Exchange Archive Mailbox to Exchange Migration

Many organizations migrate their archive mailboxes to a newer or upgraded on-premises Exchange server to align with changing business and technical requirements. This often occurs during hardware upgrades, server consolidation, compliance requirements, or when older Exchange versions approach end of support. Archive mailbox migration helps centralize mailbox management, improve server efficiency, and maintain reliable access to important historical emails without relying on legacy systems.

Migrating archive mailboxes manually can be complicated and time consuming, especially when managing large data volumes, user permissions, and complex folder structures. Ensuring data integrity and maintaining zero downtime are important for a smooth migration process. Without a reliable migration solution, organizations may face issues such as data loss, incorrect folder mapping, and longer migration periods that can interrupt regular business operations.

EdbMails Exchange Migration software provides a reliable and high-performance solution for archive mailbox migration between Exchange servers. It enables direct migration without requiring intermediate steps such as PST files. The software maintains the complete folder hierarchy, retains user permissions, and supports both incremental migration and concurrent migration. With an easy-to-use interface, automatic mailbox mapping, and real-time migration progress tracking, EdbMails provides a secure and efficient migration process, ensuring a smooth experience for IT administrators and organizations.

EdbMails is designed to manage even large mailboxes efficiently by using advanced multi-threaded technology that improves migration speed and ensures zero downtime. It provides flexible filtering options that allow you to migrate only the required data, including selected folders or emails filtered by sent or received date, subject, attachment name, CC or BCC fields, and read or unread status. The application also generates detailed real-time reports, helping you track the migration progress and quickly identify any issues during the process.

1. Exchange Archive Mailbox Migration Prerequisites

   • Step 1: Check that your system meets the Exchange server setup requirements

     The following links will help you to know about the network, hardware and operating system requirements for the Exchange server you want to install and migrate to.

     Note: Exchange 2010 has reached the end of support on October 13, 2020 and Exchange 2013 will reach the end of support on April 11, 2023. Therefore it is highly recommended that you migrate your mail data and Archive mailboxes to Exchange 2016 and 2019.

     1. Network and directory requirement for Exchange 2019
     2. Network and directory requirement for Exchange 2016
     3. Hardware Requirements for Exchange 2019
     4. Hardware Requirements for Exchange 2016
     5. Supported operating systems for Exchange 2019
     6. Supported operating systems for Exchange 2016
   • Step 2: Prepare your target system with the following prerequisites

     Complete the following prerequisites for Active Directory, Windows Mailbox server, and Windows Edge Transport servers before installing the Exchange server.

     1. Exchange 2019 prerequisites for preparing Active Directory (AD)
     2. Windows Server prerequisites for Exchange 2019
     3. Exchange 2016 prerequisites for preparing Active Directory (AD)
     4. Windows Server prerequisites for Exchange 2016

2. Set up the Target Exchange Server for Migration

   Given below is a list of key points for installing and preparing the Exchange server for migration.

   1. Prepare AD and domains
      1. Before installing Exchange Server, you need to prepare your Active Directory forest and its domains for the new version of Exchange.
      2. If you have a separate team to manage the Active Directory schema, you need to first extend the active directory schema, else proceed to the next step to prepare the Active Directory.
      3. If you have multiple domains you need to additionally prepare the Active Directory domains.
   2. Install Exchange server on your computer

      Ensure that you meet the server system requirements and prerequisites as outlined previously. Next, follow the link to install Exchange 2016 or install Exchange 2019 from the setup wizard.

   3. Prepare a clean Exchange target environment
      1. Create and configure a Send connector to send mail outside the Exchange organization.
      2. By default, Exchange automatically creates receive connectors for inbound mail flow when the mailbox server is installed. If you need to configure receive connectors, follow the steps in the link.
      3. Add accepted domains to allow recipients to send and receive email from another domain.
      4. Configure the default email address policy to add the accepted domain to every recipient in the organization.
      5. Configure external URLs (domains) on the virtual directories in the Client Access (frontend) services on the Mailbox server to allow clients to connect to your server from the internet (outside the organization’s network).
      6. Configure internal URLs on the virtual directories in the Client Access (frontend) services on the Mailbox server to allow clients to connect to your server from the internal network.
      7. Configure SSL certificates from a third-party certificate authority for services such as Outlook Anywhere and Exchange ActiveSync.
      8. Verify the Exchange server installation by running the command Get-ExchangeServer on the Exchange Management Shell (EMS).
   4. Create mailboxes and enable archive mailbox on the Exchange server

      Before you migrate Exchange archive mailboxes, ensure that you have mailboxes on the target Exchange server and have assigned suitable licenses to them. Ensure that you also have the In-Place archiving enabled. You can choose to automatically create mailboxes on your target Exchange servers in EdbMails. However, if you want to create the mailboxes manually refer to the below link.

       Steps to create mailboxes in Exchange server

       Steps to create Public folder in Exchange server

       Steps to manage In-Place Archives on Exchange server

   5. Assign management roles to the admin account

      Set the following permissions to the admin account on both the source and the target Exchange server.

      1. Application Impersonation
      2. View-Only Recipients
      3. View-Only Configuration
   6. Verify the mailbox of the admin account

      Check to see if the admin account that has been assigned management roles has a valid and non-hidden mailbox on the Exchange server.

   7. Configure the throttling and message-size limits

      Set custom policies for EWS throttling and set message size to a maximum value on the Exchange server by following the steps in the link.

      1. Custom policies for EWS throttling on Exchange server
      2. Set message size limits to maximum on Exchange server

   Note: For migrating Office 365 Archive mailbox to Exchange with EdbMails, you do not require PowerShell scripts. The following steps describe the archive mailbox migration method from the application’s graphical user interface (GUI).

