Exchange 2010

[leco]

Current situation: Initialisation failure - so I think Exchange needs to be uninstalled. But this server holds the OAB so the wizard is complaining. Is there a way to move that back to the 2003 server without using either the console or Exchange Powershell?

[leco]

What I have been advised to do, by the LA guy who came this morning, is move Exchange onto another server that is not a DC. I have another VM all prepared for this however I don't think I can just install on that without taking Exchange 2010 off the first one.

So it looks like the whole 2010 Exchange installation has gone bad. Exchange Management Console will not open on the 2010 server. Exchange Powershell console cannot connect to the Exchange server. I have successfully uninstalled the Client Access Server, but the uninstall wizard complains when trying to remove both the Mailbox server and the Hub Transport server. The system management tools on the 2003 Exchange server cannot change anything as it needs the newer version. I've Googled the issue but all the references that I can find on ADSIedit are looking at an older version also. That is the Configuration node - which is not there on the 2008 R2 one. All I have on the new server are the AD OUs and CNs.

 

Help please, feel like I'm going round in circles and getting absolutely nowhere.

[zag]

Exchange should never go on a domain controller.

[danrhodes]

Exchange should never go on a domain controller.

 

Correct your asking for trouble going down this route. Both AD and Exchange have high process and memory utilization and require a box of their own, the performance hit having both on the same box would be massive!

 

A quick google found one of the major flaws of doing so.

 

It may take approximately 10 minutes for the server to shutdown. This is because the AD service (LSASS.EXE) shuts down before the Exchange services, and DSAccess will go through several timeouts before shutting down. The workaround for this issue is to manually stop the Exchange services (specifically the Store) before initiating a system shutdown or restart.

 

 

D

[SYNACK]

Not that it helps to much with the OPs issue but Exchange 2010 is designed to be far less integrated with AD and although it is best practice to not install it on a DC it is possible and does function even with 2003. The shutdown issue is knowen and not that serious as at worst it adds 10 minutes to a shutdown. Whatever caused the issues it is unlikely to be due to the host being a DC.

 

As to the OAB I am unsure of how Exchange 2010 stores this information but given Exchge 2010s mostly hands off policy with AD it is probably not located on there. Exchange should be able to regenerate a new list once it is up and running again from the account information in its database and publish that so with some luck it should be sorted after the reinstall.

[danrhodes]

Whatever caused the issues it is unlikely to be due to the host being a DC.

 

Actually it's all to do with it being a DC.

 

The slow shutdown occurs because the Active Directory related services shut down before the Exchange services, thus causing the Exchange services to fail repeatedly while looking for the DS. You can solve the issue a few ways, changing "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\WaitToKillServiceTimeout" from "60000" to "20000" or by manually stopping the exchange services below.

 

net stop MSExchangeES

net stop IMAP4Svc

net stop POP3Svc

net stop RESvc

net stop MSExchangeSRS

net stop MSExchangeMGMT

net stop MSExchangeMTA

net stop MSExchangeIS /Y

net stop MSExchangeSA /

[SYNACK]

Actually it's all to do with it being a DC.

I was talking about the OPs problem which was what this thread was about, I should have been more clear with my paragraph structure. You are correct that the specific issue that you were talking about was to do with a machine being a DC. I doubt that this issue affects a 2010 based server though due to its more standalone nature, anyhow I have had several sites that ran Exchange 2003 on DCs due to lack of other servers with no ill effects (short of the shutdown one) for years till they could be upgraded.

[danrhodes]

It's hardly a noticable issue anyway as when do you really ever need to shutdown a serer often enough to notice a ten minute delay?

 

D

[leco]

Thanks for the advice on Exchange not being installed on a DC - I am aware of that although the 2003 installation is on a DC as at the time of installation that was the only server in the domain. Has given excellent service in all that time with very few slow shutdowns.

 

Back to the original query - last night I found an article which stepped me through a manual uninstall. Today I have installed on another VM and, as Synack said, it has picked up all the details from the 2003 server. I haven't finished the install yet as there is no mailbox database visible in the Management Console, Client Access Server will not install and I still have to "replicate the Free/Busy/Schedule info to all servers in the domain". Mailboxes are correctly recognised on the 2010 as either User Mailbox or Legacy Mailbox so I haven't lost any of those. More work this evening testing the connections etc. Watch this space .... or not as you please.

[srochford]

Exchange should never go on a domain controller.

 

It's not recommended (eg if you dcpromo the DC so it's no longer a DC then all sorts of things will stop working) but it's perfectly possible to do it and it's even support by MS under some circumstances - they will happily sell you Small Business Server (or whatever the new name is for it) which puts everything including the kitchen sink on the same box!

[danrhodes]

It's not recommended (eg if you dcpromo the DC so it's no longer a DC then all sorts of things will stop working) but it's perfectly possible to do it and it's even support by MS under some circumstances - they will happily sell you Small Business Server (or whatever the new name is for it) which puts everything including the kitchen sink on the same box!

 

Correct, SBS 2008 has everything, AD, DNS, DHCP, FSMO roles, Exchange and bells and whistles all roled into the same box, It's a clever piece of kit, but no good for schools!

