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2000 to 2003 DC & Exchange

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by jasonprussell

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Hello Everyone,

My organization is currently looking to migrate from a single server acting as a 2000 DC & Exchange server to another single server which will act as a 2003 DC & Exchange server. I've already built the new server with 2000 Server & Exchange. My question is, what is the best way to go about upgrading the new server from 2000 to 2003 and migrating my data from the old 2000 server to the new 2003 server.

6 replies

by netsmartz_balkars

Hello,

Before starting any operation, backup of system state and exchange is must. you can follow these steps ( as a best way to migrate) to do an "in place" upgradation.

First of all exchage server 2003 requirments need to be fullfilled. your present windows 2003 server must have service pack 3 and exchange 2000 with service pack 3.

When we are doing "in place" upgrade from 2000 to 2003, you have to upgrade exchange 2000 to exchange 2003 first and then windows 2000 to windows 2003 becuse exchange 2003 does not run on windows 2000 server.

In upgradation process you can following these steps:
First of all verify NNTP, SMTP and IIS are enabled and working find.
Then remve the follwing services (these are not supported by exchange 2003)
Instant Messaging Server, Chat and Key Management Server, Lotus cc:mail connector and MS Mail connector
Then check the DC and network functionality with DCDIAG and NETDIAG tools with are available with support folder in windows 2000 server cd.
Then run the follwing commands

CDROM\setup\i386\setup.exe /forestprep
CDROM\setup\i386\setup.exe /domainprep
CDROM\setup\i386\setup.exe

After Exchange upgradation now you can upgrade windows 2000 server with windows 2003 server.
To upgrade windows 2003 you have to run the follwing command from windows 2003 server CD
CDROM\i386\adprep /forestprep
CDROM\i386\adprep /domainprep
CDROM\i386\winnt32.exe and start upgrade

By using all the above steps I have upgraded so many servers in different companies.

Best of luck

Balkar Singh

by jasonprussell

Thank you for your help, however, I'm a little confused by the answer you provided. You said to upgrade Exchange from 2000 to 2003 BEFORE upgrading Windows from 2000 to 2003. However, Exchange 2003 does not run on Windows 2000 server. Do I just follow the same steps and upgrade Windows to 2003 before upgrading Windows 2000 to 2003?

by cg it

If this is replacing a single production server, and you can't take the old server offline, go directly to Windows Server 2003 with Exchange 2003. Forget upgrading from W2K. Then use the active directory migration tool and exmerge. What this entails is leaving the old production server online and providing services to clients. you then setup the new production server with a new NetBIOS and server name and connect it to the LAN. you then use ADMT to move the AD over to the new server. Then use exmerge to move exchange over to the new exchange,.... Or you can have the users backup all their email to public folders or pst then move those public folders/pst over to a the new folders on the new production box. then import via Outlook.

by cg it

depending upon how many users you have and how much email they have in their boxes, this whole process takes about 10 hours with ADMT taking up the bulk of the time.

by jasonprussell

Sounds good, this is pretty much what I had in mind. But being my first migration, I pretty much wanted confirmation before jumping in. Hopefully things go fairly smoothly.

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