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Exchange 2013 is out, available for some epople already. Got if from the VLC Center, now trying to get an upgrade path that works for some customers.

Problem:

  • There is no upgrade. It is "install on new Server, move mailboxes. This means coexistence with Exchagne 2010 for the time to move the Mailbox.
  • Sadly the only compatible Exchange is Exchange 2010 Sp3 - which is not going to be bout for quite some time.

Any way to still do an update? Backup, restore to new Server? Any beta of the SP that is good enough to ONLY move the mailboxes? I do not care about the rest - this really is "install Exchange 2013, move mailboxes, UNINSTALL 2010".

I am quite - ah - unhappy that at the end the only one who will be able to intall 2013 are new companies right now.

TomTom
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  • in the past what I've done is install Exchange in a new environment, make sure it has a distinctly different URL to the old exchange box (for OWA, EWS, etc). This is required to maintain compatibility between both systems. In other words, get the Exchange 2013 fully operational, but without mailboxes. Then, in Exhchange 2010 start doing Mailbox move to the new server, one by one (or all at once, whatever). The Outlook clients will be told of the change of server and update all their settings (server, proxy/outlook anywhere etc). – Mark Henderson Oct 31 '12 at 20:23
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    @MarkHenderson (see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj150489%28v=exchg.150%29.aspx#CoexistE12E14) that won't work at this time. MS require a rollup for Ex 2007 and a SP for Ex 2010 to support co-existance between Ex 2013 and anything else in the same forest, and neither patch is available right now. This is affecting me too, as it happens. – Rob Moir Oct 31 '12 at 20:26
  • Well I guess we're all shit-out-of-luck then. I was planning a lab setup of 2013 in the coming weeks; I might hold off now. – Mark Henderson Oct 31 '12 at 20:34
  • Yeah. An entire upgrade path seems like a big thing to leave out of a released product, or is that just me? – Rob Moir Oct 31 '12 at 20:38
  • @RobM: I think it's just waiting on SPs for the older Exchange releases that are compatible with the AD schema for 2013. – freiheit Oct 31 '12 at 20:42
  • I don#t care bout the full sp3. Give me a "mini sp3 ONLY for transport to 2013" and I am ok - install, install 2013, move mailboxes and get rid of the 2010 instance. I don't need the "rest" to work (even incoming emails). This is seriously limiting. – TomTom Oct 31 '12 at 21:19
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    The only "path" right now is to export all the mailboxes to PST files, uninstall Exchange 2007/2010, install the new Exchange 2013 and Import the PST files. MS really screwed the early adopters on this one. – Chris S Oct 31 '12 at 22:44
  • Ouch. Back and Restore wont work either, I assume. Now the question is whether this is worth it or not - a Weekend full of work. – TomTom Nov 01 '12 at 05:51
  • I'm stuck on the very same problem. For reasons not important here I upgraded the server running the Exchange 2010 from Windows Server 2008 R2 to Windows 2012. Compatibility check did not complain about anything. Now the (remote) management of the Exchange 2010 does not work any more. After investigating the problem I asked the Microsoft Support Team for help. Surprise: Exchange 2010 is not supported by Windows Server 2012. The SP3 will add the support. First advise of the **Exchange Support Team**: > I recommend an upgrade to Exchange 2013 Great! But how? I asked the support team for an offic – Lars Feb 04 '13 at 13:59
  • I have an answer form MS Support: In the first place, in place upgrading an Exchange Server is not supported (both from Exchange perspective and Operating System perspective). Second, Exchange 2010 is not supported with Windows Server 2012. It will be when Sp3 will be released. This is documented in the supportability matrix. Third, there simply is no co-existence or migration path from Exchange 2010 to Exchange 2013 yet, until this guidance is published (this will happen in the near future). The only option the customer has is to reinstall his Exchange 2010 Server. – Lars Feb 05 '13 at 12:54

3 Answers3

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If there isn't even an officially supported upgrade path out there yet, may it be that Exchange 2013 is a bit... too young to actually deploy it in a production environment?

Massimo
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    Possibly, but it is released and you can deploy new. Small company here, but even for a dozen mailboxes only - export + import is complex. – TomTom Nov 06 '12 at 22:44
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There is now an official co-existence and migration path.

You need Exchange 2010 SP3 and Exchange 2013 CU1. This will allow for co-existence and migration of mailboxes within the same organization. 2013 CU1 is set to be released on April 2, 2013.

MDMarra
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It works but it is not supported. I am currently moving more than 2000 mailboxes to Exchange 2013 with mailbox + CAS roles on separate server but coexisting in the same forest/domain.

Mailbox migration works when initiated from the 2013 side. I had a lot of problems to work through to get it working but finally managed it.

i came from ex2007, i guess its the same for 2010 but this is only my estimate.

first update to sp3, a lot of troubles, was a cas array first, one node removed, the sp3 setup didnt work quite well, but i guess you guys manage to update your servers :P

after that, two new servers, 2012 servers. domain function level to 2008 r2, forest level 2003.

now you may start the setup for exchange 2013 after installing UCMA and stuff, setup will NOT give you an error regarding the old exchange in the organization.

now comes the weird part:

in the ex mgmt shell on the new servers, i got some errors when creating new databases, version mismatch etc. If you create the database from the webgui with the assistant, just name it Test, dont mount it, leave it at the default path - it will be created successfully. thereafter, you may rename and relocate the databases.

i also had troubles with public folders migration, didnt work out, i saved everything from the old public folders to a pst and deleted them, the database and everything. had to do it in adsiedit because it wouldnt remove otherways because again of a version mismatch.

then you may configure everything else, autodiscover, connectors and stuff, works flawlessly.

now move offline adressbooks and the mailboxes, thats it. just have to start it from the 2013 web gui, but this is normal behavior.

why i did it, well, first i read in the internets that from ru9, exchange 2013 migration will be supported, this was a wrong info because the update needed is not yet out. i already got most thing up by this time, also hybrid is needed and with exchange 2013 you dont need a dedicated hybrid server.

if you have any further questions, ask.

blabblub
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    If you are going to make this statement, you might want to explain 1) how you got it working, 2) what troubles you had, 3) fixes to fix said problems. – Rex Feb 01 '13 at 22:42
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    and why an unsupported path with 2000 mailboxes? – chewbakka Feb 01 '13 at 23:11