Unity Migration from Exchange 5.5 to E2K

[jaked33]

I am using Unity 3.0(3) with Simple failover. I am adding an E2k Server to my environment and migrating the users email accounts from 5.5, eventually eliminating the 5.5 server, but keeping it on-line to aid in migration. My Unity stores are part of this. Do i have to reinstall Unity or just disconnect from the 5.5 box and then re-connect to the E2k box. I have not found a definitive answer for this scenario.

[lindborg]

so you're going to install ADCs between your 55 servers and AD here and then migrate users over a few at a time?

You should be able to change which Exchange server Unity is pointing at (i.e. unhook from 5.5 and rerun the configuraiton setup to point at the 2K server) however I've never run through this specific scenario myself. I've switched Unity from one 55 to another 55 or one 2k to another 2k but whenever I've dealt with a site going from 5.5 to 2k it was usually a reinstall scenario (i.e. they didn't want to install their new AD/2K into the Exchange 5.5 schema to keep the systems working together) and we used DiRT to move folks over.

I'll poke around with the QA folks and see if anyone has run through this but another thing to consider is the configuration setup stuff for this wa spretty buggy in 3.0(x) - it's much cleaner in 3.1(5), it was recently just regression tested across the boards. As such you might find yourself in a situation where you have to manually hack around in the registry to get things flying.

My personal opinion on the matter doing a flash cut would be cleaner and simpler all around if you can possibly do that. I know the desktop stuff for Outlook is annoying for large numbers of users all at once but the pain of dealing with the ADCs and "slow bleed" model is greater over all than a one time poke in the eye. I don't know how many users you're dealing with, however...

[jaked33]

we have already installed AD across the enterprise and have extended the schema to include all of the E 5.5 and E2k Attributes. We have 5.5 to E2k connection agreements in place and are starting to build the routing groups. All of this has no negative impact on the 4 existing Unity locations. Our Plan was to put a E2k Server in each site, move the users using MS move user tool. (this will convert mailboxes from 5.5 JET db to E2k SQL db). We were temporarily going to leave the 5.5 servers in place because they currently house the site connectors and IMC's. We assumed that we could either a.) use the configuration wizard and make a bulk pointer to the new store or b.) use the SA web Admin tool and point individual mailboxes to the new store as each user move was completed.

We were not sure of the impact on the failover (simple, 3.0(3)). All of the docs point to a reconfig/reinstall of the failover box. Is this avoidable or do we just have to take the poke in the eye and do it (reinstall failover)

[jaked33]

One more thing....say we take the poke in the eye...and we have to reinstall 3.0(3) /upgrade to 3.1(x)...what happens to the stored messages in users' inboxes? are they re-linked, lost forever,....? how do you create a backup once the e2k conversion takes place (you cannot go back)