Exchange Server Upgrades 5.5 to 2003 Exchange Upgrade

The following is a list of things to consider when you upgrade to Exchange 2003:

Before you upgrade to Exchange Server 2003, make sure that your network and your servers meet the following system-wide requirements:

Domain controllers are running Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Service Pack 3 (SP3) and later, or Microsoft Windows Server 2003.
Global catalog servers are running Windows 2000 SP3 or Windows Server 2003. Microsoft recommends that you have a global catalog server in every domain where you plan to install Exchange 2003.

Servers are running Windows Server 2003 or Windows 2000 Server SP3 versions of the Microsoft Active Directory directory service.

Before you upgrade an Exchange 2000 computer to Exchange 2003, the computer must be running Exchange 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3) or later. If the computer is not running Exchange 2000 SP3 or later, Exchange Setup will stop the upgrade process.

Although Exchange 2000 Server Service Pack 2 (SP2) or later is supported in an environment with Windows Server 2003 domain controllers and global catalog servers, Exchange 2003 is the first version of Exchange that is supported on computers that are run Windows Server 2003. Exchange 2000 is not supported on Windows Server 2003. In a situation where you run Exchange 2000 on a Windows 2000-based computer and you want to upgrade the operating system to Windows Server 2003, you must first upgrade Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2003. You can then upgrade Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003.

Exchange 2003 can coexist with Exchange 2000. When Exchange 2003 is running in Exchange mixed mode, it can coexist with Exchange Server 5.5.

You can perform an in-place upgrade from Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2003; however, an in-place upgrade from Exchange Server 5.5 to Exchange 2003 is not supported.

Exchange Server Deployment Tools
Exchange Server Deployment Tools includes tools and documentation that lead you through the whole upgrade process. Make sure that all the required tools and the required services are installed and running correctly. Microsoft recommends that you run Exchange 2003 Setup by using Exchange Server Deployment Tools.

To start Exchange Server Deployment Tools, follow these steps:
Insert the Exchange Server 2003 CD in your CD-ROM drive.
On the Welcome to Exchange Server 2003 Setup page, click Exchange Deployment Tools.
If the Welcome to Exchange Server 2003 Setup page does not appear after you insert your CD, double-click Setup.exe, and then click Exchange Deployment Tools to start.
After you start the tools and you specify that you want to Upgrade from Exchange 2000 Native Mode, you are provided with a checklist that lists the following installation steps:
Verify that your organization meets the specified requirements.
Run the DCDiag tool.
Run the NetDiag tool.
Run ForestPrep.
Run DomainPrep.
Run Exchange Setup.
Note For more information about the DCDiag and NetDiag tools, start Exchange Server Deployment Tools.

You can use Exchange Server Deployment Tools to run specific tools and specific utilities that help to verify that your organization is ready to install Exchange 2003. If you do not want to follow the Exchange Server Deployment Tools, follow the steps that are listed below to install Exchange 2003.

Run ForestPrep
Before you upgrade your first Exchange 2000 computer, make sure that you run ForestPrep. ForestPrep in Exchange 2003 extends the Active Directory schema to include classes and attributes that are specific to Exchange. ForestPrep also creates the container object for the Exchange organization in Active Directory. The schema extensions that are supplied with Exchange 2003 are a superset of those that are supplied with Exchange 2000. In the domain where the schema master resides, run Exchange 2003 ForestPrep in your Active Directory forest. By default, the schema master runs on the first Windows-based domain controller that is installed in a forest. Exchange 2003 Setup verifies that you are running ForestPrep in the correct domain. If you are not in the correct domain, Setup will inform you of the domain that contains the schema master.

Note If you used the schema manager to index Exchange 2000 schema attributes, you must verify and reapply any manual changes that you made to the schema after you use Exchange 2003 ForestPrep updates the schema.

