Exchange Server Interview Questions & Answers - Migration

This part of Exchange Server 2007 includes the interview Questions and Answers on Exchange Server 2007 Installation, Migration, Transition and Coexistence options introduced in Exchange Server 2007.

If your question is different, send an email to rajkumar.mcitp@outlook.com or leave your comments here.

1. What are the pre requisites to install Exchange Server 2007?

• Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0


• Microsoft ASP .Net


• World Wide Web Service


• MMC 3.0


• Windows power shell 1.0


• SMTP & NNTP service should not be installed

2. What’s the order to install Exchange Server 2007 roles and why we have to follow that installation order?

If we are installing Exchange Server 2007 with default server roles like mailbox, client access and hub transport server roles, then there is no to worry about the installation order. But if we are installing single role on a server then we need to below installation order

• 1. Client Access Server Role – Prepares the environment for the users to use the new services in Exchange 2007


• 2. Hub Transport Server Role – required for most inter-roles and inter-server communication


• 3. Mailbox Server Role – holds mailboxes, in order to access mailboxes the CAS and HUB to be installed first


• 4. Unified Messaging Server Role – It depends on all other server roles to perform its function, so all the above 3 server roles to be installed before UM installation\


• 5. Edge Transport Server Role - Provides secured mail flow with anti spam and anti virus functionality

3. What are the Exchange 207 versions available in Exchange Server 2007?

There are two types of Exchange Server 2007 version release

64 bit – for production environment

32 bit – only for non-production environment

4. What are the Operating systems that support the installation of Exchange Server 2007?

Exchange Server 2007 can be installed only on

• Windows Server 2003 SP2 64-bit Standard or Enterprise edition


• Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2 64-bit Standard or Enterprise edition


• Windows Server 2008 64-bit Standard or Enterprise edition

Exchange Management tools can be installed on Windows XP 64 bit or Windows vista 64 bit version

5. What are the Active directory requirements to install Exchange Server 2007?

• Domain functional level at least windows server 2000 native or higher


• Schema Master must be run on windows 2003 server with sp1


• At least one Domain Controller, in each domain with windows server 2003 sp1 where exchange 2007 is installed


• At least one global catalog server in Active Directory Site which hosts exchange Server 2007 installation


• 4:1 ratio of Exchange processor to global catalog server processors

6. What are the hardware requirements to install Exchange Server 2007?

• Processor – 64 bit processor


• RAM – 2 GB + 5 MB per Mailbox


• Disk Space – At least 1.2 GB on the drive on which you install Exchange - 200 MB of available disk space on the system drive


• File Format – NTFS

7. What are the Software requirements to install Exchange Server 2007?

Following are the software prerequisites to install Exchange Server 2007

Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0, IIS, WWW, MMC 3.0, Microsoft Windows Power Shell 1.0

8. What is Transition in Exchange Server 2007?

 Transition is the scenario in which you upgrade an existing Exchange organization to Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. To perform the transition, you are moving data from the existing Exchange servers to new Exchange 2007 servers. For example, when upgrading from an Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Servers to an Exchange 2007 organization, you perform a transition

When transitioning to Exchange 2007, you cannot perform an in-place server upgrade on an existing Exchange server. Instead, you must install a new Exchange 2007 server into the existing organization, and then move data to the new Exchange 2007 server.

9. What is Migration in Exchange Server 2007?

Migration is the scenario in which you upgrade to Exchange 2007 by migrating data from a non-Exchange messaging system to Exchange 2007 or from an existing Exchange organization to a completely new Exchange organization, without retaining any of the Exchange configuration data in the first organization. For example, when merging with another company, you can perform a migration. In this scenario, you move mailboxes and data to the other company’s Exchange organization, without retaining any of the configuration data from your existing Exchange organization. Another example is when upgrading from Lotus Notes to Exchange 2007, you perform a migration. In this scenario, you must move mailboxes and data to the new Exchange 2007 organization, without retaining any of the data from the Lotus Notes organization.

The migration process includes installing a completely new Exchange 2007 organization, and then migrating mailboxes from the old messaging system to the new Exchange 2007 messaging system, using various tools for migration.

10. Is it possible to do in place upgrade from Exchange Server 2003 to Exchange Server 2007?

No in-place upgrade on existing Exchange server organization. Install new Exchange Server 2007 server into existing organization, and move data to new server.

11. What are the transition options available in Exchange Server 2007?

We can make transition in following options

• Single forest to single forest – you have an existing single forest Exchange 2003 or Exchange 2000 topology, you can transition to a single forest Exchange 2007 organization


• Single forest to cross forest – If you have an existing single forest Exchange 2003 or Exchange 2000 topology, you can transition to a cross-forest Exchange 2007 topology


• Cross forest to cross forest – If you have an existing cross-forest Exchange 2003 or Exchange 2000 topology with Exchange servers and mailboxes in each forest, you can transition to an Exchange 2007 cross-forest topology.


