Microsoft Exchange Server Prerequisites

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If your current environment uses Microsoft Exchange Server, the following prerequisites must be met before installing Windows EBS:

  • You must be running Microsoft Exchange Server 2000 or newer.

  • Exchange Server must be running in Native mode.

  • You must have all current updates and service packs applied.

Microsoft Exchange Server Version

Windows EBS is not compatible with Exchange Server 5.5 or earlier. You must remove these versions from your environment before Windows EBS can be installed.

Important

If you have upgraded from Exchange Server 5.5, there may be some connectors and services remaining from Exchange Server 5.5 that are not removed as part of the normal upgrade process. These components (for example, Exchange Server 5.5 Site Replication Services) can prevent the Windows EBS Installation Wizard from finishing successfully. To ensure that your Exchange Server environment is ready for Windows EBS installation, follow the procedure in the Knowledge Base article, "Preparing a Mixed Mode Organization for Conversion to Native Mode," at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=103744).

Exchange Server Native Mode

To successfully install Windows EBS, your current Exchange Server organization must be running in Native mode. Native mode only permits versions newer than Exchange Server 5.5 to run simultaneously in the same environment. Windows EBS is not compatible with Exchange Server 5.5 or earlier versions and cannot be installed in environments which include their components, including environments running Exchange Server in Mixed mode.

For additional information on the differences between Native and Mixed mode, read the Knowledge Base article, "Description of mixed mode and native mode in Exchange 2000 Server and in Exchange Server 2003," at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=103745).

Note

If you are currently running Exchange Server in Windows Small Business Server 2003, your existing Exchange Server organization is in Mixed mode by default. You must change the mode to Native mode to migrate from Windows SBS 2003 to Windows EBS.

To change the mode of your Exchange Server organization from Mixed mode to Native mode, follow the procedures below. These may also be reviewed in the Knowledge Base article, "How To Convert from Mixed Mode to Native Mode in Exchange," at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=103746).

Before starting the following procedure, ensure that you have removed or upgraded all versions of Exchange Server prior to Exchange 2000 Server.

Determine the Mode of the Exchange Server Organization

  1. Start Exchange System Manager. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Exchange, and then click System Manager.

  2. Right-click the organization that you want to determine the mode for, and then click Properties.

  3. Click the General tab. The operating mode of the organization is displayed under Operations Mode.

Change from Mixed Mode to Native Mode

  1. Start Exchange System Manager. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Exchange, and then click System Manager.

  2. Right-click the displayed Exchange Server organization, and then click Properties.

  3. Click the General tab, and then click Change Mode under Change Operations Mode. Click Yes if you are sure that you want to permanently switch the organization's mode to native mode.

Important

If you are prompted to change modes during installation, change the mode, and then wait a few minutes before attempting to continue with the installation. The mode change must replicate across the Exchange Server environment before installation can continue. If you attempt to continue before replication has occurred, an error message will display.

Updates and Service Packs

Before you install Windows EBS, be sure that the latest updates and service packs have been applied to Exchange Server running in your environment.