Exchange 2003 Upgrade to Exchange 2010 Migrating and Upgrading Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2010Microsoft Certified Partner Provides Help and Assistance for Exchange 2003 Upgrade to Exchange 2010 Server Environments
Notice: As of April 14, 2009 Microsoft will not provide support for Windows 2003 Server and Exchange 2003 Server—these products are officially “retired” by Microsoft—Exiis Corporation will continue to support both products until June 30, 2015.
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Exchange 2003 Upgrade to Exchange 2010 Experience
Businesses and organizations planning Microsoft Exchange 2003 upgrade to Exchange 2010 will need an experienced Microsoft Exchange Server professional to assist with the many changes that have occurred between Exchange 2003 and Exchange 2010 Server environments. Aside from the many noteworthy improvements in messaging technologies, Microsoft Exchange 2010 Server can only be installed on Microsoft Server 2008 which means there are many considerations regarding the impact and requirements within the organizations Active Directory infrastructure. Considerations include the current Forest and Domain levels, legacy Windows 2000 Servers, and legacy Windows 2003 Servers. For organizations running earlier versions of other Microsoft and third-party applications, the impact of raising the Forest, Domain, and Active Directory levels could have a significant impact on current operations.
The Microsoft Exchange 2010 Support and Consulting specialists at Exiis Corporation have the in-depth experience and know-how to examine the impact of upgrading from Active Directory 2003 to Active Directory 2008 environments, as well as the impact on their current Exchange 2003 Server messaging environment. While the process for Small Business Server environments may seem to be easier at first glance, the over-all operational requirements are the same as in larger, Enterprise-class messaging environments. For Enterprise-class Exchange 2003 Server environments, many of the “old” concepts involving Routing Groups, Storage Groups, and Bridgehead Servers has changed dramatically. No matter the size of the organization, the combination of introducing Microsoft Server 2008 together with Microsoft Exchange 2010 Server will certainly have a profound effect.
Hardware and Software Requirements for Upgrading Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2010 Server
One of the first discoveries’s made by network administrators are the new hardware requirements for Exchange 2010 Server. In the past, Microsoft Exchange 2003 Server could be installed 32-bit hardware based servers and even as late as Exchange 2007 Server, administrators had the option to install Exchange 2007 Server on to a Windows 2003 Server 64-bit Operating System—all that has changed. Microsoft Exchange 2010 Server has now set the standard by requiring not only a 64-bit hardware based platform (as with Exchange 2007 Server) but additionally requires the new Microsoft Windows 2008 Server Operating System as well, which means the option for Windows 2003 Server 64-bit has gone away.
While changing from 32-bit based Operating Systems and Hardware may not initially appear to be a problem, it does change the playing field as to how to “upgrade” Exchange 2003 Server to Exchange 2010 Server. The impact also affects Exchange 2003 Server environments that were installed on Windows 2003 64-bit Operating Systems because Exchange 2000 and Exchange 2003 were both written for a 32-bit Operating System, so even if Exchange 2003 is installed on Windows 2003 Server 64-bit, the “core” Exchange 2010 binaries have changed the way Exchange Server operates. Since there if no option to upgrade Exchange 2003 Server to Exchange 2010, the only remaining option is to install a fresh copy of Exchange 2010 on new hardware. Once this requirement has been met, the additional requirement for Exchange 2010 Server to be installed on to Windows 2008 Server comes into play, requiring the purchase and installation of the latest version of Windows 2008 Server.
Exchange 2003 Upgrade to Exchange 2010
Microsoft Exchange 2010 Server requires Microsoft Windows 2008 Server. As mentioned previously, the ability to perform an in-place upgrade is not possible, which means moving from Exchange 2003 Server to Exchange 2010 Server is actually, technically, a migration process. Migration requires the current Exchange 2003 Server environment be operational and functional. A Microsoft Exchange 2010 Server must be installed within the environment, on a Windows 2008 Server, and at a minimum, the Forest and Domain functional levels must be raised. Once the Exchange 2010 Server is operational, configured properly, and the Mailbox Store is mounted, through the use of either the Exchange Manager interface or the Microsoft Exchange Management Console or by utilizing the Microsoft Exchange Management Shell (with the –move mailbox commandlet), mailboxes from the Microsoft Exchange 2003 Server are migrated or moved to the Microsoft Exchange 2010 Server. In addition to migrating mailboxes from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2010 Server, other considerations such as the need for Public Folders together with legacy Microsoft Outlook clients must be addressed. If legacy Microsoft Outlook Clients exists, other considerations such as re-creating the Free/Busy folder and replicating additional Public Folders must occur. Once all these considerations and processes are completed, the process of “retiring” Exchange 2003 Server from the messaging environment must be undertaken. This includes removing any references to the Exchange 2003 Server, Exchange Server Connectors, and other legacy components. Once the Exchange 2003 Server is properly retired, it can be safely removed from the messaging environment.
