Migrating from a Non-Exchange Messaging System to Exchange Server 2003

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This section explains how to migrate a group of users from a non-Exchange messaging system to Exchange 2003. The guidelines are recommended for most migrations, and involve extracting data from the legacy messaging system and immediately importing it into Exchange 2003. However, in some cases you might want to edit the extracted data before importing the data into Exchange 2003, as explained in Understanding Interoperability and Migration in Exchange Server 2003.

You can use source extractors and the Exchange Migration Wizard to migrate from the following messaging systems to Exchange 2003:

  • Internet mail systems that support IMAP4   The Exchange Migration Wizard supports IMAP4. For messaging connectivity, deploy an SMTP connector between Exchange 2003 and the Internet mail system. For detailed instructions about how to migrate Internet mail users to Exchange 2003 using the Exchange Migration Wizard, see How to Migrate from an Internet Messaging System to Exchange Server 2003.

  • Microsoft Mail for PC Networks   The Exchange Migration Wizard supports Microsoft Mail for PC Networks. However, a direct messaging connector is not available in Exchange Server 2003. You can use Microsoft Exchange Connector for Microsoft Mail if you are running an earlier version of Exchange in your organization, such as Exchange 2000. Connector for Microsoft Mail supports automated directory synchronization.

    For Exchange Server 2003 messaging connectivity, consider deploying a Microsoft Mail gateway to SMTP or a Microsoft Mail gateway to X.400. You can use the Exchange Migration Wizard to create a user list; however, the migration wizard will export Microsoft Mail for PC Networks address information, which you must replace with SMTP addresses before you import the recipients into Active Directory.

  • Microsoft Mail for AppleTalk Networks   The Exchange Migration Wizard does not directly support Microsoft Mail for AppleTalk Networks or StarNine Technologies' Quarterdeck Mail. You must use the Microsoft Mail for AppleTalk source extractor to copy the data from Microsoft Mail for AppleTalk version 3.0 or later to migration files. You can then import these migration files to Exchange 2003 using the Exchange Migration Wizard.

  • Lotus cc:Mail   The Exchange Migration Wizard supports the Lotus cc:Mail DB6 and DB8 formats. However, a direct messaging connector is not available in Exchange Server 2003. You can use Microsoft Exchange Connector for Lotus cc:Mail if you are running an earlier version of Exchange Server in your organization, such as Exchange 2000 Server. Connector for Lotus cc:Mail supports automated directory synchronization.

    For Exchange 2003 messaging connectivity, consider using the built-in SMTP feature available in Lotus cc:Mail. You can use the Exchange Migration Wizard to create a user list; however, the migration wizard will export Lotus cc:Mail address information, which you must replace with SMTP addresses before you import the recipients into Active Directory. Alternatively, you can use the Import and Export tools that are included with Lotus cc:Mail for directory import and export operations.

  • IBM PROFS, IBM OfficeVision/VM, Fischer TAO, and other PROFS-based systems   The Exchange Migration Wizard does not directly support host-based messaging systems, such as IBM PROFS. You must use the PROFS and OfficeVision/VM source extractor to copy the data from PROFS to migration files. You can then import these migration files to Exchange 2003 using the Exchange Migration Wizard. For messaging connectivity, consider using a host-based SMTP solution, such as TBS Software OfficePath/SMTP-Send (OP/SS), or an X.400 gateway. Alternatively, you can use Microsoft Exchange Connector for IBM OfficeVision/VM, if you still have a server running the Enterprise edition of Microsoft Exchange 5.5 in your organization.

  • Verimation MEMO   The Exchange Migration Wizard does not directly support Verimation MEMO. You must use the MEMO source extractor to copy the original MEMO documents to migration files. You can then import these migration files to Exchange 2003 using the Exchange Migration Wizard. For messaging connectivity, consider using a host-based SMTP solution, such as MEMO Integrator and MEMO SMTP Connector or MEMO/X400. Alternatively, you can use Microsoft Exchange Connector for SNADS, if you still have a server that runs the Enterprise edition of Exchange 5.5 in your organization.

