Chapter 17. Compatibility Testing for Exchange Server 2003

IN THIS CHAPTER

• The Importance of Compatibility Testing

• Preparing for Compatibility Testing

• Researching Products and Applications

• Verifying Compatibility with Vendors

• Lab-Testing Existing Applications

• Documenting the Results of the Compatibility Testing

• Determining Whether a Prototype Phase Is Required

• Best Practices

At this point in the book, the new features of Exchange Server 2003 have been presented and discussed in depth, as have the essential design considerations and migration processes. The goal of this chapter is to examine the process of testing the actual applications that rely on the Exchange Server infrastructure.

This chapter provides insight into the steps to take in gathering the information needed before the testing process, how to actually test the applications and document the results, and how to determine whether a more extensive prototype testing process is needed. It is vital to go through this process, rather than simply winging it to ensure the success of the project and avoid a displeased user community. The application testing process is intended as a quick way to validate the compatibility and functionality of the proposed end-state for the upgrade.

Currently many companies are seeking to "right- size " their network environment, and might be using the upgrade as a chance to actually reduce the number of servers that handle Exchange processes on the network. At the end of the process, fewer servers will handle the same tasks as before, and new functionality might have been added, making the configurations of the individual servers that much more complex, and making it even more important to thoroughly test the mission-critical messaging applications on the server. For example, with the improved ability of Exchange Server 2003 to manage databases and support more RAM, combined with Windows Server 2003's enhanced fault tolerance features, one Exchange Server 2003 might replace a handful of Exchange 5.5 servers. Thus it's even more important that this configuration be tested to ensure that the performance meets user expectations and that the features that are used every day by the employees to share knowledge and collaborate are in place.

The results of the application compatibility testing process will validate the goals of the project or reveal goals that need to be modified due to application incompatibility or instability. If one key application simply won't work reliably on Exchange Server 2003, an Exchange 5.5 Server might need to be kept as part of the messaging environment, which changes the overall design. As discussed in Part II of this book, "Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Messaging," there is a variety of different combinations of Exchange server software that can be combined in the end configuration, so the chances are good that there will be a way to keep the troublesome applications working in the new environment.