[hillda01]

Hi,

We are looking to get some Active Directory accounts and Exchange mailboxes from SBS2003 and into Windows 2003 AD and Exchange 2003.

Wondering if anyone has done this before and best practices.

I guess that inititally I am going to have to create a trust between the two domains. Although I've heard its not possible to set up a trust between these two environments.

Is this true?

Hoping for loads of replies.

Regards

Dave

[teiger]

You need to explain better what your configuration is, at what you are trying to achieve. That may increase the number of replies!
In any case you can't create a trust.

[PaulH]

Now I'm guessing here, but I think you mean that you would like to transfer some Active Directory users and computers from an existing SBS2003 computer (which you will decomission and, effectively, throw away) into a new Server2003 & Exchange 2003 system which has a different domain name. If so, look at this handy link: http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/...ard-Part2.html

Also there's a Microsoft document here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en


What you can't do, as teiger says, is have two domains with trust relationships because SBS is only happy with one domain in it's playground and will never allow a trust relationship. So the SBS box has to get thrown away, after the migration has been completed.

Another useful tool is exmerge which can be used to export and import your email messages and contacts, tasks, calendar notes etc.

From a licencing point of view, did you know there is an SBS -> Server 2003 transition pack ? This is not software that does the transfer for you, it is a cost-effective way to buy the appropriate licences and helps save money for people who have outgrown SBS.

[hillda01]

Yeah sorry for the lack of info....

what Im looking to do is take all the AD user accounts including SIDS from sbs2003 and put them into windows 2003 server active directory. After this has been completed the old sbs server will be decommossioned.

The same with the exchange mailboxes on sbs2003, I want to move them of onto a windows 2003 server exchange enterprise.....

I will read the links you have provided.... We went through a migration from NT4 to Windows 2003 using admt that was quite easy to do.

Thats why I thought about creating a trust and use admt.....

[teiger]

You can achieve whatyou want by adding the 2003 server as an additional DC. Install another Exchange and use Move Mailboxes. Afterwards, transfer all the FSMO roles, turn off the old SBS, then clean up the metadata from the AD.
Alternatively, as has been mentioned you can buy the Transition pack which releases the SBS limitations. You are then free to move servers around subject to having the necessary licenses.
You haven't told us your reason for moving from SBS?

[hillda01]

The reason for getting rid of SBS is that we have a corporate domain and the sbs servers are on sites that we are going to connect to our corporate domain thus my original question is it possible to have a trust between sbs and windows 2003.

Building another Exchange box in the same domain then migrating mailboxes isnt really going to practical, because I want to move these mailboxes into our corporate domain.

Would it mean that I would have to build that Exchange box in the SBS domain move the mailboxes, remove the Exchange server out of the SBS domain, make it a member of the corporate domain, and then some how make the exchange box a member of the corporate exchange enterprise to move the mailboxes onto a different exchange box within the corporate domain??

That sounds like a right game!!!

I have the same problem with their Active Directory accounts, how would I get their accounts out of the SBS domain and put them into the corporate domain??

I think the maximum number of users I've got to do is 25 so I might just end up recreating all the accounts and mailboxes at this rate!

What does the transition pack do exactly?

Regards

Dave

[teiger]

Originally Posted by teiger

you can buy the Transition pack which releases the SBS limitations.

As I stated before - no more, no less. It gives you a Windows Server 2003 and an Exchange Server 2003 and the standard edition licenses for both. IE you can create trusts, you don't have to be the root of the forest and you are not limited in the number of users other than by the number of licenses you buy.
Premium edition gives you ISA and SQL licenses also!

[hillda01]

Thanks for the information.

So I could use ADMT to migrate the user accounts once a trust has been setup....

How would I go about moving the mailboxes though? Not sure how I would make their Exchange box a member of our Exchange organisation.

Regards

Dave

[teiger]

I think Exmerge is the only way really open to you. Check out this site (Petri) for info on that.