FE Exchange deployment

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Jon - 24 Nov 2006 17:19 GMT

Today my 2003 Exchange infrastructure looks similar to a hub and spoke. With
server "A" being the hub and all other Exchange servers (5) setup via routing
groups. The MX record and OWA currently are configured for Server A. No other
servers have OWA. My intentions are as follows: Introduce a new Server that
can manage all of my users, eliminating the servers in remote locations
(routing groups) as a back end server and introduce a new Front End server
that will host OWA. In the ends I will have 1 Back End server and 1 Front End
server. My question, how do I introduce the Front End server when all of the
routing is configured to another server?

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Mark Arnold [MVP] - 24 Nov 2006 18:43 GMT

>Today my 2003 Exchange infrastructure looks similar to a hub and spoke. With
>server "A" being the hub and all other Exchange servers (5) setup via routing
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>server. My question, how do I introduce the Front End server when all of the
>routing is configured to another server?

Actually, all your servers have OWA whether you use it or not.
The use of OWA on a FE has no bearing on the routing groups, that's
for message transfer which is a different question.

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Jon - 24 Nov 2006 19:20 GMT

I was unclear in my first question, and may be as unclear in my new response,
I apologize. Today, server A is the hub for all my remote sites (Remote
Bridgehead) and is the only internet gateway (only one that receives and
sends mail outside our WAN.) I want to introduce a new FE and BE server to
replace server A and all of its duties. Is there a way to do this without
impacting service to the remote sites? My intentions are to change the remote
Bridgeheads to the new BE server (already hosting a few mailboxes and works
as expected), configure OWA to work on the FE, enable it as a FE server
change it to be the Internet gateway, make the appropriate NAT statements on
my PIX and live happily ever after. I understand that I maybe missing some
steps and appreciate your input and comments. Thanks

> >Today my 2003 Exchange infrastructure looks similar to a hub and spoke. With
> >server "A" being the hub and all other Exchange servers (5) setup via routing
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> The use of OWA on a FE has no bearing on the routing groups, that's
> for message transfer which is a different question.

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Mark Arnold [MVP] - 24 Nov 2006 19:29 GMT

>I was unclear in my first question, and may be as unclear in my new response,
>I apologize. Today, server A is the hub for all my remote sites (Remote
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>my PIX and live happily ever after. I understand that I maybe missing some
>steps and appreciate your input and comments. Thanks

I see. Then yes, you can do this. Implement the new FE as a standard
server, service pack it, patch it etc. etc. and then make it an FE as
the last job. Then you can add that server to the Routing Group to
make it a local bridgehead etc. Do this one at a time and then once
you have compared the settings can you then swing the firewall to
deliver mail to the new FE and start removing the old FE.

Change the remote bridgehead to be the new FE as that's the best
thing, not the FE.

Just be careful how you go and compare the new with the old before you
finally remove it.

>> >Today my 2003 Exchange infrastructure looks similar to a hub and spoke. With
>> >server "A" being the hub and all other Exchange servers (5) setup via routing
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>> The use of OWA on a FE has no bearing on the routing groups, that's
>> for message transfer which is a different question.

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Jon - 24 Nov 2006 19:40 GMT

Thanks for the quick response... I'm unclear on one statement as to which you
are referencing be or fe.

"Change the remote bridgehead to be the new FE as that's the best
thing, not the FE."

> >I was unclear in my first question, and may be as unclear in my new response,
> >I apologize. Today, server A is the hub for all my remote sites (Remote
[quoted text clipped - 35 lines]
> >> The use of OWA on a FE has no bearing on the routing groups, that's
> >> for message transfer which is a different question.

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Mark Arnold [MVP] - 24 Nov 2006 20:37 GMT

OK. You have a hub and spoke environment.
You say that there is no BE at the hub.
You say that you want to implement a new FE and BE in the hub,
therefore the BE is one that wasn't there before.
You say that you were going to change the remote bridgeheads to the
new BE which you shouldn't do.
Have the BE on it's own, imagine it's another (small) spoke from your
hub. Have all email come in and go out through the FE

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