The account you use to run ForestPrep must be a member of the Enterprise Administrator groups and of the Schema Administrator groups. While you run ForestPrep, you must designate an account that has Exchange Full Administrator permissions to the organization object. This account has the authority to install and to manage Exchange 2003 throughout the forest. This account also has the authority to delegate additional Exchange Full Administrator permissions after the first server is installed.

To run Exchange 2003 ForestPrep, follow these steps:
Insert the Exchange Server 2003 CD in your CD-ROM drive.
Click Start, click Run, and then type e:\setup\i386\setup /forestprep, where e is your CD-ROM drive.
On the Welcome to the Microsoft Exchange Installation Wizard page, click Next.
On the License Agreement page, read the agreement. If you accept the terms, click I agree, and then click Next.
On the Product Identification page, type your 25-digit product key, and then click Next.
On the Component Selection page, make sure that Action is set to ForestPrep. If it is not, select ForestPrep in the list, and then click Next.
On the Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator Account page, in the Account box, type the name of the user or of the group that is responsible for installing Exchange.
Click Next to start ForestPrep.

After ForestPrep starts, you cannot cancel the process.
On the Completing the Microsoft Exchange Wizard page, click Finish.

Run DomainPrep
After you run ForestPrep, you must run DomainPrep in all your Exchange 2003 domains. DomainPrep creates the groups and the permissions that are required for Exchange servers to read and to modify user attributes. The Exchange 2003 version of DomainPrep contains security enhancements that must be added before you can upgrade your Exchange 2000 computers. The account that you use to run DomainPrep must be a member of the Domain Administrators group in the local domain. You must run DomainPrep in the following domains:
The root domain.
All domains that will contain Exchange 2003 computers.
All domains that will contain Exchange 2003 mailbox-enabled objects (such as users and groups), even if no Exchange computers will be installed in these domains.
To run DomainPrep, follow these steps:
Insert the Exchange Server 2003 CD in your CD-ROM drive. You can run DomainPrep on any computer in the domain.
From a command prompt, type e:\setup\i386\setup /domainprep, where e is your CD-ROM drive.
On the Welcome to the Microsoft Exchange Installation Wizard page, click Next.
On the License Agreement page, read the agreement. If you agree to the terms, click I agree, and then click Next.
On the Product Identification page, type your 25-digit product key, and then click Next.
On the Component Selection page, make sure that Action is set to DomainPrep; if it is not, select DomainPrep in the list, and then click Next.
On the Completing the Microsoft Exchange Wizard page, click Finish.

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Run Exchange 2003 Setup
To upgrade the first Exchange 2000 computer in the forest, you must use an account that has Exchange Full Administrator permissions at the organization level and that is a local administrator on the computer. Specifically, you can use the account you designated while running ForestPrep. For more information about Exchange 2003 permissions, see "Procedures in Chapter 3" earlier in this chapter. Before you start your upgrade, it is best to back up your Active Directory, your Exchange 2000 computers, and your databases. Make sure that they can be mounted on a backup server.

Close all Exchange 2000 Microsoft Management Console (MMC) applications such as Exchange System Manager and Active Directory Users and Computers. If you are using Terminal Services or Windows Remote Desktop to perform the upgrade, make sure that all Exchange MMC applications are closed on both the console and on other Terminal Services logons.

To run Exchange 2003 Setup, follow these steps:
Insert the Exchange Server 2003 CD in your CD-ROM drive.
On the Microsoft Exchange Server page, click Setup, and then click Exchange Server Setup.
On the Welcome to the Microsoft Exchange Installation Wizard page, click Next.
On the License Agreement page, read the agreement. If you agree to the terms, click I agree, and then click Next.
On the Product Identification page, type your 25-digit product key, and then click Next.
On the Component Selection page, in the Action column, use the arrows to select the appropriate action for each component, and then click Next.
On the Installation Summary page, confirm that your Exchange installation choices are correct, and then click Next.
On the Completing the Microsoft Exchange Wizard page, click Finish.
After your upgrade, it is best to back up the Active Directory, the Exchange 2000 computers, and the databases again.