 

D

[tarquel]

Dont know if this helps at all (I've setup a multi server exchange 2010 deployment with no existing exchange deployment in the domain) but have you been through this:

 

Exchange Server 2010: Exchange 2010 Help

 

Cheers

Nath.

[_techie_]

This is a definite case forward for running virtualised servers, and being able to snapshot them, before undertaking massive changes like installing/upgrading exchange. As others have said, I would not recommend running Exchange on a DC box...

If I were you, look at going down the route of ESXi if possible (hardware needs to support it). This has been the biggest benefit, since we can try things out, with no real risk of doing any long term damage.

 

HTH a bit...

[leco]

Well I've had a lovely holiday with fresh air, sea, sand and all the other things. Now back to the grindstone ... Today I shall be mostly blowing away yet another VM, and yes they are a 'good thing' for learning the hard way. Thinking out loud here - is it possible to install Exchange and have it ignore the 2003 install?

[danrhodes]

Thinking out loud here - is it possible to install Exchange and have it ignore the 2003 install?

 

Can you elaborate a little more??

[leco]

Sorry - said I was thinking out loud;) When the installation runs for Exch 2010 there is a dialogue to ask for any connections to other Exchange servers. My question is can I just ignore that and leave it blank? Would the installation then be a stand alone one with no connection to the 2003 server?

[tarquel]

Did you look at the link in my previous post?

 

Wasnt it any good with migration from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2010 then?

 

Cheers

Nath.

[leco]

Sorry tarquel for not responding to you. The link supplied uses Silverlight which isn't currently installed on any of my machines. (Or I'm assuming that's why I couldn't see anything other than a Sliverlight box)

[tarquel]

No worries. I was just pointing out that different migration scenarios [including Exch 2003 to 2010] are included in that link, so its worth a look

 

It didnt have anything of use really when I installed 2010 on a non-exch domain... but thats because it was within the same week/month that Exchange 2010 RTM'd

 

Brave?... naaa

 

Stupid?....possibly

 

Mad?.... most definately

 

[leco]

I'm starting to think that I was most certainly mad as a box of frogs for even thinking about deploying Exch 2010. The project is in a temporary state of slumber. More pressing matters just now - end of year pupil reports!

[leco]

I have scrubbed my network of all references to Exchange 2010. De-commissioned the original machine I was trying to install it on. Made a new VM on which to install Exchange 2007. But when I ran the preparation tools /prepareAD failed. On searching in TechNet for a solution I came across some blogs (which I'm not allowed to see at school thanks to the filtering!!) referring to failed installations of Exch 2007 - it's not supported against DCs running Server2008R2 !!!!!!! Many comments and posts later - MS are working on a solution which should be released in the second half of this year.

 

All of this really makes me wonder if MS actually want anyone to upgrade and move to the new OS and new Exchange. Anyway never daunted/ever onward - I intend to remove 2008R2 and install Server 2008 - wish me luck as I attempt yet another Exchange install.

[Theblacksheep]

I have scrubbed my network of all references to Exchange 2010. De-commissioned the original machine I was trying to install it on. Made a new VM on which to install Exchange 2007. But when I ran the preparation tools /prepareAD failed. On searching in TechNet for a solution I came across some blogs (which I'm not allowed to see at school thanks to the filtering!!) referring to failed installations of Exch 2007 - it's not supported against DCs running Server2008R2 !!!!!!! Many comments and posts later - MS are working on a solution which should be released in the second half of this year.

 

All of this really makes me wonder if MS actually want anyone to upgrade and move to the new OS and new Exchange. Anyway never daunted/ever onward - I intend to remove 2008R2 and install Server 2008 - wish me luck as I attempt yet another Exchange install.

 

exchange 2007 on 2008r2 fix:

 

You Had Me At EHLO... : The fix for installation of Exchange 2007 SP2 with Windows 2008 R2 Domain Controllers is now available.

Edited June 12, 2010 by Theblacksheep

[leco]

Thanks yep that's the one - but that is just so that Exchange 2007 will run WITH 2008 R2 DCs and not to run Exchange 2007 ON machines with 2008 R2 OS. MS do not support Exchange 2007 SP1 or SP2 installed on 2008 R2 OS - that is apparently to happen later this year, when the code has been re-written.

[Theblacksheep]

Thanks yep that's the one - but that is just so that Exchange 2007 will run WITH 2008 R2 DCs and not to run Exchange 2007 ON machines with 2008 R2 OS. MS do not support Exchange 2007 SP1 or SP2 installed on 2008 R2 OS - that is apparently to happen later this year, when the code has been re-written.

 

Rather you than me! (in the nicest possible way).

 

Seeing as we are doing a domain transition, I was lucky enough that a new exchange 2010 install could be done in the new domain... then split SMTP namespace between old and new domains until everyone has moved over.

 

good luck!

[leco]

Thanks for the encouragement. Wish I could have a new domain to do the install on but sadly not possible. Unless I change the name of the school, mm now there's a thought, which is easier?