We installed a front end server a few years ago to handle webmail going to our 2 seperate exchange servers. One backend server for our campus and one for our school with different addresses one being x.org and the other x.x.x.us . We have recently created a seperate webmail address for the .us address that goes in through a seperate network. We want to remove the front end server form the mix with out breaking anything. All servers are running windows 2003 with exchange 2003. One last note our frontend server also has blackberry software installed on it

FE replacement is really quite easy. Bring up the new server and verify that you can access the backend mailboxes as expected. Duplicate any specific settings from the current FE. Install BE and test. If you want to use the same certificate, export it from the current FE and apply to the new and when you are ready to move, change the FQDN to match the certificate in external and internal DNS.Also read if you havent already:http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=E64666FC-42B7-48A1-AB85-3C8327D77B70&displaylang=en"Front-End and Back-End Server Topology Guide for Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange 2000 Server"

We just want to remove the front end role with out causing problems. The front server currently has BlackBerry Professional Software for Microsoft Exchange . Our 2 current backend servers will remain in use. The frontend server does not host any mailboxes

Yep, problems are not fun. :)The best test is to bring up the new FE with the current one still in place and then test everything against the new FE.Once you feel comfortable that it works as expected, you could always stop all the Exchange Services on the old FE and remove it after a few days if all goes well.

we didnt have any intentions of bringing up a new front end server. to put it into perspective the 2 current backend servers are really for 2 different business entities even though the company follows under one umbrella. school has there own dedicate t's and the campus has it own t's. it's all one domain for business funtions but want mail to use perspective pipes going out and back in with their own address space. We ran that way 3 years ago with just the 2 standalone exchange boxes but they needed to have webmail access so we built the front end server. now we gave them their own webmail address and we have our own. Complicated scenario.

Ah, ok, Gotcha. Missunderstood that. Well, I am a firm believer in using a FE server, but regardless, the same principles apply. You'll want a cert on the backend server and a matching FQDN in DNS. Then open up external access through the Firewall of course and test while the current FE is still in place. If all goes well, then you can remove the FE.