Exchange 2007 SP2 setup Log Details

 

Exchange 2007 Service Pack 2 introduces several new features, but in order to utilize Exchange 2007 SP2, you must perform the following steps:

1. Extend the Schema

2. Prepare Active Directory

3. Install Windows Installer 4.5

4. Uninstall Interim Updates

 

Most of us must have read from various blogs and websites on the new exciting features (hey …. VSS Backup again) that Exchange 2007 sp2 brings us. But for customers who are large scale enterprises who tend to separate out their AD schema updates and Exchange upgrades you have to read this.

 

"We understood where most of the schema changes document as per AD schema changes SP2 below where any particular sessions belongs to PrepareAD steps as we split the steps to perform health check where Acitve Directory team would like to find out more details on what’s the main changes as the logs file activity showed quite lots of changes. This will be critical to determine on going forward to production environments"

 

If you are a large scale enterprise and want to know exact details (like the one above) and provide sufficient time to update your organization with the AD before doing the Exchange 2007 sp2 Upgrade you might probably want to finish off the Extend the schema and Prepare Active directory step with the help of your Active Directory Team. To answer their question on what is this change for you might probably point them back to the ldf files available and to the release notes. Please do remember that if you don’t need this sort of breakdown on the schema changes you can directly run the SP2 upgrade and the schema changes (prepareAD & PrepareDomain) are automatically completed in the background for you. Almost all changes to AD are listed in the ldf files and you can read through them at https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee221142.aspx

 

Am providing an extract of the SP2 upgrade and you will be surprised to see that even though the release notes says there isn't much change to the active directory apart form the Dynamic schema validation (Read more about the Dynamic schema validation here https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee221169.aspx ) and the Exchange trusted subsystem group you will see a lot of objects being touched in the SP2 setup logs.

 

These are basically verification on the object whether it exists before proceeding with the upgrade. For example,

 

[10/12/2009 2:26:36 PM] [2] Beginning processing.

[10/12/2009 2:26:36 PM] [2] Fixing all mail-enabled recipients in the Exchange 2007 administrative group.

[10/12/2009 2:26:36 PM] [2] Setting the Exchange version of recipient "<DomainName>/User Directory/User Accounts/<RecipientName>" to Exchange 2007.

[10/12/2009 2:26:39 PM] [2] Setting the Exchange version of recipient "<DomainName>/User Directory/Service Accounts/<RecipientName>" to Exchange 2007.

[10/12/2009 2:26:42 PM] [2] Verifying the existence of container object "Exchange Administrative Group (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT)".

[10/12/2009 2:26:42 PM] [2] Fixing the objects under container object "Exchange Administrative Group (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT)" with filter "(|((&((ObjectCategory Equal msExchOwaVirtualDirectory)(OwaVersion Equal Exchange2007)))(!((ObjectCategory Equal msExchOwaVirtualDirectory)))))".

[10/12/2009 2:26:42 PM] [2] Verifying the existence of container object "Client Access".

[10/12/2009 2:26:42 PM] [2] Fixing the objects under container object "Client Access" with filter "$null".

[10/12/2009 2:26:42 PM] [2] Verifying the existence of container object "ELC Folders Container".

 

 

 

The very obvious thing that you can see from the Exchange setup logs is that the Design Templates and Address Templates are being upgraded to the exchange 2007 SP2 version.

 

10/12/2009 2:25:16 PM] [2] Deleteting DS object /dc=com/dc=Orgname/dc=Domain/cn=Configuration/cn=Services/cn=Microsoft Exchange/cn=Orgname/cn=Addressing/cn=Display-Templates/cn=816/cn=2

[10/12/2009 2:25:16 PM] [2] Deleteting DS object /dc=com/dc=shell/dc=Domain/cn=Configuration/cn=Services/cn=Microsoft Exchange/cn=Orgname/cn=Addressing/cn=Display-Templates/cn=816/cn=3

[10/12/2009 2:25:16 PM] [2] Deleteting DS object

-Ram