Minimal downtime mail/site transfer (Exchange server > online)?

[Maverick2002]

Hi,

I'm trying to figure out the best (i.e. minimal downtime) way to transfer a website and move from an Exchange server to Exchange online.

Current situation:
-Old website, built in .NET, on dedicated Windows server, by hosting company with whom we have limited contact.
-Exchange server, presumably on the same server.

New situation:
-Website to be redesigned in-house, hosted on Linux VPS, by hosting company with whom we have full contact.
-Moving to Exchange online hosted email.

----

We finally got the domain name transferred to our account, but are still using their off-site DNS servers. Ideally I'd like to port the email accounts over 1 by 1 to ensure everything is working before switching the site, but I don't think that's going to be possible, because:

Adding a domain to Exchange Online requires a DNS Zone file edit at your registrar, which I can't do because the DNS servers are not with our registrar. Unless I'm missing something, this means I either have to a) switch DNS to our server, but I can't do that yet because the new site isn't up and it will automatically shut down EVERYONE's emails, or b) ask our current provider to edit their DNS Zone file, but I don't want to do that because this is a company we're cutting ties with and we don't want them knowing anything about our operations moving forward.

So, it looks like the order in which I'll have to do this, at least in my mind, is:

1) Design new website on new Linux server, test and make sure it looks/works right.
2) Create accounts for critical users at Exchange Online and be ready to set them up.
3) Switch DNS at registrar to our new server (downtime begins/all emails undeliverable).
4) Edit DNS Zone file per MS Exchange Online instructions to verify.
5) Wait for verification to complete.
6) Create/set up users with Exchange Online (downtime ends).
7) Upload Outlook database files to Exchange Online (I don't know how to do this, but assume it's possible) so users can still access old emails from the previous Exchange server.

Is this the best way to do it or can I somehow minimize downtime another way (again, editing the DNS Zone file at our current host is not an option)?

 

[Lifted]

If you have the domain at your registrar you can change the name server(s) for your domain. First create the DNS records on another DNS server (could be your own, the registrars, or a 3rd party), change the name servers at the registrar to the new DNS servers, then you're free to change DNS records as required.

Exchange has methods for exporting mailboxes to PST's, but I wouldn't want to do that myself for several reasons. Is the Exchange server a member of your domain? You might want to speak with a Microsoft partner as they will move you to Office 365 for a reasonable price as they receive commissions from Microsoft. It's not really something you want to take on yourself unless your talking a handful of mailboxes. If you're moving to a 3rd party hosted Exchange environment they should offer services to do this move as well.

When moving from on premise to hosted exchange in a federated environment there is next to no downtime at all - the user just has to restart Outlook. Might be a bit more involved if your existing Exchange server isn't a member of your domain, but their may be methods of creating records in AD to assist with moving mailboxes in such an environment.

 

[Maverick2002]

I'll be moving about 10 mailboxes, so it's something I can do manually. Upon further review, it looks like the easiest way is what I described and I'll have to do it over the weekend.

Unless I'm missing something, I basically need to tell everyone to not open their mail clients, go into Outlook for each person and file > export the PST files, set up their Exchange online accounts, then go to file > import the PST files after setup, then everything is up and running, yes?

 

[Kremlar]

Don't use PSTs!

www.migrationwiz.com

Do a multi-pass migration and you can migrate mailboxes over a span of 2 weeks if you want.

Setup Office 365, migrate mailboxes in passes, when ready cut over the MX record, confirm mail flow, then do one more pass a day or so later in case anything got delivered to the old mailboxes.

 

[QuietDad]

Easier to setup the accounts on Office 356 then change the DNS records. When the DNS changes occur, then go back and migrate the old mail. Warn your users that they may lose saved mail and contacts info till the migration takes place, but they never lose incoming mail.

 

[stlcardinals]

Exchange Cutover Migration is what you are wanting to do. I'm getting ready to do the actual cutover for our ~150 mailboxes in a month or two but I already have the Batch process running on Office 365. It took about 4 days of running 24x7 for it to do the initial sync. It now does incremental syncs every 24 hours.

 

[Maverick2002]

Exchange Cutover Migration is what you are wanting to do. I'm getting ready to do the actual cutover for our ~150 mailboxes in a month or two but I already have the Batch process running on Office 365. It took about 4 days of running 24x7 for it to do the initial sync. It now does incremental syncs every 24 hours.

Here's the problem:

I don't have access to the current Exchange server. The only thing I can do with old emails is upload the local (sync'd) PST files to 365 once the records are switched over.

Again - I don't have access to the remote Exchange server, and that's not going to change.

Users are aware that they will not have email access for up to 2 days (weekend) and any incoming mail might be undeliverable.

 

[Kremlar]

With MigrationWiz you don't need access to the old server - just an OWA address and login credentials to each mailbox.

 

[stlcardinals]

Here's the problem:

I don't have access to the current Exchange server. The only thing I can do with old emails is upload the local (sync'd) PST files to 365 once the records are switched over.

Again - I don't have access to the remote Exchange server, and that's not going to change.

Users are aware that they will not have email access for up to 2 days (weekend) and any incoming mail might be undeliverable.

All you need is credentials for an account that has full access to all the mailboxes. That's it.