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Anders_Sjolander's avatar
Anders_Sjolander
Copper Contributor
Mar 20, 2023
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Shut down the last Exchange Server

I'm looking into the possibility to shut down the last Exchange server for some of my customers, and automate user administration using Exchange Management Tools. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/e...
  • FcoManigrasso's avatar
    Mar 20, 2023

    Hi Anders_Sjolander,

    From my experience there're really only few customers that could fit to an Exchange shut down. 

    I'll suggest to check with each Customer the important "Be Aware" points before proceeding:

     

    .Once you shut down the last Exchange server, Exchange RBAC will no longer function. Users who were a part of Exchange Recipient groups or had custom Exchange roles allowing for recipient management will no longer have permission. Only domain admins and users who are assigned permission using Add-PermissionForEMT.ps1 script will be able to perform recipient management.

     

    .You can shut down the server, ( under the required conditions ), but NOT uninstall. Uninstalling the server removes critical information from Active Directory that breaks the ability of the management tool package to manage Exchange attributes.

     

    .Many  Customers still need a server for SMTP relay, local apps, etc... Or they may need it in the future. If it's the case, don't shut it down. 

     

    From my perspective, a deep analysis will be required before take such decision. As you already said, ( correctly ), if in the future the Customer would like to turn it on by any requirement, that will be a pain.

     

    Regarding timing, there's no ETA until a last Exchange server will be required. 

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