Exchange On Prem to Office 365

[lmrogers]

I've started with my VeeamONE monitoring server and managed to get that doing direct send apart from it being marked as SPAM that has worked. Just need to work out an IP address for and SFP DNS record to prevent being marked as spam.

[timbo343]

Or add it as a mail flow rule to ignore from mail scanning.

[lmrogers]

Have actually run into a strange problem with shared mailboxes. Outlook 2016 isn't automapping them but i can open them in the owa, have you run into this one?

 

Cheers

[timbo343]

Have actually run into a strange problem with shared mailboxes. Outlook 2016 isn't automapping them but i can open them in the owa, have you run into this one?

 

Cheers

Yeah i guess youve set the permissions on the shared mailboxes?

 

It can take a while for the mailbox to show in outlook.

[lmrogers]

Yeah it looks like I was just being impatient haha.

 

I've been doing some reading online and a lot of articles are saying that you need to keep a hybrid server if you are using DirSync. I am using Azure AD Connect to sync my users so would I still need to keep my hybrid setup? I can't really find much info on this setup.

[AlanD]

Yeah it looks like I was just being impatient haha.

 

I've been doing some reading online and a lot of articles are saying that you need to keep a hybrid server if you are using DirSync. I am using Azure AD Connect to sync my users so would I still need to keep my hybrid setup? I can't really find much info on this setup.

 

I think DirSync becomes end of life - and unsupported and may not work from the 31/12/17.

 

Its a relatively simple and painless matter to upgrade to Azure AD Connect....just run the install and it reads the current settings and imports them...

[timbo343]

As above, DirSync is long gone now and Azure AD connect should now be used. Exchange OnPrem would only be used for managing the Office365 accounts.

 

Im still a bit unsure whats going to happen in my AD Attribute editor tab once i remove OnPrem exchange as we use a fair few attribute edits for users and groups.

 

I hoepe the entries aren't removed.

[lmrogers]

So I never had DirSync, set up right away with Azure AD Connect. This has been working fine. I have just bitten the bullet and removed my on prem exchange server. Looks like I can manage everything through Exchange Online and the mail flow is all still working. I will do some more testing but all looks alright. I have a backup of the Exchange server should I need to restore anything thought.

[lmrogers]

Well praise to Veeam. So with any directory sync you still need an on prem exchange to manage the mailboxes and email aliases. Hopefully Microsoft can actually sort a solution where I can actually completely remove on prem exchange.

[Steve21]

Why do you need exchange to do that? We run o365 and manage it half online/half AD. Aliases etc can all by done within AD attributes

 

Or are you trying to do something specifically shiny?

 

Steve

[lmrogers]

I'm not trying to do anything too fancy. Microsoft doesn't support not having an exchange with AAD Connect for some reason. Are you using ADSI edit then to add aliases and AD attributes?

 

Cheers,

[Steve21]

Nope just normal AD attributes.

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/connect/active-directory-aadconnectsync-attributes-synchronized

 

Alias under AADC come from the proxy addresses, so adding additional proxies = additional addresses etc.

 

So for example this user who married and changed from NAB to NAM has both set as an option, NAM as the primary (capital SMTP) and it'll sync across like that. Both usernames/emails can be used and logged in as etc

 

 

etc

 

Steve

[lmrogers]

Oh right, so are you running Azure AD Connect as well then and not run into any problems using this way to manage them?

[Steve21]

Nope, Never even seen the Exchange box that was here originally as it was removed before I was working here

 

We use AADC for the Sync (As DirSync was removed as someone mentioned above). That also syncs the SSO settings so no-one has to login to OWA etc.

 

Any changes we need are either AD or AdminPortal side (the odd one/two are powershell but that's generally more licensing/weird stuff that's new to 365 so wouldn't really be in exchange anyway probably)

 

Steve

[timbo343]

Nope just normal AD attributes.

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/connect/active-directory-aadconnectsync-attributes-synchronized

 

Alias under AADC come from the proxy addresses, so adding additional proxies = additional addresses etc.

 

So for example this user who married and changed from NAB to NAM has both set as an option, NAM as the primary (capital SMTP) and it'll sync across like that. Both usernames/emails can be used and logged in as etc

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]46915[/ATTACH]

 

etc

 

Steve

 

This is what we use too although the OnPrem exchange is still there. The more i can do Exchangey things in AD away from Exchange the better.

 

When the first post of today flashed up on my phone i was thinking the worst but reading through the responses, everything looks as if we are on the right path for removing OnPrem exchange - it's been turned off for 2 months now and things are working as they should, just need to get it uninstalled.

[Tefters]

Ok here’s your answer.

 

Yes you can run Exchange Hybrid setup without on-prem Exchange server once everything is moved over to 365 however it is not recommended by any consultant (myself included) or Microsoft.

 

I have been full 365 Exchange Hybrid migrated for over a year now and do all edits through ADSI (note: there are more attributes then just alias involved!!! EG. ProxyAddress etc...) however you need to really make sure you know all the attributes involved otherwise I guarantee name changes will be a ball ache.

 

I simply get rid of all on-prem exchange settings and go down to 1 server. I then create blank a Exchange DB (as the only DB) and dismount it (Do not delete it as without at least 1 DB Exchange powershell cannot function).

I then further go through services and disable all non critical Exchange services so the bare minimum is running and then further apply for a free Exchange Hybrid license online and change over the license so you can then legally get rid of all your Exchange licensing from OVS.

My on-prem Exchange Server left over barely has any footprint and I then just Windows patch the server once a month and update Exchange with the usual CU’s just for security (remember to disable services after CU).

 

I had to go down Hybrid due to Skype4B on-prem.

Edited January 4, 2018 by Tefters