Exchange Migrations always take much longer that you think. The answer is detailed planning and a good test network.
My goals are to get you started on your migration quest and open your eyes to areas that you haven't yet considered.
When I visit companies it amazes me the diverse ways that people use
the same software. Another surprise is that each person believes there
is only one way to deploy Exchange software. If you stand my
observation on its head, what I want to say to you is this, select
an Exchange configuration to suit your size of company. Sift the advice to suit your
present position. For example, if you have only Exchange 5.5 servers,
skip advice on upgrading from Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2003.
To illustrate my point, here is a true story. I am often rude about the Standard Edition of Exchange. My principal objection is the 16 Gb limit** on the database store. Brian, the owner
of a 'Mom and Pop' company said, 'Guy we have only 15 people, by choosing the Standard Edition of Exchange, instead of the Enterprise, we saved enough money to buy us a nice little dedicated server to run
Exchange 2003.' An as we don't need clustering we settled for the standard edition of Windows 2003 and had a great holiday with the money we saved on that deal.
Naturally if you are bigger than a 15 person company, then my advice
still holds, buy the Enterprise Version of Exchange 2003 or you will soon hit that
16 Gb storage limit.
** Good news, once you apply Exchange SP2, you can edit the registry and increase the database limits to 75 Gb.
Guy Recommends: SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset v10
The Engineer's Toolset v10 provides a
comprehensive console of utilities for troubleshooting computer problems. Guy says
it helps me monitor what's occurring on the network, and the tools
teaches me more about how the system literally operates.
There are so many good gadgets, it's like having free rein of a
sweetshop. Thankfully the utilities are displayed logically: monitoring, discovery, diagnostic, and Cisco tools.
Download your copy of the Engineer's Toolset v 10
Here is a
free tool to monitor your Exchange Server. Download and
install the utility, then inspect your mail queues, monitor the Exchange
server's memory, confirm there is enough disk space and check the CPU
utilization. This is the real deal - there is no catch. SolarWinds
provides this fully-functioning product for free, as part of their commitment to
supporting the network management community.
Beware the 'horseless carriage syndrome'. When the car was first
invented the driver was on the outside, this was because historically, the coach driver
had always been out near the horses. My point :- with any new
product like Exchange 2003, take the time to check out the new features and do not just
carry on doing the same tasks in the same old way.
In particular, open your mind to multiple stores, clustering, OWA and OMA.
Moving to Exchange 2003 will be a complex project. Every migration will
be different, so make sure you get advice to suit your situation. Each new
system brings improvements, so do take the opportunity to research what's new in
Exchange 2003.
The
extra features you get in your eBook include: 20 checklists to
plan your migration. Detailed instructions and advice on the best
strategy for your organization.
Lots of tips, recommendations and troubleshooting advice. Problem
solving section. Active Directory explained. Printer friendly
pages.
The
extra features you get in your eBook include: 20 checklists to
plan your migration. Detailed instructions and advice on the best
strategy for your organization.
