Adding Exchange 2003 server to an Exchange 2007 Enterprise

[bfpnetadmin]

Hi all.

I have a 2003 AD domain that is a tree in a different AD domain. I installed the 2003 server a as a tree in an existing forest.

The 2nd domain is a 2003 AD domain running E2K7.

When i try to install E2k3 , Forest Prep fails. Something about a sub-component.

"A problem has been encountered in the Microsoft Exchang eForest Preparation setup component. Canceling setup.

Any ideas?

I ran dcdiag and netdiag from our dc and it works fine.
Also, domain prep runs fine when trying to install the E2k3 server.

 

[58sniper]

You cannot add Exchange 2003 servers to a native 2007 environment. This is documented, and by design.

Pat Richard MVP
Plan for performance, and capacity takes care of itself. Plan for capacity, and suffer poor performance.

http://www.ucblogs.net/blogs/exchange/

 

[Zelandakh]

Forest Prep adds a bunch of keys to AD. The keys added for Ex2003 are already there and supplemented by ones for Exchange 2007 so you'll get a failure. As Pat says, this is by design.

You can always add newer but not older.

 

[bfpnetadmin]

Do you have any supporting documentation that states that I can't add E2K3 to E2k7?

Thanks

 

[58sniper]

I believe that's in the E2k7 whitepapers. Microsoft has said it many times.

It's like trying to add NT 4.0 DCs in a 2003 Native forest.

With Exchange 2007, if there never was any Exchange 200x servers, you can't add any more. If there were Exchange 200x servers, and they've all been properly removed, you can't add any more. The only time you can add some is if there are already 200x servers in the mix.

You can't try to "extend" the schema with extensions that are superseeded by the schema changes you made for Exchange 2007.

Pat Richard MVP
Plan for performance, and capacity takes care of itself. Plan for capacity, and suffer poor performance.

http://www.ucblogs.net/blogs/exchange/

 

[Zelandakh]

The installer says it just not in so many words.