Expanding on Manageability and Administration Benefits of Exchange 2003

Exchange 2003 introduced a series of functions that help Exchange administrators better manage and administer the Exchange environment. Some of those tools include improvements in the ExMerge utility for mailbox moves, the ability to create dynamic distribution lists, a simplified method of replication address lists between forests, step-by-step migration tools to upgrade from previous versions of Exchange, and better integration with Microsoft Operations Manager.

Improving the Speed of Mailbox Moves

For most Exchange administrators, the ExMerge utility is a familiar tool. When ExMerge first became available years ago, it was an Exchange Resource Kit of tools that enabled an administrator to export and import mailboxes. Over the years , Exchange administrators have found many occasions to export and import mailboxes ”whether to back up a mailbox for future recovery, transfer the mailbox from one server or Exchange organization to another, or clean up a corrupt mailbox by exporting good messages and leaving bad messages behind.

Exchange 2003 introduces a completely revised version of the ExMerge utility. The new ExMerge utility now comes on the Exchange 2003 CD as part of the core utilities for Exchange, and the utility is now multithreaded. As a multithreaded tool, the utility can migrate multiple mailboxes at the same time, as shown in Figure 1.5, using more bandwidth and the capabilities of a server.

Figure 1.5. Multithreaded mailbox moves with the new ExMerge.

ExMerge is covered in more detail in Chapter 5.

Establishing Dynamic Distribution Lists

New to Exchange 2003 is the ability to dynamically create a mail distribution list. Prior to this feature, distribution lists were static groups in which members were added or deleted from a list. With dynamic group creation, a distribution list can be created by specifying LDAP query information. A group can be created that looks for all members who live in particular city, or a query created that looks for all individuals who live in California (CA), as shown in Figure 1.6, or a dynamic query created that looks for all individuals with manager, director, or VP in their title.

Figure 1.6. Setting a query-based distribution rule.

The dynamic lookup function requires that data fields serving as queries have consistent information or that the query takes into account matching for similarities ”for example, matching for the words manager, mgr, or mngr if there is a lack of consistency in naming. However, the query-based group lookup is done through LDAP queries and can look in default or custom attribute fields to build a distribution list for users.

Query-based distribution lists are covered in Chapter 18.

Replicating Directories Between Forests

Although not new to Windows, Exchange 2003 formally introduces the Identity and Integration Feature Pack that synchronizes address book information between Exchange organizations. Before Exchange 2003, organizations were able to acquire a copy of Microsoft Metadirectory Service (MMS) under special license arrangements with Microsoft and with limited support. Because of the success of MMS in synchronizing directories between Active Directory forests, Identity and Integration Feature Pack (formerly known as MMS 3.0) is now freely downloadable from Microsoft.

With the inclusion of a synchronization wizard, Identity and Integration Feature Pack has the capability of synchronizing the address books between multiple Exchange forests, thus enabling an organization with multiple Active Directory forests to share directories. For more robust directory synchronization needs, Microsoft provides the Microsoft Identity and Integration Server (MIIS) that supports synchronization with non “Active Directory directories, such as LDAP, Novell NDS/e-Directory, and Exchange 5.5 Directory.

Chapter 18 explores more on the Identity and Integration Pack as well as directory replication.

Simplifying Migrations Using Structured Migration Tools

To help simplify the process of migrating from Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2003, Microsoft is providing an interactive step-by-step migration guide and migration tools. The interactive guide, shown in Figure 1.7, not only walks an administrator through the steps, but it also links each step to tools with applicable wizards and parameters needed for each migration step.

Figure 1.7. Step-by-step migration guide in Exchange 2003.

The tools can be launched manually to follow custom configuration steps; however, for organizations needing common tested procedures, the migration guide provides a simplified process.

The migration process from Exchange 5.5 is covered in Chapter 15; the migration process from Exchange 2000 is covered in Chapter 16.

Taking Advantage of Microsoft Operations Manager

Another management and administration tool that has been available from Microsoft to help Exchange administrators is the Microsoft Operations Manager, or MOM. Because manageability is so important to Exchange administrators to validate message routing, connect to the Internet, and monitor email traffic and spam, Microsoft includes the Exchange components for MOM with Exchange 2003. The Exchange 2003 agent for MOM, shown in Figure 1.8, includes over 1700 out of the box rules and a copy of the Microsoft knowledgebase.

Figure 1.8. Microsoft Operations Manager for Exchange 2003.

The 1700 rules monitor and produce reports on everything from message traffic, server uptime, and replication statistics. The knowledgebase provides integrated access to debugging information for event errors or problem reports .

All this information helps an Exchange administrator gain better control for managing and administering the Exchange environment in an organization. Exchange Server 2003 management and maintenance practices are covered in Chapter 19, "Exchange Server 2003 Management and Maintenance Practices."