Microsoft Exchange 2003 Upgrade to Microsoft Exchange 2010Migrating and Upgrading Microsoft Exchange 2003 to Microsoft Exchange 2010Microsoft Certified Partner Provides Nationwide Assistance – Microsoft Exchange 2003 Upgrade to Microsoft Exchange 2010
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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Migration and Planning Considerations: Microsoft Exchange 2003 to Microsoft Exchange 2010
Microsoft Exchange 2007 marked the second major revision in Microsoft Exchange Server technologies.
The first major revision occurred when Microsoft Exchange 2000 was released, which transformed Microsoft Exchange Server from a stand-alone messaging solution to a tightly integrated messaging platform based on Microsoft Windows 2000 Server “Active Directory” services. During this time, network administrators and Exchange Server administrators struggled with new concepts, understanding Active Directory requirements, and attempted to understand how to move mailboxes from Exchange 5.5 Server to the “new and improved” Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server. Not only did Microsoft introduce a new way of managing the network through Active Directory services, they also tossed in a new way to install and manage Microsoft Exchange 2000—the overload of having to understand two major revisions in two separate server products was a lot to take in at one time.
Fortunately, when Microsoft introduced Microsoft Exchange 2007, both network administrators and Microsoft Exchange Engineers had time to catch up and adapt to Microsoft Windows 2003 Server technologies. The concepts of Active Directory services are well grounded, proven, and familiar to Windows network administrators. On the other hand, history repeated itself once again when Microsoft released Windows 2008 Server around the same time as they released Microsoft Exchange 2007—the primary difference this time around is that Microsoft Windows 2008 Server had not changed the fundamental networking or Operating System design. With Windows 2008 Server, network administrators and Exchange Server Engineers only need to adapt to using IPv6 as their primary routing protocol verses IPv4 that was utilized by Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2003 Servers. In addition to adapting to IPv6, there is a bit of breathing room as Windows 2008 Server allows for backwards compatibility and functionality with IPv4 network protocols, which gives administrators a chance to catch up with IPv6 and implement it under controlled conditions within their network infrastructure.
Microsoft Exchange 2007 introduced the second major revision in Microsoft Exchange Server technologies. In this instance, as mentioned previously, the core Windows Server networking concepts have not changed, however, the core requirements for Microsoft Exchange 2007 and Microsoft Exchange 2010 have changed significantly, requiring a major re-design in Exchange Server Organizations. Microsoft Exchange 2010 adds an additional level of complexity to the upgrade process—not only does Microsoft Exchange 2010 require a 64-bit Operating System, it also requires that the Operating System specifically be Windows 2008 Server. This is a major change from Microsoft Exchange 2007 which could still be installed on earlier Windows 2003 Server 64-bit Operating Systems; that option for Exchange 2010 does not exist.
Outsourcing Microsoft Exchange 2003 Upgrades
Since Microsoft Exchange 2010 has changed dramatically over Microsoft Exchange 2003, the option to outsource the upgrade and migration process becomes a very important consideration, especially in larger Exchange Organizations where cross-forest, cross-domain, and resource forests are involved. Microsoft Exchange 2000 and Microsoft Exchange 2003 both utilize the concept of “Bridgehead” servers or what is sometimes referred to as a “Front-End/Back-End” topology solution. With Microsoft Exchange 2010, the front-end/back-end topology infrastructure has been replaced with the Microsoft Exchange “Edge Server” role which performs advanced routing and messaging hygiene at the server level, within the DMZ zone and away from the internal Microsoft Exchange 2010 Organization. Microsoft Exchange 2010 Edge Servers utilize an encrypted communication channel that connects to the internal Microsoft Windows Active Directory Servers to verify and allow communication processes and e-mail messages to flow into and out of the organization. These edge server processes help to reduce the amount of SPAM the organization receives while improving upon security features not available with Bridgehead environments.
In Small Business Server and Windows Essentials Server environments, the core requirement for a 64-bit Operating System, 64-bit server hardware, Microsoft Exchange 2010, and interoperability between the IPv4 and IPv6 network protocols require seasoned Exchange 2010 Support Professionals to configure the network environment properly. In addition to the core server requirements, Microsoft Exchange 2010 does not provide the same tools and utilities that were available in the past for a major Exchange Server upgrade—tools such as the ever-popular EXMERGE utility is not available to assist administrators with mailbox moves, instead, the migration process requires that both Microsoft Exchange 2003 and Microsoft Exchange 2010 be fully functional and properly provisioned to move mailboxes successfully.
