Dear IT PRo Team

             I have one question about migration exchange , we plan to migrate server 2003 or exchange server 2003 to server 2012 and exchange server 2013 , we have new server for migration or we dont have many user around 40 user ,please help  me and tell what the best way to migrate 2003 ADS ,exchange mail box to 2012 ,exchange 2013

Hi Yasar44

1. AD2003 

can be migrated to ADDS 2012 (directly)

• raise the forest and domain functional level to be 2003
• insert windows server 2012 R2 DVD
• open CMD and browse the DVD drive on "D:\support\adprep\adprep /forestprep"
• install windows server 2012 R2 and configure the initial configurations and install Active Directory as additional form AD2003
• transfer FSMO roles to be hold on new 2012 R2 server
• demote the lod AD2003 by run DCpromo
  

2. Exchange environment

Microsoft doesn't support the directory migration from Exchange 2003 to 2013 directly.

you must be used Double Hop Migration for example {Exchange 2003 >> Exchange 2010 (Double Hop Migration) >> Exchange 2013}

or you can to use third party software to accomplished this task directly by using (CodeTwo, ...)

reference 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm7riKo6JW0

thanks

So I heard good things about the code-two software, however it still requires a cross forest migration since you cannot have the Exchange 2003 installed in the same environment with a 2013 Exchange server.  So really you have three options

1. Do a double hop, i.e. install 2010 in your environment, move all the mailboxes, then uninstall 2003, install 2013 server, migrate from 2010 to 2013, remove the 2010 server

2. Stand up a new domain and use the cross forest migration methods from MS or a 3rd party product like Code Two or Lucid8's DigiScope http://www.lucid8.com/product/digiscope.asp

3. The only other option would be to

A: Record the X500/LegacyExchangeDN information from the 2003 server

B: Ensure that your ISP will mailbag/retain undelivered email for at least 72 hours

C: Stop all mail flow and then dismount your Exchange 2003 databases to commit all logs

D: copy the EDB/STM pairs off the server and use a tool like DigiScope to validate the data is accessible

E: Remove your Exchange 2003 Server

F: Install the 2013 Server, make mailboxes for all users and then let re-enable the mail flow into the new server, test to ensure you can sent receive

G: Add in the LegacyExchangeDN information so that pre-existing calendar items work

H: Mount the offline DB's in DigiScope and connect to the 2013 server.  Right click on DB and select Restore Wizard, check to ensure all mailboxes are mapped properly and if so click restore and all historical data is restored/migrated into the 2013 mailboxes.  NOTE: This can take place while users are online

  NOTE: you could also avoid using a 3rd party tool by first exporting/importing all mailboxes to PST and then running the steps above

Microsoft has not defined any direct path to migrate Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2013 , also as both these servers cant co-exist in one Active Directory forest. So to migrate from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2013, users first need to migrate Exchange 2003 to an intermediate exchange version (i.e. Either Exchange 2010 or Exchange 2007) then from there exchange could be upgraded to Exchange 2013. This complex process may cause you serious data loss if improperly executed. But users, can avoid this lengthy and time consuming process by exporting his EDB files to PST using any converter tool and then importing those PST file into Exchange 2013.

In addition to this you can also find a quickest solution for your problem over here: http://recover-email.blogspot.in/2014/10/how-to-migrate-exchange-2003-to-2010.html

• Edited by Debra Morgan 21 hours 23 minutes ago

There is no direct path to migrate Ex2003 to Ex2013.  Youll have to do double hop migration from Ex2003 to Ex2010, then migrate to 2013. Even Microsoft doesn't recommend double hop migration process: http://blogs.technet.com/b/mconeill/archive/2013/04/03/migration-from-exchange-2003-to-2013-a-no-go.aspx

So it is not recommended to follow this long migration process as you only have to migrate 40 users mailbox. Simply install new server (Exchange 2013), and move user's mailboxes using mailbox migration tool. You can check this Exchange mailbox migration tool for migrating Ex2003 mailboxes on Exchange Server 2013.

Peter,