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Migrating Mailboxes

Use the MS Mail (AppleTalk) source extractor to migrate mailboxes from MS Mail (AppleTalk). You can migrate the following:

As you migrate a mailbox, the extractor can list all MS Mail groups associated with the mailbox. During a multiphase migration, you can use this log for distribution list maintenance.

The source extractor has the following requirements:

Important    The source MS Mail (AppleTalk) server must not be used during extraction. Ask users to exit and log off the client program. You can search the Address Book for users connected to the server. If the Address Book reports that users are logged on when they are not, clear them by choosing Restart from the Special menu.

For best performance, the destination Microsoft Exchange Server computer should not be used while importing migration files. However, this is not required. If the Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator program is not installed on the computer to which you want to import the data, you can install it by running the Microsoft Exchange Server Setup program.

Note   For maximum performance, run the Migration Wizard on the destination server.

Use one of the following options to extract mailbox data:

Use a control file if you're migrating a significant portion, but not all, of a server's mailboxes. Use the interface if you are migrating only a few, or all, of a server's mailboxes. Control files handle all the user interface choices for you. In addition, they can be used as a permanent log of when and how the mailboxes were migrated.

Specifying Options in a Control File

The source extractor control file follows standard formatting conventions. The following are valid fields in a control file.

Variables Description Default values
Accounts File name of the accounts file, which must be in the same directory as the control file.  
Mailbox Extract mailbox creation information. TRUE
Email Extract private messages from the accounts. TRUE
PAB Extract personal address book entries and distribution lists. TRUE
Schedule Extract schedule and appointment data. TRUE
EmailStart Earliest date to retrieve messages. Migration file date/time format. To retrieve even the oldest mail, leave entry blank.  
EmailEnd End date to retrieve messages. Migration file date/time format. EmailStart is smaller than EmailEnd. To restrict retrieving by age for recent messages, leave entry blank.  
SchedStart Earliest date to retrieve appointments. Migration file date/time format. See Appendix B.  
SchedEnd End date for retrieving appointments. Migration file date/time format. SchedStart is smaller than SchedEnd.  
FirstSpaceLast Attempt to split the mailbox name by looking for a space. FALSE
LastCommaFirst Attempt to split mailbox name by looking for a comma. FALSE
LastSpaceFirst Attempt to split mailbox name by looking for a space. FALSE
LogGroups List group memberships for each mailbox. FALSE

The fields FirstSpaceLast, LastCommaFirst, and LastSpaceFirst are mutually exclusive. You should only use one in the control file. You enable parsing of the mailbox name for surname and given name by setting one of these variables to TRUE, or you disable all mailbox name parsing by setting it to FALSE.

Each line of the control file has one variable, followed by a comma and the value for that variable. For example, the following "First Batch" control file creates mailboxes, and also migrates 32 days of mail (inclusive dates) and the next five years of calendar data for each mailbox. 

Accounts,First Batch
Mailbox,TRUE
PAB,TRUE
Schedule,TRUE
EmailStart,19951010000000
EmailEnd,19951110000000
SchedStart,19951010000000
SchedEnd,20001010000000
FirstLastNames,TRUE
LogGroups,FALSE

The account list is a text file with the name of each mailbox to be migrated. You can use the Network Administrator program to create a local list of all the mailboxes, and then edit the file as needed. The proper format is MSA username@servername, with each user listed on a separate line (as shown in the following example):

MSA:Bill Lee@Accounting #12345678
MSA:Fran Wilson@Accounting #12345678
MSA:Ann Devon@Accounting #123456787

   To specify options in a control file

  1. Log on to MS Mail as Network Manager.
  2. Start the Microsoft Source Extractor program from the MS Mail (AppleTalk) Migration Source Extractor disk.
  3. From the Migrate menu, choose Control File to specify options with the control file.
  4. Select the control file, and then choose OK.
  5. Select the accounts file, and then choose OK.
  6. In the Save Migration Folder As box, specify the name of the new folder in which to create the migration files, and then choose Save.

The source extractor creates the migration files and displays a summary of the results. You can save this information by choosing Save from the File menu.

If you select the Generate First and Last Names option, the extractor attempts to split the mailbox name into first and last names. It assumes that all userlist names are in the selected format and it searches backward from the end for separation characters. If a space is preceded by a comma, the space is skipped. The first and last names generated are logged to the log window for each mailbox. You can fix errors by changing the migration file using the Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator program or the Directory Import command.

Important    This algorithm does not correctly distinguish last names that contain spaces (for example, "Van Morrison").

Selecting Default Options on the User Interface

   To select default options on the user interface

  1. Log on to MS Mail as Network Manager.
  2. Start the Microsoft Source Extractor program from the MS Mail (AppleTalk) Migration Source Extractor disk.
  3. From the Migrate menu, choose Migrate Users to specify options.
  4. Select the import options based on your needs, and then choose Continue.

    5. Option Description
    Mailbox Creation
    Information    		 Creates mailboxes for all users in the account list or users selected in the next screen.
    Generate First and
    Last Names    		 Parses the existing mailbox name to resolve first and last names. If not selected, fields are left empty. (You select the parsing option that best fits your display naming convention.)
    E-mail Messages Copies messages and folders from the selected mailboxes. (You select all messages or set a date range.)
    Schedule+ Information Copies calendar data to a special message in the selected user's inbox. (You select all messages or set a date range.)
    Personal Address
    Books    		 Creates a new PAB in Windows format as an attachment to a message in the selected user's inbox. To migrate PAB entries from Microsoft Mail for AppleTalk Networks to Microsoft Exchange Server, users need to send a message to themselves with all the entries in the PAB listed in the Cc field before their mailboxes are moved. After the messages are migrated to Microsoft Exchange Server, users can open them and add the recipients to the new PABs.

  5. In the Available Accounts box, select the mailboxes you want to migrate. Choose Add, and then choose Continue. (Or choose Add All to select all mailboxes, and then choose Continue.)
  6. In the Save Migration Folder As box, specify the name of the new folder in which to create migration files, and then choose Save.

The source extractor creates the migration files and displays a summary of the results. You can save this information by selecting Save from the File menu.

Tip   If you need to modify the directory section of the migration files, run the extractor twice. The first time, extract mailbox creation information to a small, easy-to-edit file. The second time, extract everything else.