Planning Phase: Discovery

The planning phase enables the Exchange Server 2003 design consultant time to paint the detailed picture of what the end-state of the upgrade will look like, and also to detail exactly how the network will evolve to this new state. The goals of the project are clear, what's in and what's out are documented, the resources required are defined, the timeline for the planning phase and an initial sketch of the risks are anticipated, and the budget is estimated.

Understanding the Existing Environment

If the organization has multiple Exchange servers in place, third-party add-on applications, multiple sites, complex remote access, or security requirements, a network audit makes sense. If an outside company is spearheading the planning phase, this is its first real look at the configuration of the existing hardware and network, and it is essential to help create an appropriate end-state and migration process. Standard questionnaires are helpful to collect data on the different servers that will be affected by the upgrade.

The discovery process typically starts with onsite interviews with the IT resources responsible for the different areas of the network and proceeds with a hands-on review of the network configuration. Focus groups or whiteboarding sessions can also help dredge up concerns or issues that might not have been shared previously. External consultants often generate better results because they have extensive experience with network reviews and analysis and with predicting the problems that can emerge midway through a project.

Network performance can be assessed at the same time to predict the level of performance the end-users will see and whether they are accessing email, public folders, or calendars from within the company, from home, or from an Internet kiosk in an airport.

Existing network security policies might be affected by the upgrade, and should be reviewed. If AD is being implemented, group policies ”which define user and computer configurations and provide the ability to centralize logon scripts and printer access ”can be leveraged.

Anyone using Exchange is familiar with the challenges of effectively managing the data that builds up, and in grooming and maintaining these databases. The existing database structure should be reviewed at least briefly so the Exchange Server 2003 design consultant understands where the databases reside, how many there are and their respective sizes, and whether regular maintenance has been performed. Serious issues with the database(s) crashing in the past should be covered. Methods of backing up this data should also be reviewed.

Desktop configurations should be reviewed if the upgrade involves an upgrade to the Outlook client. If there are a variety of different desktop configurations, operating systems, and models, the testing phase might need to expand to include these.

Disaster recovery plans or service level agreements (SLAs) can be vital to the IT department's ability to meet the needs of the user community, and should be available for review at this time.

What remote and mobile connections to the messaging system are currently in use? OWA is used by most organizations, as well as Terminal Services, or VPNs. The features in Exchange Server 2003 may enable the organization to simplify this process; VPNs might no longer be needed because Outlook can be accessed via HTTP.

Although the amount of time required for this discovery process varies greatly, the goals are to fully understand the messaging infrastructure in place as the foundation on which the upgrade will be built. New information might come to light in this process that will require modifications to the Statement of Work document.

Understanding the Geographic Distribution of Resources

If network diagrams exist, they should be reviewed to make sure they are up to date and contain enough information (such as server names , roles, applications managed, switches, routers, firewalls, IP address info , gateways, and so forth) to fully define the location and function of each device that plays a role in the upgrade. These diagrams can then be modified to show the end-state of the project.

Existing utility servers ”such as bridgehead servers, front-end servers, DNS naming servers, and DHCP or WINS servers ”should be taken into account.

Has connectivity failure been planned for a partial or fully meshed environment? Connections to the outside world and other organizations need to be reviewed and fully understood at the same level, especially with an eye toward the existing security features.

Companies with multiple sites bring added challenges to the table. As much as possible, the same level of information should be gathered on all the sites that will be involved in and affected by the messaging upgrade. Also, a centralized IT environment has different requirements from a distributed management model.

If time permits , the number of support personnel in each location should be taken into account, as well as their ability to support the new environment. Some smaller sites might not have dedicated support staff and network monitoring, and management tools, such as MOM or SMS, might be required.

How is directory information replicated between sites, and what domain design is in place? If the company already has Active Directory in place, is a single domain with a simple organizational unit (OU) structure in place, or are there multiple domains with a complex OU structure? Global Catalog placement should also be clarified.

The answers to these questions directly shape the design of the solution, the testing phase, and the implementation process.