but the same principle applies to 2007. But check Pete Long's article here. Steps 7 through 10 (2nd set of steps - last half of page)
http://supertekboy.com/certificates-for-microsoft-exchange/
In summary he says to dismount the database, rename the EDB file to .OLD for example. Mount it. Tell it to make a blank new database. And then delete it. I can say that this does work.
ASKER
Yes, this server has been shutdown for over 12 months at least. I do just want to decommission it so will be trying Gareths suggested method over the weekend. Will update on Monday how it went.
Thank you both for your suggestions.
Thank you both for your suggestions.
ASKER
Gareth - I have followed the link you posted but it seems to only talk about certificates for Exchange not how to decommision Exchange 2010 ?
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Complete - Thank you for your help gentlemen.
Therefore that suggests to me that something has changed since the replication took place, or it was done in a non-standard way.
Anyway, what I would do is recover the server.
Wipe the server, without touching the AD account and without turning it on.
RESET the computer account and then reinstall Windows to the same version as it was before.
Reinstall Exchange 2007 with the recovery switches. Remove public folders etc, then remove it with Add/remove programs. Nice and clean.
Simon.