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New York, NY January 28, 2005

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Exchange Migration – Best Practices

contributed by Grady Pace

When considering the importance email has gained in the workplace in the last 10 years it is important to select a firm that can provide proven results with maximum effectiveness. Premier has an in-depth knowledge of corporate email solutions and the resources to design and implement migrations to Microsoft Exchange. Premier designs and implements end-to-end messaging solutions. Our solutions include hardening servers against attacks, the management of email spam, and planning for an archival solution.

Part of any design phase is to review the current messaging system and to determine where improvements in Exchange can enable consolidation of hardware and management resources. Another important consideration is remote availability. Exchange 2003 provides many more options than any previous version. From web access, to new mobile device support, and even a full version of Outlook 2003 over the internet (known as RPC over HTTP), Exchange 2003 provides more ways than ever for users to securely access email from anywhere inside or outside the office. Premier addresses all of these in the systems design, which may entail a one server environment or a complex front end / back end multi-site / multi-domain environment.

Implementation of a key system like email is not complete without a solid and thorough backup procedure. With Exchange 2003, that procedure has become immensely easier. With features such as VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service) snapshots and Recovery Storage Groups, Exchange 2003 provides the system administrator with numerous tools to enable the accurate and timely backup and restore of data to the system.

Here are three common upgrade scenarios:

Microsoft Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2003

While there is no in-place upgrade to Exchange 2000/2003 from Exchange 5.5, there is an approach known as the Move Mailbox Method. This involves swinging the mail from the old Exchange 5.5 server to a new Exchange 2000/2003 server. This approach allows for a gradual migration with minimal impact to the user community.

With the move to Exchange 2003 from Exchange 5.5 there is a completely new directory (address book) structure that is implemented and precautions need to be taken to ensure that any conflicts are resolved prior to upgrading. One thing to consider is that since Exchange 5.5 has its own directory structure and supports multiple mailboxes per user, while Exchange 2000 and above relies on Active Directory integration and supports one mailbox per user, correct mailbox to user mappings must be identified before migrating.

Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2003

Exchange 2003 is as an upgrade of services, features, and security. One of the major concerns of companies moving to Exchange 2003 is security. Exchange 2003 handles many of those concerns, but only when implemented properly. The differences in security between Exchange 2000 and 2003 can create some challenges when performing the migration. Common challenges include Public folder replication between the two different versions and permission issues for administrators and service accounts. Premier has extensive experience in addressing these challenges.

With the upgrade to 2003 a completely new set of features are available to users and administrators. Some common highlights include spell check for OWA (Outlook Web Access) and new access for mobile devices such as Pocket PC. From the administrative side there are increased options for handling spam, consolidation of servers with Exchange 2003s enhanced transports (regionalization), and the ability to authenticate across Active Directory forests.

Another new service is the VSS (Volume Shadow copy Service) option. This allows large databases to be backed up in a matter of minutes as opposed to hours. Also new to Exchange 2003 is the Mailbox Recovery Tool and Recovery Storage Group, which allows restoration of a user's mailbox without the need for third party software. Finally, there is new support for eight node clustering with improved fail-over time, supporting larger organizations with greater reliability.

Non-Microsoft Email to Exchange 2003

When migrating from non-Microsoft Email systems (such as GroupWise, Notes, or FirstClass) to Exchange a number of issues must be taken into account. Except for the smallest networks a period of coexistence is required. Gateway services are required to exchange messages, synchronize address books and in some cases coordinate calendars. Not all functions are compatible between email systems so some limitations are expected and need to be communicated to the users.

Mailbox conversions may also have some limitations, due to the differences between email systems. For example, archive files may need to be unarchived back to the main mailbox to allow the conversion of these messages. Third party conversion utilities can minimize this impact. Additionally, anything that can be done to reduce the size of mailboxes prior to moving will reduce the migration time. Where possible, this is a good time to implement retention policies and mailbox limits. It's also likely that training will need to be coordinated with migrations, so limits on the number of users converted per night (or weekend) may be constrained by training facilities and instructors.

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