Exchange migration, best practices

[Greenbeast]

I'm doing my first mail migration since starting in this job, moving exhcange 2003 to 2010.

 

I've got 2010 installed and mostly configured i'm just looking for advice on which order to complete the remaining tasks to switch servers and other things.

 

I've obviously given the new server a new name and IP address.

When i am ready can i switch the old server off and rename the new server and change the ip to match the old.

All the dns entries will then still be correct and mail routing from county should still work.

Or is that a no-go?

 

OWA is currently published alongside sharepoint using an ISA box, certificates are not my strong suit, i'm assuming my current exchange server has a cert to authenticate against ISA, so i'll need to generate a new cert for the new server and replace the reference on the ISA box?

 

Any thoughts or advice, wise-ones?

[glennda]

No don't rename an Exchange server!!!!

 

As long as you have the new mail server on along side the old one once a mailbox is migrated outlook will automatically reconfigure itself with the new servers address.

 

once you start moving mailboxes to the new server you will need to change the OWA to be able to talk to them. OWA on the exchange 2010 box will view 2003 mailbox but not vice versa.

 

I havn't used isa in a while but yes I have a feeling you need to cert both the exchange box and isa box to trust each other.

 

 

EDIT: this is a good guide http://www.msexchange.org/white-papers/migration/exchange-2010-migration-guide.html

 

Make sure you have a good backup becuase if you do this wrong you can seriously cock up exchange.

Edited November 9, 2012 by glennda

[Greenbeast]

OWA on the exchange 2010 box will view 2003 mailbox but not vice versa.

 

does this mean i can get OWA working and change the dns records for OWA before moving mailboxes? or have i misunderstood that sentence?

 

thanks for the link, just downloading to read now

[sukh]

Depends how long you want co-existence for an if OWA is exposed externally too.

[glennda]

Depends how long you want co-existence for an if OWA is exposed externally too.

 

As said here. Yes you could, in theory. You shouldn't need to change any DNS records. Just purely the address the ISA server talks to in the background if i'm understanding your setup again.

[Greenbeast]

Only that having OWA at least gives us a backup if outlook doesn't work straight away, and if it's working through EXC2010 looking at mailxboxes in EXC2003, presumably i can move mailboxes and (apart from during the moving process) they'll be consistently available.

 

Do you see what i'm getting at, trying to change the establishment configuration a bit at a time to ensure minimum disruption

[timzim]

OWA is just another way of looking at the contents of the mailbox. Since you're not delivering mail to 2 different mailboxes for each user (i.e. 2003 & 2010) why would you want to view the 2003 mailbox when the mail is going to the 2010 mailbox? Enable both OWA versions and, as soon as you move their mailboxes, tell people to move to the 2010 version. Pointless reconfiguring the 2003 OWA client to look at mail in the 2010 mailbox.

[k-strider]

this is a great tool to help you through the migration steps.

Exchange Server 2013

igonre the fact the link says 2013 its for 2010 too

Edited November 9, 2012 by k-strider

[Greenbeast]

OWA is just another way of looking at the contents of the mailbox. Since you're not delivering mail to 2 different mailboxes for each user (i.e. 2003 & 2010) why would you want to view the 2003 mailbox when the mail is going to the 2010 mailbox? Enable both OWA versions and, as soon as you move their mailboxes, tell people to move to the 2010 version. Pointless reconfiguring the 2003 OWA client to look at mail in the 2010 mailbox.

 

 

 

that's not what i intended.

 

What i was looking at doing was getting OWA2010 up and running looking at 2003 mailboxes, then i could move the mailboxes and 2010 should still see them

I don't know if this is the case however.

[Greenbeast]

this is a great tool to help you through the migration steps.

Exchange Server 2013

igonre the fact the link says 2013 its for 2010 too

 

thanks i'll take a look

[glennda]

that's not what i intended.

 

What i was looking at doing was getting OWA2010 up and running looking at 2003 mailboxes, then i could move the mailboxes and 2010 should still see them

I don't know if this is the case however.

 

Yes that is the case and will work. Although saying that Outlook will pickup the mailbox location in the same was as OWA does so in theory if one doesn't work the other shouldn't.

[EduTech]

You could do Re-Direction using Powershell, So if the user has a mailbox on Exchange 2003 it will re-direct them to Ex2003 OWA and if they have a mailbox on 2010 it will sign them in using Ex2010 Web App.

 

This should help: OWA Cross-Site Silent Redirection in Exchange 2010 SP2 - Exchange Team Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

 

James.

[Greenbeast]

Yes that is the case and will work. Although saying that Outlook will pickup the mailbox location in the same was as OWA does so in theory if one doesn't work the other shouldn't.

 

is Edutech's post the method you were talking about?

[sukh]

Sorry, I still dont know what you're actually trying to do now, You've confused me.#

 

Are you saying you want both 2003 & 2010 to be up and running, ie, outlook and owa, and if one platform fails, i.e 2003 or 2010, you want to move the user to the other so they can continue to work?>

[Greenbeast]

i'm trying to migrate piecemeal, avoiding disruption or too many changes in usage from the end-users perspective.

 

If i can get OWA2010 up and running looking at the Exchange 2003 mailboxes, that's one step done.

Then as time permits i can move mailboxe stores over to 2010 and as they move the users will have a consistent URL

[sukh]

In that case you have to follow this Upgrading Outlook Web App to Exchange 2010 - Exchange Team Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

[Greenbeast]

thanks

[Greenbeast]

if i sit here and type in https://internal2010name.domain.internal/exchange it shunts me through to OWA2003 login screen without asking who i am

How does it know, without first asking, where my mailbox is?

[glennda]

you have to setup which server has the OWA role. If Exchange things the 2003 box does it will redirect to there.

[sukh]

if i sit here and type in https://internal2010name.domain.internal/exchange it shunts me through to OWA2003 login screen without asking who i am

How does it know, without first asking, where my mailbox is?

 

It will query AD and see where y our mbx is located and proxy your connection to the appropiate Exch server

[Greenbeast]

you have to setup which server has the OWA role. If Exchange things the 2003 box does it will redirect to there.

 

ok, it's been a hectic few days, i get the feeling i've done something and can't remember what.

[Greenbeast]

It will query AD and see where y our mbx is located and proxy your connection to the appropiate Exch server

 

but if it hasn't asked for credentials yet how does it know where my mailbox lives?

[sukh]

but if it hasn't asked for credentials yet how does it know where my mailbox lives?

 

It's in AD.

 

Just to understand what you have done.

 

1. Accessed the 2010 OWA Namespace with a user whose mbx is on 2003 and you login automatically or get prompted for authentication, i.e login page?

[Greenbeast]

It's in AD.

 

Just to understand what you have done.

 

 

yes it may be but it doens't present me with a OWA2010 login page at all, just shunts stright to the OWA2003 login page

Is it taking my username from my domain/windows session?

 

1. Accessed the 2010 OWA Namespace with a user whose mbx is on 2003 and you login automatically or get prompted for authentication, i.e login page?

 

Yes

https://new2010server.domain.internal/owa

all mailboxes bar one test account (not mine) still reside on 2003

Edited November 13, 2012 by Greenbeast

[sukh]

I assume you are testing within the LAN and not extertnal, if that is the case the it will use windows credentials, that's normal. It only uses basic from external.

 

So I assume it logs you in straight away in OWA 2003?