Public Folder Behavior in Mixed-Mode Topologies

Because the process of migrating from Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.5 to Exchange Server 2003 may take considerable time, many Exchange customers run Exchange in mixed mode for several weeks or months until they can remove the last server running Exchange Server 5.5. During this period, public folder content may exist on both servers running Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange Server 5.5, and replicate between them. These servers may exist in a single domain, or in separate Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 domains (as long as the Windows Server 2003 domain trusts the Windows NT Server 4.0 domain). The servers described here must all belong to a single Exchange organization.

In most respects, public folders in this configuration behave in the same manner as public folders that are in an Exchange Server 2003-only system. However, there are several significant differences. This chapter describes those differences. Understanding these differences should help you avoid most mixed-mode replication problems.

For more information about migrating from Exchange Server 5.5 to Exchange Server 2003, or working with multiple Exchange organizations, see the Exchange Server 2003 Deployment Guide.

For more information about general public folder replication, see Controlling Exchange Server 2003 Public Folder Replication.