XADM: How to Remove the First Exchange Server in a Site

This article outlines the steps necessary to remove the first Microsoft Exchange Server computer installed in an Exchange Server site.

In addition to any mailboxes and public folders, by default the first server in a site contains and is responsible for the site folders. Site folders consist of the Offline Address Book (OAB) folder, the Schedule+ Free Busy Information folder, and the Organizational Forms folder, if one exists. Other servers installed in the site rely, by default, on the first server for this information. For example, in order for the third server in the site to generate the OAB, it must make a connection to the first server. If you remove the first server in the site without performing the steps in this article, the data contained in these site folders may be inaccessible or lost.

The first server in the site is also, by default, the routing calculation server. The routing calculation server is responsible for updating the site's Gateway Address Routing Table (GWART). You also must reassign this responsibility before you remove the first server from the site. For additional information about doing this, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: If you have removed the first server in the site before reading this article, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: IMPORTANT: If the first server in the site is also the Key Management (KM) Server and you follow the procedure in this article, you may later have issues when you try and install KM services on another server in the site. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Before you remove the first Exchange Server computer in the site, perform the following steps to avoid issues:

IMPORTANT: If there are any users or public folders (non-site) homed on this Exchange Server computer, you must move the mailboxes to another server in the site, and you must replicate any public folders to other servers in the site, to ensure that you do not lose data. Please refer to the Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator Guide, chapters 12 and 15, for more information.

Offline Address Book:

1. Choose a server in the site to contain the OAB.
2. Click the Public Information Store object, and then click Properties.
3. Click the Instances tab.
4. In the Public Folders list, click to select Offline Address Book and OAB Version 2 (if applicable), and then click Add. This creates a replica of these folders on the server you chose in step 1.
5. Click OK.
6. Using the Exchange Server Administrator program, click the Configuration container, and open the properties of the DS Site Configuration object.
7. In the Offline Address Book Server list, click the server you chose in step 1.

Schedule+ Free Busy Information and Organizational Forms:

1. Choose a server in the site to contain the Schedule+ information and the organizational forms.
2. Using the Exchange Server Administrator program, click the Configuration container, click the Servers container, and then click the server you chose in step 1.
3. Click the Public Information Store object, and then click Properties.
4. Click the Instances tab.
5. In the Public Folders list, click to select Schedule+ Free Busy Information and Organization Forms, and then click Add. This creates a replica of these folders on the server you chose in step 1.
6. Click OK.

This creates an instance for the Schedule+ Free Busy Information folder. The original Schedule+ Free Busy Information public folder is removed when the first server is removed, and the new instance becomes active.

Routing Calculation Server:

1. Choose a server in the site to be the new routing calculation server.
2. Using the Exchange Server Administrator program, click the Configuration container, and then double-click the Site Addressing object.
3. Click the General tab.
4. In the Routing Calculation Server list, click the server you chose in step 1. You must make some other change in the properties pages to activate the Apply button, so that the changes are retained.
5. Click the Routing tab, and then click Recalculate Routing.
6. Click OK.
7. Finally, follow the steps in the following article:
   189286 XADM: How to Delete a Server from a Site

NOTE: Microsoft recommends that the first server in the site be powered off or unplugged from the network temporarily after you perform the above steps to verify that you have completed this procedure successfully. After you verify that the changes work (start a Microsoft Exchange client, and verify that you can access the Schedule+ free and busy information of another user and can generate an Offline Address Book), leave the first server off the network, or powered off, make sure that there are no entries in the Windows Internet Naming System (WINS) or Domain Name System (DNS) for the server you are removing, and then perform the following steps to permanently remove this server from the site:

1. Using the Exchange Server Administrator program, click the Configuration container, and then click the Servers container.
2. Click the first server in the site.
3. On the Edit menu, click Delete, or press the DELETE key.

NOTE: The Microsoft Exchange Schedule+ Free/Busy Connector does NOT move automatically and is deleted when the first server is removed from the site. If this happens, recreate this object by following the steps in the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

To Include Schedule+ Free Busy Information:

The Schedule+ Free Busy Information site folder is repopulated as users log on to Schedule+ and generate changes. During this period some users' free and busy information is temporarily unavailable.

Until a user logs on and makes an appointment (a "busy" time) there is no free and busy information to view.

For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: