James, First, thank you very much for your thoughtful reply. For our topology, you propose an intriguing scenario, but I'm fearful of unconventional scenarios. Our inter-office VPN links aren't robust enough to guarantee mailbox access to remote offices and due to political considerations (we're a law firm with a great deal of autonomy at each office), they won't want to cede control to an asset like e.mail to one office. Nor would our central NY office want that responsability.
I was able to get the first Exch 2003 server up in NY and it seems to be working ok. I'm in LA now preparing to install the next Exch 2003 server to test connection agreements between NY and LA. Unfortunately, my counterpart here commandeered the hardware we had earmarked for an exchange server for a different application and is now demanding that we install Exch 2003 on one of the office's DC's. *sigh* I found this link as an argument against running Exch 2003 on a DC: http://www.petri.co.il/problems_with_exchange_2003_installed_on_domain_controllers.htm if someone else could please provide some other compelling reasons against this setup, I'd be greatly appreciative. Thanks and best New Year wishes, Joon On 12/21/07, Knoch Jr., James W <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Let me see if I can guess how your topology is setup. > > You have separate domains for each office, but using a single Exchange > 5.5 Org? With Exchange mailbox servers in each office as well? > > If this is the case, is there any way you can reduce your domains to a > single user account/Exchange forest? I recommend it, and it would > probably make your life a little easier. If your inter-office links are > fast enough, you could consolidate your Exchange servers to a single > office. Depending on the user size/latency in each office, you could > stand up a DC in each as well. Another option is to setup child domains > for each of your office that will host exchange. You could do this > method either using an empty root method (child domains for each > office's user accounts) or an amalgamation of a main root/child domain. > > If you cannot consolidate your domains, then you may want to look at > setting up Exchange in a separate Resource forest. You would then need > to maintain a separate forest and at least one resource DC that is a GC > in each office that hosts an Exchange server, along with account forest > DCs. As you can see that can increase expense. You would then need to > synchronize automatically (or manually) with each user account domain > and create disabled user accounts in your Exchange resource forest that > are mailbox enabled. > > Otherwise, if you want to keep each office separate, you may be looking > at a separate Exchange Org/Forest for each. Then if you wanted to share > a global address list, you would have to maintain directory > synchronization to between each of them by creating contacts in each. > This can get messy quick, and you will be reducing Exchange > functionality that you may be using today. Also, the time/money spent > on getting synchronization working effectively may be better spent on a > consolidation project. > > We consolidated about 14 various windows 2000 account forests down to > three or four Windows 2003 forests as part of our Exchange 2003 > consolidation/migration from Exchange 5.5. We have certain restrictions > in place in where a DC gets stood up. Size of office, criticality, etc. > Also, we went from ~30 Exchange servers down to about 8. We went with a > main single user account domain, but we do host a few mailboxes for a > couple of other forests that have certain restrictions. Once we had our > Exchange organization joined to our existing Exchange 5.5 > infrastructure, we were able to then change the Blackberry server's > service account to a mailbox enabled account on Exchange 2003 and still > maintain Blackberry services for all mailboxes involved (very easy to do > and was a non-event). Initially Exchange 5.5 provided Internet mail > services, which we later switched to 2003 (the internet mail servers > were a swing method upgrade in my region). After we moved the > mailboxes, we began the user account consolidation. > > If you go into more detail about your entire domain/exchange environment > we might be of more help. Right now I'm just guessing. If I got your > environment wrong, then please note that you can only have a single > Exchange organization per single root forest. If you had to have > separate Exchange organizations, you would need a Blackberry server for > each. > > Thanks, > James > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of > titanic panic > Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2007 6:13 PM > To: Exchange Discussions > Subject: Re: moving from Exch 5.5 to Exch 2003 > > Albert, > > First thank you very much for your help. Second, your advice has > scared the bejeebus out of me. I understand what you said about > accretion and consolidating everything into one Exch 2003 server, but > that's just way biting off way more than I could chew. Doing that > would mean doing Exch 2003 + RIM BES at the same time which is > something I'm not sure I can pull off. > > While going through the documentation to install the first Exch 2003 > server, I noticed that domainprep wants to install on basically every > domain that is there. > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa997526.aspx > > You must run DomainPrep in the following domains > > * The root domain. > * All domains that will contain Exchange 2003 servers. > * All domains that will contain Exchange Server 2003 mailbox-enabled > objects (such as users and groups), even if no Exchange servers will > be installed in these domains. > * All domains that contain global catalog servers that Exchange > directory access components may potentially use. > * All domains that will contain Exchange 2003 users and groups that > you will use to manage your Exchange 2003 organization. > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > > It