Migrating Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2003 in a New Forest
by Zubair Alexander
Microsoft MVP (Windows Server)
This document describes the process of migrating Active Directory running on Windows 2000 Server along with Exchange 2000 Server to Active Directory running on Windows Server 2003 and Exchange Serer 2003. The focus of this document is not on the installation of Active Directory or ISA Server, the main focus is on Exchange migration. When discussing such migrations, the number of possible scenarios is rather large. This document makes several assumptions to focus on a particular scenario. For example, we will assume a small organization with no more than 100 users. We will reset users' passwords manually. We could use Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT) to migrate users' passwords which you would want to do in a larger environment. In our scenario, we will keep things simple and avoid the additional steps required for using ADMT.
I may update this document in future to include more details, or include the steps required for ADMT, therefore I have used domain and server names to accommodate future updates, diagrams, and other items of interest.
Assumptions
We will assume the following scenario for the purpose of this document.
·
We are migrating Exchange and Active Directory accounts for a small company with
up to 100 users.
· Current Active Directory domain is running Windows 2000 and is called techgalaxy.net.
· We will be creating a pristine Active Directory Windows Server 2003 forest called seattlepro.com on a server using new hardware.
· Exchange 2000 Server (EXCH2000) is running Exchange 2000 organization in Native Mode.
· Exchange Server 2003 (EXCH2003) will be installed as a member server on new hardware.
· User accounts and mailboxes will be migrated to the new domain in the new forest.
· ISA Server 2000 is acting as a firewall and directing traffic to the old server.
· ISA Server 2004 will be installed and will direct traffic to the new server.
For the process of “migrating" Exchange mailboxes from one Exchange server to another Exchange server in a different organization, we will use Exchange Server Migration Wizard. When you install Exchange, the wizard is installed as part of the installation process and is available under Microsoft Exchange -> Deployment -> Migration Wizard. The migration process only “copies” the mailboxes, leaving the source mailboxes on the original Exchange server intact. This is essential during migration, in case we need to revert back to the old server. Although you can use the Exchange Server Migration Wizard to migrate mailboxes to personal storage (.PST) files, the main purpose for the wizard is to migrate mailboxes between separate Exchange organizations. Most administrators prefer to use Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Merge utility (exmerge.exe) to migrate mailboxes to .PST files.
At minimum you’ll require Exchange 2000 Server SP2 version of the Migration Wizard to migrate mailboxes from servers in following organizations:
Exchange 5.5 --> Exchange 2000
Exchange 5.5 --> Exchange 2003
Exchange 2000 --> Exchange 2000
Exchange 2000 --> Exchange 2003
We will use the Migration Wizard available with Exchange Server 2003. In our scenario we will migrate from Exchange 2000 organization to an Exchange 2003 organization in a different forest (from techgalaxy.net to seattlepro.com). We will use the Migration Wizard to import mailboxes and create user accounts in Active Directory that are turned off, which can be easily enabled by selecting all the accounts at once. The Migration Wizard migrates entire mailboxes, including the Inbox, drafts, calendar, contacts, sent items, tasks, and custom folders created by user. For more information, see KB article 328871.
Here’s a checklist for our project that will essentially update our Active Directory 2000 domain to Active Directory 2003 and migrate Exchange 2000 mailboxes to Exchange 2003. Notice that we are not going to “update” existing servers. We will be creating a pristine forest on new servers and then migrate Exchange data over to the new forest.
Install First Domain Controller to Create a Forest Root
o Install Windows Server 2003 on new hardware to create new forest root for your company, such as seattlepro.com. We will call the server SPDC1.
o Configure TCP/IP with static IP address.
o Install Active Directory.
o Document passwords for Domain Administrator account as well as Directory Services Administrator Mode. This password is also used for Recovery Console.
o Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software.
o Install service pack, latest patches and fixes.
o Install Group Policy Management Console.
o Configure desired network services on the server: DNS, DHCP, RDP, etc.
o Configure domain security policy.
o Make additional “tweaks” to the operating system, such as:
· Customize Windows services
· Configure event logs for security and optimization
· Configure time service
· Configure Windows Updates
· Configuring pagefile
· Disable error reporting
· Set up environment variables
o Document any custom configuration, including security settings used during the process and additional optimization that’s not part of a standard install.
Install Replica Domain Controller (per your network design)
Depending on your design, you may have several additional Domain Controllers that need to be added. Our design called for only 2 Domain Controllers so this will be our second (replica) Domain Controller used for redundancy.
o Install Windows Server 2003 on what will become a replica Domain Controller. We will call this second server SPDC2.
o Configure TCP/IP with static IP address.
o Install Active Directory and make it a replica Domain Controller in seattlepro.com.
o Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software.
o Install service pack, latest patches and fixes.
o Configure desired network services on SPDC2, such as DNS, DHCP, RDP, etc.
