Feature: SP1 support for Exchange 2010

Question

MS recommends creating a new forest for Exchange 2010 with SP1 and multi-domain hosting.  We need SP1 support and migration or implementation guidance.

Answer 1

Hello,

we already started working on Exchange 2010 SP1 support. Multi-domain hosting will be supported too.

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Inesa Fain - MSFT

Answer 2

Hi Inesa

will this be supported in a mixed mode environment i.e. Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2010 SP1 servers?

We want to transition to Exchange 2010 and simply migrate our existing customers over to an Exchange 2010 service. Also would this solution be officially supported by MS?

At the moment we are on hold seeing as address list segregation is unsupported by MS at the moment (Even though WSP does support it) unless you are going to be using Exchange 2010 SP1 with the hosting switch. This approach however would require a new forest as mixed mode is not supported, this is really not practicle for a lot of hosters.

Thanks

Adam

Answer 3

Do you have any further information as to what changes would be required to bring an Exchange 2010 installation with websitepanel up to SP1 given the changes as listed here?

 

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/exchange-2010-information-for-hosted-service-providers.aspx

Answer 4

WebsitePanel Exchange 2010 SP1 module will support the following scenarios:

Setup Hosted Exchange Service in WebsitePanel associated with Exchange Service Plan
Create organization in WebsitePanel and Exchange
Provide customers with link to Exchange Control Panel
Change quotas
Change Service Plan

The solution will be supported by Microsoft as we will simply create an organization in WebsitePanel and then let users manage their mailboxes through ECP.
In WebsitePanel you will be able to create Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2010 SP1 services at the same time but we don't have enough information at the moment to say how they will work together in the same AD.

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Inesa Fain - MSFT

Answer 5

Sorry, is there any more information about what a exchange service plan is? I cant seem to find any info on it.

Will it allow to turn on other features like archiving?

Thanks! :)

Answer 6

Hi Jake,

 

 

You might want to take a look at

http://blogs.technet.com/b/provtest/archive/tags/exchange+server+2010+sp1+beta+hosting+deployment/

Some quite big changes coming with it.  I'm not sure on the archiving, but MS do a hosted Archiving service under SPLA which you could integrate.

Answer 7

Yeah I know they do it under there online services but we have our own SPLA agreement and would like to keep things in house.

Thanks for the link, I will be sure to read up on it, sounds interesting! :)

Answer 8

Inesa,

 

Will we need to migrate the Forest as well for Exchange 2010 SP1 ? as on one of the http://blogs.technet.com/b/provtest/ post mentioned (well it was for HMC though, but who knows.)

 

Dondy

Answer 9

Hi Dondy,

Please try asking your question on Exchange forums.

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Inesa Fain - MSFT

Answer 10

Is it possible to confirm if the current exchange 2010 module will be replaced or whether an additional module will be implemented offering 3 modules for exchange in websitepanel?

Answer 11

It will be a new module, so there will be three Exchange modules in WebsitePanel:

Exchange 2007
Exchange 2010
Exchange 2010 Hosted Edition

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Inesa Fain - MSFT

Answer 12

G'day guys,

Is it just me, or doesn't the LOSS of the following concern you in considering upgrading to SP1? ...

• Exchange Management Console
• Public Folders
• Unified Messaging Server role
• Federation
• Business-to-Business features such as cross-premises message tracking and calendar sharing
• IRM (Information Rights Management)
• Managed folders
• Outlook 2003 support (EnableLegacyOutlook)
• Edge Transport Server role (more specifically EdgeSync support)
• Resource forest topologies

I'm not sure these are features I'd be willing to lose just to get the "/hoster" switch that looks like it's only going to do what WebsitePanel already does.

Am I missing something?

Kerry

Answer 13

The loss of public folders particularly, is a huge deal and a show stopper for many hosters as so many customers use public folders. Trying to convince these customers to move to SharePoint or another solution is going to be a major headache. For many it just won't happen.

In that respect, at least the current websitepanel solution is allows public folders to be offered..

If you dig into the technical details of the new SP1 Hosting option, you'll see Exchange hosting has been rewritten from the ground up (and it isn't finished). It uses a role-based system, not ACLs lke the current one, and so is _completely_ different. I frankly don't see mixed mode environments ever working given the complete change in security model.

Brighter minds than mine might disagree, but the two technologies are so different, I can't see how they could ever be baked together into a working solution, particularly given more than half the documentation for SP1 hosting doesn't even exist yet (see technet website for blank links everywhere).

I'm glad to see Feodor emerging from hiding and that WSP may be morphed to help the scenario above, but what is really clear IMHO is that the exchange hosting market is in a state of confusion and relative uncertainty. Besides the techno confusion created by what I mention above, MS are pushing their own cloud services down everyone's throat and so there has got to be a huge disincentive for them (MS) to encourage anyone else to provide hosted Exchange instead of their own services.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answer 14

@John: agreed (for the most part, at least). I don't see why mixed mode environments wouldn't work if they're in seperate forests - then again, that wouldn't exactly be a mixed mode environment, would it?

I have to admit the RBAC stuff is kind of cool (end user org management through ECP etc), but the limitations have me baffled. As John pointed out in reference to PFs, trying to teach an old dog new tricks (by that I mean the customer) is going to be near impossible, regardless how many advantages SharePoint has.
The EdgeSync issue has me even more bewildered, and the whole 'new forest' thing is just plain stupid. Duplicating the whole Security-, Continunity- (backup/restore) and Monitoring-environments might be feasable for MS, as they don't have to pay for it, but for everyone else ...

The big question is IMHO, who's going to take the plunge and install SP1 in an existing "traditional" 2010 setup to see if it breaks anything ...
(provided, of course, the WSP Exchange 2010 module supports SP1 to begin with).

 

Answer 15

To further clarify my statement above regarding Microsoft support for this solution.  Microsoft is now offering paid support for WebsitePanel as detailed in this post.  This paid support will include the additional module being added to WebsitePanel for Exchange 2010 SP1.  For support information on Exchange 2010 please go to http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/default.aspx

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Inesa Fain - MSFT

Answer 16

I think for many people, mixed mode means that they can integrate 2010 servers somehow into their 2007 environment and move users over somehow without messing with the existing production environment. This is what I just can't see happening. If it does somehow happen, then to me this will be one of the last features added, not the first. The current 2010 SP1 stuff is all brand new and so even if you're starting from scratch with a new forest, there are many things missing. These will be filled out over time, until a point, then integration between the two might be worked on when the 2010 hosting feature set is relatively complete. This could take a year from now or longer methinks...and that's IF it happens. Like the SP1 hosting model, it will likely have some hard-to-live-with provisos.

In the meantime, the lack of public folder support means the 2010SP1 hosting angle is unfortunately of no interest anyway to anyone with a customer base of users hooked on them. MS is trying to be tough, but they can't win this easily. The UK government here just refused to move off IE6, despite receiving a petition with thousands of signatures begging them to be a role model and move to IE8 etc. They don't want to, based on the sheer time and cost involved in the upgrade. 

It is the same with public folders vs Sharepoint. Who's going to try and shove additional cost (SharePoint licensing) down user's throats, along with a change in the way they work, and pain in transition, because it is technically a better solution and "public folders are bad". 

So the technically superior solution doesn't always win, especially in these times. 

Answer 17

Hi Inesa,

Just want to clarify..do we need to have a paid support for the WebsitePanel Module for Exchange 2010 SP1 or is it just an option ?

Dondy

Answer 18

Hi Dondy,

Paid support by Microsoft for WebsitePanel Exchange 2010 SP1 Module (and for the rest of WebsitePanel functionality) is optional.

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Inesa Fain - MSFT

Answer 19

Hi Inesa,

Thanks for the clarification. It's relieving. However, there's another question though and it's rather important :)

Is there any time line for WSP to support Exchange 2010 SP1 both with hosting mode or without hosting mode ?

Thanks

Dondy

Answer 20

Hi All,

we released WSP 1.0.2 with Exchange 2010 SP1 "Hosting Mode" Module Beta today:

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/wspdiscuss/thread/3dfcd48d-3f18-4922-8ca0-5009db609867

We are looking forward for your feedback on it.

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Inesa Fain - MSFT

Answer 21

Hi All,

Where is the documentation for these new modules. All the info on http://www.dotnetpanel.com/documentation/ only concerns the old versions.

Thanks

Alex

 

Answer 22

Hello,

I found the Hosted Edition Module Guide here:
http://websitepanel.net/Documentation.aspx

Question:
There is nothing about Hosted Organisation (Active Directory) in the docs.
Is the setup of Hosted Organisation in WSP the same as for Exchange 2007?

Kind Regards,
raja

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piraya

Answer 23

Inesa

 

Notwithstanding the fact that SP1 /hosting doesn't have public folder support so is not usable for many, I'm certainly impressed at the speed at which you've released this (beta).

For the benefit of those that are interested in testing/using it, could I strongly recommend that in addition to the document Dondy refers to above, you perhaps publish some guidelines on how this should be employed/tested? ie People reading this thread will be left with a lot of questions like:

* Can I use both SP1 hosting and "traditional" WSP Exchange 2010 in the same AD ( you need to make this clear!)

* Can I use it with my existing WSP Exchange 2007 solution

* etc

I hope you get my drift... you'll save people some substantial searching for answers, and possibly pain, if you advise how and under what circumstances you see this working.

This is really for the benefit of others reading this thread, so hopefully you'll take this on board.

Regards

John

Answer 24

I agree with John.

I'm kinda losing the thread now in regard to what scenarios are supported or not supported. We are still using Exchange 2007 and are desperate to move to Exchange 2010 SP1, I think some clear guidance is called for.

Thanks

Adam

Answer 25

Hi Guys,

 

I think the problem is more that the Docs from MS are sketchy at best right now.

 

Microsoft are very close to releasing the guide for migratuion from HMC 4.5 ( Exc 2007) to Exchange 2010 SP1 ( they have finished it as far as I know, so once these are available it should help everyone start to migrate.     I believe they will be providing sample powershell scripts to migrate mailboxes etc, leaving the  migration of customers within Websitepanel to deal with,  which I hope will be released once the module is out of beta.

 

 

The following are essential reading for anyone looking to start migrating,

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/exchange-2010-sp1-information-for-hosted-service-providers.aspx

http://blogs.technet.com/b/provtest/archive/tags/exchange+2010+sp1+hosting/

 

 

Answer 26

. This approach however would require a new forest as mixed mode is not supported, this is really not practicle for a lot of hosters.

Thanks

Adam

This is wrong that hosting companies wouldn't run exchange in mix mode. Since migration of exchange 2007 on 2010 is not a easy task , due to which many companies would love to run exchange 2007 and 2007 in a same cluster.

FYI: Hosting Controller already support mix mode of exchange in a single cluster and it work perfectly and very easy to manage them.

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Tahir Khan http://www.hostautomate.com

Answer 27

Suppose we were to simply upgrade Exchange 2010 to SP1 without specifying the /hosting switch?

Would WebSitePanel continue to operate in the normal way that it has been?

 

What are the licensing implications of running an HMC setup with SP1, and NOT using the /hosting switch?

Answer 28

Hi raja,

WebsitePanel Exchange 2010 SP1 Module works without Hosted Organizations.

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Inesa Fain - MSFT

Answer 29

Hello,

For managing Exchange 2010 SP1 NOT using hosting switch, you could use WebsitePanel Exchange 2010 Module. As far as we know, it will work in general scenarios. Still, we recommend to try it on test environment first.

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Inesa Fain - MSFT

Answer 30

Sorry to labour a point that might have been already made, however are you saying that the Exchange 2010 module will work in an environment that currently is running Exchange 2007 servers? (Mixed) and utilising the Exchange 2007 module? i.e. single AD forest, single Exchange org.

Thanks

Adam

Answer 31

Since yesterday there is the migration guide for hmc to sp1 /hosting released:

http://blogs.technet.com/b/provtest/archive/2010/09/16/hmc-s-hosted-exchange-to-exchange-server-2010-sp1-hosting-deployment-migration-guide.aspx

i did not finish reading but until yet i did not read something about websitepanel migration/implementation.

regards,
Klaus

 

Answer 32

Hi All,

we continue collecting feedback on Exchange 2010 SP1 Module Beta. If you have installed and tested it, please contact us [e-mail] .

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Inesa Fain - MSFT