The schema master is not running Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 or later

[This topic is intended to address a specific issue called out by the Exchange Server Analyzer Tool. You should apply it only to systems that have had the Exchange Server Analyzer Tool run against them and are experiencing that specific issue. The Exchange Server Analyzer Tool, available as a free download, remotely collects configuration data from each server in the topology and automatically analyzes the data. The resulting report details important configuration issues, potential problems, and nondefault product settings. By following these recommendations, you can achieve better performance, scalability, reliability, and uptime. For more information about the tool or to download the latest versions, see "Microsoft Exchange Analyzers" at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=34707.]  

Topic Last Modified: 2007-03-27

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 setup cannot continue because the domain controller assigned the Active Directory directory service schema master role, also known as flexible single master operations (FSMO), is not running Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or a later version.

Exchange 2007 setup requires that the domain controller that serves as the schema FSMO run Windows Server 2003 SP1 or a later version.

The FSMO controls all updates and modifications to the Active Directory schema.

To resolve this issue, do one or more of the following:

  • Upgrade the FSMO domain controller to Windows Server 2003 SP1 or a later version and rerun Microsoft Exchange setup.

  • If there is a FSMO domain controller running Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or a later version in the Exchange organization, run Exchange 2007 setup with the /domaincontroller parameter pointing to that FSMO domain controller:

    [/DomainController, or /dc <FQDN of domain controller>]

    Use the /DomainController parameter to specify the domain controller to use to read from and write to Active Directory during setup. You can use NetBIOS or the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) format.

To obtain the latest service pack for Windows Server 2003, see the "Windows Server TechCenter" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=45315).

For more information about Exchange Server 2007 Setup parameters, see "How to Install Exchange 2007 in Unattended Mode" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=86476) in the Exchange Server 2007 product documentation.