Choose the Best OS for Exchange 2003
Exchange 2003 will run on Windows 2000, but you can leverage its new features more fully on Windows Server 2003.
by Ben Schorr and Jim McBee
September 2003 Issue
Q We're beginning to plan a migration from Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2003. I'm getting conflicting information on the requirements for Exchange 2003. Can you guys shed some light on this topic?
—Hiroshi, Misawa, Japan
Jim: Konnichiwa, Hiroshi-san! I'll bet some of that conflicting information came from Ben and me. We wrote in the March 2003 Ask the Pros column that Exchange 2003 requires Windows Server 2003 (see Resources). Actually, I wrote it, but notice how easily I pulled Ben into my mea culpa. I'd better take ownership of this. Ben spends his weekends working on the battleship USS Missouri. Never ruffle the feathers of anyone with access to guns that fire 16-inch shells up to 23 miles away. Anyway, we should clarify this technical issue about the use of Windows Server 2003 and Exchange 2003.
Ben: We also discussed Exchange 2003 briefly in the June 2003 column (see Resources). Your question is common and certainly deserves some elaboration on our part. Windows Server 2003 is the preferred platform for Exchange 2003. However, Exchange 2003 will run on Windows 2000, but with reduced functionality. For example, you don't get Volume Shadow Copy capabilities, Remote Procedure Calls over HTTP (RPC/HTTP) support (for Outlook 2003), and some of the security improvements in Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0.
Jim: The other common question we get about Exchange 2003 is whether it'll work with Windows 2000 Active Directory (AD). Exchange 2003 works fine with AD 2000; however, you need to install additional schema classes and attributes—even if you use Exchange 2000 currently. You can do this quickly by running the Exchange 2003 setup program with the /forestprep switch.
Ben: Microsoft has published a slew of Exchange 2003-related whitepapers, comparison guides, and general information (see Resources). Also, don't forget to check out Scott Jamison's "Exchange Server 2003: Worth the Upgrade?" article in the June 2003 issue (see Resources).
Jim: We recommend doing a clean install of Windows Server 2003 and Exchange 2003 rather than upgrading; once the new server is installed, move the mailboxes from the old server to the new one. When installed cleanly, Windows Server 2003 and Exchange 2003 are more secure than a server you've upgraded. However, if you plan to upgrade an existing Exchange 2000 server, you should upgrade Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2003 first, then upgrade Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003. Microsoft doesn't support running Exchange 2000 on Windows Server 2003.
Ben: The Move Mailbox feature in AD Users and Computers has been improved (it's faster and multithreaded). You can also find the Exchange Tasks menu (including Move Mailbox) in the Exchange System Manager now.
Q I support an Exchange Server 2000 server with about 500 mailboxes. My users have created at least 75 folders in Outlook's All Public Folders folder. What should I do?
—Michael, Jacksonville, Fla.
Ben: Well, Michael, I'm afraid the problem has already progressed beyond your control if you have 75 folders in existence already.
Jim: The first thing you need to do is to get the problem under control. In Exchange 2000, all users have permissions by default to "create top-level" public folders. You should remove this permission. First, you need to show the Security properties page in Exchange System Manager; this requires you to add a Registry setting on the computer from which you run Exchange System Manager. Read Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article 259221 for instructions (see Resources).
Ben: Next, open the Exchange System Manager, right-click on either the administrative group or the organization, choose Properties, then click on the Security tab. Locate the Everyone group in the Group or user names list (see Figure 1). Clear the Create top level public folder checkbox, but don't assign the Deny option to this right (which would prevent even administrators from creating top-level public folders).
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