Transfer Mail Boxes and messages between W2k SBS Servers 2

[BriceR]

Hi
I am building a new Windows 2k SBS server for my small business. I want to transfer all the exchange users mail boxes and messages from my old server to the new one. (I had recently upgraded from SBS 4.5 to 2k SBS on my old server but the hardware was flagging a bit.)I have a regular backup routine using the native NT Backup. Can I restore an Exchange server backup onto my new server. Any other suggestions would be very much appreciated as I really need my messages. (My mailbox is around 1.9 gig and my other users combined are aound 1 gig)Both the servers will have the same server 2000 and exchange server name (ie HSTSRVR).Another Tek Tips user on the 5.5 forum pointed me to a microsoft paper, but that was to do with upgrading from 4.5 SBS to 2k SBS.
Thanks
Brice

 

[STF26]

I would use EXMERGE to export all of the mailboxes on the old server to PST files and then use it to import the PSTs to the NEW Server

 

[globalstrata]

I am planning to do something similar in few weeks, but I am upgrading to Exchange 2003. Because of this, I have been talking with Microsoft and they have not been able to give me a solution.

Are you using two servers for this? If you are, you can afford to play a bit with the configuration for testing purposes, then if it does not work, you always have the original configuration to fall back on. This is what I am planning to do (to test if it works) in order to upgrade (I know this is a really long and complicated process but I think it is better than not being able to do it at all):

1. Make a backup of the old server.
2. Configure the new server as instructed in the articles below by using a SBS 2000 120 days evaluation. This will convert the database to 2000 Active Directory.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;278439

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;294430

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sbs/deploy/sbsmig.asp

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;297825

3. Then, I will backup the M drive and document the SBS 2000 Exchange Configuration.
4. Completely re-do the server to use Windows and Exchange 2000 Standard. This server will have the same NetBIOS name as used for the SBS 2000. I will configure active directory as I had it in SBS 2000 and the after all in configure, I will stop the Exchange Services and restore the M drive.

Right now I am in the process of researching if the M drive has anything that behaves different from Exchange SBS and Exchange Standard.

If this does not work, I will use as last resource Outlook to Export the messages to PST. The problem with that is that pst tend to get corrupted as they grow big and you said that your email is pretty big. So probably the solutions would be to do multiple psts. The other thing is that I have run into problems copying Calendars and recurrent appointments.

Hope this help some.


Gladys Rodriguez
GlobalStrata Solutions

http://www.globalstrata.com

 

[BriceR]

Thanks very much to the two members who answered my question - both were extremely helpful. I think I will try the exmerge option first. Is the utility available on the SBS server disks or from another source?

Kind Regards
Brice

 

[STF26]

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...EC-DCDF-47DC-96DA-1C12D67327D5&displaylang=en

I think that you will really benefit from exmerge.

 

[xmsre]

If you use exmerge, you'll lose rules. In addition, you could have problems with bouncing replies to old emails of the DNs don't match.

Why don't you use a /disasterrecovery install to migrate to new hardware?

 

[STF26]

Interesting response xmsre- I do not understand the problem with bouncing replies. Can you explain this further? Also, because of the limitations of SBS will the disasterrecover option work?