  • Digital All-In-1   The Exchange Migration Wizard does not directly support Digital All-In-1. You must use the All-In-1 source extractor to copy the original documents to migration files. You can then import these migration files to Exchange 2003 using the Exchange Migration Wizard. For messaging connectivity based on SMTP or X.400, consider using Digital MAILbus 400.

    Important

    For detailed information about how to migrate from non-Exchange messaging systems using protocols other than IMAP4, consult the Exchange Migration Wizard documentation and the documentation for the source extractor that you want to use. To obtain a stand-alone source extractor for your legacy messaging system, contact Microsoft Product Support Services. For information about Product Support Services, including how to contact them, go to https://support.microsoft.com.

Preparing for a User Migration

Perform the following steps to prepare the existing environment for a migration to Exchange 2003:

  1. Prepare a migration server   It is recommended that you configure a dedicated migration server to run the Exchange Migration Wizard. This computer must be able to communicate with the legacy messaging system, Active Directory, and Exchange 2003. Installing Exchange System Manager through the Exchange 2003 Setup program installs the Exchange Migration Wizard on your migration server.

    Note

    It is recommended that you install multiple migration servers to distribute the workload. For example, you can use five migration servers to migrate 100 users and balance the load so that each migration server handles 20 users. Powerful hardware is not required for your migration servers. You can use standard workstations.

  2. Prepare the user mailboxes   It is a good idea to run any available mailbox maintenance tools on the non-Exchange messaging system that you want to migrate to eliminate inconsistencies in the messaging data. If you discover problems with individual mailboxes, you might need to run the maintenance tools more than once to repair the messaging data.

    In addition to running maintenance tools, you might want to perform the following tasks:

    • Delete mailboxes in the legacy messaging system for users that no longer exist in the environment.

    • Instruct users to delete old messages and calendar data to reduce the amount of data that must be migrated. Users should also empty their deleted items folders or wastebaskets.

    • Check the file system on which the messaging data resides to repair any problems on data volumes.

    • Ensure that the time on all servers across the network is consistent.

    • Delete old mail from all mail queues.

Performing an Internet Mail Migration to Exchange 2003

You must complete the following steps to perform an Internet mail migration to Exchange 2003:

  1. Prepare an IMAP4 migration file for the Exchange Migration Wizard   To migrate data from an Internet mail system to Exchange 2003, the Exchange Migration Wizard requires access to the mailbox of each user who is migrated. By default, only the owner of the mailbox has access, so you must specify each individual user name and password. You can provide this information during the migration process in a .csv file that contains information about the mailboxes being migrated, their SMTP addresses, as well as the user accounts and passwords to log on to each individual mailbox. The IMAP4 server where the mailbox resides can be specified through a fully qualified host name or IP address.

    Table 1 lists the possible fields for the IMAP4 user list file.

    Table 1   IMAP4 user list fields

    Field Description

    IMAP_Mailbox

    IMAP4 mailbox account name.

    SMTP_Address

    Exchange destination mailbox SMTP address. Alternatively, you can provide the alias of the Exchange destination mailbox. If you do not add the destination mailbox alias, the Exchange Migration Wizard migrates the mail to the mailbox with the SMTP address that you specify.

    IMAP_Server

    The IMAP4 server name.

    Ex_Mailbox

    Exchange mailbox alias. If each user does not already have a mailbox in Exchange, the wizard creates one using the IMAP4 mailbox name and the SMTP address that you specify. This is an optional field.

    IMAP_Port

    IMAP port. You can specify an alternate TCP/IP port for the Exchange Migration Wizard to use to bind to the IMAP server. The default IMAP port is 143. If you do not add the optional IMAP port field to the user list file, the wizard will try to connect through port 143. This is an optional field.

