32-bit compatibility warning
[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: 2007-08-13
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 setup displayed this warning because you are installing the 32-bit version of Microsoft Exchange.
Exchange 2007 is available in two platform versions: one platform version (the 64-bit version) is for live production environments and the other platform version (the 32-bit version) is for non-production environments (such as labs, training facilities, demo, and evaluation environments). Only the 64-bit version can be purchased because you cannot run 32-bit Exchange 2007 servers in production.
There are two exceptions with respect to production and non-production use of the 32-bit platform because Microsoft does allow minimal supported use of the 32-bit version in production environments. Specifically:
You can use the 32-bit version of the Exchange Management Tools in production to administer Exchange 2007 servers from Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP. At this time, you cannot use either the 32-bit version or the 64-bit version on Windows Vista, or on Windows Server 2008. Support for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 is expected to be delivered in Service Pack 1 for Exchange 2007.
You can use the 32-bit version of Setup in production to extend your Active Directory directory service schema. For detailed steps to prepare Active Directory for Exchange 2007, see How to Prepare Active Directory and Domains.
All other uses of the 32-bit version of Exchange 2007 in production environments are unsupported.
To download the 32-bit version of the Exchange Management Tools, see "Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Management Tools (32-Bit)" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=82335). For more information about Exchange 2007 platform versions, see "Exchange Server 2007: Platforms, Editions, and Versions" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=88051) in the Exchange 2007 product documentation.