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Exchange & Outlook UPDATE, Exchange Edition, November 1, 2002

Exchange and Outlook UPDATE, Exchange Edition—brought to you by Exchange & Outlook Administrator, a print newsletter from Windows & .NET Magazine that contains practical advice, how-to articles, tips, and techniques to help you do your job today.
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(below COMMENTARY)


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November 1, 2002—In this issue:

1. COMMENTARY

  • The Clock Is Ticking for Exchange 5.5

2. ANNOUNCEMENTS

  • Attend Our Free Tips & Tricks Web Summit
  • Try a Sample Issue of Exchange & Outlook Administrator

3. RESOURCES

  • Exchange XGEN: Exchange Tools for Migration
  • Featured Thread: Exchange 2000 Administration

4. HOT RELEASE (ADVERTISEMENT)

  • Free Directory Reporting Tool and Best MEC T-Shirt

5. NEW AND IMPROVED

  • Improve Exchange Performance
  • Submit Top Product Ideas

6. CONTACT US

  • See this section for a list of ways to contact us.

1. COMMENTARY
(contributed by Paul Robichaux, News Editor, [email protected])

  • THE CLOCK IS TICKING FOR EXCHANGE 5.5

  • Microsoft recently announced a new support policy (see the first URL below) that confirms what we've all suspected for a while: The clock is ticking for Exchange Server 5.5. According to the published timeline (see the second URL below), Microsoft will no longer provide general support for Exchange 5.5 after December 31, 2003, although you can buy as many as 2 years of extended support. (This week's "Exchange and Outlook UPDATE, Outlook Edition" commentary "New Microsoft Support Policy Affects Outlook"—see the third URL below—explains and questions this support change.) The looming presence of Windows .NET Server (Win.NET Server) 2003 and the next version of Exchange (code-named Titanium) makes migration a confusing issue; planning when to migrate what can be challenging. However, Microsoft has said that you won't be able to move directly from Exchange 5.5 to Titanium through upgrading in-place servers (although you can move mailboxes from an Exchange 5.5 server to a Titanium server), so you should begin planning for a messaging-system migration sooner rather than later. How should you proceed?

    First, consider which versions of Exchange run on which versions of Windows. If your servers run Windows NT 4.0, you can run Exchange 5.5 but not Exchange 2000 Server or Titanium. Exchange 2000, of course, runs on Windows 2000. At present, Win.NET Server Release Candidate 1 (RC1) doesn't support Exchange 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3), and the Win.NET Server release to manufacturing (RTM) version probably won't either. And although speculating about products early in the development cycle is always a little risky, it's a given that Titanium will run on Win.NET Server. Microsoft probably will support Titanium on Win2K also, although running the product on Win2K will mean giving up the ability to make point-in-time snapshot copies of Exchange stores (as well as giving up a few of Titanium's other, smaller features that depend on Win.NET Server).

    What does all this mean when you're considering migrating your Exchange 5.5 sites? The first and most obvious step is to move to Win2K and Active Directory (AD). You'll need to do so no matter what version of Exchange you migrate to eventually, so correctly designing and deploying AD is crucial. The first step on this path is usually to flatten your NT domain structure as much as possible before you start to migrate individual domains. Then, you can add Win2K and Exchange 2000 servers to your existing Exchange 5.5 organization. As long as you properly set up the Active Directory Connector (ADC), Exchange 2000 will run in mixed Win2K and NT 4.0 networks. You can also freely intermix Win2K member servers running Exchange 2000 with Win.NET Server domain controllers (DCs)—-a valuable feature, considering the improvements to Win.NET Server's AD and Certificate Server components. As with mixed Win2K/NT deployments, you'll be able to use Exchange 2000 in a mixed Win.NET/Win2K environment.

    After you've started to sketch out a migration plan for your directory infrastructure, consider how you can get the most now out of Exchange 2000's improved scalability, Internet integration, and Outlook Web Access (OWA) support. And remember, the sooner you start planning the move, the sooner you'll be ready to deal with Microsoft's support changes.

