An organization running in mixed mode can accommodate all versions of
Microsoft Exchange. By default, Exchange 2000 and Exchange 2003 is installed in
mixed mode.
Exchange 2003 running in mixed mode is subject to the following
limitations:
Exchange Server 5.0 and 5.5 sites are mapped directly to administrative
groups.
Administrative groups are mapped directly to Exchange Server 5.0 and
5.5 sites.
Servers cannot be moved between administrative groups.
Routing group membership consists only of servers that are installed in
the administrative groups.
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How To Find the Mode of Your Exchange Organization
By default, Exchange 2003 server is installed in mixed mode. To determine
which mode your Exchange organization is currently running in:
Start Exchange System Manager. Click Start, point to Programs, point to
Microsoft Exchange, and then click System Manager.
Right-click the organization that you want to determine the mode for,
and then click Properties.
Click the General tab. The operating mode of the organization is
displayed Under Operations Mode.
How to Switch from Exchange Mixed Mode to Native Mode
Before you can change an organization from mixed mode to native mode, all of
the computers in the organization must be running Exchange Exchange 2003.
Remember that this change to native mode cannot be reversed.
After you upgrade or remove all versions of Exchange Server prior to
Exchange 2000, you can switch your Exchange 2003 organization to native mode by
using Exchange System Manager:
Start Exchange System Manager. Click Start, point to Programs, point to
Microsoft Exchange, and then click System Manager.
Right-click the organization, and then click Properties.
Click the General tab, and then click Change Mode under Change
Operations Mode. Click Yes if you are sure that you want to permanently
switch the organization's mode to native mode.
Here is a
free tool to monitor your Exchange Server.
Download the utility, then inspect your mail queues, monitor Exchange server's
memory, confirm there is enough disk space and check the CPU utilization.
