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October 21, 2009

8 key tips for transitioning to Exchange 2010

Answers to the eight top questions to ensure a smooth, successful switch

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The features in Exchange 2010 are compelling enough for IT decision-makers to already set in motion their plans to adopt it. Requirements for those implementations depend, of course, on where you're coming from. Exchange 2007 shops are only one hop away, while those running IBM's Lotus Domino/Notes will have to consider a few more hops. All in all, the move is possible with a little help.

[ See why Exchange 2010 should be on your radar in J. Peter Bruzzese's "Now's the time to get serious about Exchange 2010." ]

Here are the answers to the eight key migration questions that most IT shops will face:

1. If I'm working with Lotus Domino and want to move to Exchange 2010, what do I need to do?
First off, this is a case of migration as opposed to transitioning. Migration doesn't allow for the configuration settings to smoothly transition over as they would if you were moving from Exchange 2003 or 2007 Exchange to 2010. However, according to Henrik Walther, an Exchange Certified Master and MVP for Exchange, you could use an Exchange 2007 Server and the Microsoft Transporter Suite (a free set of migration tools for Lotus Domino) to first migrate to Exchange 2007 and then transition to 2010. The reason you can't use Transporter Suite to go directly from Domino to Exchange 2010 is that Microsoft didn't update the tool for Exchange 2010. The company says it will help third-party software developers create tools to do so.

2. Can I simply upgrade an Exchange 2007 organization to 2010 by upgrading my server in-place?
Unfortunately, no. You will need to install an Exchange 2010 server into your Exchange 2007 organization first and then move things over. Does this mean you have to buy additional hardware? Not necessarily. If you have a virtualized environment and Exchange 2007 (which is a 64-bit app) in place, you might be able to simple install another VM with Exchange 2010 integrated into the 2007 organization. After a period of coexistence to move items over, you can drop your Exchange 2007 servers.