    IMAP_SSL

    You can specify whether to encrypt the transmission of each user's mailbox contents using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). By default, if the IMAP_SSL field is not in the user list file, information is not transmitted using SSL. This is an optional field that can have the following values:

    • Y, Yes, T, or True   The Exchange Migration Wizard uses SSL when transmitting the contents of that mailbox.

    • N, No, F, or False   The Exchange Migration Wizard does not use SSL when transmitting the contents of that mailbox.

    Note

    If you receive errors during an IMAP4 migration, check the user list file to verify that you have specified the correct IMAP4 server name and port number.

    The following is an example of a .csv file for an IMAP4 migration:

    IMAP_Mailbox,SMTP_Address,IMAP_Password,IMAP_Server
Ted,Ted@legacy.fabrikam.com,password,192.168.202.101
Birgit,Birgit@legacy.fabrikam.com,password,192.168.202.101
Kim,Kim@legacy.fabrikam.com,password,192.168.202.101

    If you create this file rather than using sample code, remember to include the header line, and remember that each line must have exactly four pieces of information separated from each other by a comma. If, however, your Internet mail system also supports LDAP, you can perform an LDAP directory migration as a first step to automatically create a .csv file named Imapusr.csv, which the Exchange Migration Wizard places in the migration files directory. After you edit this file to verify the account and server information, you are ready to approach the actual IMAP4 migration.

    Note

    When migrating from Internet mail systems to Exchange 2003, it is recommended that you first create a user list file, called Imapusr.csv, using the Internet Directory component of the Exchange Migration Wizard.

  2. Migrate server-based data to Exchange 2003   The next step in performing a migration from an Internet mail system to Exchange 2003 is to migrate the users and mailboxes from the Internet host to the server running Exchange 2003. You do this by running the Exchange Migration Wizard.

    It is often sufficient to accept the defaults in the Exchange Migration Wizard. If you have specific migration needs, you can change the following options on the Migration Information wizard page:

    • Information to create mailboxes   When this check box is selected, a new mailbox is created for users being migrated from the Internet host to Exchange.

    • Personal e-mail messages   When this check box is selected, the user's e-mail messages that are stored on the Internet host are migrated to Exchange. You can either select All to migrate all of the user's mail, or Dated from to specify a date range of messages to migrate.

    Table 2 lists the data elements that the Exchange Migration Wizard preserves during migration.

    Table 2   Data elements that are preserved in IMAP4 migrations

    Item In Exchange

    IMAP4-compliant mail messages

    MAPI or HTML messages (for Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access).

    Attachments

    Attachments.

    Calendar information

    Plain text message.

    Encrypted messages

    Encrypted messages. Users must move their private keys and certificates to Outlook to be able to use Outlook to read migrated encrypted mail. Alternatively, users can reconfigure the IMAP client that contains their certificates and keys so that they can read the encrypted mail from their Exchange mailboxes.

    The Exchange Migration Wizard creates a mailbox-enabled Active Directory account for each user who is being migrated. All new user accounts are placed in the target organizational unit that you specify on the Container for New Windows Accounts page. If accounts already exist in Active Directory, for example because you created disabled Windows accounts for all Internet mail users through a semi-automated directory synchronization process beforehand, you must verify that the accounts are matched correctly. You can associate the accounts using the Find Existing Account option on the Windows Account Creation and Association page. You can also choose to create a new account using the Create New Account option. For new accounts, the Exchange Migration Wizard can generate a random strong password, which is stored in the Accounts.Password file in the \Program Files\Exchsrvr\Bin directory on the server running Exchange 2003.

    After migration is complete, review the application log for information about the migration progress. Look for event log messages for which the source is MSExchangeMig. You might find it helpful to configure and apply a filter in Event Viewer to list only those event log messages from the Exchange Migration Wizard. If a migration attempt ends unsuccessfully, you can delete any mailboxes and recipient objects that were created during the migration attempt from Active Directory. Perform a manual directory synchronization to bring both messaging systems back in sync. For information about troubleshooting migration problems, see Troubleshooting Interoperability and Migration Issues in Exchange Server 2003.

