Exchange and IPSwitch, Same email domain

[Smooth23]

Hi all,
I am in the planning stages of an Exchange 2003 roll out/migration from IPSwitch IMail server. Users access IMail email with Mozilla Thunderbird. Plan is to get exchange online, roll out outlook 2007 clients then switch incoming email to the exchange server. Leave the IPswitch email server online for a period of six months before taking it offline. Nice new clean Exchange system. However we need to give users the ability to get email from IPSwitch to Exchange. My plan was to setup both accounts in outlook then they drag email between accounts. Simple, just keep an eye mailbox sizes and make sure users do not copy silly amounts into the new exchange system. But management want to give users the ability to email messages from ipswitch to exchange.
So I’m just trying to figure out how to do this. Both servers run the same domain. Would I need to setup an MX record in AD DNS with exchange.domain.com the set up the IPSwitch server in some way so it can send to that domain?
i have a lab setup with a DC, Exch Server, Imail server and XP client. using the 'Exchange server migration wizard' i am able to migrate user mailbox to exchange but takes eternity. Users mailboxes on Imail are huge and we want to start fresh with exchange 2003 and outlook 2007 clients.
Look forward to your feedback.

 

[compuveg]

Enable iMail's POP3. Configure Outlook clients to POP those boxes. It won't enable OWA access to those mailboxes, but iMail is probably already available through a web interface.

 

[58sniper]

Simple, just keep an eye mailbox sizes and make sure users do not copy silly amounts into the new exchange system.

Never leave parts of a migration up to the users.

Would I need to setup an MX record in AD DNS with exchange.domain.com the set up the IPSwitch server in some way so it can send to that domain?

Not likely. You can do it how you mentioned earlier. Set up Exchange, rollout the client, then redirect the MX record to Exchange and have the users start using Outlook.

If you do a Google search, there are ways of migrating the data.

Pat Richard MVP
Plan for performance, and capacity takes care of itself. Plan for capacity, and suffer poor performance.

http://www.ucblogs.net/blogs/exchange/

 

[Smooth23]

Thanks guys for your feedback. Yeah think i will stick with the original plan.

 

[58sniper]

What happens if you're forced to provide email that's only in Imail due to a discovery request after 6 months?

Seems you'd be better doing a full migration of the mail to Exchange.

Pat Richard MVP
Plan for performance, and capacity takes care of itself. Plan for capacity, and suffer poor performance.

http://www.ucblogs.net/blogs/exchange/

 

[Smooth23]

Valid point.

Should this situation ever present it self, we will have the old email server running in vmware to which we can restore to.