Additional Microsoft Exchange 2010 Server Features
Long before deciding to “upgrade” from Exchange 2003 Server to Exchange 2010 Server, businesses and organizations need to consider the additional features offered by Microsoft Exchange 2010 Server and how those features can be integrated into their IP and messaging environment. The process of determining the correct migration path and features that will be utilized requires extensive planning and investigation. For example, Microsoft Exchange Server has been the primary source for e-mail communications and collaboration within the enterprise. While there were many features in Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange 2003 Server environments, many organizations chose not to utilize the advanced features of these servers, limiting themselves to referring to Exchange as their “e-mail server”. For most organizations, the ability to share calendar and task items was the add “feature” Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange 2003 Server offered and was the motivating reason for purchasing the product.
In Exchange 2007 Server and Exchange 2010 Server, many additional features are now available to the enterprise, including a tight integration with IP telecom systems, Instant Messaging, and other Unified Communications options. Unfortunately, administrators appear to be focused on features that seem to affect them the most—High Availability and Reliability. Exiis Corporation certainly can appreciate these features and encourages network administrators to utilize and leverage these offerings as much as possible. High availability and reliability certainly means less down-time, less administrative costs, and a lower cost of maintenance. However, as with Exchange 2000 Server and with Exchange 2003 Server, there are many additional features that can be put in place to help lower over-all operational costs.
Microsoft Exchange 2010 offers Unified Communications—the ability to combine the entire organizations messaging infrastructure into a single source provider, which eliminates the need for costly third-party add-ons and accessories. Considerations for features such as the “Universal Inbox” where e-mail, voice, FAX, and Instant Messaging messages are delivered to a single Inbox for easier management and availability is just one of the features Exchange 2010 Server offers to the environment. The capability to access e-mail, voice, FAX, and IM from anywhere in the world via a comparable web-enabled browser, such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari means the user is never out of touch with the organization. Features such as integration with mobile devices—Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Smart Phones, and Windows 7 laptop users means users can remain in touch while on the road, in their car, or traveling abroad. And for network administrators, additional features that manage and control the size, routing, and archiving of e-mail messages as they transverse through the messaging system.
The experienced and professional Microsoft Exchange 2010 Server Support Specialists and Consultants at Exiis Corporation can assist in understanding features included in Exchange 2010 Server, how features from Exchange 2003 Server will map to the new Exchange 2010 Server environment, and how to leverage these offerings.
Exchange 2010 Edge Server Security
For larger organizations that utilize Exchange 2003 Bridgehead Servers, the new Microsoft Exchange Server role known as the “Edge Server Role” replaced the legacy Bridgehead Server or the Front-End/Back-End concept introduced during the roll-out of Exchange 2000 Server environments. Bridgehead Servers essentially capture incoming e-mail communications and act more or less as a “proxy” server sitting in the organizations DMZ zone. Messages are retrieved by the Bridgehead Server and routed internally and again externally between the internal Exchange 2000 Server or the Exchange 2003 Server. Exchange 2007 Edge Servers and Exchange 2010 Edge Servers come with advanced filtering and routing processes that perform complex routing calculations and authorization before allowing e-mail into the organization. For example, both Exchange 2007 Edge Server and Exchange 2010 Edge Server examine incoming e-mail headers for messages addressed to users in the environment. The process utilizes the Edge Server in the DMZ which then, through secure and encrypted communication, will query the existing Active Directory Users to see if a match has occurred. Once a user in the Active Directory is found, the e-mail is then delivered to the Hub Transport Server for further processing—if the user does not have a valid mailbox in the environment, the messages is then discarded or forwarded to another user for further review. The ability to lookup and confirm Active Directory Users with valid mailboxes significantly reduces the amount of SPAM mail that enters the organization. In addition to Active Directory lookups, the Microsoft Exchange 2010 Edge Server performs other functions as well, such as reverse lookup against well established “Blacklists” such as SORBS, RBL, and SPAMCOP. Message hygiene is also performed on the Exchange 2010 Edge Server which relieves the other Exchange 2010 Servers from having to perform recourse intensive processes associated with SPAM and content filtering. When combined with other applications such as Microsoft ForeFront Security for Exchange, businesses and organizations are protected from viruses, SPAM, and malicious Internet-based e-mail attacks.
The Exiis Difference
Exiis Corporation combines the talents of Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers (MCSE), Cisco Certified Internet Engineers (CCIE), system security specialists, experienced business consultants, and professional project managers to deliver the perfect Unified Messaging environment, regardless of your organizations size or location. Our world-class 24X7 Professional Call Center provides help-desk style support at all levels within the organization—from end-users to senior IT managers. We provide additional technology planning, design, and deployment options with other Microsoft Products and Technologies, such as Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) and Microsoft Dynamics products. With such a diverse and specialized group of professionals, Exiis Corporation will certainly become a trusted and valuable partner you can rely upon.