Unity 7.0(2) Migration / Exchange Consolidation

kwkeilholz · ‎09-05-2008

I'm looking for some guidance on an existing project.

We have a remote office with its own Exchange / Unity 4.x servers. This site's servers are planned to be 'collapsed' - subscribers and mailboxes to be moved to HQ site.

At the HQ site, there exists the main Unity 4.x server, and also a new Unity 7.x server that will eventually handle all subscribers.

Goals are to decomission the remote Exchange/Unity boxes and have mailboxes moved with users on the new Unity 7.x.

My questions are:

Would it be best to use the GSM to move the subscribers from 'remote' Unity 4.x to 'HQ' Unity 4.x, then use the COBRAS tool to bring them from HQ Unity 4.x to HQ Unity 7.x?

Would it be best to just use COBRAS tool to move subscribers from remote Unity 4.x to HQ Unity 7.x?

Can GSM do everything, or do we need both tools?

Not sure of the best way to accomplish this with the least amount of pain/disruption.

Tommer Catlin · ‎09-05-2008

Is this for VM only setup or UM?

One thing I know Unity 7 does support currently is Exchange Clusters. So if your new design has an Exchange Cluster, you may want to think twice on this design. Or collapse to Unity 5.x.

It's also hard to understand if you are using Digital Networking.

My vote would be this:

- Figure out a game plan for your Call Handlers and how they will operate on a centralized Unity server. If you have collapsed all this, do you have the bandwidth at the central location? Naming Conventions for many CHs, dial plan, etc.

- Moving Subscribers can happen and number way. Cobras or GSM. GSM works great for slow migration... but your over all goal if the site was somewhat small is to move the mailboxes first, GSM. (this is assuming everything is in the same forest and domain, if not, you will have to use Cobras)

GSM works great for moving Unity subscribers between Unity servers. Remote or local, does great job. But you have to have digital networking setup, the Exchange server does not change, etc. If you use GSM, move the subscribers first, then Exchange servers or vice versa, but either way, everything has to sync up some way.

With everyone on the new server, you will need to have a plan for VM profiles because these will get rotated as you migrate subscribers from old server to new.

Anyways, if you have more info, we can help out. More info about the Doamin setup today and what it will be "tomorrow" with Unity 7.x