• Exchange 2010 to 2019 migration

    Upgrade Exchange 2010 to 2016 / 2019

User Manual

Introduction

Microsoft Exchange 2010 has reached the end of its life cycle and support, which means it is prone to bugs, security flaws, and sluggish behavior. Microsoft has released newer versions such as Exchange 2013, 2016, and 2019, but many of us still use Exchange 2010. Exchange server 2019 is more stable and includes new features such as a meta cache database, dynamic database cache to increase cache space for active databases, search indexing, and support for non-English characters in mailboxes. Migrating from 2019 to 2019 usually comes with the caveat that you must first migrate to Exchange version 2013 or 2016, and then to 2019. This is due to the fact that 2010 and 2019 cannot coexist in the same Active Directory but can coexist with the 2013 or 2016 versions, making the intermediate migration time-consuming and complex. However, thanks to EdbMails software, you can perform a direct migration from the 2010 to 2019 versions without requiring intermediate migration hops.

Exchange 2010 to Exchange 2019 Migration

Why should you upgrade the Exchange 2010 version to Exchange 2019?

  • Exchange 2010 is no longer supported by Microsoft.
  • Data in the Exchange 2010 tends to be vulnerable to hardware and software issues, corruption, and unauthorized accesses as Microsoft doesn’t support bug fixes and security updates.
  • Exchange 2019 includes Meta Cache Database (MCDB) functionality.
  • Support for non-English characters to email addresses with EAI proxy to accepted domains.
  • Calendar features are updated with ‘Do not forward’, ‘Out of Office’, and other management provisions in Exchange 2019.
  • Exchange 2019 can be installed in Windows Server Core.
  • Exchange 2019 provides more cache memory for the active database.
  • Search Index for a mailbox is in the mailbox only instead in the database.

Pre-migration activities

Before migration ensure source and destination Exchange environments are ready and you meet the system requirements.

  • Step 1: Prepare a clean destination Exchange environment

    Based on your Destination Exchange server version, click on the below link accordingly

  • Step 2: Create a forest trust (optional)

    Know how to create a forest trust on Windows Server 2008

    This process will most likely reveal if there are any issues, otherwise you have to fix during migration.

    Note: Creating a trust relationship is not required for SBS based environments.

  • Step 3: Configuration send and receive connectors

    Note: During the Exchange server installation process default receive connector will be created

  • Step 4: Create domain and mailboxes on the target server

    Note: Before migration mailbox-enabled user accounts for each user which are included in the migration should be created on your target server.

    • You can migrate domain accounts between the Active Directory forests automatically using Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT) or you can do it manually by creating the accounts on the target forest.
    • You can create mailboxes and the corresponding users automatically mapped during the mailbox mapping.
  • Step 5: Ensure that the admin account used to connect to the source server belongs to the appropriate Active Directory group and its mailbox is configured.
    • Ensure that selected account belongs to the Domain Admins group.
    • Ensure that this account has a valid, non-hidden mailbox on the source Exchange server.
  • Step 6: Confirm the Admin account configuration and rights that will be used to connect to the Source and target server
    1. Make sure the following roles are assigned to the target admin account
      • ApplicationImpersonation rights
      • View-Only Recipients rights
      • View-Only Configuration rights
      • Assigned mailboxes to the Public Folders
    2. Verify the access to the Exchange server's service using IP or Domain Name

      https://[Exchange_IP]/EWS/Exchange.asmx or

      https://[Exchange_Name]/EWS/Exchange.asmx

    3. If a client connects from outside the local network then client required to have external URL configured correctly:
      • Open the Exchange Management Shell on the target or source server and verify if the ExternalUrl is defined:
        Command: Copy & Paste it on PowerShell

        Get-WebServicesVirtualDirectory | fl

      • If there's no address in the ExternalUrl line it needs to be defined. Execute the following script:
        Command: Copy & Paste it on PowerShell

        Get-WebServicesVirtualDirectory | Set-WebServicesVirtualDirectory -ExternalUrl https://[Target server's internet name]/EWS/Exchange.asmx

  • Step 7: Configure the maximum size limit of sent mail and throttling settings
  • Step 8: Install EdbMails Exchange Migration

    a. Download and install EdbMails on your computer.   Download

    b. Double click the EdbMails setup (EdbMailsSetup.exe) to install the application.

    c. Follow the instructions that appear to complete the installation.

    installation

  • Step 9: 'Login' or 'Start Your Free Trial' to access the application

    Click the 'Login' or 'Start Your Free Trial' button.

    Demo login EdbMails

Direct upgrade from Exchange server 2010 to 2016 or 2019

After you've completed the pre-migration activities, use EdbMails Exchange migration tool to migrate directly from Exchange server 2010 to 2016 or 2019. One of the benefits of using EdbMails is that you can perform direct migrations and upgrades without the need to migrate to an intermediate version. This saves a significant amount of time and effort when upgrading older Exchange versions to the latest. The following steps outline the complete procedure for Exchange 2010 migration.

  • Step 1: Select 'Exchange Migration'

    Select the option 'Exchange Migration' and click the 'Continue'.

    Exchange Migration

  • Step 2: Connect to the source server
    Click here to Connect Source Exchange Server
  • Step 3: Select mailboxes you want to migrate and define target connection

    Select the mailboxes for migration

    Select the mailboxes that you wish to migrate.

    Choose the migration type as 'Full migration' or 'Incremental migration'.

    Select Mailboxes

    Click the 'Migrate to Destination Exchange [Incremental]' button to continue.

    Export Selected Mailboxes

    Login to Destination Live Exchange

    Login to the target Exchange server. Click here for the detailed steps on Exchange server login using EdbMails

    On successful login, you will be displayed with the list of mailboxes.

    Load Mailboxes from CSV

    After successful login, if the automatic mailbox listing has failed to retrieve all the mailboxes name then you can load all the mailboxes name using .csv file. However, if the listing is successful then you can ignore this step and continue to next step.

    Click here for the detailed steps on listing mailboxes using '.CSV' file

    Click the 'Continue' button.

    Load CSV

  • Step 4: Match source and target mailboxes

    Map Source and Target Mailboxes

    Map the source mailboxes to target Exchange server mailboxes. Click here for the details.

  • Step 5: Start the migration

    Start the Migration Operation

    Click the 'Continue' button to start the migration operation.

    mailbox mapping

    That's it! During migration operation, you can view the progress as shown below.

    EDB to Exchange Migration

    Appropriate message will be displayed on completion of the migration operation.

    Click the 'View Log' button to view the migration operation log.

    Login to your Exchange server to verify migrated items such as emails, calendars, contacts etc.

Post-migration Activities


  • Step 1: Update MX records, Autodiscover URL

    To enable email to work with a new server, you need to update the MX records. In addition, you need to setup Autodiscover record.

  • Step 2: Decommission your source Exchange server (Optional)

    Follow the instructions provided in this article on Microsoft's website to learn how to uninstall Exchange Server 2013.

  • Step 3: Outlook profiles

    If your Outlook has problems connecting to the new Exchange server, you need to create a new Outlook profile for each user in your domain.