Installing System Manager on a DC

[ancientcontra]

Hi I have just built a new DC. It has DNS and is in a mixed 2000 / 2003 mode.

We have 3 exchange 2003 pc's.

I cannot install the System management tools on it. After hitting the drop down for type of installation (want to choose custom) it hangs for 30 secs, then returns and error of
Microsoft Exchange has an unkown installation problem.

This problem is only mentioned once in the microsft knowledge base - and its in regards to installing on a win 2000 machine without SP3.

The tools will install on other DC's fine.
I have installed IIS and SMTP and NNTP on that DC.

 

[markdmac]

I would take a look at the Exchange Setup log to see what details it may list for you. See what it might have been copying etc. before the failure.

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript

 

[ancientcontra]

thankyou for your post.

I am sitting my exchange mcp next Thursday. Iwas doing a practice question, and thought I would try the setup /choosedc switch.

And it worked ! not sure why or how. But I guess it was trying to find a local GC on the local host and the DC was not a GC.

Thank you.
have great day.

 

[markdmac]

Not many people seem to know you also need to install the Exchange SP2 service pack on each DC you have installed the System tools on, so if you have not been doing that you will want to go back to each DC and do that.

I would check your DNS on that box as you probably have a problem on it if that switch resolved the problem.

You should run a netdiag and a dcdiag to look for errors.

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript

 

[ancientcontra]

Just on the DC's with system manager only too ?

Ok I will do that too. We just put on SP2 on our server.

Our other domains do not have sp2 on the exchange yet, how will that affect the way we use sytem manager to manage the servers in the other domains?

Always use the newest version of sytem manager ?

I had a problem with IIS that i fixed after I had used the /choosedc switch - which mayhave casue the original problem. I have no DNS errors. - But when I DCPROMO'ed this DC I think that the network service account did not get the correct permissions on the default website which makes me think all of this was related to that.

So I fixed that manually and now all the event logs in all areas are clean

thankyou for all of your help/.

 

[markdmac]

Sorry I should have been more forthecoming. Any system that has the exchange tools needs to also be patched with SP2 just like Exchange does. Doesn't matter if it is a server, XP workstation or a DC.

Just as E2K3 can manage an E2K server upgradign to SP2 will not affect the ability to manage downlevel clients. The same theory does not work in reverse, hence the need to patch it.

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript