exchange server 2003

[lazybum]

I'm having problems with getting exchange server 2003 to run. I installed everything and chose all the option that didn't require active directory services and it says the installation is successful yet it does not run. I dont know what the problem could be.

[gunderstone]

What server operating system is Exchange Server 2003 installed on?

Is this system a domain controller?

[lazybum]

its on windows server 2003 and its not a domain controller

[gunderstone]

When you state "the installation is successful yet it does not run" what do you mean exactly?

Are the Exchange Services not started or is mail not flowing?

[lazybum]

the exchange services are not starting

[lazybum]

do you need to have active directory to run exchange 2003?

[gunderstone]

Yes, Active directory needs to be installed. Exchange uses the Active Directory and it is integral requirement

[lazybum]

only 2003 requires ad but not 2000 right?

[lazybum]

also, does exchange 2k3 need to be installed on the domain controller?

[gunderstone]

2000 requires Active Directory as well.

Here are the System Requirements for Exchange Server 2003

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/sysreqs/2003.asp


Here are the System Requirements for Exchange Server 2000

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/sysreqs/2000.asp

Active Directory uses one place for managing both Windows 2000 users and Microsoft Exchange mailbox information which is why it is required for both.

Exchange 5.5 had its own directory from the NT4 days and it was separate but 2000 and 2003 require one so they use AD

[lazybum]

another question i have is: would the active directory and exchange 2003 server be fine on a nt 4.0 domain?

[gunderstone]

You cannot install Active Directory on an NT4 domain; they can be mixed with Windows 2000 or Server 2003 DCs present but AD does not live on an NT4 domain controller and thus neither can Exchange Server 2003

You can install a Windows Server 2003 DC in this domain and install Exchange Server 2003 on it but there are issues with doing this as it will allow for only limited functionaility and use of some of the features of the Exchange Server in this manner.

[lazybum]

alright just to make sure we're on the same page with the setup right now. The computer with exchange 2k3 is on a NT 4.0 domain but its NOT on the domain controller. Does that make sense?

So what you're saying is since we have a NT 4.0 domain we can't use exchange 2k3 at all. great...

[gunderstone]

That's is not 100% true - you CAN use it in an NT4 domain but you will need to introduce a Windows 2000 or 2003 Domain Controller (where the Active Directory can be housed) to the domain in order to use Exchange.

With specific regards to Exchange Server 2003 you'll need to run it on Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server, or Windows 2000 Datacenter Server with SP3 or later.

[lazybum]

the exchange 2k3 is on a machine with windows 2k3 server but it is not the domain controller

[gunderstone]

And if there is no other Domain Controller running Active Directory available in that domain Exchange will not run.

[lazybum]

so what do you think is the easiest method of getting exchange 2003 up and running? Can a Windows 2003 AD coexist on a NT 4.0 domain controller?

[gunderstone]

Yes, in either mixed or Windows 2003 Interim mode.

[lazybum]

Ok so i'm trying to install active directory on an existing domain but it wont let me saying it can't detect a domain controller with ad. Do I have to install AD as a domain controller on a NEW domain?

[gunderstone]

You'll need to promote the NT4 PDC to either a Windows 2000 or 2003 AD DC

[lazybum]

Ok i have the ads up now. I installed exchange but its still not starting up as a service. Exchange system manager runs as a service. Exchange is installed on a machine that's the domain controller as well as the dns server.

Another weird thing is Exchange 5.5 System administrator gets installed, is that normal?

[lazybum]

Ok i may have figured out why its not startng the services. I ran dcdiag and according to the log file the Host could not be resolved to an IP.

[gunderstone]

It sounds to me like DNS is not properly resolving names; can you verify your DNS settings are correct?

[lazybum]

Yea, I can't seem to get the dns working. Right now there is only 1 machine on the damain and its the domain controller. That one machine is the dns server, domain controller, and its also the machine i'm trying to get exchange 2003 server working on.

[gunderstone]

That may be part of your problem; Active Direectory and Exchange rely heavily on DNS; if it is not working correctly your Active Directory installation is going to have issues as well as your Exchange deployment

You'll need to resolve that issue first in order to continue

[lazybum]

thanks for all the help. I finally got exchange up and running. However I'm having another problem. I set up the mail boxes and tried using exchange to send an email to myself. The email gets sent and gets copied into the sent folder however it does not download.

[gunderstone]

Where is the client you are using in relation to the Exchange Server?

Is the client behind the firewall with the Exchange server or on the other side of it?

Can that client PING the IP address of the Exchange Server?

How about the DNS name?

[lazybum]

I'm doing everything from the same machine. I'm using outlook on the machine that has exchange server on it. The smtp works. I can telnet into to the smtp port 25 and send an email to another account but I can't sent it from outlook. There is something wrong between outlook/exchange and the smtp

[gunderstone]

You should not be running Outlook on the same system that Exchange is installed on; there are know issues with configurations like that and they are all problematic at best.

Microsoft Does Not Recommend Installing Exchange 2000 Server and Outlook 2000 or Later on the Same Computer

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q266418

[lazybum]

thats odd because one of the exchange 2003 cd's had exchange server 2003 and outlook 2003 on the same cd. I hope thats the issue with the problems I'm having but I'm also thinking that it isn't an issue with exchange 2003 and outlook 2003

[lazybum]

alright, thanks a lot for all the help. I am now able to send and receive email from within the network. Now my only question is. Is it possible to download email from outside the network with exchange 2003? I know there is no pop3 downloader with exchange 2003 but is it possible to connect to the exchange server from outside the domain/network?

[gunderstone]

Sure, you can (install and) set up the POP3 service on the Exchange Server; this will allow you to do that

[lazybum]

nvm i figured it out

[lazybum]

alright, a few more questions about web access and mobile access.

What do I need to do to get mobil access working besides turning it on? What ports does it use? I need to configure the firewall to allow access.

I know the url is https://server.domain.tld/oma

Also, is it possible to run outlook web access using only 1 installation of exchange server 2003? I was reading something that said I need a front end and a back end server. Right now i have a back end server.