SBS 2003 to Server 2008/Exchange 2007

Question

We are in the process of moving our location and are in need of moving
from SBS to something with more CALs.  I want to make this as seemless
as possible for the end-users.
We are currently on SBS 2003.
My plan:
Purchase new 64 bit server with Server 2008 and Exchange 2007.
Add new server to existing domain.
Move/migrate exchange from SBS to new server.
Make sure the user info and and Group profiles move to the new server
(not sure how to do that)
Remove the SBS, and promote the new 2008 to DC.
Possibly rename the 2008 to the same name and IP as the old SBS (so
outlook users do not have to change anything)
Would that be the correct route?  If so, what am I missing?  (Looks
easy on paper)
Thanks,
Mike

Answer 1

hi
here is  a lead
Start by installing Windows Server 2008 on the server you’re intending on using for mail. In our example we installed all the Exchange functionality on a single server – in practice you’ll probably want to separate out the Hub and Storage
functions, and use a separate Edge server for mail traffic and user access to mail. There’s no problem with connecting to the network while you’re doing the install – Windows Server 2008 installs as a workgroup server – and you’ll
automatically be delivered the latest drivers and the most up to date OS patches. You’ll also need to give the server an appropriate fixed IP address, as it’s going to become a key component of the network infrastructure.on the role and feature-based
install model introduced with Windows Server 2003 and enhanced in Windows Server 2003 R2. Make sure you use these tools to install Internet Information Server – as Exchange 2007 will use it for Outlook Web Access and Exchange ActiveSync. Exchange 2007
requires that servers have the PowerShell management scripting environment and the
.NET framework. We’d also recommend installing Terminal Services as part of any Windows Server installation, as using Remote Desktop to access the new server and the existing SBS 2003 domain controller will let you handle much of the
migration process from the comfort of your desk.Once Windows Server 2008 has been installed, take out the install DVD and shut the server down. As you’re going to be adding a Windows Server 2008 machine to what’s really a Windows Server 2003 network,
you need to upgrade the Active Directory schema on our SBS 2003 server. This will allow you to manage the Windows Server 2008 machine from the SBS 2003 machine. You may need to update your version of Remote Desktop to one that supports the latest versions
of the RDP protocol.Put the Windows Server 2008 DVD in your SBS 2003 machine’s DVD drive (a network accessible DVD drive is suitable, especially if access to any machine room is limited, and you’re using Remote Desktop to manage
the server). Open a command line and change directory to SOURCES\ADPREP. You need to use ADPREP.EXE to update the Active Directory schema. Start by typing the following command to update the Active Directory forest.adprep.exe /forestprep.This will
begin the process of updating the schema. Be prepared to wait some time, especially if you’re working with SBS 2003 rather than SBS 2003 R2. Once the forest schema has been updated you can update the domain schema. Type the following command:adprep.exe
/domainprep.You’re now ready to bring the new Windows Server 2008 machine into your existing domain. Turn on the server, and then log in as a local administrator. Again, you can use Remote Desktop to work with the server, so you don’t need
to sit in the machine room.to the existing SBS-managed domain. Once the server is part of the domain, you will to promote it from a member server to a domain controller. Launch DCPROMO
using the Start menu search bar to find the program. Choose to add a domain controller to an existing domain. You’ll need to use the credentials of an existing domain administrator to start the process.Make the server a Global Catalog server.
If you’re going to be keeping the existing SBS 2003 system there’s no need to make the new server a DNS server. DCPROMO will then add the requisite Active Directory Domain Services to your Windows Server 2008 machine. This can take some time, especially
if you’re working with a large SBS-managed network with more than 50 users. Once the DCPROMO process is complete you’ll need to restart the server. You can now log in as a domain administrator.Now you can start the process of installing Exchange
2007 on the new server. There’s one key issue that needs to be dealt with first. Exchange 2007 needs to install on a server that’s a Schema Master.
One of the limitations of SBS 2003 is that the SBS server needs to own all five of the FSMO
roles. The Flexible Single Master Operations are key domain management tasks, and in a standard Active Directory implementation, these roles can be parcelled out across several servers. Microsoft’s restrictions on SBS can be overcome –
as the SBS licence allows FSMO roles to be temporarily transferred to other servers for the purpose of server migration and major hardware upgrades. You can continue to run SBS for up to seven days (there is an option to install an update that extends this
to 21 days) with the FSMO roles on other servers. Don’t let the migration drag on as after that point, the server will reboot every hour, until the roles are transferred back.You’ll need to be logged in to your SBS server to move the Schema Master
to the Windows Server 2008 machine. Start by registering SCHMMGMT.DLL. This allows you to use the Windows Schema Master management tools to transfer the Schema Master role to the Windows Server 2008 machine. Open a command line and type the following command.regsvr32
schmmgmt.dll
You’ll next need to open the Windows Management Console. Once you’ve done this, by typing
mmc at a command prompt or from the Run option on the start menu, you can load the Active Directory Schema management snap-in. From the File menu click Add/Remove Snap-in. This opens a dialog box where you can choose to add the appropriate
