Exchange Question

[hongman]

Scenario:

Server 1 has Windows Server 2003 with Exchange 2003 SP1 installed, handles all the mail.

Server 2 has just a plain install on Windows Server 2003, all patched up.

The goal here is to install everything necessary to get Server 2 up to scratch, then to be able to migrate everyone over as smootly as possible.

2 main questions.

1) Once all the mailboxes have been migrated, etc, and I am ready to move everyone over, is there a easy way to chnage all the company's PC;s to point to Server 2 instead of 1? I.E save me having to go to each PC and chnaging the Outlook profile.

2) Just anything I would like to watch out for?

Thanks

Hong

[10ECsoon]

Moving mailboxes is pretty much automatic. Once you've moved the mailbox, next time the user logs in it will go to the new mailbox. Make sure you disable the administrator and system mailboxes before uninstalling exchange from the first server.

[hongman]

So its all automatic, I dont have to worry about client configuration?

[hongman]

Ok, so it was that easy. I moved my mailbox to the second server, told it to ignore corrupt messages and away it went.

I fired up Outlook (2003) and sent a few test messages. I also checked the account settings and they do indeed point to the second server.

Question:

Why, if my mailbox has been moved, does it still show up in the first server's mailbox tree in ESM? Its also in the second server's tree as well, along with two other default ones. This is confusing me...I thought it was a move and not a copy? The file sizes reported for both mailboxes are slightly different as well.

Thanks

Hong

[hongman]

Ok, got a little further with this now but I have hit a brick wall (literally!)

Just to reiterate the situation:

Company has one sole Exchange 2003 server. The Server needs to be upgraded, plus a few other offline duties performed so I have been asked to setup a second Exchange Server, make everything on both the same (like a clone) and then to move all the mailboxes over so the repair work can be be done with no downtime.

So I have got as far as installing the second exchange 2003 server. Both server's show up in both ESM's.

I have setup a test account on the second server, and confirmed that I can mail internally between the 2 server's no problem.

The main problem is, the 2nd server cannot mail externally, send or receive. The 1st server can.

I have copied all settings from the first to the second, SMTP Connector settings, etc.

I have checked the Event Log, nothing unusal in there. I have tried to send mail with M$'s smtpdiag tool, it fails at the point 'RCPT TO: [email protected]'.

Stuck...where to look or troubleshoot?

Thanks

Hong

[hongman]

Just one more thing...

Something that has been bugging me since I installed the second exchange server. When I had come to install Exchange itself, I had a little warning box saying 'There is a known compatibility issue with this version of Windows'. I chose to ignore it.

It also came up when I installed SP1 for exchange.

Now I'm thinking maybe that has something to do with it? Thing is, the OS is Windows 2003 Server Enterprise Edition. The versions on both Server 1 and Server 2 are EXACTLY the same..

Any suggestions? Maybe the same error appeared on server 1 when it was installed, I didnt do it so I wouldnt know

Hong