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Installation
One hiccup we found while installing SP1 was the need for a hot fix to be installed that is not mentioned anywhere in the release documentation. If it is not installed, the following error message is generating during the SP1 installation process.
KB #831464 - IIS 6.0 compression corruption causes access violations |
This hot fix does require a server reboot, so ensuring it is downloaded and installed prior to starting an SP1 installation is important.
As is typical for Exchange service packs, the installation file is contained in the setupi386 directory and is update.exe. Why the Microsoft Exchange group can’t put a simple installation program in the root of the extract data is baffling.
Installing the service pack is very straightforward. However, there is one important item to note:
Exchange 2003 SP1 cannot be uninstalled.
So, if possible, perform a test deployment in a lab environment before deploying SP1 on production Exchange servers to ensure you have a good backup.
When installation is complete, update your Exchange 2003 help files to SP1 as well. These help files can be downloaded from:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/exchange/2003/library/sp1help.mspx.
Conclusion
Overall, Exchange 2003 SP1 is a useful collection of fixes and new features for Exchange 2003. The few problems we heard about SP1 relate either to setup problems with the e2kdsn.dll file failing to register successfully (which can usually be resolved by manually registering the .dll) or to problems with e-mail no longer sending after SP1 has been installed. This is typically due to an application, such as antivirus or antispam software, that does not allow the Store itself to unload during SP1 installation. Disabling the software and reinstalling SP1 should resolve this problem.
Before installing SP1, we recommend checking with any of your software vendors whose products interact directly with Exchange 2003 to determine if the products will conflict with it. Symantec, TrendMicro, and GFI are often quick to report when their products conflict with service packs. Checking them out is simple and can often save countless hours troubleshooting a failing SP1 installation.
The other major complaint we’ve heard is that Outlook Web Access now requires users to enter domain & username in the logon field. A workaround for this is available at www.sbslinks.com/domain.
Overall, we recommend Exchange 2003 SP1 for anyone currently running Exchange 2003. Organizations migrating from Exchange 5.5 should be sure to reference the updated deployment guide as well.
