Exchange 2003 to 2007 migration/upgrade

[MattRVBC]

Hi Guys,

 

With exchange 2003 coming to end of life I'm looking at upgrading to exchange 2007 as I have all the licences purchased etc. after reading and advice I have received I will need to run both 2003 and 2007 side by side and up the domain and forest levels to a minimum of 2003.

 

I have some exchange experience but I'm not 100% confident with completing an upgrade. Could anyone point me in the right direction of a good practice guide or share any pointers on the best way to achieve the upgrade.

 

Cheers

 

Matt

[FN-GM]

This is a good guide - Transitioning from Exchange 2000/2003 to Exchange Server 2007 (Part 1) :: Migration & Deployment :: Exchange 2007 Articles :: Articles & Tutorials :: MSExchange.org

 

Exchange 2007 only has about 3 year support left. I would migrate to 2010 or 2013. It would be easier to migrate to 2010 than 2013 and avoid 2007. This is a really detailed guide to do this - http://exchangeserverpro.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Exchange-Server-2003-to-2010-Migration-Guide-V1.3-Planning-Chapter.pdf - Also Exchange 2007 is a pain getting the certificates right.

 

A third option have you considered Office 365? Its free for schools and you get free support. They will handle all your upgrades etc. Means you can dump your server etc. Once it is done it will make life easier for people who are not exchange experts.

Edited June 25, 2014 by FN-GM

[SYNACK]

Yes, use 2010 if you can as there is direct migration, 2013 would require the middle step anyway.