Need a proven method to move exchange to a new svr

[maglight]

Hi all
I have an existing server (NT4 (SP6a)) with exchange 5.5 which runs sweet, how ever we need to move it to a new system with incresed capacity and hardware reliability. Keeping in mind that the site name, comp name, and domain need to be kept the same. I have had several attempts at this but always strike a problem concerning with connection to the information stores.
The target server will have the same setup with a view to 2000 up grade both nos and exchange.

any help or advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[AlexIT]

There are serveral ways to do this if you are going to keep Exchange 5.5. M$ also has a large number of white papers that discuss the planned migration to Exchange 2K. All of which can be very complicated.
Our tested method for a small number of users (<50 or so per exchange server) is to recreate the users in Exchange 2K rather than moving them. This prevents this &quot;legacy structure&quot; that you will read about in those white papers.
What we are going to do in our real network (and what I've done twice in the test network) is to set up the new Exchange server while attached only to the AD server. Then you can create mailboxes for the client accounts in AD during the setup. Now you have Exchange 2K mailboxes that are empty, and somewhere else you have Exchange 5.5 mailboxes that are full. Export each user mailbox from the 5.5 server to .pst files, then connect each user to the new exchange server and drag-n-drop the contents of the .pst into the new mailbox. It seems to take about 30min per user (with mailboxes aroung 100MB) to export and the same amount of time to import. Do it on a weekend and your clients should never know that the exchange server is different (excpet maybe much faster.)

Alex

 

[SteveJepson]

I am currently moving all our companies widespread email servers into a singlr Exchange and NT domain and the NT domain move may be of some help.
What I would suggest is ;
1. Run the exchange optimiser and secure the settings.
remove the IMC but document settings
2. Stop all services (exchange)
2. Copy all the x:\Exchsrvr directories to another server.
3. Take the existing server off the network
4. Build your new server with the SAME name and IP address
5. patch to an identical level as the previous server.
6. install exchsrvr using setup.exe /R
when asked create a NEW ORGANISATION AND SITE
I use TEMPORG and TEMPSITE
7. Run the exchange optimiser.
it will throw up errors (i.e the databases do not exist)
but this is OK as this is the recovery mode install/
Ensure that all the locations are as shown in Step 1.
8. Patch to the same Service Pack.
9. set all exchange services to manual
10.Copy the directories backed up in Step 2. to the same
drives and locations on your new server.
11 Run Regedit and search for TEMPORG
Change it to the original Exchange Organisation name
Keep case settings!
12 Search for TEMPSITE and do the same as Step 11 for the
Site name
The values you are looking for are in Current Control Set
and previous versions.
13 Start the services and you should be up and running
Users should not notice anything as the server is the
same name and domain!

Notes:
I would remove the server from the Domain after taking it off the network and the re-add it as you build it to prevent
SID problems.

In the event of it not working you can always go back yo the original server.

Obviously this is not a sanctioned MS method so you take the can but after 20 odd boxes I haven;t failed yet

Good luck

 

[maglight]

Thanks guys..
In the end I just rebuilt the server to the same level as before with all settings intact and then imported the users from the nt pdc. When ever i copied the directories across and restarted the services i got the insufficent access rights thing which bugged the hell out of me. This leads to ask can you copy the stores listed in the optimiser alone to restore previous history for the users. I had intended to use the pst file, as a trial proved it works well.

Your advice is greatly appreciated