Automating PST file creation

[matt95gsr]

I'm trying to see if there is a way to script or automate the creation of PST files and the migration of users' email from their Exchange mailboxes into those PST files. I'm really preparing for the installation of an Exchange 2000 server soon, and would truthfully prefer not to deal with migrating the mailbox data into it. The situation is such that there are quite a few users with overly large mailboxes, and we'd kind of like to start mailboxes anew with the new server. However, people want to keep access to their old emails. As far as DR goes on the PST files, it's not really important. I just need to find an efficient way to pull each user's email from their mailbox to a newly created PST file (hopefully retaining whatever folders they've set up with in their mailbox) without visiting each workstation personally. If anyone has any ideas on the subject I would be very appreciative. Thanks!

 

[zbnet]

exmerge is the tool that does this.

 

[matt95gsr]

My only issue with exmerge is that everything I've read states that Exchange needs to be running a recent service pack, which I'm unable to do at this time because there's not room on the drive to apply it or to do any maintencance on the database...

 

[zbnet]

Where have you read that? Can you point us to a URL?

Exmerge does MAPI logons to the store, using exactly the same machanism as Outlook does to access the mnailboxes. Last time I heard, Outlook works with every SP level...

 

[matt95gsr]

I can't find the exact text I was thinking that I had read previously; perhaps I was simply confusing the facts with bits and pieces of info regarding recommended upgrade procedures for 5.5 to 2000 which seem to follow that current Exchange service packs should be applied prior to upgrading. I follow what you say about exmerge using mapi, but I still don't see any kind of simple mechanism to modify the outlook profile to use the PST once it's created. Maybe I'm missing something, but I just don't see a decent way to do that part aside from doing it myself or requesting that the users modify outlook themselves (which would cost me twice the time and energy of doing it myself the first time). Sorry if I'm missing something - I'm just not seeing the entire picture clearly yet.

 

[zbnet]

Your requirements change as you type. Your first post doesn't mention anything about automatically modifying user profiles to enable access to a PST with their old mail in it. There are tools to programatically touch profiles (newprof and profgen are two; there are others), but you will have to work out a way to share out the PST files that exmerge would create to the appropriate users. I guess what I'm saying is that this approach to migration isn't the norm, and whilst the technology to achieve each step is known, you're going to have to work up some process integration to make them all work together to achieve your desired goal.