Transitioning from exchange 2000 to 2007 (Part 3)

Now after checking the entire pre-installation components, if we start the setup we will get some error messages such as this one:
Setup encountered a problem while validating the state of Active Directory: Domain Controller Operating System version is 5.0 (2195) Service Pack 4. The minimum version required is 5.2 (3790) Service Pack 1.
This a common issue actually, the reason behind this is that the setup is checking all the DCs that they must be 2003 sp1 as well as the GCs, because of that we have to point the setup to the specific 2003 dc.. This issue will be fixed in exchange 2007 sp1.



So, I am going to start the setup in an unattended mode starting by prepare the forest by running the mentioned switches previously but with specifying /dc: parameter to point to the windows 2003 DC.


•The first thing we need to do in deploying Exchange 2007 into a legacy Exchange
Organization is to run Setup.com /PrepareLegacyExchangePermissions
to run this command, open the command prompt, browse to the directory of the exchange 2007 setup files, the simply type the command.

•After that we have to prepare the schema, this can be done by running the following command
Setup.com /PrepareSchema /DC:

•Prepare AD, by typing the command:
Setup.com /PrepareAD /dc:
Note: you can run the Setup.com /PrepareAD command before running
/PrepareLegacyExchangePermissions and /PrepareSchema, this will run the /PrepareLegacyExchangePermissions and /PrepareSchema commands automatically.

Now we can start the setup, but we have to start the setup in an unattended mode as we said, by combining a couple of switches with the setup command, depending on your needs:
setup /m:Install /roles:M,HT,C,MT /dc: /EnableLegacyOutlook /LegacyRoutingServer: /t:"d:\program files\Microsoft\Exchange Server"
This command will install the management tools, Hub Transport role, Client access role and the Mailbox role.
That is it, exchange 2007 had been installed, and now we have to move the mailboxes to the new exchange 2007 and finally decommission the old 2000 server.

For more details, you can follow up with Henrik article on moving the mailboxes and decommissioning the old exchange server.


References:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124920.aspx
http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/Transitioning-Exchange-2000-2003-Exchange-Server-2007-Part1.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1597491373/isaserver1-20/
http://forums.microsoft.com/

Transitioning from exchange 2000 to 2007 (Part 2)

It is recommended to run the latest version of Exchange best practice analyzer tools now, and choose Exchange 2007 readiness check, in my case, the tool gave me the following report:

So, my exchange organization is in mixed mode, it must be changed to native mode.

In general, there is three prerequisites that must checked before installing exchange 2007, they are:
® Active Directory forest: the domain functionality level must be windows 2000 or windows server 2003, also you must make sure that the domain controller that is the schema master is running windows server 2003 SP1 or higher, this is also applied for the Global catalog server running on the site as well.

There are some switches that you can run them to prepare the environment by preparing the permission required for exchange 2007, preparing the schema, preparing active directory, and preparing domain.

Those switches are:
Setup.com /PrepareLegacyExchangePermissions
Setup.com /PrepareSchema
Setup.com /PrepareAD
Setup.com /PrepareDomain or Setup.com /PrepareAllDomains

Note: you can run the 32-bit version of exchange 2007 to prepare you environment.


®Exchange organization: it is a must to run the exchange organization in native mode, so we have to remove any exchange servers running exchange 5.5 .In my case I have to change the organization mode simply by opening the exchange system manager, right click exchange organization, choose properties then choose the change mode button you will get a warning message, click yes, as simple as that.

®Server requirements:
Software needed:

- .Net framework 2.0 and the update KB926776 as well
-MMC 3.0
-Windows PowerShell 1.0
-HotFix for Windows x64 (KB904639)



Also, there are some additional components that you have to install on the server depending on the role you are planning to implement, those are:
For Mailbox server role, you need the following components:
• Enable network COM+ access
• Internet Information Services
•World Wide Web Service


For Client Access Server, you need the following components:
-www
-RPC over HTTP proxy
-ASP.NET 2.0

For Hub transport server role, no more components are needed.
But be sure that the SMTP AND NNTP is not installed.

For Edge transport server role, you will need ADAM
AND also make sure that SMTP AND NNTP.




In the next article we gonna start the setup........

Transitioning from exchange 2000 to 2007 (Part 1)

Transitioning from exchange 2000 to 2007 (Part 3)