Unity Connector - Moving Exchange from On-Box to Off-Box

[tmaurello_2]

The customer has a single Exchange site with 3 Exch5.5 servers. When Unity was installed, I had to install Exchange on-box because none of the servers in the site was running the required Exchange 5.5 Service Pack 4. Since that time, the other exchange servers have all been upgraded to SP4. I'd like to uninstall Exchange and just use a connector to connect Unity to the Exchange 5.5 site. I am getting ready to add a Unity failover and I need Exchange to be off-box. Besides a complete backup and restore using DiRT, is there an easier way to do this. The only users on the Unity exchange server are the one's added during the Unity install. All other users reside on the other servers.

[lindborg · Accepted solution]

If you're at 3.1(5) this is a snap... just uninstall the Unity Configuration from Add/Remove Programs and rerun part 2 setup to point at new off box Exchange server. This will recreate all the default objects on that target Exchange server and you're good to go... you can then uninstall Exchange off the local box.

If you're not at 3.1(5) I suggest you get there... failover really needs 3.1(5) regardless so you need to get there sooner or later anyway.

[lindborg]

Just to follow up here with some more information for anyone who might be stumbling across this thread who is not going from 5.5 to 5.5 as the above describes... Donna, our "migration maven" sent me this:

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It depends on what version of Exchange and what type of move they are doing. However, most of it is covered in the 3.1(5) release notes in the Replacing an Exchange Server section. (http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/voice/c_unity/unity31/rel_note/cu315rn.htm#xtocid146)

Note that these steps are specific to 3.1(5). If they are not at 3.1(5) and trying to move from one Exchange 2000 server to another, it is not as smooth.

Here are a few scenarios:

1. Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 5.5 - Uninstall Unity Configuration from Add/Remove Programs and rerun second setup.

2. Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2000 (replacing the Exchange 5.5 server) - Uninstall Unity Configuration from Add/Remove Programs and rerun second setup.

3. Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2000 (assuming at 3.1(5) or later) - Just run second part of setup again. The second part of setup will move the Unity Messaging System account. However, it does not move the default subscribers or distribution lists.

Note, if someone is going from a 5.5 environment to a mixed exchange environment they should use DiRT. There have been some known problems with the Exchange 5.5 users after the fact with this type of migration in the past.

If they try Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2000 at an earlier version then 3.1(5), they may need to follow the AvCsMgr technote to get everything pointing to the right server. (<http://www.cisco.com/warp/customer/788/AVVID/mailstore-no-start.html>)

[tmaurello_2]

Thanks Jeff (and Donna).

[jseinfeld]

We are moving from e55 to mixed environment and want to redirect unity 3.1.5 away from e55 to e2k. As I understand your note, we should use DIRT to export everything, then reconfigure and do the redirection, and then use DIRT to import again. Is that correct?

Thanks,

Jack

[lindborg]

Yes, that's correct... Export with DiRT, uninstall the old system, do a clean, new install pointed at your E2K server of choice and import again using DiRT.

[lindborg]

By the way, make sure to get the latest version of DiRT before you do this - you can always get the latest version (as with all tools) on it's home page here:

http://www.ciscounitytools.com/App_DisasterRecoveryTools.htm

I've had a few sites escalate through TAC due to problems with older versions of DiRT that shipped with 3.1(4) and 3.1(5) in the last few weeks - stuff that's been fixed since then.

[tmaurello_2]

Jeff,

I was browsing through the 3.1.5 release notes. There is a section called "Replacing the Exchange Server". The final option in this section is called "Task List for Replacing Exchange 5.5 Installed on the Cisco Unity Server with Exchange 5.5 Installed on a Separate Server", which is exactly what we are talking about here.

I have a question regarding the 3rd step in the published process - Moving the subscriber mailboxes. I found out that I have 3 regular subscribers that I need to move. In addition, I have the following Recipients on the Exchange Server homed on the Unity server (hostname - UNITYNT4):

- Example Administrator

- Example Administrator - UNITYNT4

- Example Subscriber

- Unity Messaging System - UNITYNT4

Do I need to do anything with these accounts, or will the uninstallation and reinstallation of the Unity Configuration automatically deal with these?

[lindborg]

The connector is not going to recreate your example administrator/subscriber accounts - I'd go ahead and move those.

The Unity Messaging System account can be moved as well but it will get created on the target machine automatically after Unity restarts - a check is made to find this account (which is used to deliver outside caller messages to Exchange mailuers) and if it's missing, it'll get created automatically. It's actually a good idea to remove the local message profile for this account and let both the profile and the account get created on the fly on Unity startup when moving like this - I don't have the docs in front of me but I had thought this was in the instructions at one point...

[bobd100]

I am performing a Exchange 2000 move very similar to this thread, just to clairify I understand the procedure let me expalin my situation. I have a on-box Unity 3.1.5 which I am going to move all subscribers to a off-box Exchange 2000 server running AD, first I will build the new Exchange server, then run Unity Configuration so it will point to the new box, move the subscribers via the Microsoft migration tool, then uninstall Exchange off of the Unity box. I assume I do not have to uninstall and reinstall Unity anytime during this procedure.

I also assume since my current Unity is running AD which will be joining the new Exchange AD, it will somehow have to be demoted. Does any of this effect my Call Handlers?