will be very difficult to run domainprep on all 4 offices > simultaneously, given that they're in London, NY, Chicago, and LA. Is > it possible to: > > -Run domainprep, then install the first Exch 2003 server in NY and not > move mailboxes onto it, and keep the existing Exch 5.5 infrastructure > intact. > > -Then fly to LA and run domainprep there, install an Exch 2003 server, > create a connection agreement, between NY - LA, not move mailboxes, > keep the existing Exch 5.5 infrastructure intact. > > -Repeat for Chicago and London. > > Again, I know you said that accretion may not be possible, but there's > no budget for bringing in outside help, so I have to do the best that > I can with as much safety as possible. > > Thanks, > > Joon > > On Dec 17, 2007 11:00 PM, Albert Duro <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Is it possible to just install Exch 2003 and join the current site, > > > and then move mailboxes? > > Certainly. That's what I did, a couple of times. It's been a while , > so I > > don't remember too much detail, but MS has TONS of documentation on > how to > > do that. 2 things you'll have to pay particular attention to are > schema > > updates and Connection Agreements. > > > > That's for the straight upgrade stuff. But you have some serious > > complications with your 5.5 topology. You can't get away with that > kind of > > accretion in the >2K world as you could in 5.5. The way that Servers > and > > Clients do business is quite different -- sites are redefined, there's > close > > integration with AD and DNS, there's Back End and Front End servers, > Cached > > Mode, etc. etc. > > > > If I were in your shoes, from what little I know of them, I would > either > > consolidate all the servers into one 2k3 servers, or, if I had to keep > a > > herd of them, I would bring in a consultant who knows how to plan a > >2k > > Exchange network. > > > > And I would definetely take them off the edge, if that means what I > think it > > means. > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "titanic panic" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: "Exchange Discussions" <[email protected]> > > Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 4:45 PM > > Subject: moving from Exch 5.5 to Exch 2003 > > > > > > > Hello, > > > > > > We have Exch 5.5 SP4 servers in 4 offices and after laying down our > > > Active Directory, the time has come to upgrade to Exch 2003. > > > > > > I looked through this KB article on the swing server method: > > > > > > http://support.microsoft.com/kb/821896 > > > > > > and thought that the upgrade process could be done through this > method > > > without actually using it as a swing. The hardware for the old Exch > > > 5.5 servers holding mailboxes can be retired given their anemic > > > spec's. > > > > > > Is it possible to just install Exch 2003 and join the current site, > > > and then move mailboxes? > > > > > > We have two Exch 5.5 servers on the edge of our network, one which > > > processes and routes incoming/outgoing mail, and another which > handles > > > blackberry users on a BES. Can these be left alone and remain > > > functioning? Will the routing server on the edge, direct mail to an > > > Exch 2003 server and also send mail? > > > > > > Thanks for any help, > > > > > > Joon > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > > List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm > > > Web Interface: http://intm-dl.sparklist.com/read/?forum=exchange > > > To subscribe: > http://e-newsletters.internet.com/discussionlists.html/ > > > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > .com > > > Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > To unsubscribe via postal mail, please contact us at: > > > Jupitermedia Corp. > > > Attn: Discussion List Management > > > 475 Park Avenue South > > > New York, NY 10016 > > > > > > Please include the email address which you have been contacted with. > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm > > Web Interface: http://intm-dl.sparklist.com/read/?forum=exchange > > To subscribe: http://e-newsletters.internet.com/discussionlists.html/ > > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > t.com > > > > Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To unsubscribe via postal mail, please contact us at: > > Jupitermedia Corp. > > Attn: Discussion List Management > > 475 Park Avenue South > > New York, NY 10016 > > > > Please include the email address which you have been contacted with. > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm > Web Interface: http://intm-dl.sparklist.com/read/?forum=exchange > To subscribe: http://e-newsletters.internet.com/discussionlists.html/ > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > com > Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To unsubscribe via postal mail, please contact us at: > Jupitermedia Corp. > Attn: Discussion List Management > 475 Park Avenue South > New York, NY 10016 > > Please include the email address which you have been contacted with. > > > _________________________________________________________________ > List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm > Web Interface: http://intm-dl.sparklist.com/read/?forum=exchange > To subscribe: http://e-newsletters.internet.com/discussionlists.html/ > To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To unsubscribe via postal mail, please contact us at: > Jupitermedia Corp. > Attn: Discussion List Management > 475 Park Avenue South > New York, NY 10016 > > Please include the email address which you have been contacted with. > > _________________________________________________________________ List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm Web Interface: http://intm-dl.sparklist.com/read/?forum=exchange To subscribe: http://e-newsletters.internet.com/discussionlists.html/ To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe via postal mail, please contact us at: Jupitermedia Corp. 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