    Product Support Lifecycle
    Product Lifecycle Dates - Server Product Family
    "New Microsoft Support Policy Affects Outlook"


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    2. ANNOUNCEMENTS
    (brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners)

  • ATTEND OUR FREE TIPS & TRICKS WEB SUMMIT

  • Join us on December 19th for our Tips & Tricks Web Summit featuring three eye-opening events: Disaster Recovery Tips & Tricks, Intrusion Detection: Win2K Security Log Secrets, and Merging Exchange Systems: Tips for Managing 5 Key Challenges. There is no charge for this event, but space is limited so register today!
    http://www.winnetmag.com/seminars/tipstricks

  • TRY A SAMPLE ISSUE OF EXCHANGE & OUTLOOK ADMINISTRATOR

  • If you haven't seen Exchange & Outlook Administrator, you're missing out on key information that will go a long way toward preventing serious problems and downtime for your enterprise. Get a free sample issue today, and discover tools you won't find anywhere else to help you migrate, optimize, administer, and secure Exchange and Outlook. Subscribe now!
    http://www.exchangeadmin.com/sub.cfm?code=efei232jup

    3. RESOURCES

  • EXCHANGE XGEN: EXCHANGE TOOLS FOR MIGRATION

  • Each week, Microsoft posts several Exchange Server how-to articles to its Knowledge Base. This week, learn about three Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 5.5 migration tools: the Move Server Wizard, Exmerge, and the Exchange Migration Wizard.
    http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q281584

  • FEATURED THREAD: EXCHANGE 2000 ADMINISTRATION

  • Two readers have run into the same problem when trying to access Exchange 2000 Server in a child domain of a multiple-domain configuration. To offer your advice or join the discussion, go to the following URL:
    http://www.winnetmag.com/forums/rd.cfm?cid=40&tid=39146

    4. HOT RELEASE (ADVERTISEMENT)

  • FREE DIRECTORY REPORTING TOOL AND BEST MEC T-SHIRT

  • Imanami SmartR: FREE reporting tool for Exchange 5.5 and AD. Run reports on DL's, users, owners or last modified. Reports are customizable. Creates phone list in seconds! Generate reports in CSV, XML, XLS and HTML. Download for "Best of MEC" T-Shirt!
    http://www.imanami.com/specials/winnet/110102.asp?p=winnet_110102

    5. NEW AND IMPROVED
    (contributed by Carolyn Mader, [email protected])

  • IMPROVE EXCHANGE PERFORMANCE

  • Raxco Software released PerfectDisk 2000 5.0 for Exchange, software that lets you recapture unused disk space and improve Exchange Server performance by automating and scheduling Exchange defragmentation and compaction of data stores. PerfectDisk 2000 5.0 for Exchange is an add-on utility to PerfectDisk 2000, Raxco's enterprise disk-defragmentation and optimization software. PerfectDisk 2000 5.0 for Exchange costs $499 per server and supports Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 5.5. Contact Raxco Software at 301-527-0803 or 800-546-9728.
    http://www.raxco.com

  • SUBMIT TOP PRODUCT IDEAS

  • Have you used a product that changed your IT experience by saving you time or easing your daily burden? Do you know of a terrific product that others should know about? Tell us! We want to write about the product in a future Windows & .NET Magazine What's Hot column. Send your product suggestions to [email protected].

    6. CONTACT US
    Here's how to reach us with your comments and questions:

    (please mention the newsletter name in the subject line)

    This email newsletter is brought to you by Exchange & Outlook Administrator, the print newsletter with practical advice, tips, and techniques covering migration, backup and restoration, security, and much more. Subscribe today!
    http://www.exchangeadmin.com/sub.cfm?code=neei23xxup

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    http://www.winnetmag.net/email

    Thank you for reading Exchange and Outlook UPDATE, Exchange Edition.

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