  3. Migrate local messaging data   The Exchange Migration Wizard only migrates data stored on the IMAP4 server. Internet messaging clients, however, often store messaging data locally. Data stored in local archives on client computers is not migrated. To migrate local data, users must use Outlook to import the data after Exchange mailboxes have been created using the Exchange Migration Wizard. Outlook can import local messaging data from Eudora Pro and Microsoft Outlook Express. Outlook Express also provides a mail importer component for Netscape Communicator and Netscape Mail.

    IMAP4 users can also place message items back into their server-based mailboxes prior to migration. However, this can greatly increase the amount of data that must be migrated if large amounts of e-mail data are stored on the users' workstations. You must ensure that your Internet mail system and Exchange 2003 server have sufficient disk space to store the data. If you are concerned that migrating local data will impede your migration process, you might want to consider migrating local data only for executives and employees with specific permission.

    Note

    After migration is complete, your users can create local personal folder store (.pst) files to store the e-mail data that was previously stored in local folders on the client computer.

  4. Migrate personal address books   The Exchange Migration Wizard cannot migrate personal address books from Internet mail users. Users must migrate their personal address books after they connect to Exchange 2003 using Outlook. Outlook detects and silently imports information from supported messaging clients, such as Netscape Messenger 4.0 and Outlook Express. For unsupported clients, you might be able to use an address book converted in Outlook Express before you import the data into Outlook. Outlook Express supports a number of address book formats, including Eudora Pro, LDIF, Netscape Address Book, Netscape Communicator Address Book, and .csv files. If an address book converter is not available, you might be able to export personal address books from the old messaging client into text-based files that can be converted into .csv files using a macro in Microsoft Excel, for example. The main task is to reorder the fields to match the layout required by Outlook. Outlook is able to import Contact objects from a .csv file.

    To determine the order of fields in a .csv file for Outlook, create a sample Contact object in Outlook and then export this contact into a .csv file using the Import and Export command on the File menu in Outlook 2003. Choose Export to a file and then select Comma Separated Values (Windows). Select the Contacts folder where you created the sample contact, and complete the export procedure. Open the resulting .csv file in Excel. You should find the list of fields in the first row. The following is a list of all header fields that Outlook recognizes:

    "Title","First Name","Middle Name","Last Name","Suffix","Company","Department","Job Title","Business Street","Business Street 2","Business Street 3","Business City","Business State","Business Postal Code","Business Country","Home Street","Home Street 2","Home Street 3","Home City","Home State","Home Postal Code","Home Country","Other Street","Other Street 2","Other Street 3","Other City","Other State","Other Postal Code","Other Country","Assistant's Phone","Business Fax","Business Phone","Business Phone 2","Callback","Car Phone","Company Main Phone","Home Fax","Home Phone","Home Phone 2","ISDN","Mobile Phone","Other Fax","Other Phone","Pager","Primary Phone","Radio Phone","TTY/TDD Phone","Telex","Account","Anniversary","Assistant's Name","Billing Information","Birthday","Business Address PO Box","Categories","Children","Directory Server","E-mail Address","E-mail Type","E-mail Display Name","E-mail 2 Address","E-mail 2 Type","E-mail 2 Display Name","E-mail 3 Address","E-mail 3 Type","E-mail 3 Display Name","Gender","Government ID Number","Hobby","Home Address PO Box","Initials","Internet Free Busy","Keywords","Language","Location","Manager's Name","Mileage","Notes","Office Location","Organizational ID Number","Other Address PO Box","Priority","Private","Profession","Referred By","Sensitivity","Spouse","User 1","User 2","User 3","User 4","Web Page"

Note   Users can re-create personal contacts, as well as personal distribution lists, in a Contacts folder in Outlook.