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scotty 21-Oct-09 2:36pm
1 reply
Seems terribly complicated especially in comparison with an in place of upgrade of something like IBM Lotus Domino which only needs the administrator to run an install program and which takes about 30 mins to complete - yes, 30 mins downtime not to mention no need for a new box. I wish I had money to burn.
cletis 27-Oct-09 2:37am
1 reply
30 minutes is a conservative estimate; 10 to 15 minutes is more likely the case -- but I wager you were just being charitable to the MS crowd. It's unfair enough to them that Exchange is tied to specific OS limitations, that they must upgrade in a specific and complex manner, and that their options for coexistence/heterogeneity across multiple server platforms, hardware platforms, OS versions, and Exchange versions is limited as well -- and let's not forget the bane of Exchange: the extended downtime plus data loss experienced by most or all of the enterprise due to the corruption of a single message store -- we don't need to rub in how painless and flexible Domino upgrades (and, if desired, downgrades) are. On the other hand, most CIOs running MS shops have convinced themselves that they're incurring overall lower TCO, so they've got that going for them, which is nice -- if unsubstantiated.
scotty 27-Oct-09 4:24am
You're right. It was a combination of charity and fear of gilding the lily. Thanks for putting the record straight. Truth is always the policy.
gbollard 21-Oct-09 8:15pm
"1. If I'm working with Lotus Domino and want to move to Exchange 2010, what do I need to do?" If you're running on Linux (or anything other than Windows), forget it. Stay with Domino. If you're running on an old version of Windows, you'll have to upgrade before you can consider the current exchange. If you're using Domino for anything other than simple Mail and calendar, then you need to plan for a much bigger project - and you need to find alternatives for your NSF databases, extranet and intranet systems. Exchange will only replace a small part of what you currently have.
cerobinson 23-Oct-09 6:50am
1 reply
You forgot to mention the OS upgrade if you're currently on Exchange 2003. Exchange 2003 will only run on Windows 32-bit, even if the hardware is 64-bit capable. Exchange 2007 and 2010 will only run on 64-bit Windows. I think you also gloss over the need for at least one new server. The simple fact you *can't* do an in-place upgrade is shocking. Spinning up a new VM for something as heavy as Exchange isn't as trivial as you make it seem, either.
J. Peter Bruzzese 23-Oct-09 11:48am
Greetings. I'm not in much of a fighting mood, but I didn't forget to mention the need for a new server. It was a necessity for Exchange 2007 (due to the x64 hardware/software needs)and continues to be a need for Exchange 2010. The more unique issue isn't that you need a new server with Exchange 2003 (which was a given if you knew the 2K7 requirements) but that you cannot in-place upgrade 2K7 either! A frustrating fact to be honest, but a fact... and the more relevant point to keep in mind. Yep, you will NEED one new server. My VM idea was simply a method to transition and perhaps not purchase the new server or go with a VM solution and perhaps save money by moving forward with a virtualized solution overall with Exchange. Exchange IS heavy... but virtualized Exchange is supported (aside from UM, although it works just fine) and with solid hardware your organization will be happy with the results. I don't trivialize any of this... however my experience with Exchange makes me a bit more confident about what you can do with it.
KevinMort 27-Oct-09 6:40am
J. Peter - You'd think with all of the relative complexity in upgrading this product (staggering really) you'd be able to write an article which focuses on that instead of tossing in the ol' Move from Domino comment. Honestly. The Exchange "upgrade" process alone is reason enough to stay with a solid, truly upgradable platform like Domino (never mine the apps that Exchange just can't touch and that you don't discuss at all here) than migrate. There's simply no defense for the Microsoft strategy here, especially the inherent OS & version incompatibilities they've managed to foist onto their customers with this upgrade.
Petetm 27-Oct-09 8:40am
Is this article supposed to compel me to transition to Exchange? Rip and replace, new hardware, hire consultants and find 3rd party tools ?!?!?!?!?! All for what, to get me email with c&s, which I already have? Now, what to do with all the Notes apps? You're kdding me, right? After reading this, I'm curious why corporations are using Exchange in the first place.
Petetm 27-Oct-09 8:53am
One more thing, I can't just upgrade over my existing Exchange server? Again, why are companies using this? Seems very complicated for something that should be relativley simple.
Tiassa 27-Oct-09 9:34am
Can I have Exchange 2008 coexist with Exchange 2000 or 2003, then complete the transition to Exchange 2010 later? Exchange 2000? No. Exchange 2003? Yes. For Exchange 2003 and 2010 to coexist, you have to change your organization to native mode on an Exchange 2003 server. Can I have Domino 8.5 coexist with Domino 8,7,6.5, and all other versions back to 1? Yes
dsnelson 28-Oct-09 5:27pm
For the record I am no Lotus Fan boy. In fact I am a decision maker for a company that has a vested interest in Microsoft's success with Exchange and other collaborative products. To bring Domino into this discussion simply adds ammo to a fight that can never be won. In your own words Domino to Exchange is a "migration", your article is about key tips for a transition. Its just poor journalistic integrity to bring the Domino issue up, much less make it point number one.
Habz 29-Oct-09 3:15pm
@DSNelson, well-spoken. The topic is not about migrating. Also, interestingly, not just an upgrade either, but a "transition" (a euphemism for "migrate".) It would appear that either the Exchange Certified Master and MVP Henrick Walthier doesn't know much about migrations or Bruzzese took him way out of context to bring Lotus into the article. Transporter Suite is only an option (to a Domino-Exchange migration) if you are still running a really old version of Domino (R7 was released in Q4 of 2005 and R6 in 2002) and, as he points out, you first migrate to Exchange 2007 before "transitioning" to Exchange 2010. Why?? If you're running Lotus software that is 4 years old, you would benefit much more by just upgrading your existing software. This would require no spending on licensing or hardware. You will probably find no reason to migrate if you are running the current versions of software and your deployment follows best practices. A migration from Domino to Exchange is incredibly expensive in both money and productivity. If the emotional gains outweigh the financial costs and you really think you'll be better off replacing all the software in your company, I still wouldn't recommend using the Transporter Suite. That software has many limitations and problems and in the end, you still have to go through the pain of "transitioning" from Exchange 2007 to Exchange 2010. From my experience performing migrations in both directions, I have found: 1. The migration costs are never recovered in productivity improvements. 2. The costs per user for the migrations from Domino to Exchange have been much higher than the per-user costs in the projects to migrate from Exchange to Domino, mainly attributable to licensing costs and training (Moving from Outlook to Notes 8 is much more intuitive than going from Notes 6 or 7 to Outlook) 3. I have had no customers migrate to Exchange if they were already using Notes 8.

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