Exchange 2007 Readiness Check now available in ExBPA
Published Jul 28 2006 12:19 PM 9,660 Views

Along with the public release of Exchange 2007 Beta 2, we are today releasing an update to ExBPA v2.7 called the "Exchange 2007 Readiness Check". This is a new type of scan that you can run against your existing Exchange deployment. Its purpose is to provide a 'to do' list of changes and decisions that need to be made before Exchange 2007 can be deployed. Armed with this analysis, you can spend the next six months getting ready, so that when you crack open the Exchange 2007 DVD, you can get up and running as quickly as possible.

 

When you get to the selection of ExBPA scan types, you will see the new scan type:

 

 

 

The checks performed by the new scan are similar to the pre-requisite checks implemented (via ExBPA) in the Exchange 2007 Setup program. However, the new scan focuses on overall topology readiness and not the ability to run Exchange 2007 on the local computer. The scan also performs a deep analysis of each existing Exchange 2000/2003 server to verify that it has the necessary updates and configuration in-place to support Exchange 2007. The end report is structured as follows:

 

Critical - A configuration problem that will prevent Exchange 2007 from being deployed in the organization. For example, an Exchange 2003 server that is not running Service Pack 2.

 

Warning - A configuration item that may prevent customers having the best possible experience with Exchange 2007. A warning may also reflect some functionality that is not available in Exchange 2007. For example, 2-node active/active clustering.

 

If you already have ExBPA v2.7 installed, you will receive an update notification the next time you start the application.

 

Q&A

 

1. The new scan type says 'Beta', what does this mean?

The checks performed by the new scan are based on the requirements of Exchange 2007 Beta 2. As we drive towards RTM those requirements may change a little. Additionally, the documentation for the new scan is still under development. We will be adding article links over the next few months.

 

2. I ran the scan and have questions about the results. What should I do?

If you'd like to read more about the requirements of Exchange 2007, download the Beta 2 documentation from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=69162. NOTE: The documentation on the web is more up-to-date than the help file (exchhelp.chm) included with the Beta 2 installation media.

 

3. I ran the scan and received unexpected results. If I think there's a bug, who can I contact?

If you need assistance, please go to the microsoft.public.exchange.tools newsgroup.

 

4. Is this new functionality available in all languages?

No. During the beta phase, the check is only available for U.S. English versions of ExBPA 2.7.

 

5. I'd like to know if my computer is capable of running Exchange 2007. Can I use ExBPA to check this?

No. The new ExBPA scan verifies the state of the topology and existing servers, not the local machine. The list of installation requirements is included in the Exchange 2007 Beta 2 documentation. Alternatively, you can download the Beta 2 software and run the Setup program to verify that the local configuration of the computer is able to support Exchange 2007 Beta 2.

 

6. Where can I look at the list of checks made in this new scan?

A. If you're familiar with the BPA XML files, the new check is wholly contained within the ExBPA.Readiness.xml file. A summary of the checks is as follows:

 

The list of checks includes:

 

-      Reporting the number of Active Directory trees, domains, sites, admin groups, routing groups, Exchange 5.5 servers, Exchange 2000 servers, Exchange 2003 servers, total mailboxes, Windows 2000 Active Directory servers, Windows 2003 RTM Active Directory servers, Windows 2003 SP1 Active Directory servers. Report how many Active Directory domain/sites have Exchange servers installed.

-      Categorizing the deployment as either 'Simple', 'Standard', 'Large' or 'Complex'. This will help guide the customer to the best starting point for upgrade documentation.

-      Verifying that the Schema Master is Windows 2003 SP1 or later.

-      Identifying Active Directory domains that are not in native mode.

-      Identifying Active Directory sites that do not have a global catalog server running Windows 2003 SP1 or later.

-      Verifying that there are zero Active Directory Connector servers in existence.

-      Identifying any SMTP site links in existence.

-      Verifying that the Exchange organization is in native mode.

-      Identifying any non-standard proxy address generators.

-      Identifying any non-MAPI public folder hierarchies (a.k.a. AppTLH's) in use

-      Identifying Routing Groups that span Active Directory sites.

-      Identifying any Active Directory sites that span Routing Groups.

-      Identifying any Routing Group Connectors that have specialized settings (activation, max size, accept/reject lists, restrict message type/priority).

-      Identifying any SMTP Connectors that support non-SMTP address spaces.

-      Identifying any SMTP Connectors that use inline domain-wildcarding for address spaces (e.g. *foo.com instead of *.foo.com).

-      Identifying any X.400 Connectors in the topology.

-      Identifying any EDK-based Connectors in the topology (excluding Notes).

-      Verifying that any servers running Exchange 2003 have SP2 or later.

