New Exchange 2007 Install Question

[bigjrocksit]

I have a complicated situation that I'd like some advice on from those of you who have done this before. I know Exchange 2003 fairly well, but I'm no expert.

My current environment is Exchange 5.5 with AD 2003. We would like to migrate to Exchange 2007 however most of you know how challenging this can be. Not only does it require extra hardware, but the migration process itself seems to me a little on the extreme side.

One of my peers suggested that since we have only 50 users that I should make it easy and just export all mailboxes to PST and then re-import them when Exchange 2007 is in place.

I'm open to any suggestions on this, and I'm sure there is more than one way to do this, but I'd like to hear the different opinions on this migration.

Thanks-

Jeramie

 

[Zelandakh]

Certainly that's an easy way and will minimise dangers (though when you export, check to see that the language is correct and that you can successfully import a PST elsewhere). Remember that exmerge isn't part of Ex2007 so you use powershell to achieve the same end.

 

[58sniper]

You could also stand up a virtual Exchange 2003, migrate to that, then migrate to 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/

 

[bigjrocksit]

Thanks-

One of the things that is very frustrating to me is that from what I read there is no way to have both the 5.5 server as well as the 2007 server active on the same domain concurrently. If this was a functionality then it would make my migration very simple.

I would like to be able to have both of the servers up at the same time so that I can do some testing before I start migrating mailboxes over. One of the things that I have noticed with 2007 is that the settings are a little different than 5.5, or even 2003.

Ideas?

 

[xmsre]

If you use the exmerge method, you'll be missing the exchange legacy DN. That means that all replies to premigration messages will bounce. You'll need to add a custom x500 adress that is the same as the old lagacy DN to prevent that.