Migration Manager for Exchange 8.15 - Target Exchange 2016 Environment Preparation

Target Exchange 2016 Environment Preparation

Follow the steps that are described in the Preparation Overview topic to prepare your Exchange 2016 organization and its environment for being the target organization in the Exchange migration process conducted by Migration Manager for Exchange. For more information about Migration Manager for Exchange refer to the Migration Manager for Exchange Overview.

On some of steps you may need to coordinate the setup process with the administrator of the source Exchange organization.

Preparation Overview

This section provides a short overview of the main steps that should be performed to set up your target Exchange 2016 organization and its environment for migration using Migration Manager for Exchange. These steps are described in detail in the related subtopics.

Setting up the target Exchange 2016 organization consists of four main steps:

Checking the System Requirements

On this step make sure that your environment meets the minimal system requirements for Migration Manager for Exchange agents. For more details, see Checking System Requirements.

Setting Up Accounts and Required Permissions

On this step you should set up the accounts and required permissions for Exchange migration. There are four main types of accounts used by Migration Manager for Exchange agents:

• Target Active Directory Synchronization Account
  This account is used by:
  
  1. The Directory Synchronization Agent (DSA) to access the target Active Directory domain
  2. The Migration Agent for Exchange (MAgE) to perform mailbox switch

• Target Exchange Account
  This account is used by Migration Manager for Exchange agents installed on agent host to access the target Exchange server.

• Target Active Directory Account
  This account is used by Migration Manager for Exchange agents to access the target domain.

• Target Agent Host Account
  This account is used to install and run the Migration Manager for Exchange agents on agent host and to access the license server.

You can simplify the setup by using a single account for all Migration Manager for Exchange processes. This account should have the permissions that are required for Migration Manager for Exchange console and all agents on every server that is involved in the migration.

For more details, see Setting Up Accounts and Required Permissions.

Preparing the Target Exchange Environment for Exchange Migration

On this step you should perform common environment preparations:

• Back up Exchange
• Install Microsoft Exchange Server MAPI Client and Collaboration Data Objects 1.2.1 version 6.5.8353.0 or later on agent hosts
• Create custom throttling policies

For public folder synchronization, the following additional steps are required:

• Prepare agent host for public folder synchronization agents

• Configure administrator mailboxes for public folder synchronization

• Create the Aelita EMW Recycle Bin public folder (optional)
• Configure public folder migration administrator mailboxes
• Create Outlook profiles for public folder synchronization
• Fine-tuning public folder synchronization agents to use Kerberos authentication (optional)

For more details, see Preparing the Target Exchange Environment for Exchange Migration.

Setting Up Connection with the Source Exchange Organization Using SMTP Connectors

On this step you should set up the connection with the source Exchange organization using SMTP connectors. This task consists of three subtasks given below:

1. Setting up the target Exchange 2016 organization for Internet mail flow between target and source Exchange organizations
2. Configuring target DNS server for mail forwarding
3. Testing the SMTP connectors (optional)

For more details, see Setting Up Connection with the Source Exchange Organization Using SMTP Connectors.

Checking System Requirements

Migration Manager for Exchange uses the following Exchange-specific agents involved in the process of migration to Exchange 2016 organization:

• Transmission Agent (NTA)
• Migration Agent for Exchange

Agents work on agent host servers. Agent host is a stand-alone server. It can be located in another forest.

For detailed information about system requirements for agent hosts, see the Exchange Migration Agents section of the System Requirements and Access Rights.

Target Exchange 2016 Organization Considerations

• The Migration Manager for Exchange console shows only those servers from target Exchange 2016 organization that host the Mailbox role. This is required because only servers with actual data are considered for migration.
• The Exchange Autodiscover service must be properly configured and run in your Exchange 2016 organization. For information on Autodiscover for Exchange 2016, go to http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/exchange/jj900169.aspx.
• SSL certificates enabled on Exchange 2016 Servers of the target organization should be signed by a trusted publisher. If you use self-signed certificates, you need to log on to each agent host under the Agent Host Account and add certificate to the Trusted Root Certification Authorities and Trusted Publisher lists.
• The Exchange 2016 Calendar Repair Assistant (CRA) should be disabled during the migration period.
• To migrate Recoverable Items subfolders the In-Place Hold and Litigation Hold features should be disabled on the target during the migration. Refer to User Guide for instructions on how to prepare your environment and enable this feature.

Setting Up Accounts and Required Permissions

This section describes requirements for accounts working with the target Exchange servers. Migration Manager for Exchange allows you to use different administrative accounts for different purposes. Exchange data is migrated by Migration Manager for Exchange agents, which use the following accounts:

• Target Active Directory Synchronization Account
  This account is used by:
  1. The Directory Synchronization Agent (DSA) to access the target Active Directory domain
  2. The Migration Agent for Exchange (MAgE) to perform mailbox switch

For more details, see Setting Up the Target Active Directory Synchronization Account.

• Target Exchange Account
  This account is used by Migration Manager for Exchange agents installed on agent host to access the target Exchange server.

For more details, see Setting Up the Target Exchange Account.

• Target Active Directory Account
  This account is used by Migration Manager for Exchange agents to access the target domain.

For more details, see Setting Up the Target Active Directory Account.

• Target Agent Host Account
  This account is used to install and run the Migration Manager for Exchange agents on agent host and to access the license server.

For more details, see Setting Up Target Agent Host Account.