EXC11: Migrating to Exchange
2010 from Exchange 2003
Jim McBee
Ithicos Solutions LLC
jim@cta.net
Slide updates
• For a soft copy of my slides, visit:
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http://mostlyexchange.blogspot.com
 Today’s coverage
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Focus is on Exchange 2003
Prerequisites – What can you do today?
Lessons learned
Migration process
 Prerequisites
• Most common problems are ones that can
be avoided.
• Planning, evaluating existing environment,
avoiding show-stoppers, preparing existing
environment.
• Prepare your Active Directory in advance
Existing environment
• I can’t say this often enough
• Look at ALL the software you currently use
• Determine upgrade path and how it will
work in the future
Software and third party add-ons
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Antivirus / anti-spam / content security software
Backup software
Firewall / reverse proxies
Load balancers
Storage / storage drivers / storage management
Blackberry or other mobile device servers
Faxing / voice-mail integration
Message signature software
Client-side software
Active Directory
• Exchange 2010 *will* expose any potential problems
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Get Active Directory Sites and Subnets defined properly
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Setup.com /PrepareLegacyExchangePermissions
Setup.com /PrepareSchema
Setup.com /PrepareAD
Setup.com /PrepareAllDomains
• All domain controllers should be running W2K3 SP2
• Forest should be in W2K3 forest functional mode
• All domains should be in W2K3
Exchange Preparation
• All Exchange servers must be running
Exchange 2003 SP2
• Exchange 2003 must be in native mode
• Link state must be disabled
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http://bit.ly/aICc3q
Document…
• How does mail flow in your environment?
• What software or services use the Exchange
server for messaging or relay?
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Digital Senders? Copiers? Help Desk software?
• Who are your biggest users?
• What client versions are in use?
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Outlook, webmail, mobile phones
• Have you written any custom applications:
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Using WMI? WebDAV? Transport sinks? ExOLEDB?
MAPI?
What is your plan for moving ahead?
Tools
• Exchange Best Practices Analyzer v2.8
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Identify and fix existing problems
http://bit.ly/8tHFYN
• Exchange Pre-Deployment Analyzer
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http://bit.ly/aEnHkD
• JetStress 2010
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http://bit.ly/cKIlNK
• Load Generator
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http://bit.ly/cKPkLj
Exchange Connectivity Analyzer
http://www.testexchangeconnectivity.com/
Exchange Deployment Assistant
• Wizard driven
• Asks a series of
questions
• Provides you a checklist
• http://bit.ly/5vEbUx
Exchange Servers
• Minimum dual proc/quad core servers
• Minimum 8GB of RAM
• Disk space considerations for snapshot
backups
• Windows Server 2008 R2
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Office 2007/2010 Filter Pack x64
Plus some additional prerequisites
• http://bit.ly/d6rl1Y (or)
• http://bit.ly/4uq0zF
 Lessons Learned
• Some things you learn the hard way
Build a representative lab
• Lab environment should match your
existing environment closely
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Storage / backup
Same hardware platform
Load balancers
• Test your D/R and failover designs!
• Test
• Did I say test?
Some little things…
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Storage, admin, and routing groups are gone
Transaction logs are 1MB
Hub Transport queues in a ESE database
Maximum of 100 databases
Single copy clusters gone
Client Access and Hub Transport server roles
required
• W2K domain controllers will cause issues
Admin interface
• All Exchange administration performed through
Exchange Management Console
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This includes recipient administration
• Active Directory Users and Computers
extensions no longer work properly
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They should be removed from admin’s workstations
Set a demarcation point at which you remove them
• Admin tools are only x64
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Use Windows 7 x64
Set up W2K8 x64 Terminal Server for administrators
Outlook 2003 client issues
• Outlook 2007 / 2010 is a better client
• Outlook 2003 SP2 should be used
• UDP notifications gone
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Results in up to a 1 minute delay
• RPC encryption required on E2K10 RTM
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See KB 2006508
• More client issues:
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http://bit.ly/9r13aH
Transaction log replay lag…
Meh….
Load balancing expertise
• Windows NLB does not work on servers
with Mailbox role if server is in a DAG
• Recommendation that a hardware load
balancer be used:
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F5, Kemp, Cisco
Changing your approach to backups
• Streaming database backups are gone
• You must change how you do your backups
• Allocate enough disk space for snapshots or use
third party storage/SANs
• Windows 2008 backup utility *is* Exchange
aware, but backs up data at the *volume* level
not the file or folder level
• http://bit.ly/apMKXv
Certificates
• Exchange 2010 servers have a “self-signed” cert
• Consider using “Unified Communications”
certificates
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aka Subject Alternate Name (SAN) certificates
Certificate contains names of all possible hosts used
• Wildcard certificates are simpler but security risk
*.contoso.com
• http://bit.ly/lJWsp
• http://bit.ly/cxz7fj
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 Migration Process
• Recommended installation order
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Prepare forest and domains
Client Access servers
Hub Transport servers
Mailbox servers
Edge Transport servers
Unified messaging
My recommended installation order
• Upgrade existing services BEFORE supporting new
ones!
• Install *all* roles and completely test new scenarios such
as high availability, mailbox moves, redirection, etc…
• Start transitioning services only after testing is complete
Transitioning Client Access servers
• Client Access configuration
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Address any potential name space issues such as
legacy OWA host names
Create RPC Client Access Arrays
Get certificates issued
Configure load balancing (if applicable)
Configure redirection or proxying
Test, test, test
• Don’t forget to test Autodiscover and other web services
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Update external DNS records to use new CAS
infrastructure
http://bit.ly/08FTmX2
Transitioning Hub Transport
• Create routing group connectors to legacy
E2K3 routing groups
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Confirm that all source and target
bridgeheads are defined properly
• Create Send Connectors5
• Configure Receive Connector properties
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http://bit.ly/a4ohVo
• Direct inbound mail to E2K10
Transitioning Mailbox servers
• Consider enabling circular logging on the
databases during the transition
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http://bit.ly/aEn4L5
• Create public folder databases
• Replicate public folder content
• Start moving mailboxes
Questions?
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