Exchange 2007 Server Installation Guide Updates

Great! Is it possible to download the individual installation guide templates?

That's fantastic - thanks Ross and the guys. These docs will be a big help to our forthcoming implementation of 2007.

We are in the process of upgrading from 5.5 to 2007. I have successfully migrated mailboxes from 5.5 straight to 2007 (in a lab environment). I migrated mailboxes from a replica of our 5.5 organisation to a new 2003 organisation with 2007 mailbox servers in it using the 2003 mailmig tool. I know you say a migration from 5.5 straight to 2007 isn't possible (or is it just not supported?) so was wondering what the ramifications would be of doing the 5.5-->2007 jump in the manner I have proved in the lab?

jamesmadams,

Check this out:

http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2006/11/29/431687.aspx

Jan - Unforunately, we do not have downloadable versions of our documents.  I recommend simply copying and pasting the content into a Word document.

Jamesmadams - Our support is around upgrading or transitioning an Exchange 5.5 environment to Exchange 2007.  Using migration tools, like mailmig, to migrate data from an Exchange 5.5 organization to an Exchange 2003/2007 organization is supported.

Ross

Thanks for that. Our 5.5 is a site in an organisation hosted in a trusted forest. I've put a new 2003 organisation into our forest. In the lab, I've had success in using mailmig to select the 2007 mailbox server as a target for the migration (the mailbox shows in Ex2007 console as a "Legacy Mailbox"). It's this particular element that I'm not sure about - as I haven't had to do a migration and then subsequent transition, am I missing something? I can access the mailboxes OK and all the mail seems to have come across...

I just took some time going through the guides and while they look like they might be good "installation procedures for environments with a large number of Exchange Servers" they don't look to address the mass number of installations that people will be doing.
First, there's this concept of the Configuration DVD. If I'm not mistaken, I have to create this from a large number of TechNet articles and make sure that it does something that really isn't well documented.
Next, the installation process goes through a number of what I'd call dubious steps (more like personal preference) for configuring the server. Items such as the creation of a D drive for the Exchange binaries and moving the DVD drive to the Z drive. (And in following the different steps, it looks like this isn't consistent).
Now it starts to talk about Hotfix application. But instead of using Windows Update, everything seems to be loaded by hand. Why not use Windows Update? Are there any updates that Windows Update doesn't load?
When it gets down to the application installation, there's like one line "Install the server"
Once the server is installed, the first thing that it does is to rename the Storage Groups and the Databases. If this is to be considered Best Practice, then why doesn't it come installed this way?

Has anyone actually taken these documents and set down and installed a CCR with 2 CAS/HUB servers from it?

And while I guess the Configuration DVD did this for me somewhere, the KB article that tells me what prerequisites to install on W2K8 seems to be infinitely more usable than these guides for installations of less than 6 servers.

James,

When using mailmig you should move hte mailboxes from Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2003 then to Exchange 2007 using the native cmdlets.

If you don't do that and leverage mailmig to create the mailboxes directly on Exchange 2007 stores, then you will need to run the following cmdlet to update the mailbox version (otherwise certain features will be unavailable):

set-mailbox <alias> -ApplyMandatoryProperties

Ross

Hi Ed,

For customers looking for an enterprise deployment methodology they can leverage my good buddy Robert's installation scripts -

http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2008/09/03/449731.aspx.

The purpose of the "Configuration DVD" is to have a standard repository for scripts and hot-fixes that are used throughout the installation guides.  Does it need to be a DVD?  No, it could be a share on a file server.  Like I said, it simply houses hot-fixes/rollups/configuration

scripts.  

With regards to hot-fixes and using Windows Update, that would be viable if a) all hot-fixes are available on Windows Update and b) all customers use Windows Update (many do not have their servers talking directly to Windows Update servers).

As far as your statement "Items such as the creation of a D drive for the Exchange binaries and moving the DVD drive to the Z drive. (And in following the different steps, it looks like this isn't consistent)" - I went through each installation guide to verify

that all guides list a Z drive and all guides list a D drive and the standalone server role guides provide an example of where to install the Exchange binaries (d:exchsrvr), so I question the validity of your statement.  If you have actionable feedback, please

send it.

And yes all of these installation guides were validated by actually installing servers.

Ross

Ed W:"Has anyone actually taken these documents and set down and installed a CCR with 2 CAS/HUB servers from it?"

That's exactly what we're aiming to do here - I'll let you know how it goes.

Ross, all the info I can find on that cmdlet indicates that it "fixes" the problems that arise in doing a 2007 mailbox creation/operation with 2003 tools, by modifying the ExchangeVersion, RecipientTypeDetails, and RecipientDisplayType.

Are there any other issues that are not covered here, and if the cmdlet fixes these, what would be the reason for *not* using 2003mailmig to jump to 2007 and thus save having to do the migration "twice" on our target implementation weekend?

Regards,

James

Hi James,

Yes the ApplyMandatoryProperties should fix all the attributes. However, as you probably saw we don't support using any legacy mailbox move tool to move mailboxes to Exchange 2007.  So ultimately, the solution you are using is an untested process.  There may be unknown issues, then again there may not be any issues.  If you do feel that something is weird, please open a support case.

Ross