If you have loaded the 120-day Evaluation copy of Exchange 5.5 and decide to start using it in your working environment, upgrading to the full version of Exchange can either be an easy task, or a daunting one.

If you purchased a full copy of Exchange 5.5, the upgrade process is as simple as inserting the Exchange 5.5 (full version) CD, running setup and selecting to upgrade.

However, if you only purchased the Upgrade version of Exchange 5.5 because you currently have a full copy of Exchange 4.0 or 5.0 and you have upgraded your current Exchange environment using the Evaluation version then the process can be a little trickier.

If you have done the above, then you will need to follow the following steps -

1. Back up your current Exchange Server 5.5 directory and information store. 

2. Note the Organisation and Site name including the Exchange Service Account. (Make sure you get the Organisation and Site names exactly right, including capitalisation and punctuation)

3. Note the locations of the directory and information store EDB, LOG, and CHK files.

4. Note which connectors are installed on this server.

5. Run Exchange Server 5.5 Evaluation Edition Setup, and select Remove All. Do NOT connect to a server in the site and remove the affected server from the site.

6. Run Exchange Server Setup from your original distribution media (either Exchange Server 4.0 or 5.0).

Note - When doing the installation, select the Create a New Site option, NOT the Join Existing Site option. You must re-install with the exact same Organisation name, Site Name, and Exchange Service account as noted in step 2. (If changing hardware, the machine name must also be the same and the Domain must be the same as the original.)

7. Add all connectors that were on the original system so that they are upgraded as well. 

8. When setup is complete, run Optimizer to put the directory and information store files on the same drives\paths as the original.

9. When the Exchange Server 4.0 or 5.0 Setup has completed, run Setup from your Exchange Server 5.5 Upgrade Edition.

10. Restore your Exchange Server 5.5 Evaluation Edition directory and information store (which were backed up in step 2). If this is a multi- server site, restoring the directory restores the connection to the other servers in the site and resumes replication.

11. Pat yourself on the back, and don't upgrade your working environment using an Evaluation version again! <grin>