Exchange 5.5 User Name Change

[JRoslan]

When a users name changes due to marriage etc what procedures can be used to easily change the mailbox name in exchange. The user wants their new name visible in the GAL. The old name shall be hidden or deleted from the GAL. The user wants to receive internal and external (SMTP)messages in the new mailbox that are sent to the new and old address. I prefer not having 2 mailboxes...

Thanks in advance...

 

[FilthPig]

If they wish their NT login to reflect a new name, you'll have to create a new one (easy enough to copy the old one), then open the mailbox, change the display name (This is what will show up in the GAL) and primary NT account. Then go to the E-mail Addresses tab and add a new SMTP mail address with the new name, make that the reply address, and you're set. They will recieve e-mails sent to both old and new names via SMTP, but internal will all have to go to the new name. Remember if you have home drives to move their files over so they can access their data with the new login. Marc Creviere

 

[aliciaJ]

In addition to Marc's comments, in User Manager for Domains, you can simply rename their NT user account (I assume there are similar methods for W2K.)
This way, they still retain group memebership for data share perms, mailbox association, etc which are all based on the SID (security ID) # which is the way NT actually keeps track of who has perms to what.

On the mailbox, as Marc noted, you can change the display name to change the GAL listing. What we do that seems to work well is put the madien name in parehtheses between the first name and new last name. It avoids confusion on someone looking for Jane Smith who is now Jane Jones and no one can find her to email her.

Good luck,
aliciaJ