Q: We’re looking into replacing our current Exchange Server 2003 SP1 server with new server hardware. Do you know of any problems we might encounter with having a mixed environment of servers running Exchange 2003 SP1 as well as Exchange 2003 SP2? Going straight to SP2 on new hardware will save us work down the road.
A: I haven’t heard of any problems with running a mixed Exchange 2003 SP1/SP2 environment as you describe. Be aware, however, that if you use a front-end and back-end setup, you must upgrade the front-end servers first. So effectively, if you were to have any back-end Exchange 2003 SP2 servers, then you should upgrade your front-end servers first to SP2.