Upgrade or Clean install?

[PistolPete30]

Hi

I'm running Exchange 5.5 on a W2K server with about 120 mailboxes. I want to move to Exchange 2000 but am unsure as to the best way to go about it. Should I simply upgrade the 5.5 installation or do a completely fresh install on another server?. I've heard its better to do a fresh install as there are potential problems with upgrading.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers

Pete

 

[brontosaurus]

The potential problem with upgrading is simply if something goes wrong, you pretty much have to delete everything and restore your old 5.5 server. I've only heard a couple of these horror stories so far, but maybe that's enough to scare you off....In any case, that's why the preferred method is to install the ADC, run your Forest Prep/Domain Prep, and install E2K into the existing ORG. You can then migrate everything over at your leisure.

 

[AlexIT]

Exmerge the mailboxes from 5.5 to .pst, then install Exchange 2000. (You are installing this onto the same server, and you already have a Win2k ADC running with all these users...) When you install Exchange 2000 you will automatically create "mailboxes" for each user in the AD (because Ex2000 stores mail in the AD, not entirely in its own database.) Now exmerge those .pst files into Ex2000 and you are running.

If things go awry you have the users complete MB in .pst format so nothing gets lost.

Alex