Re: Transition Pack versions and availablilty

For both of these, there really isn't much to be concerned about. The upgrade to R2 is straightforward. You'll want to make sure you have sufficient disk space for the WSUS database, but that's really the only gotcha. It requires that you upgrade to SP2 for Exchange and SP2 for Sharepoint, both of which you should have already done.

For the Transition Pack - the process takes about 2 hours and somewhere around 7 reboots. You can plug in the admin password to save yourself some grief, but hang around for the first reboot - it often doesn't take until the second one. You will potentially require Server 2k3 SP1 + R2 media, so order that at the same time if you don't have it in house.

The good news is that once you're done, your existing SBS wizards, including RWW, will still work. They are, however, no longer supported. But they work.

--
Charlie.
http://msmvps.com/xperts64


"Bryan L" <blinton.nospam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:OzAARKx7GHA.1560@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
First of all, I agree with both of you 100% that I think I would have ZERO issues if they simply configured their software to work with Exchange on my SBS.

To clarify, it's not that it won't work...it's that it's not *supported*. And the vendor is Cisco, so the chances of a single SBS-sized shop shaming them into changing their support policies are nil. Yes, the Cisco partner/reseller installing/configuring our system could undoubtedly make it work (the guys I've worked and consulted with are all top-notch). And the first time I call TAC (their support dept) with any voicemail issue, they'll probably tell me they're very sorry, but I'm running in an unsupported configuration.

Again, I also believe Cisco ought to change their policy to support SBS, but I can't make that happen. In a way I can understand their lack of support for SBS in this version of their product. The version of Unity we selected (Unity is the name of their voicemail server) is their highest, with enterprise-class features (the reason we chose it) and scalability typically needed by organizations with thousands of employees -- needless to say, not the profile of an SBS shop. And choosing a different vendor...that ain't gonna happen. You have no idea what we went thru to finally select a new phone system in the first place. Contracts have been signed, we're committed, and we're still happy with our choice. But it's frustrating nonetheless.

I'm all for a shame campaign against Cisco to change their support policy, but alas, any change will come too late to help me. I'll be out of the office a great deal until November anyway, so it's not like I could be moving this forward even if the software came a week from now.

Thanks for the comments; your thoughts are mirrors of mine.

Getting back to the original question; any experiences applying the transition pack, or the R2 upgrade?

Bryan



"Maxibo" <totallyanon@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:%23KO7V0w7GHA.568@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I concur with SG...

Exchange on SBS is Standard Exchange, so are they saying their product will only work on Enterprise Exchange?

Ask them why it will not work, refer them to these posts... I do many phone systems intergration and cannot see where it would not work... Only think they do not have the expertise and I would reconsider using them as your supplier. If something goes wrong that will be their excuse that they said SBS Exchange will not work.

WHO are they ? do they say Msoft partner and all that if so then they are misrepresenting themselves...




"SuperGumby [SBS MVP]" <not@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:%238NPYrw7GHA.3396@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
for pity's sake, cancel both and discuss it with the phone guys

Exchange on SBS is Exchange. (note: That's a FULL STOP) There is nothing about Exchange on SBS which would stop a telephone system from working.

Is it the local reseller of the phone system or the manufacturer themselves making this ridiculous claim? Give us details and we will SHAME them into submission.

I'm looking for the specific Exchange SBS limits as I type, no 'connectors' comes to mind but AFAIK this is 'no MS supplied connectors', installation of a third party connector (which I doubt the phone system actually does, but it's possible) may be an issue.

I also want to know what specific telephone system this is so I can tell HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of SBS owners not to buy that system. Please pass this thought along to the reseller group.

"Bryan L" <blinton.nospam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:O3j0VRw7GHA.844@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
We make good use of our SBS 2003 STD, using AD, Exchange, and Sharepoint. We've also just selected a new phone system with Unified Messaging that of course integrates with Exchange. However, the vendor does not support integration with Exchange on a SBS, so we ordered the Transition Pack to upgrade our SBS software and licenses to full versions and standard CALs. After waiting several weeks for backordered media, we've made another discovery; since R2 of SBS hit the streets, the original Transition Pack is no longer available. In addition, the R2 version of the Transition Pack cannot be used on the original release of SBS. This means that I first have to upgrade my SBS to R2, then apply the R2 Transition Pack.

Both the R2 and Transition Pack media are on backorder. Microsoft just told me that the R2 upgrade media will be availalbe 10/16, and the R2 Transition Pack media will be available 11/9. I was concerned enough about resolving possible issues/bugs with the Transition Pack before we could begin our voicemail setup. Now I'm introducing the additional step of an upgrade to R2 before I can apply the Transition Pack.

My question is, can anyone who's done an upgrade to R2 or applied the Transition Pack (either the original or R2 version) give me an idea of what kind of issues I might be facing with either or both of these? I'd hate to break or damage my working SBS installation (or any of the SBS tools or Wizards) as I transition this sever thru both upgrades to a "full, standard" Server 2003/Exchange 2003 box.

Thanks for reading a long post, and advance thanks for all responses.

BJ








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