XADM: How to Move an Exchange Server Cluster Database to Exchange 2000

Because an actual upgrade of an Exchange Server 5.5 cluster to an Exchange 2000 cluster is not supported, this article describes an alternative method to move an Exchange Server cluster information store database to an Exchange 2000 cluster. This is a form of Exchange Disaster Recovery that can be used to transition directly from Exchange Server to Exchange 2000 by using the same cluster hardware.

Note The recommended method for moving users from Exchange Server to Exchange 2000 is the �move-mailbox� method. This method is used to move users from the original Exchange Server cluster to a new Exchange 2000 cluster.

If additional cluster hardware is not available, another method would be to use a stand-alone server to temporarily house the mailboxes while the cluster is being rebuilt as an Exchange 2000 cluster.

Before you use the procedure described in this article, you must upgrade the cluster operating system to Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server, and then verify that the cluster is running in a Windows 2000 Server Active Directory directory service domain. For information about how to upgrade the Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 cluster service, see the documentation that is included with Windows 2000 Advanced Server. You can also see the "Windows 2000 Clustering: Performing a Rolling Upgrade" white paper that is located at the following Microsoft Web site:

Before you use this procedure, you must configure and run the Active Directory Connector (ADC) to populate Active Directory with the Exchange Server mailbox information. For more information about how to configure and run the ADC, see Chapter 16, Upgrading and Coexisting, on the Exchange 2000 CD-ROM in the Rtl\Usa\Docs folder. During the process of moving from an Exchange Server cluster to an Exchange 2000 cluster, the Exchange Server system files are removed from the shared drive, and the Exchange 2000 system files are installed on the local system drive. Exchange 2000 points to the existing user data that is preserved on the shared disk resource.

Note Because this procedure requires you to completely remove Exchange Server from the cluster before you install Exchange 2000, you cannot complete this procedure by using the Exchange 2000 Server upgrade version. You must use a full Exchange 2000 Server Enterprise CD-ROM.

An Exchange 2000 cluster can coexist with earlier versions of Exchange Server if both of the following conditions are true:

�	The Exchange 2000 cluster is not the first instance of Exchange 2000 in the Exchange Server site.
�	The Exchange 2000 cluster does not serve as a directory replication bridgehead to an Exchange Server site.

For every site that contains an Exchange Server cluster, you must install or upgrade at least one non-clustered Exchange 2000 computer in the site before you install Exchange 2000 onto the cluster. To do so, either upgrade an existing Exchange Server stand-alone computer, or install a new Exchange 2000 stand-alone computer. If the Exchange Server cluster server is a directory replication bridgehead server, you must move the directory replication connector from the Exchange Server cluster server to another Exchange Server computer or to an Exchange 2000 server that runs the Site Replication Service (SRS) for the site. If the Exchange Server cluster server is also the first server in the site, you must move the system folders to another server in the site before you remove the Exchange Server cluster. The system folders that you must move include the following folders:

�	Free/Busy
�	Organizational Forms
�	Offline Address Book

Note You can remove the non-clustered Exchange 2000 computer that is running the SRS after all the Exchange Server computers in the organization are upgraded to Exchange 2000.

Disaster Recovery Method to Move the Exchange Server Cluster Information Store to an Exchange 2000 Cluster

1.	Make sure that all user and configuration data on the cluster has been backed up.
2.	Start Cluster Administrator, and then take the Exchange Server cluster group offline.
3.	On the active node, open My Computer, locate H:\Exchsrvr (where H is the shared cluster drive), and then rename the Mdbdata folder to something like "Edbs." Note If you do not rename this folder, the contents of the folder will be removed automatically during step 4.
4.	Remove Exchange Server from both nodes. To do so, run Exchange Server 5.5 Setup, and then click Remove all in the Installation Options dialog box. Caution Do not delete the server from the site. After you complete this step, the Exchange Server system files are removed. For more information about how to remove Exchange Server, see the Exchange Server documentation.
5.	Install Exchange 2000 on both nodes of the cluster. Cluster service requires that you install Exchange 2000 on one node completely before you install Exchange 2000 on the second node. The following accounts must have the following permissions: � The service account that you use to administer the Cluster service must have Exchange Full Administrator permissions for the organization and Local Administrators permissions on both nodes. � The account that you use to install Exchange 2000 on the nodes and to create the Exchange 2000 cluster resources must have Exchange Full Administrator and Local Administrators permissions on both nodes. Install Exchange 2000 on the same drive and path on both computers. The default installation folder for binary files is the local system drive. Binary files are not shared. The installable file system (IFS) must be assigned to the same drive on both nodes in the cluster. By default, when you install Exchange 2000, Setup assigns IFS to drive M. If drive M is not available, Setup assigns IFS to the next available drive after drive M. Therefore, after you configure your shared cluster drives, make sure that drive M is available on both nodes or that the next available drive after M is the same letter on both nodes. You must install the same Exchange 2000 components on both nodes. You must at least install Microsoft Exchange Messaging and Collaboration Services and Microsoft Exchange System Management Tools on both nodes.
6.	Create the Microsoft Exchange System Attendant resource in the same cluster group that the Exchange Server 5.5 virtual server was in, but do not bring the group online. Important Before you create the Exchange System Attendant resource, the disk, IP address, and network name resources must be online, and the account that you are using must have Exchange Full Administrator permissions for the Exchange 2000 organization. To create the Exchange System Attendant resource: a. Right-click Exchange Group, point to New, and then click Resource. Exchange Group was previously known as the Exchange Server 5.5 Exchange Cluster Group. b. In the New Resource dialog box, type a name and description for the System Attendant resource. c. In the Resource type box, click Microsoft Exchange System Attendant, and then in the Group box, make sure that your Exchange group is selected. d. In the Possible Owners dialog box, make sure that both of the servers where you installed Exchange 2000 are in the Possible owners list. e. In the Dependencies dialog box, add the Exchange 2000 network name and the disk where it is located to the Resources dependencies list. To do so, click the network name in the Available resources list, and then click Add. f. In the Exchange Administrative Group dialog box, click the administrative group that the cluster belongs to. g. In the Exchange Routing Group dialog box, click the routing group where you want to manage the Exchange Server virtual server.
7.	In the Data Directory dialog box, make sure that the data files are located on the shared drive, and then click Next. Make sure that this folder is empty. The configuration may take several minutes until the Exchange Server service instances are displayed in the Result pane.
8.	Open My Computer, and then locate the folder that you renamed in step 3.
9.	Copy the Priv.edb and Pub.edb files from that folder to the newly created H:\Exchsrvr\Mdbdata folder. This folder should be empty.
10.	Rename these files Priv1.edb and Pub1.edb, respectively.
11.	In Cluster Administrator, right-click the resource group, and then click Bring Online. The Exchange Server cluster information store has now been successfully moved to the Exchange 2000 cluster.