Migrator for Notes to Exchange 4.16.1 - Scenarios Guide

Step 7: Discover Notes information

Migrator for Notes to Exchange needs to know the location of the Notes Address Books (NABs) that serve as data sources for the Directory Export Wizard in the next step. MNE also needs to know the Internet domains that are used to generate the user SMTP aliases. MNE includes the following wizards to search through your Notes environment and return the necessary information:

Run these two wizards to prepare for the Directory Export Wizard in the next step. For operational details, see the Migrator for Notes to Exchange Administration Guide.

Step 8: Export Notes directory data

The MNE Directory Export Wizard extracts user and group data from the Notes environment and populates the MNE SQL database and other data files with this information. Other applications require this data for input values.

Run the Directory Export Wizard to capture the necessary information. For more information and instructions for using the Directory Export Wizard, see the Directory Export Wizard chapter in the Migrator for Notes to Exchange Administration Guide.

Step 9: Review and verify/modify exported data in the SQL database

The data captured by the Directory Export Wizard provides critical input to other MNE programs so it is important to verify that the information is accurate and correctly formatted. The verification step also provides an opportunity to update addresses and other attributes before initiating migrations. For example, the content can be modified to facilitate consolidation to a new SMTP domain as part of the migration process.

Verify the matching criteria for the provisioning process (in a later step). A unique matching attribute is required to match each Notes user to a corresponding security object in AD. A matching attribute may already be available, or a custom attribute can be populated in the Domino Directory and exported, or a matching attribute can be populated into the MNE SQL database via TSV export/import.

If mail-enabled users already exist in Active Directory: Ensure the addresses listed in the TargetAddress column are appropriate, since Migrator for Notes to Exchange will use that value to locate the AD object for mailbox creation. The value of the TargetAddress in the SQL database must match a valid SMTP address on the mail-enabled AD object. The TargetAlias addresses are also applied as secondary/proxy addresses, so it is important to verify them before proceeding.

For the Data Migration Wizard to enable mailboxes and to associate the resource accounts with the user accounts, you must configure the Global Default Settings in Notes Migration Manager and prepare (or verify) the per-user values in a column of the exported directory data. These preparations are necessary for the Data Migration Wizard to correctly associate the resource accounts with the user accounts and enable mailboxes.

Before you begin, determine which column in the SQL Server database will correspond to which AD attribute for the wizard to match corresponding user accounts in the resource forest and user forest. The column (AdSearchCol) and attribute (AdAttribute) are both specified in the [ActiveDirectory2] section of the Global Default Settings of Notes Migration Manager:

IMPORTANT: This AdSearchCol parameter value must be set to SearchKey2 for the mailbox-enabling process to succeed. The parameter default is AdSearchCol=SearchKey2.

Step 10: Define user collections

Many MNE wizards are applied to particular user collections, user-defined subsets of all Notes users to be migrated. User collections can come in all sizes, from a single user to all Notes users in one collection. Collections typically number 100 or so users per batch when migrating to a local Exchange.

The Migrator for Notes to Exchange Pre-Migration Planning Guide (see chapter 3, Batch vs. Per-Desktop Migration) explains factors that can affect your optimum number of users per collection and why it is important to decide on a grouping strategy when defining collections.

Use the Collection Wizard now to define your user collections. Remove any objects from collections you do not want to provision into the target AD. See the Collection Wizard chapter 5 of the Migrator for Notes to Exchange Administration Guide for more information.

NOTE: Notes groups (distribution lists) are typically migrated separately after all users have been migrated. The definition of group collections and migration of groups are among the Post-migration activities.

Later in this procedure you can assess per-user data volumes in the Notes source, and adjust your defined collections.

Some administrators prefer to provision users in the same user collection to two or more Exchange mail stores. This can be accomplished by updating the SQL database to include appropriate values for the HomeMDB of each user.

The HomeMDB column specifies the Exchange mailbox store for each migrating user and is used when mailbox-enabling users through the Exchange Administrative Operations of the Data Migration Wizard. For example:

The Exchange administrator credentials supplied to Migrator for Notes to Exchange must have sufficient rights to create mailboxes on the Exchange servers specified in this HomeMDB column. If the HomeMDB column is blank, the value specified in the MNE GUI is used for the destination Exchange mailbox store.

The MNE Notes Migration Manager (the console) lets you identify any non-standard Notes design classes that are associated with Notes NSF files but that the wizards would not recognize because the class names are different from the Notes-standard design classes. The Design Classes table in Notes Migration Manager enumerates all non-standard design classes and associates each design class with one or more data types: mail, archives, or PABs. If the Data Migration Wizard or SSDM finds an NSF file that does not match any of the default design classes for archive, mail or PAB files, the program will look at these tables to find an alternate design class, and determine the file type.

If your Notes environment has any non-standard design classes, use the Manage Design Classes screen in Notes Migration Manager to define them now. This feature is fully documented in the Migrator for Notes to Exchange Administration Guide, chapter 1 (see User Collections: Manage Design Classes).