• Resource forest to resource forest and Single forest to resource forest 

12. What are the considerations for Exchange Server 2007 to co exists with Exchange server 2000 and Exchange Server 2003?

• Exchange Organization to be in Exchange Native Mode.


• Exchange Server 2007 routing group (DWBGZMFD01QNBJR) is created only for coexisting with earlier versions of Exchange.


• Routing Group Connector is required between Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange Server 2007 (created during setup).


• Exchange Server 2003 computers cannot interoperate with the Unified Messaging server role. Exchange 2003 mailboxes cannot be Unified Messaging–enabled.


• Exchange 2003 Front-ends cannot talk to Exchange Server 2007 Mailbox Server Roles.


• No in-place upgrade on existing Exchange server. Install new Exchange Server 2007 server into existing organization, and move data to new server

13. Will Front End servers talk to Exchange Server 2007 Mailbox server in an Exchange organization having both exchange 2003 and exchange Server 2007?

Exchange Server 2003 Front-end server cannot talk to Exchange Server 2007 Mailbox Server Roles, so the client connections will directly come to exchange 2007 servers

14. What is the status of routing group connector in co existance of Exchange Server 2003 and 2007?

Exchange Organization in Exchange Native Mode· Exchange Server 2007 routing group (DWBGZMFD01QNBJR) is created only for coexisting with earlier versions of Exchange.

Routing Group Connector is required between Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange Server 2007 (created during setup).

15. Which service should not be installed in Exchange Server 2007 installation?

SMTP and NNTP service should not be installed

16. What are the Exchange Server editions available?

There are two types of Exchange Server 2007 editions available

Standard Edition

Enterprise Edition

17. What is the difference between standard and Enterprise Edition?

Exchange 2007 functions	Standard Edition	Enterprise Edition
Number of Data Stores Supported	5 includes Mailbox/Public Folder	50 combination of both
Clustering support	No	Yes
OS Support	Windows 2003 64 bit	Windows 2003 64 bit

18. What to do if exchange Server 5.5 in your organization in order to upgrade to Exchange Server 2007?

You cannot upgrade an existing Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.5 organization to Exchange Server 2007. You must first migrate from the Exchange Server 5.5 organization to an Exchange Server 2003 or an Exchange 2000 Server organization. Then you can transition the Exchange 2003 or Exchange 2000 organization to Exchange 2007.

19. What are the Planning considerations for Client Access Server Role?

The Client Access server role supports the Outlook Web Access, Outlook Anywhere, and Exchange ActiveSync client applications, in addition to the POP3 and IMAP4 protocols. The Client Access server role also hosts several key services, such as the Auto discover service and Exchange Web Services.

In order to have better client access functionality we have to perform a Planning consideration on Exchange Active Sync. Outlook web Access, outlook anywhere, POP3 and IMAP4 protocols and also securing client access

20. What are the Planning Considerations of Hub Transport Server Role?

Hub Transport server role is a required role in a Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 organization that provides routing within a single organizational network by using the Active Directory directory service site. Hub Transport server role installed handles all mail flow inside the organization, apply transport rules, apply journal rules, and deliver messages to recipients’ mailboxes

We have to perform a Planning Consideration on

• Topology for mail flow inside and outside the Exchange organization


• Server capacity – determine how to perform performance monitor


• Security – includes delegation of administrative roles and verification that IP connections are only enabled from authorized servers


• Transport Features – determine the transport features that you will enable at the Hub Transport server and how they will be configured

21. What are the Planning Considerations of Mailbox Server Role?

The Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Mailbox server role hosts mailbox databases and provides e-mail storage and advanced scheduling services for Microsoft Office Outlook users The Mailbox server role can also host a public folder database, which provides a foundation for workflow, document sharing, and other forms of collaboration

We have to perform a planning consideration on

• Sizing the database,


• Planning for public folder,


• Co hosting with other server roles and


• Planning for clustered Mailbox server

23. What are the Planning Considerations for Edge Transport Server Role?

Exchange Server 2007 Edge Transport server role is designed to provide improved antivirus and anti-spam protection for the Exchange organization. Computers that have the Edge Transport server role also apply policies to messages in transport between organizations. The Edge Transport server role is deployed in an organization’s perimeter network.

• Edge Transport Should not be included in Active Directory


• Should be installed in a Standalone Server


• Edge Transport Should not be Part of the domain


• ADAM Should be Installed


• Prerequisites .Net framework , Windows Management Shell, MMC 3.0 to be installed


• Two networks cards