How to Migrate from Lotus Domino to Exchange 2007?

Lotus Domino and Exchange both are the most commonly used email collaboration software now days. Which client is the best, simply, we cannot conclude that. Each has its own capabilities and flaws. What is user’s need and preferences, totally decides which one among the tow is to be used.

Sometimes a user requires migrating from Lotus Domino to Exchange or vice versa.
There can be various reasons for a user to migrate from one email platform to another such as: change in job location, advancement in technology, cost factors etc.

If you are planning to migrate from Notes to Exchange then you will require setting a proper planning strategy before performing the actual migration.

Migrate from Lotus Domino to Exchange 2007:

The migration strategy varies slightly for different Domino and Exchange versions.

If I particularly talk about Exchange 2003, there are several tools that allow coexistence between Exchange and Notes.

These tools are:
•    The Microsoft Connector for Lotus Notes
•    The Microsoft Exchange Calendar Connector
•    The Exchange Migration Wizard.     
   
‘The Microsoft Connector for Lotus Notes’ lets you transport messages between the Notes and Exchange; it keeps track of the whole message transfer procedure and gets the directories synchronized for both systems.

‘The Microsoft Exchange Calendar Connector’ keeps track of all calendar Notes and Exchange free/busy information, its location and other related information.

‘The Exchange Migration Wizard’ performs the operation of extracting and importing the data from Notes to Exchange.

Microsoft Transporter Suite for Domino to Exchange 2007 migration:

• It offers Microsoft Transporter Suite for Lotus Domino to migrate from Notes to Exchange.
• It contains Directory Connector, Free/Busy Connector, Directory Migration, Mailbox Migration, Application Migration.

Coexistence Domino to Exchange

For Exchange 2007 and Lotus Domino 7.0.2

Even for large organizations, it is not an easy task to migrate the complete Domino system to Exchange at the same time. So, at the beginning, it is required to set up coexistence between the two systems till all users are migrated from Domino to Exchange.

So what are the requirements for synchronizing data between Domino and Exchange? The data required to be synchronized between the two systems in co-existence are: address books directories, free/busy connector, migrating the Domino users to Exchange GAL. Finally migrate from the Domino user mailboxes to Exchange.

Steps to migrate from the Domino to Exchange:

•    Download and Install the Transporter Suite
•    Install the Transporter Suite
•    Synchronize the directory

Download and Install the Transporter Suite:

The link to Microsoft Download Center is: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=1329. From here you can download the Transporter Suite

If you are using a 32 bit system, then download transporter32.msi. Otherwise, go to file named transporter.msi

Install the Transporter Suite:

•    Run the .msi file. This will open the welcome screen. Accept the terms and conditions followed on the license agreement screen and continue

In Microsoft transporter suite for Lotus Domino, the next screen to be appeared is Select Components and Install Location screen. Select the option for Microsoft Transporter Tools and de-select the option for Free Busy Connector Add-In Task for Lotus Domino

•    Browse and set your desired location for the Transporter suite to be installed.
•    Click Next. The Ready to Install screen will open; click Install to proceed further for the installation procedure.

After completion of the above installation procedure, a program folder named ‘Microsoft Transporter Suite for Domino’ will be created.

Directory Synchronization:

The Global Address List (GAL) must be synchronized properly between the two systems. So that domino as well as Exchange users can view all system users from both platforms.

The first step in the process is to create the Directory Connector. There are two ways to create the Directory Connector either you can use the Transporter Command Shell or the Transporter Management Console.

Using the Transporter Management Console:

•    From the console tree, select the option Connect under Tools for Lotus Domino.
•    Right click it and select the option to Create Directory Connector.
•    This will open the Create Directory Connector wizard. Click Next to continue.
•    After that click, Create and then finish once the process is accomplished.

Using the Transporter Command Shell:
Run the New-DominoDirectoryConnector cmdlet.

How to configure the Directory Connector

Pre-requisites for configuring the Domino permissions:

•    Default Domino administrator account or other with account with following permissions:
•    Manager access or at least Editor access to the Domino directory (names.nsf file)
•    Access for UserCreator and UserModifier roles
•    Permissions to delete documents

Follow the given steps to configure the Directory Connector:

•    Select the newly created directory connector. Right click it to open properties. Or you can go to Actions menu, then choose properties option from there.
•    After opening properties, there are four tabs to be configured: General tab, Sync to Active Directory tab, Sync to Domino tab, Advanced tab.

General tab

In the first tab you need to set the values for the fields: Sync Schedule, Global Catalog, Domino Server, and Notes Password.

Sync Schedule:  It lets you set the time span when you want to update and synchronize your address book.
 

Global Catalog: Click browse to choose the Global Catalog server. This server provides the Active Directory reference required while synchronizing the domino and Exchange directories.
 

Domino Server: Choose the name of the domino server you require to be connected and synchronized with the exchange server.
 

Notes Password:  This field contains the Notes ID password for the Domino administrator account or the other account for which the Transporter has been installed. 
 

Sync to Active Directory tab

Here, you need to set the Source Domino Directory and Target Active Directory information.
 

The Source Domino Directory information fields contain Domino Directory, Domain Name, SMTP Domain fields.
 

The domain directory field contains the list Active Directory users to be synchronized
 

In the Target Active Directory, information you need to set the target organizational unit (OU) containing the mail enabled contacts for Domino users. Click browse and choose the desired OU.
 

The Sync to Domino tab: Here you need to set the values for Source Organizational Units, Target Domino Directory (Domino Directory Filename), and Routable Exchange Domains.
 

The Advanced tab: The advanced tab lets you set further advanced option related to directory and contact synchronization. You can choose to synchronize groups and contacts there. You can also set and manage the list of which groups are required to be synchronized and which aren’t.

•    After doing all the above settings, you are done with the Directory Connector configuration procedure.
•    Click Ok to finish the process and return to the main transporter suite window.
If you want to configure the Directory Connector by using Transporter Management Console, you can do it easily by running the New-DominoDirectoryConnector cmdlet.
 

How to synchronize the directories:

•    You can choose to synchronize the directories while you set up the Directory Connector.
•    Select the Directory Connector, right click it.
•    Go to context menu /Action pane; select the option ‘Synchronize Now’. 
•    This will open the Synchronize Directories Now wizard. The first screen prompted to the user is Synchronization Options screen. Here you can choose ‘update' synchronizations or 'full' synchronizations.
•    The update synchronization option is used when you need to run the synchronization for updated or modified options.
•    The 'full' synchronizations’ type is further divided into subtypes.
•    Full one way synchronization from Domino Directory to Active Directory.
•    Full one way synchronization from Active Directory to Domino Directory.
•    Full two way synchronization.
•    First select the desired type of synchronization and Click Synchronize. Once you are done with the synchronization process, click finish to end the process.

Just to ensure that the directory synchronization has been done properly, go to the Domino users OU and see if you are able to view the Domino users, groups and contacts there. Also check the same for Domino directory for Exchange users, groups and contacts.

How would you know if synchronization fails? In such case, Diagnostics Logging plays a very important role. The event log stores the information related to the synchronization process and the failed attempts. You can run the “Get-TransporterEventLogLevel | FL” cmdlet to know the diagnostic logging level set for the three DominoDirectoryConnector application categories (Service, Controller and DirSync). The diagnostics logging level for DirSync is set to high and for the first two (Service, Controller) it is set to low.