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Migrator for Notes to Exchange 4.16.1 - Pre-Migration Planning Guide

About the Migrator for Notes to Exchange documentation Introduction Critical considerations Other strategic planning issues Appendix A: Known limitations of the migration process

Other strategic planning issues

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Desktop considerations
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Batch vs. per-desktop migration
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Location of Notes user data
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Migrating personal address books
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Migrating resources
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Migrating Notes groups (distribution lists)
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Migrating folder ACLs and delegation (send on behalf of) rights
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Migrating DocLinks
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Migrating Notes “Active Mail”
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Migrating encrypted data
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Migrating delayed delivery mail
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Migrating Notes attachments
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Migrating mail-In databases
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Migrating to Exchange personal archive mailboxes
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Migrating from Notes with Symantec E-Vault
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Migrating to Exchange configured with a CAS array
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Migrating from older versions of Notes/Domino
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Accommodating known limitations and other special circumstances
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End-user education and communications

Desktop considerations

If Outlook is to be installed or upgraded on user workstations, you must determine how to accomplish the installations or upgrades before the first users are migrated. In most organizations, users have the native Notes client and must have Outlook installed. However some organizations might have a MAPI service that permits Microsoft Outlook to access Domino.

To install Outlook, you need administrator privileges on the end user computers. You could use a configuration management program to distribute and install Outlook at sites where necessary. New profiles can be defined during or after the Outlook installation.

Batch vs. per-desktop migration

Both the MNE Data Migration Wizard and the Self-Service Desktop Migrator (SSDM) can migrate the same types of data. Migration is usually more efficient if an administrator can use the Data Migration Wizard to migrate all or most users in batches called user collections. A user collection typically contains a hundred or so users all migrated together in a single run. Your migration plan should specify whether you will migrate users in batches, one at a time, or using some combination of the two.

The Data Migration Wizard can migrate the user archives only if they reside in a single centralized location, or if the archive locations are specified (per user) in the SQL Server database. Batch migration can require that users copy their archives to a central location if the archives are not currently stored on a network drive, or an administrator can manually add the per-user archive locations to the Migrator for Notes to Exchange SQL database before running the Data Migration Wizard.

Alternatively, the Self-Service Desktop Migrator (SSDM) can be used to migrate archives, one user at a time, after the Data Migration Wizard has migrated the server-based data for a user collection. If user archives are not centrally accessible, or if some other local circumstance makes batch migration impractical, the SSDM is simple enough that most end users can run it.

Some administrators prefer to visit select desktops personally, running the SSDM on behalf of end users to ensure a smooth transition for executives or for users who are uncomfortable running the tasks themselves.

If you intend to migrate any user data using user collections, your Migration Plan should list the requirements and preferences for the following aspects of user grouping:

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Grouping Method: Determine how to group your users for migration. It is helpful to migrate users in logical groups, grouped by business function or administrative entity, or by physical proximity, so users can support each other through the transition.
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Optimum Number of Users Per Collection: The optimum number of users for a migration collection depends on the per-user data volume on the source server, data geography (physical distribution), bandwidth, and capacities and configuration of the destination servers. The number of users per collection should also correlate to the capacity of your organization's Help desk since the transition will likely increase demand for Help resources. The log files generated by the wizards can bloat to unwieldy sizes for collections much greater than 100 users if you need to set logging to verbose mode.
 
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NOTE: The first few collections should be smaller than your expected optimum size since the first groups will likely expose any problems before a larger collection might generate correspondingly larger consequences.
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Migration Scheduling: Determine how you will schedule collections for migration. Scheduling is often a matter of avoiding the critical dates for each user collection. For example, finance and accounting staff should not be disrupted at the beginning of the month when they are trying to close the books. Similarly, sales staff prefer no interruptions near the end of a quarter when they are attempting to meet their quotas. Many organizations migrate their IS or Help Desk staff first, since they are typically the most savvy users and can help to support other users as the migration proceeds.

Location of Notes user data

The Notes Data Locator Wizard can locate data files in the Notes source for a particular user collection, and can be set to locate data by type (mail vs. PABs vs. archives) in any combination. The wizard can find data in a variety of locations in the Notes/Domino source environment, and prompts you to specify which locations to include in its search:

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Access by replicas on server: Looks for user data in replicas that have been uploaded to a specific location on a server. For this option the administrator account specified on the Notes Login Information screen must be listed as a manager on all NSF files to be migrated. When the MNE PAB Replicator is used, the administrator account is automatically added as a manager when users copy their PABs to the server.
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Access by file system, in specified directories: Looks for user data in a particular directory subtree. This option requires that all migrating users be logged off and their NSF files be closed at the time they are migrated.
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Location specified by a column in the SQL Server database: Determines the location of user data by looking in a column of the SQL Server database. The database table must be prepared with these values before the program is run.

The Data Migration Wizard also offers this fourth option for PABs (only):

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PABs contained within server mail files: Looks for the user PABs in the user mail files on the Domino server—a useful option when users with iNotes web access have their address books stored in their mail database files. The PAB can be migrated either via the Domino server or by file system access. If you are using the Domino server method, the administrator account specified on the Notes Login Information screen must be listed as a manager on all NSF files to be migrated. If file system access method is used, all users must be logged off and their NSF files closed at the time they are migrated.

The Data Migration Wizard can read source mail files from multiple paths in a single program run. The exported user data from Notes Person Documents include fields that identify the server and path where each mail file resides.

Since the various location options carry different prerequisites and implications for migration strategy, consider the implications and make your choices before you run the Notes Data Locator Wizard.

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