Moving Exchange 5.5 to better server

[SteveTownson]

I have an Exchange 5.5 server running NT4.0 that I want to move to a NEW server, so to be safe, I am loading NT4.0 and keeping everything the same. Same partitions, same software.

Currently, I am installing NT4.0 on the new server, and giving it a different computer name.

I have the following instructions that I found in this forum and am wondering WHERE the actual mailboxes are being moved and if anyone has had success in performing this and how long it took.

The old mail server WAS the PDC, but I will make a different server the PDC, and demote the Mail Server.

Also, how easy is re-installing the Internet Mail Connector with the same configuration as the old server?

Thanks for any assistance.
Steve...

 

[SteveTownson]

Sorry, forgot to include the instructions I found:

***
Procedure for replacing an existing Exchange server with new hardware.

This must be done when you can have e-mail unavailable for about 4 hours.

First, ensure you have a current backup of the existing server.

From Exchange Admin, open the properties window for the server. Select the Database Paths tab and note where each item is located.

Stop all Exchange services and set them to manual startup.

Ensure there is a local administrator account on the server.

Rename the server and restart.

Delete the original server name from the domain.

On the new hardware, install NT and create partitions to math what you have on the old hardware (drive-wise, not size-wise).

Once the original server's name has disappeared from the server manager window, rename the new server using the original server's name and join the domain.

Install Exchange server on the new hardware using the same Organization, Site, and Server names used on the original server. Ensure all NT and Exchange service packs have been applied that were installed on the old server.

Run Exchange Optimizer and make sure the database paths match the information gathered from the original server.

Once Optimizer completes, stop all Exchange services.

Find the following folders on all drives: mdbdata, mtadata, dsadata.

In each folder, create a folder named 'Hold', and move the contents of the folders into the respective 'Hold' folders.

COPY (DO NOT MOVE) the data from the above folders on the old server to the corresponding folders on the new server, being careful to move data from drive C: to drive C:, D: to D:, etc.

When all data has been copied over, open a DOS window and execute the following command:

c:\exchsrvr\bin\isinteg -patch

When this completes, you will receive a message that the database was successfully updated. If you get any errors, try changing the directory to the drive and folder containing the priv.edb and pub.edb, and try again.

Once you have received the message that the database was successfully updated, you can start the Exchange services. If you had installed the internet mail connector on the original server, you will have to re-install it on the new server.

 

[phollenbeck]

When moving mail to a new server, I have use the method of adding a server into the organization/site and manually moving the mailboxes. This will provide for a staged approach to moving mailboxes and most can be done during production hours. The key to this method is moving the system folders prior to decommissioning the original Exchange server.

If you clients are running Outlook 98 or better, the servername adjustment will automatically be made in the user profile when they access their mailbox from the new serve the first time. The key there is leaving the original server up and running once all the mailboxes are moved.

 

[SteveTownson]

Thanks,

But still following the steps in my previous post?

I seem to have 2 methods, and not really sure where to start. If I "decommission" a server, then will I still be able to "MOVE" the mailboxes?

I'm confused as to this entire process of moving Exchange from one server to a new server. I NEED to keep the exact same computer name as the old server.

Thanks,
Steve...

 

[phollenbeck]

Just curious, but why do you need to keep the same name?

But the steps you described will work fine. For re-installing the IMS, just make sure you document current configurations prior to decommissioning the first server. Be sure you do not install Exchange prior to the computer name change. The length of time will depend on the size of your database more than anything else. The larger the db size, the longer to restore. The Exchange install and configuration shouldn't take more than 2 hours.

 

[jonmca]

Check Microsoft Knowledge Base article KB155216 (updated 1/31/2003) "How to move Exchenge Server to a New Computer That has the Same Name". I used this doc as basic plan in moving Exchange 5.5 from old NT4 server to new dual Xeon Win 2000 platform last weekend. No hitches, but had to do one hack to the Internet Mail Connector services registry to enter the old server domain name, but everything went well. I also did offline defrags of priv.edb pub.edb and dir.edb files before moving them (See Q192185) One point, Exchange 5.5 installs as an open relay by default. Consider time to configure the new server after it's running so it not an open relay. Also plan time for installing virus protection software.

 

[fuego007]

Steve, et al,

I wrote the procedure you found. It is a modified version of the steps found in the techNet article mentioned by jonmca. If you don't use the same server name, it won't work.

By this method, you are not moving the mailboxes, per se. What you are doing is moving the entire database containing the mailboxes. This is a tried a true process that I have personally performed several times, and which I have talked people through over the phone even more times.

Creating a new IMC is easy, once you have deleted the old one. While the IMC configuration is contained in the dir.edb, for some reason it never works on the new server. As a result, the IMC must be deleted and re-created. You create the IMC by selecting New|Other|Internet Mail Service from the main menu in Exchange Admin.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Good luck,
Bob

 

[ilpadrino]

I have a question regarding installing a second exchange server in the same organization...

As phollenbeck indicates above, moving mailboxes manually to the new server in the organization allows the clients to automatically adjust and change the profile to the new server name. This is nice... but at what point do you modify the IMC?

Wouldn't it be attached to the old server name? In my exchange administrator program, if I look at the Internet Mail Service, it shows the server name in (). You can't have 2 IMC's running, correct?

 

[fuego007]

ilpadrino,

You can have two IMCs, but only one will be the bridgehead server, as that is the server the MX record in DNS points to. If you are going to replace an old server, I recommend you follow my procedure (detailed above and found in the Exchange 5.5 FAQs). Adding a second server to your site does allow you to move mailboxes while the servers are in production, but before you can shut down the server you no longer want to use you must go through the procedure of removing the first server in the site (document can be found at support.microsoft.com). Overall, this way takes longer than my method, as you also have to move public folders. Also, you can't remove the original server from the site until all users have opened their e-mail once their mailbox has been moved unless you want to manually change the user's Outlook profile.