Install Exchange Server 2003
o Install Windows Server 2003 on the new hardware. We will name it EXCH2003.
o Configure TCP/IP with static IP address.
o Join EXCH2003 to seattlepro.com domain as a member server.
o If you are running any services related to anti-virus, stop them completely at this time. This is to avoid potential problems with Exchange installation.
o Download the latest version of Microsoft Exchange Server Deployment Tools. At the time of writing, the latest version was 06.05.7408.
o
Extract the deployment tools
and run “exdeploy.hta” to start Exchange installation, as shown below. By
default, it is extracted in the Exdeploy folder.
o In our scenario we need to select the option “Deploy the first Exchange 2003 server.”
o
Our current environment is “You
are running Exchange 2000 in native mode and you want to upgrade a server or
install the first new Exchange 2003 server”, so we will follow the process for
“Upgrade from Exchange 2000 Native Mode.”
o
In step 9, make sure you
specify the path to the setup for Exchange Server 2003 because in our scenario
we didn’t run exdeploy from the CD. We downloaded the latest version as part of
Exchange Server Deployment Tools from Microsoft.
o Choose the Exchange components that you would like to install. In our case, we will install all the items.
o When you are done with the installation, install Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2.
o Install other patches and fixes as desired.
o Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software.
o If you have 1GB or more of RAM, optimize memory with /3GB switch. See KB 815372 for more information. Do not use this switch if your Exchange server is not a Domain Controller, is running on Small Business Server, or doesn’t contain mailbox or public folders.
o If you are using POP3 and IMAP services, you may have to configure them to start automatically.
o Configure any other Exchange options, such as send/receive message limits, mailbox size or recipient limits, etc.
o
Install and configure
Exchange Intelligent Message Filter (IMF) to configure spam confidence level
(SCL) thresholds. This is an optional step but we will use IMF to control spam. If you run into any issues, check the article
Troubleshooting Exchange Intelligent Message Filter.
o
Configure connection filtering for Block List Service to control spam.
This too is an optional step but would help us tremendously in reducing spam. Here’s
what a sample list looks like. Caution! Do not enable too many rules or
it may have an affect on your server’s performance.
Moving Mailboxes from Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2003
o Disable all publishing rules on ISA Server 2000 that are related to mail, such as POP3, SMTP, and IMAP4 so people from outside cannot access your old mail server running Exchange 2000 during the migration.
o Ensure that no one inside your company is using the mail server.
o Stop all services related to anti-virus software on both the old and the new Exchange server. On a smaller network this may not have much impact but on larger enterprises leaving anti-virus software running can potentially slow down the migration process.
o Ensure that you have administrative rights in both the old and the new domain.
o Start the Migration Wizard from Microsoft Exchange -> Deployment -> Migration Wizard.
o
On the Migration screen select
the option “Migrate from Microsoft Exchange…”. This option will allow you to
migrate from Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2003.
o On the Migration Destination screen you want to use the option "Migrate to a computer running Exchange Server". Alternatively, you could extract information to .pst files and then import them on the destination server.
o
On the Source Exchange Server
screen, uncheck the box Exchange 5.5 server and enter the name of the Exchange
2000 Server. Also provide the name and password for the administrator's account
in the old domain.
o
On the
Migration Information screen choose the filtering options if desired. If you
uncheck the option "Create/modify mailbox accounts", only the mailbox store is
migrated and mailbox accounts are not created.
o On the Account Migration screen, select all the accounts that you want to migrate. It's a good idea to migrate an account or two to ensure that everything gets migrated properly.
o When you are done, the Migration Process screen will give you a report, including any possible errors and warnings.
o Click Finish to complete the migration process.
o Our Exchange 2000 Server is published by ISA Server 2000 so point ISA Server to the new Exchange server. As part of our design, we are not upgrading ISA Server 2000 at this point so we will have to install ISA Server 2004 later and then configure it to publish the new Exchange server.
o Enable all the publishing rules on ISA Server 2000 that are related to mail, such as POP3, SMTP, and IMAP, so mail is accessible from the outside world.
o Start all services related to the anti-virus program.
o Test access to mailboxes, Outlook Web Access, etc. to ensure everything is working smoothly.
o At this point you have successfully completed the migration process.
o Perform a full online backup of the new Exchange Server 2003 database.
o Turn off your old Exchange server without modifying or deleting anything, in case you need to revert back to the old server.
o
Let the new server run for a
week or so and if everything is working normal, make a back of the old server
and then remove it from network.
TIP: You can backup the old DC, install the OS and Active Directory on a
Virtual Machine, and then restore it to the Virtual Machine. Make sure the
Virtual Machine is not connected to your network. This will allow you access to
the old domain for as long as you want. This comes handy when you have to look
at the Group Policy settings, or any other configuration options in the old
domain.
Install ISA Server 2004
o Install Windows Server 2003 in a Workgroup. Depending on your situation, you may want to install it as a member server. We won't get into the pros and cons of domain versus workgroup in this article. We’ll name the server ISA2004.
o Configure TCP/IP with static IP address on all interfaces.
o Install ISA Server 2004.
o Install service pack, latest patches and fixes.
o Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software.
o Configure ISA Server as desired, including publishing rules for the new Exchange Server 2003.
o Test connectivity from internal and external networks.
o Backup ISA Server configuration.
If all goes well, at this point we have achieved our goal of creating a new Active Directory 2003 forest that’s running Exchange 2003 and is protected by an ISA Server 2004 firewall. Now you can go take a coffee break but don’t get too comfy because before you know it ISA Server 2006, Exchange Server 2007 and Longhorn (Windows Server 2015?) will be out and you will be starting this migration process all over again. Some people call it a pain, I call it job security.
References:
(Last updated: July 17, 2006)
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