Need help understanding ADC

royal

As the subject states, I'm having trouble understanding the ADC. From what I've read, this is my understanding of it.

You have an exchange 5.5 site. You get a new server, install Windows Server 2003 on it, and promote it to a Domain Controller. You then put in the exchange 2003 cd and do a setup /forestprep and a setup /forestprep. Do you then install the ADC on the 2003 Domain Controller or can it go on any server?

Also, on the From Windows and From Exchange tab. On the Exchange text box, I know you enter in a server that is in the Exchange 5.5 site. On the From Windows Tab, do you enter in the 2003 Domain Controller or do you enter in the Exchange 2003 Server after it's introduced into the site?

One more question. I'm reading an Exchange book and it states that in order to replicate information from AD to exchange 5.5, it can replicate directly from the ADC to the Exchange 5.5 server. However, when you replicate configuration information, it must go from the ADC to the SRS (Site Replication Service), and then to the Exchange 5.5 server. How does ADC know what Exchange 2003 Server the SRS is running on to pass the configuration information to be replicated? I'm assuming the information is stored in AD and the ADC will just query a global catalog/dc and find out what server is hosting the SRS?

Thanks.

royal

I've done a lot of research and I figured I would post what I have found.

Site Replication Service is basically a copy of the Exchange 5.5 Directory Service. When you join an Exchange 2003 server in an Exchange 5.5 site to co-exist, the first Exchange Server that you are installing will automatically install Site Replication Service. This will allow that Exchange 2003 Server to replicate Exchange 5.5 Directory Service data to that Exchange 2003 Server.

Now there are some preliminary steps that you want to complete before proceeding with the process of introducing that Exchange 2003 Server into that Exchange 5.5 site for co-existence. If you let your Exchange 2003 CD autorun, and go to first Exchange 2003 Server for coexisting into a Exchange 5.5 site, it will give you all the steps needed.

I will answer my own questions asked in the original post above so everyone can understand what I was questioning about.

My first question:

You have an exchange 5.5 site. You get a new server, install Windows Server 2003 on it, and promote it to a Domain Controller. You then put in the exchange 2003 cd and do a setup /forestprep and a setup /forestprep. Do you then install the ADC on the 2003 Domain Controller or can it go on any server?

ADC can go on any server in the domain. It is advised that you do not put it on a Domain Controller or your Exchange server. Instead, you would put it on a member server with low utilization. This is Microsoft best practice according to Technet.


Second Question:

Also, on the From Windows and From Exchange tab. On the Exchange text box, I know you enter in a server that is in the Exchange 5.5 site. On the From Windows Tab, do you enter in the 2003 Domain Controller or do you enter in the Exchange 2003 Server after it's introduced into the site?

When you first install ADC, all you have to do is enter in a single Exchange 5.5 server and the LDAP port that is configured in Exchange 5.5 Manager. After you configure all your connection agreements, your Windows Server will be set as an Active Directory Domain Controller. Your Exchange server will be configured as your Exchange 5.5 Server. This is fine. As soon as you introduce your Exchange 2003 Server into the Exchange 5.5 Site, you want to go into the connection agreement properties, then go into the connections tab, and replace the Exchange 5.5 Server there with the Exchange 2003 server.

There are a few reasons why. As I stated earlier, the Exchange 2003 server has SRS which is a mimic of the Exchange 5.5 Directory Service. The Exchange 2003 server has direct access to AD. The ADC will run periodically and since the Exchange 2003 Server is now listed in the ADC instead of the Exchange 5.5 Server, the Exchange 2003 Server will take the database information from the SRS and replicate that directly into Active Directory. The same thing will occur in the other direction when Active Directory needs to replicate information back to the Exchange 5.5 Directory Service.

For my third question, my above answer answers the question.