Re: Exchange and upgrade to SBS 2008

Hi Bill and Mishuno:

Exmerge is not intuitive, imo, and I can't suggest you use if for the first time on a critical production server.

While Mishuno noted that his users mailboxes are small, please note that there is a 2 GB limit for exmerge.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/916085

While probably not a show stopper, I suggest you have the users copy their exchange mailbox to a local .pst file for safekeeping. It is either drag and drop or move, and I would copy, not move as you could then go back to the old server if anything goes wrong.

If you are the in house person, practice this yourself and then give the users a document to instruct them how. Have them do this just after you pull the plug on the internet mail on the SBS 03. Then you can copy them back into the store on the new server once you have joined the new domain.

For safety, you want the .pst file in a non user profile location. There is no issue with moving it around, but you have to have access to it, and you have to know where it is after you disjoin from the old domain in preparation for joining the new one.

Do not rely on the .ost file, as that will be lost as soon as you disjoin from the domain.

Lastly, note that you can do all the mail for all the users if you wish. Just create a profile for them on your workstation and put each users mail in a different and identifiable folder on your local hard drive.

-Larry

"Bill Sanderson" <bill_sanderson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:6D2CAA17-F4CF-4895-ACBA-825ADA10C0ED@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I've recently read the SBS 2008 migration doc, as I am also planning a migration in the same time frame, but to new hardware. As I recall, it mentions exmerge--so I believe it is still applicable--check the migration document.

"Mishuno" <Mishuno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:F288A7D3-14FF-4D82-AE7B-72863D440A39@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In reading the download page, I notice no comments on whether or not exmerge
can be used to import exchange 2003 mailboxes into an exchange 2007 server?

Is this even possible seeing as exchange 2007 has changed so much?

"Frank McCallister SBS MVP" wrote:

The download link gives links to instructions as well

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=429163ec-dcdf-47dc-96da-1c12d67327d5&displaylang=en

Here is a blog which may be helpful

http://hellomate.typepad.com/exchange/2003/11/using_exmerge_w.html

--
Frank McCallister SBS MVP
MCP Microsoft Small Business Specialist
COMPUMAC

"Mishuno" <Mishuno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1FD06499-A8CC-4F23-9595-485E3088C355@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> In the event of using exmerge to automatically generate .pst's for all > of
> our
> mailboxes. What would be the correct steps in doing this?
>
> Do I un-join all users from the domain first, then run exmerge to > generate
> the .pst's then rejoin all users to the new SBS domain then use > exmerge to
> re-import all the mailboxes?
>
> Not sure on the correct method. Can someone please elaborate or point > me
> to
> a step by step source on how to this correctly?
>
> "Charlie Russel - MVP" wrote:
>
>> Then exmerge is your best bet. Or simply have users save their stuff >> off
>> to
>> local PSTs. The only other alternative requires you to do a full
>> migration,
>> which would require some hardware juggling, at best.
>>
>> -- >> Charlie.
>> http://msmvps.com/blogs/xperts64
>> http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/charlie.russel
>>
>> "Mishuno" <Mishuno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:0443A94A-7F81-4555-A5CA-10B626DF3BEA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> > We have 30 users at the moment.
>> >
>> > All of our mailboxes are 400mb or smaller. Most are significantly
>> > smaller,
>> > maybe 50 to 75 mb.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > "Frank McCallister SBS MVP" wrote:
>> >
>> >> That depends a lot on how many users and how much mail you have. >> >> With
>> >> a
>> >> small number of users I would suggest exporting to pst files and
>> >> reimporting
>> >> when you rejoin to new server. Let us know the scope of your >> >> project.
>> >>
>> >> -- >> >> Frank McCallister SBS MVP
>> >> MCP Microsoft Small Business Specialist
>> >> COMPUMAC
>> >>
>> >> "Mishuno" <Mishuno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> >> news:37832519-7060-4C25-8CEA-270A36D51112@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >> > Hello,
>> >> >
>> >> > I am planning on upgrading our SB 2003 Standard SP2 server to >> >> > SBS
>> >> > 2008
>> >> > this
>> >> > November when it is available. Our current hardware is >> >> > relatively
>> >> > new
>> >> > and
>> >> > I
>> >> > do not not plan on purchasing new hardware. I've downloaded and
>> >> > read
>> >> > Microsoft's article on migration from 2003 to 2008 SBS but that >> >> > is
>> >> > geared
>> >> > for
>> >> > a new hardware migration.
>> >> >
>> >> > I plan backing up the current server and doing a clean install >> >> > of
>> >> > SBS
>> >> > 2008
>> >> > on the current hardware. The only component that I am interested >> >> > in
>> >> > bring
>> >> > over to the new install is the exchange mailboxes. How can I >> >> > import
>> >> > them
>> >> > into
>> >> > the new install of SBS and re-connect the users to their >> >> > mailboxes?
>> >> >
>> >> > What is the best way of going about this?
>> >> >
>> >> > Thank you for any help!
>> >> >
>>
>>


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