[ExchangeList] Exchange 2003 upgrade advice

Hi Guys,
 
I am going to upgrading our exchange 2000 server to 2003 on Friday. It is going to be an in-place upgrade, so hoping it would be straightforward. However just wish to get a few tips on how to proceed.
 
Current environment
 
Windows 2000 / exchange 2000 sp3 - currently DC also acting as schema master.
 
1: Now is it adviceable to run forestprep and domain prep @ leats 2 days before upgrade. Just to ensure replication completes.
 
2: Would this be the best time to carry out an offline defrag, before the upgrade? how long is it likely to take  - current priv.edb - 24gb.
 
3: How would I go about backing up the schema, before the upgrade?
 
Thanx
Dave
 

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