Upgrading to Exchange Server 2007

Planning and Preparing for Exchange Server 2007

When planning your Exchange Server 2007 environment, you need to take into account the new server role architecture. Depending on your unique business needs and coupled with new high availability features, you now have the flexibility to install all the roles onto a single server or take advantage of the modular server role installation and split the roles across multiple servers.

Whatever choice you make, the Exchange Best Practice Analyzer now includes a set of readiness checks that you can run against your current environment to ensure that it is ready to accept Exchange Server 2007 into your organization. Planning and preparing for an Exchange upgrade has never been easier.

Deploying Exchange Server 2007

With Exchange Server 2007, you can now upgrade your evaluation installation to a fully licensed server. This gives you the ability to rapidly turn your pilot deployments into a production environment. Additionally, if you have outgrown your standard edition server license, in Exchange Server 2007 you can upgrade it to an enterprise edition without having to reinstall any software.

The setup wizard for Exchange Server 2007 goes beyond installing the product; it uses smart defaults as well as your unique inputs to lay down a common set of configurations. During installation, the wizard will download the latest prerequisite checking file to ensure that your environment is ready for an installation of Exchange Server 2007.

In addition to the wizard improvements, a command-line experience is now available for automating server provisioning; this includes not only installation but post-installation configuration as well. As an example, a script could be written to install multiple servers, create databases, and migrate users driven from a .csv file as input, saving time and protecting from potential operator errors when deploying into large environments.

Coexistence with Exchange Server 2000 and Exchange Server 2003

Exchange Server 2007 coexists perfectly in a legacy Exchange Server 2000 or Exchange Server 2003 environment. With the modular server role architecture, you can deploy certain server roles directly into your current environment to immediately appreciate some of the benefits of Exchange Server 2007. The Client Access Server, for example, is a role that can be dropped into an Exchange Server 2000 or Exchange Server 2003 environment to start directing mobile and Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access users to either Exchange 2007 or legacy mailboxes.

Mailbox Migration

Because it is a native 64-bit application, there is no in-place upgrade to Exchange Server 2007. Therefore, a new migration engine is delivered as part of the Exchange Management Tools within Exchange Server 2007. Whether managing users with the wizard in the Exchange Management Console, or through automation using the Exchange Management Shell, the migration process is the same regardless of whether the users are on a legacy mailbox server or already in Exchange Server 2007. The Exchange Management Console provides a rich and intuitive interface, allowing for error handling and scheduling moves to happen in off hours. Migrations can be scripted through the Exchange Management Shell for dynamic selection criteria of users to be moved in batches or easily load balanced across a series of mailbox databases.

Reducing Your Time to Deployment

With the modular server role architecture and rich set of deployment tools to assist from planning through to users' migration into production, time to deployment is significantly reduced, allowing you to start experiencing the benefits sooner. See how Microsoft has rapidly upgraded to Exchange Server 2007 and is experiencing its many benefits. Register to download the evaluation software today to get started on your Exchange pilot and experience it for yourself.