Myth 4:
Cross-Forest Migrations are too complex and
time-consuming-FALSE
FALSE
Well, I say False but let me clarify. Yes, they are
complex but they are manageable. Yes they are time-consuming but you can
spend most of the time upfront in preparation and keep the actual
migrations to a minimum. Here are some of the things you can do to make
the process easier.
1)
Try to minimize
expectations for the migrations. I usually send an email to the
migration team and management that sets the expectations a little lower
than we can deliver. For the most part, the migration will go far
smoother than this message suggests but it sets the expectations to
something we know we can deliver:
-
For the first week please choose recipients
from the Global Address List instead of typing their name or using
reply.
-
PST should be identified before the migration
as the Outlook profile may "forget" about them even though they have
not been moved or deleted.
-
The migration cannot move corrupt or damaged
Outlook items. Our target is to move 99.9% of the mailbox items and
provide a report when a corrupt or otherwise unmovable item is
found.
-
Outlook may take a long time after the
migration to recreate its offline cache (OST)
-
Many customized settings in Outlook may be gone
-
Delegates will need to be setup again
-
ny customized Outlook rules will need to be
setup again
-
If they have SmartPhones configured, they will
no longer work
-
You may get notifications for meetings that
have already passed or ones you have already dismissed.
2)
To make the
transition smoother, I would highly recommend the installation of the
Microsoft Exchange Server Inter-Organization Replication tool. This tool
will provide Free/Busy information across the two organizations and it
will set the environment up to replicate other Public Folders if
necessary. This tool is probably the easiest tool to setup and will
provide the most value with the least amount of overhead. I usually
install the tool on a Public Folder server in the Target organization
and the publisher on a Public Folder server in the source organization.
The link to this free tool is here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/thankyou.aspx?familyId=e7a951d7-1559-4f8f-b400-488b0c52430e&displayLang=en.
Download the tool and expand to get the setup instructions. Once setup,
this tool has never failed me.
3)
Move Workgroups at a
time. Coexistence is by far the biggest point of confusion. "Have I been
moved?" "Why does his/her email look differently than mine?" Moreover,
when you move a workgroup together they become a support system for each
other in the event that something does not go smoothly. When choosing
who to move when, if you focus on business groups as the primary
differentiator you will reduce helpdesk calls and overall confusion.
4)
Once you begin the
migration, you should drive the migration to a conclusion. Every day you
maintain a split organization you run an overly complex organization.
Moreover, if your organization is not using automation to keep the
directories synchronized every day that passes opens the door for more
directly conflicts as people are added, removed or changed. You must
minimize the amount of time you are coexisting on multiple platforms or
in this case multiple Exchange organizations.
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