Creating a Migration Strategy

Migration is the process of moving your existing electronic mail system to Microsoft Exchange Server. This process involves copying mailboxes, distribution lists, public folders, messages, attachments, calendars, and addresses from your existing system to Microsoft Exchange Server. Planning is critical, to prevent downtime and data loss.

This chapter provides an overview of the factors you need to consider when planning and testing a migration strategy. Microsoft supports migration from the following systems:

• Microsoft Mail for PC Networks, version 3.x
• Microsoft Mail for AppleTalk Networks (also known as Quarterdeck Mail), version 3.x
• Lotus cc:Mail, database version DB6 and DB8
• Verimation MEMO MVS, version 3.2.1 or later
• IBM Professional Office System (PROFS)/OfficeVision, all versions
• Digital ALL-IN-1, versions 2.3 or later
• Novell GroupWise, versions 4.1 and 4.1a
• Collabra Share, versions 1.x and 2.x

Microsoft provides several programs that work with your existing system to copy and import addresses, mailboxes, messages, shared folders, and scheduling information, as follows:

• Source extractors

Source extractors copy directory, message, and scheduling data from existing systems to a migration file format.

• Migration Wizard

The Migration Wizard imports data in migration file format and acts as the source extractor for Lotus cc:Mail, Microsoft Mail for PC Networks, Novell GroupWise, and Collabra Share.

• Administrator program

The Administrator program is a graphical interface that includes import and export commands.

Note   Microsoft Exchange Server uses programs called source extractors to copy messages from one system to the other. If your system is not listed on page 1, contact your Solution Provider or Microsoft Consulting Service to find out whether a third party provides a source extractor. If a source extractor isn't available, you can create your own. For more information, see Appendix B, "Creating a Source Extractor."

Throughout this guide, the term existing system refers to the messaging system you are migrating from.