-      Verifying that any servers running Exchange 2000 have SP3 plus the August '04 roll-up or later.

-      Identifying any SMTP virtual servers that are not using port 25 for incoming/outgoing.

-      Verifying that all Exchange 2000/2003 servers have SuppressStateChanges set.

-      Identifying any Exchange 2000/2003 servers that have active NNTP newsfeeds.

-      Identifying any Exchange 2000/2003 servers that use the Event Scripting service.

-      Identifying any Exchange 2000/2003 servers that have the ExIFS (a.k.a. M:) drive enabled.

-      Identifying any 2-node Active/Active clusters in the topology.

 

Thanks for your continued support. Feel free to post feedback in comments of this blog post, or post it to microsoft.public.exchange.tools newsgroup!

 

- Paul Bowden

23 Comments
Not applicable
It's great that you are putting this functionality into ExBPA. This will really be useful for companies who want to start early or require long planning cycles.
Not applicable
Not sure if it is normal, but when I downloaded the update the new scan did not appear.  However, the new scan did appear after I restarted the ExBPA tool.
Not applicable
Great idea to do this now - well in advance of RTM!  By way of example, we have a FAX-integration vendor that uses the Exchange Development Kit (EDK) which I now know will not be supported.

Better to know this information now, with time to react!
Not applicable
where can I get the update?
Not applicable
Thanks for the positive feedback. Franky, go to http://www.exbpa.com, download the ExBPA tool, then when you start it up, you should get a notification that an update is available. Choose to download the update, then when you restart ExBPA, you'll see the new scan type.
Not applicable
franky,

Once you download the ExBPA and launch it, it will automatically search for updates and then it should find it.
Not applicable
Is it possible to run this the (english) ExBPA Version on a German Windows 2003?

I don't have a problem with the output being english, but i didn't find a quick way to change this.
Not applicable
Hi Lukas. Yes, assuming that you installed the English ExBPA.MSI package, you can either use the /cu command-line switch on ExBPA.exe to override the culture (e.g. ExBPA.exe /cu en-US) *or* if you rename the 'de' folder under C:Program FilesExBPA (if memory serves me correctly, that's C:Programme FilesExBPA on the German computer), then ExBPA will fall-back to the neutral language.

Let me know if you still need help.
Not applicable
Sorry for this off topic question. I use ADSI to browse the Global Catalog of an Exchange 2000 remote server and I obtain this error:
System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x8007203B): A local error has occurred
  at System.DirectoryServices.ResultsEnumerator.MoveNext()
(I've set the DirectorySearcher PageSize to 1000.)

Next time I try to connect the error changes to
System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x8007203A): The server is not operational
  at System.DirectoryServices.ResultsEnumerator.MoveNext()

What I could find is just the http://support.microsoft.com/kb/295779 article. However, as this server is the customer's server I have to make !00% sure that this error doesn't occur for other reasons too.

So, there is any other reason that this error might occur? Is any workaround on the client side for avoiding this situation?

Thanks in advance,
Marcel
Not applicable
Will there be a web update pack for this release?  I can't update the ExBPA through our proxy.  I have to do a manual update.

Thanks
Not applicable
Hi James. Yes, we're looking to post the new Web Update Pack by the end of the week.
Not applicable
Thanks Paul!  Will you be posting the link?
Not applicable
Very interesting that this is included in ExBPA instead of a NEW TOOL for this.  To many time, I've asked myself why there are so many MS Tools out there.

Great integration!!
Not applicable
Sure James. The link is http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=34290 ..the download package is old right now (v2.5), but I'll update it for v2.7 at the end of this week (I need to wait for the package to be rebuilt, tested and digitally signed).
Not applicable
is there an upgrade path available yet for the RTM? I know I need x64 processors, W2K3 SP1 x64 and Native Mode. Is there an inplace upgrade from Exch 2003 assuming the above is running already? Or will be a migration?
Not applicable
Not applicable
is there an ETA on the RTM version?
Not applicable
Late 06, early 07.
Not applicable
route6668,

There is no inplace upgrade path for existing Ex 2003 servers regardless of the current hardware being used.  You'll need to plan for a migration to Ex 2007.
Not applicable
FYI - The ExBPA Web Update Pack for v2.7 (including the new Exchange 2007 Readiness Check) is now live at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=34290. You only need to download this if your version of ExBPA cannot automatically download updates.
Not applicable
Thanks Paul!
Not applicable
2.7 version looks really good. But, when i look at the EXBPA report, i am unable to find the Path of Tracking logs. Am i missing something or does it not include this?
Not applicable
Hi, I guess the Exchange Best Practices Analyser tool is now well known. It is a download which MS Exchange...
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