Exchange 2007: Upgrade ultimatum

by Scott Lowe MCSE | Sep 15, 2006 7:00:00 AM

Tags: E-mail servers, Groupware, Scott Lowe MCSE, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, E-mail Administration Tips Newsletter

Takeaway: Here are some upgrade challenges you'll face if you decide to make a move to the new version.

Like Exchange 2000 did before it, Exchange 2007 is bringing significant change to the Exchange messaging world. Start preparing now if you eventually plan to make your way to Exchange 2007. In this tip, I'll discuss some upgrade challenges you’ll face if you do decide to make a move to the new version.

There are two important items to note with Exchange 2007:

1. Exchange 2007 only supports new installations. You can't perform an in-place upgrade of an older Exchange server with Exchange 2007. Instead, you must install Exchange 2007 onto brand new 64-bit hardware and migrate any data you wish to house on the new server from older Exchange servers. Note also that Exchange 2007 supports only 64-bit hardware running a 64-bit Windows operating system.
2. Exchange 5.5 must be jettisoned. If you’re still running Exchange 5.5, or even have it installed on your Exchange 2000/2003 mixed-mode network, it has to be gone before you can install an Exchange 2007 server into your Exchange organization. In short, before you can install Exchange 2007 into your Exchange organization, your organization must be running in native mode. There are rumors that Outlook in Office 2007 will also not support connections to Exchange 5.5 servers.

With plenty of advance warning, you can take the steps necessary to eliminate Exchange 5.5 from your organization before taking the Exchange 2007 leap.