How to move Exchange 2000 to new hardware and keep the same server name

This article describes how to move Microsoft Exchange 2000 to new hardware and keep the same server name.

If the server is a domain controller, you must be aware of some important considerations.

For more information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Note If the computer account for the Exchange Server computer has been deleted, lost, or does not have Full Control permissions to the Exchange Server computer object in Active Directory, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
To move Exchange 2000 to new hardware:

1. Make a full backup of all of the Exchange 2000 storage groups and the Site Replication Service (SRS) on the existing Exchange 2000 server.
   
   Alternatively, you can make an offline backup copy of the .edb files and the .stm files for each database. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Verify that the databases are in a "Clean Shutdown" state. To do this, type the following command at a command prompt:
      eseutil /mh database name.edb
   2. Use one of the following methods:
      • Dismount all the databases.
      • Stop the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service (Store.exe). In a mixed Exchange Server 5.5 environment, also stop the SRS.
   3. Make an offline backup copy of the .edb files and the .stm files for each database. You can then copy these files into the same locations on the new server after the new server is built.
2. Take the existing server offline.
3. Reset the machine account for the Exchange 2000 server:
   1. Start Active Directory Users and Computers.
   2. Locate the Exchange 2000 server machine account, right-click the machine account, and then click Reset Account.
4. Bring the new server online and use the same server name.
5. Use an Exchange 2000 Full Administrator account to log on to the new server.
6. Install any components that Exchange 2000 requires, such as Internet Information Services (IIS) and the appropriate Microsoft Windows 2000 Server service packs.
   
   Note After you install the SMTP service, set the SMTP service to disabled until the Exchange installation is complete. This will prevent this server from receiving mail until Exchange is functioning properly.
7. Use an Exchange 2000 Full Administrator account to log on to the new server.
8. Run Exchange 2000 Setup with the following parameter:
   Setup /disasterrecovery
   Make sure that you click Action-Disaster Recovery for the Messaging and Collaboration services and the Exchange System Management Tools.
9. When Setup is complete, install the Exchange 2000 service pack that was installed on the existing server by using the /disasterrecovery switch.
10. If the following registry key does not already exist, add a DWORD value and the following registry string based on the service pack value:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\Setup
    DWORD value name: ServicePackBuild
    Hexadecimal value: number
    The number varies based on the service pack:
    • The hexadecimal number for the retail, released version without a service pack is 1141.
    • The hexadecimal number for Service Pack 1 is 1268.
    • The hexadecimal number for Service Pack 2 is 1682.
    • The hexadecimal number for Service Pack 3 is 1869.
11. Install any Exchange 2000 post-service pack hotfixes that were installed on the existing server.
12. In separate restoration jobs, restore the storage groups and the SRS from the Exchange 2000 server backup.
13. Remove all transaction log files that were created during the installation of Exchange. For example, remove E00xxxxx.log and E00.log. Then, restore or copy the files that you backed up in step 1.
14. Mount all of the stores after the restoration is complete. Make sure that clients can connect and that mail can flow.

Note If there is an IP address change of the Exchange 2000 server, make sure that you update Domain Name System (DNS) records. If you do not update DNS records, other servers may try to connect to the previous address. For more information about a related topic, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Document the existing locations of databases and transaction logs. You will have to re-create these locations on the new system.

For more information about how to back up and how to restore Exchange Server 2000 and Exchange Server 2003, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about how to move Exchange 2003 to new hardware and keep the same server name, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: If a server that is running Exchange 2000 Server is clustered, you cannot install Exchange 2000 Server by using the /disasterrecovery switch on an Exchange 2000 Server virtual server Active Directory directory service object. Although installation may appear to complete successfully, the results are unpredictable. For more information about this, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: