Exchange 2007 book 1

[RichardHuang]

I googled the Exchange 2007 book however I really don't know which one to choose for so many results. I have used Exchange 2003 for a few years but I never touched 2007. Can anyone recommend a good Exchange 2007 book for me? Thanks.

 

[58sniper]

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Unleashed is pretty good, as is
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Administrator's Pocket Consultant (Pro Administrator's Pocket Consultant)

I have both.

Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Microsoft Exchange MVP
Want to know how email works? Read for yourself -

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt

 

[RichardHuang]

Thank you for quick response.

 

[Stevehewitt]

I ended up playing with Exchange 2007 for 2 days before my administrators pocket guide arrived, and so far I've hardly used it. TechNet and this forum have been much more helpful on the occasional issue that has cropped up.

Cheers,




Steve.

"They have the internet on computers now!" - Homer Simpson

 

[coldnature]

Pat, I came here looking for an answer to a contradiction I read in "Unleashed", and saw that you read the book. Maybe you can help. In chapter 15, page 459, the book states that "the forest in which Exchange 2007 will reside needs to be at a forest functional level of Windows Server 2003". But, throughout the book and in most documentation I've read, Exchange 2007 can operate in a domain running functional level of Windows 2000 native. I thought the domain level had to be 2003 before the forest level could be raised. Can you clarify this? Is it a typo?

The situation I have is that I am installing a new 2003 server with Exchange 2007. The current environment is an Exchange 2000 server on Win2K, but that server is a DC. I've read that it is best not to try to demote a server that is running Exchange.

I'm hoping I can just install the new server, move the boxes over, then remove the old Win2K/EX2K box.

As for the book, it seems pretty thorough, although I have awoken with my nose planted in it several times. It can be quite wordy and redundant at times.

Thanks!

 

[coldnature]

Sorry, I should also mention that my main DC's, GC and all FSMO roles reside on Win2k3 R2 boxes and the domain and forest are currently at 2000 level (because of the one remaining 2000 AD box, the existing Exchange server). There is also an Exchange 2003 server running on the domain, at another office, so the AD has been extended for that.

Is there a way to safely demote that box or can I get my E2K7 server running before I kill it?

Thanks

 

[58sniper]

coldnature - You need to be at functional level 2000 for your forest in order to install Exchange 2007.

See

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/fc6e9c10-f102-41a9-97ba-ea84565da751.aspx

for "the final word".

As for your 2k Exchange on a 2k DC, you are in for some REAL fun. You MUST to do an unattended install of Exchange 2007. The setup command I use is
setup.com /m:install /dc:myDC.myDomain.com /r:h,c,m,t /EnableLegacyOutlook /EnableErrorReporting

You'll also need to use the Shell to move mailboxes from 2000 to 2007.

The reason for both of these is because Exchange's GUI setup and EMC GUI will fail with complaints that the 2k DC doesn't meet minimum standards. Thus, you have to use Shell and UA to specify a 2003 DC. Also, your Schema Master must be a 2003 DC.

During the time that both 2000 and 2007 exist, you'll also see a ton of events in the app log about the version of the 2000 box. IIRC, those are 2116 events.

Once you've got everything moved over, and you decommission the 2000 box, the events go away.

And, NO - don't demote a DC when Exchange is on it. Doing so will permanently break Exchange.

Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Microsoft Exchange MVP
Want to know how email works? Read for yourself -

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt

 

[coldnature]

Thanks Pat. Are you saying that the EMC will not work at all until I drop the 2K box?

 

[58sniper]

EMC will still work, but not for moving mailboxes from 2000 to 2003.

Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Microsoft Exchange MVP
Want to know how email works? Read for yourself -

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt

 

[coldnature]

Pat, so far my transition is going well. I have everything running properly on the 2007 box now, and I've moved a few users over as a test. I am using this command to move them:

move-mailbox -DomainController:dc1.domain.com

I then specify the database and the account. It was working fine for the first few accounts, but now all of a sudden it keeps erroring out saying that the domain controller (the old mail server, not the domain controller I specified, is not at the correct service pack level. It seems as if it's ignoring the specification of domain controller in my command. Any ideas on this? Is my syntax correct?

 

[coldnature]

Its odd how just posting a question triggers the answer... I tried adding the -GlobalCatalog:dc1.domain.com and that did the trick.