tools. Choose Active Directory Schema. This will load the schema management tools, which you can use to move the Schema Master to a new machine.In the Schema Manager console, right click on Active Directory Schema and then choose Change Domain Controller.
You’ll see a list of available servers. Choose the new Windows Server 2008 machine, and then click Change to move the Schema Master role to your new Exchange machine. Right click Active Directory Schema again, and choose Operations Master. This allows
you to make the new server the operations master for the FSMO role we’ve just transferred.
Now you can start the Exchange 2007 installation. Log on to the server, and load the Exchange 2007 DVD; using an Exchange 2007 SP1 DVD reduces the amount of time you’ll need to set aside for downloading and installing uploads. Choose the appropriate Exchange
installation for your network needs – a typical install with Hub Transport, Client Access and Mailbox roles should be sufficient for most small networks. Once Exchange has installed, restart the Windows Server 2008 machine and then open the Exchange
Management console to confirm that your install completed successfully.You will now have added your new Exchange server to the existing SBS Exchange network. On the SBS server open the Exchange System Manager.Expand the Administrative Groups tab to see the
available administrative groups. Your new server should have added itself as Exchange Administrative Group (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT). Do not move it out of this Administrative Group or the associated routing group, Exchange Routing Group (DWBGZMFD01QNBJR) –
these are required to allow Exchange 2007 to interoperate with Exchange 2003. (As a side note, there’s definitely a sense of humour in the Exchange team at Microsoft, as the default administrative group and routing group names are both Caesar Ciphers
of EXCHANGE12ROCKS).If you’re planning to run the two servers together, you can now move the Schema Master FSMO role back to the SBS server; if you’re not, you now have seven days to finish your complete server migration before the reboots start.
To move the role back use the Active Directory Schema MMC snap-in and change both Domain Controller and Operations Master to point to your SBS server.Now you can start to move mailboxes between the two servers. This is where things can start to take time,
so schedule mailbox moves for evenings and weekends – and make sure that you’ve backed up all the existing mailboxes before you start the migration.
You’ll also need to make sure that both servers have the same mailbox size limits – otherwise large mailboxes will fail to move successfully. If you’re unable to make moves at night, you can do them during working hours –
but users will be unable to connect to the Exchange server while their mailboxes are being transferred (remember to warn them in advance). Any mail that’s been delivered to the server during a mailbox transfer will be queued and delivered once the mailbox
is on the new server.
The actual process of moving mailboxes from the SBS Exchange 2003 server to Exchange 2007 is relatively simple. Log on to your Exchange 2007 server, and open the Exchange Management Console. Expand Recipient Configuration, and select the Mailbox
view. This lets you see the organisation’s mailboxes, along with where they’re currently stored. A pane on the right gives you various Actions you can perform on the mailboxes. These include the Move Mailbox wizard.
This wizard is the simplest way of moving mailboxes between servers – and, along with the underlying move – Mailbox PowerShell commandlet, is the only supported way of moving mail to an Exchange 2007 server. If you’re moving a large set of
mailboxes it’s worth writing a PowerShell script to handle the move for you.
Use the Move Mailbox wizard to move either an individual mailbox or groups of mailboxes (shift-click to select several at once). As the wizard is multi-threaded it can handle up to four mailbox moves at once. First select the target database, and then choose
the move options. You can choose to abort the move if corrupted messages exist, as well as choosing the appropriate Active Directory servers. You can also schedule the moves for out of hours – so you don’t have to be on site for a move to take
place – as well as making sure that any moves that haven’t taken place inside a set time limit are cancelled. The wizard will check mailbox quotas before making a move to make sure that the system limits allow the mailbox to transfer to a new server.
Once a move’s started you’ll see a progress bar showing the status of the move, with descriptive text for the current step in the move process. When a move completes there’s a summary screen with the results. There’s also an XML
format report you can use for further analysis.
We found that a large 4GB mailbox took about 3 hours to move, over a gigabit network. In practice, most mailboxes are a lot smaller, so expect to be able to move many more SBS mailboxes in a single overnight session. Once the mailboxes have been moved, your
Outlook users will automatically be switched to the new Exchange server. There’s no need to change anything on the desktop – the Exchange organisation will handle the changes for you. There’s one exception; if you have used a self-certified
certificate for the SBS Exchange server, you may need to delete it from all client devices (including Windows Mobile) so they can connect – especially if you’re using the same external DNS name.While Outlook handles the changes gracefully, things
aren’t so easy for users working with ActiveSync connections to mobile devices or for secure IMAP and POP3
connections. Mobile users will need to perform a manual sync on their phone (they’ll get a message in ActiveSync reminding them to do this) and accept the server policies before mail will start arriving. POP3 and IMAP connections will only continue
to work if you make sure that your new mail server has the same external CNAME as the old SBS install. If you’re not using the same DNS name, you’ll need to recreate connections for external mail clients.
Naeem Bhatti MCITP EA, MCITP, MCTS Exchange 2007 MCSE security,MCSE AD, MCSE in Messaging, MCDST SBS2003 and SBS2008 Specialist