3. Steps to enable Exchange Archive Mailbox to Exchange Migration

   • Step 1: Download and install EdbMails Exchange migration tool

     • Download and install EdbMails on your computer.

        System requirements for Exchange Archive mailbox to Exchange migration

       

     • Start the EdbMails application on your computer.
     • Enter your registered email ID and password, then click ‘Login’. If you are a new user, choose ‘Start Your Free Trial’ to proceed with the trial version.
       Note: The trial edition provides access to all key features and supports migration of up to 30 items per folder. For unlimited migration, purchase an Exchange Migration license from the official EdbMails website.

        Click here to check Exchange Migration pricing details.

       After completing the purchase, exit the application and open it again. Then sign in with the same email ID and password used during the purchase to activate the license successfully.

       

     • Choose the ‘Live Exchange Migration’ option

       

     • Select 'Live Exchange to Live Exchange Migration' option

       

     • You can continue with the default job name or click the ‘New Job’ option if you want to rename the job.

       

   • Step 2: Connect to the source Exchange server

     • Start a new connection to the source Exchange server by selecting ‘Add New Connection’. If a previously saved connection is available, simply choose it and click ‘Connect to Existing’ to reconnect quickly.

       

     • Select ‘Connect to Archive Mailboxes (In-Place Archive)’ and click ‘Next’.

       

     • Enter the source Exchange server details such as IP address (Domain name), Exchange version, Username and password.
     • Then click the ‘Login’ button to continue.

       

     • After successful authentication, select one of the following options to load the mailboxes:

       i) Load Mailboxes Automatically: After signing in, EdbMails automatically loads and displays the available mailboxes, making the configuration process simple. Due to Microsoft API limitations, only up to 100 mailboxes may be displayed. If your environment has more than 100 mailboxes, use the alternative option below.

       ii) Load Mailboxes using CSV file: If the automatic option does not display all mailbox names, choose ‘Load Mailboxes using .CSV file’ to load the required mailboxes.

       iii) Load Mailboxes from previous list: This option allows you to quickly access the mailbox list that was saved and imported during your previous session.

     • Select ‘Load Mailboxes Automatically’ and click ‘Next’ to proceed.

       

   • Step 3: Select Exchange Archive mailboxes

     • Select the archive mailboxes/folders you want to migrate to the target Exchange server.
     • Click the ‘Next’ button.

       

   • Step 4: Connect to target Exchange server

     • Click the ‘Add New Connection’ button to set up a new connection to the source Exchange server. To reuse a previous connection, select it from the list and click the ‘Connect to Existing’ button to continue.

       

     • Select ‘Connect to Archive Mailboxes (In-Place Archive)’ and then click ‘Next’.

        Different options to connect to Exchange server

       

     • Enter the target Exchange server details and click the ‘Login' button

       

     • Once you've successfully logged in, select one of the options for loading the target Exchange server mailboxes. You can also load mailboxes using a CSV file.

       

   • Step 5: Map source and target Exchange server mailboxes

     • Choose the required mailbox mapping option

       

     • EdbMails automatically maps mailboxes between the source and the target Exchange servers. This feature is especially useful when migrating a large number of mailboxes, as it reduces manual effort and saves time during the overall migration process.

       

   • Step 6: Start Exchange Archive mailbox to Exchange migration

     • EdbMails offers advanced filtering settings to customize the Exchange archive mailbox migration.by clicking the ‘Settings’ button, you can apply a date filter to migrate only items within a specific date range.
     • After completing the mailbox mapping, click the ‘Start Migration’ button to initiate the process.

       

     • Now that the migration has been initiated, you can see the migration status in the progress bar. Once the migration is complete, EdbMails will prompt you to review the migration status with logs.

       

     • Once the migration process is complete, you can view the migration report by clicking the ‘View Logs’ button.

4. Exchange Archive mailbox to Exchange: post migration tasks

   Step 1: Change the MX records to direct email to Office 365.

   Update MX records for directing email to the new server. Additionally, configure the Autodiscover record to ensure that migrated mailboxes connect smoothly with email clients like Outlook.

   Step 2: Create a new Outlook profile for users under the updated domain.

   If users encounter issues connecting Outlook to Office 365 mailboxes, manually configure their Outlook profiles in the new domain.

   Step 3: Disable and decommission the source Exchange server.

   The following steps outline the procedure for decommissioning an on-premises Exchange server:

   1. Ensure that all mailboxes have been migrated to Office 365.
   2. Verify the migration status using the Exchange admin center or the PowerShell command Get-MailboxStatistics.
   3. Confirm that all Outlook clients are properly configured to connect to Office 365 and check connectivity with the Test-OutlookWebServices cmdlet.
   4. Disable mail flow on the Exchange server by either removing the Receive Connector or stopping the SMTP service.
   5. Check that all public folders have been successfully migrated to Office 365 using the Get-PublicFolder cmdlet for status verification.
   6. Uninstall the Exchange server software via the Control Panel.
   7. Remove any remaining hardware or virtual machines related to Exchange.
   8. Ensure there are no leftover mailboxes or public folders on the Exchange server.
   9. Finally, remove the server from Active Directory and DNS.
   10. Once all these steps have been confirmed, you can proceed with decommissioning your on-premises Exchange server.

5. Troubleshooting guide to migrate Exchange Archive mailboxes

   Check the Exchange migration troubleshooting guide for solutions to any migration errors you may encounter. For more details about EdbMails Exchange migration, check the frequently asked questions.

    Solution to public folder migration failure due to permission issues.

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Additional resources:

• EdbMails Exchange migration software
• Exchange Archive mailbox migration to Office 365
• Exchange to Exchange migration
• Exchange to Office 365 migration
• Hosted Exchange migration
• Export Exchange mailbox to PST
• Exchange to IMAP migration