In addition to the core Microsoft Exchange 2010 requirements, additional network requirements apply to the entire Exchange 2010 Organization. For example, both the Forest and the Domain Function Levels must be raised to a Microsoft 2003 Server level and Microsoft Windows Active Directory services need to be updated before an installation of Microsoft Exchange 2010; these requirements may affect other servers, services, or applications that could significantly impact the over-all performance of the network and interrupt mission-critical business processes. Most businesses and organizations also depend upon the many remote user services included with Microsoft Exchange 2010, which requires the a PKI infrastructure or Public Certificate solution be deployed to support remote users, Outlook Anywhere, Smart Phones, and Windows Mobile devices.
The Microsoft Exchange 2010 Support professionals at Exiis Corporation have the in-depth experience necessary to address these and other concerns that occur when an upgrading from Microsoft Exchange 2003 to Microsoft Exchange 2010. By augmenting the knowledge gap between Microsoft Exchange 2003 and Microsoft Exchange 2010 internal network administrators have yet gained, the upgrade and migration process will go a lot smoother, significantly reduce the possibility of e-mail interruption, and increase the chances for a complete, non-eventful upgrade experience.
Benefits of a Microsoft Exchange 2010 Upgrade
High availability and increased reliability leads a very long list of benefits received when businesses and organizations choose to upgrade Microsoft Exchange 2003 to Microsoft Exchange 2010. Microsoft Exchange 2010 databases have been re-designed to eliminate the need for a separate log file that handles Internet feeds—these database logs, previously referred to as “Streaming” or .STM logs have now been incorporated into the Microsoft Exchange 2010 Extensible Server Engine (ESE), which means less overhead and more reliability. Microsoft Exchange 2010 eliminates the concept of “Storage Groups” as a container for Microsoft Exchange 2010 mailbox and public folder databases—this means copies of the Microsoft Exchange 2010 mailbox databases can be stored locally and remotely as well, eliminating the need to have the databases tied to a specific Exchange 2010 Server. By eliminating the need for a specific Exchange Server to mount these databases, network and Exchange Server administrators can use these databases on a different server. In Microsoft Exchange 2000 and Microsoft Exchange 2003 environments, the option to move and mount databases did not exist, requiring a Exchange Server be re-built to very specific requirements in order to use those databases. With Exchange 2010, any Exchange 2010 Server can be utilized to mount Exchange 2010 databases—this means a rebuilt server, a remote server, or any other Exchange 2010 Server can utilize the same databases for disaster recovery purposes.
Microsoft Exchange 2010 allows copies of the current Exchange Server databases to be created in real-time by taking advantage of local and continuous cluster replication services. In Microsoft Exchange 2003, the ability to make live copies of the Exchange Server databases available to another Exchange Server, complex and expensive hardware was required. Microsoft Exchange 2010 eliminates the need for these complex and expensive hardware-based solutions by providing a software equivalent to server clustering services. Introduced in Exchange 2007 and integrated into Exchange 2010 is the ability to create a “warm” server that remains passive so long as the “active” or primary Microsoft Exchange 2010 is available and operational. If, at anytime during network operations, the active Microsoft Exchange 2010 becomes unavailable, the stand-by Microsoft Exchange 2010 becomes available to take over messaging services. Planning for the option of “Standby Continuous Replication” services at a remote data center across the country allows for continuity in the event of a major regional catastrophe, such as an earthquake, flood, or fire.
Mobility options are next on the list when considering upgrading Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2010. Microsoft Exchange 2010 now supports additional web browsers, such as Firefox and Safari, a significant improvement over earlier versions of Microsoft Exchange 2003 and Microsoft Exchange 2007 which restricted users to using Microsoft Internet Explorer to check their e-mail remotely through Outlook Web Access (OWA). Having the option for additional web-based clients means businesses and organizations don’t have to rely as heavily on providing users with the Microsoft Outlook client which ultimately eliminates the need for additional Outlook client licensing. The introduction of Firefox and Safari web browsers also means users with LINUX and Apple Macintosh Operating Systems can connect to their Exchange 2010 Organization without restriction or loss in functionality.
Remote users and Windows Mobile clients receive additional features, such as the ability to configure their remote laptops and mobile devices simply by providing their e-mail address and password during set-up. Microsoft Outlook 2007 and later Outlook clients, as well as Windows Mobile devices, search the Internet and retrieve Microsoft Exchange 2010 configuration settings directly from their Microsoft Exchange Server; these settings are downloaded to Outlook and Windows Mobile devices which automatically configure the Outlook client and the Windows Mobile device. Blackberry and other Smart Phone devices can still leverage the power of IMAP and POP3 server protocols to connect to the Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 environment and perform the same functions as they did with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 environments, which means virtually every remote user and Internet enabled devices can connect and communicate with Microsoft Exchange 2010.
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.