Introduction

This blog post describes how you can Migrate Domino Mail-In Databases to Exchange 2010, using Quest.  When working on a recent email migration project from Domino r8.5 to Exchange 2010 (using Quest Notes Migrator and Quest CMN) I encountered a familiar challenge.   This was how to approach the migration of the customers 500 Domino Mail-In Databases across to Exchange 2010 ?  I had anticipated this being one of the more challenging parts of the email migration project, so I had persuaded everybody that this activity was best left to last – after all the Domino user mailboxes had been migrated to Exchange 2010.   The legacy Lotus Notes client had been left behind so users were instructed to access Lotus Notes to work with any Mail-in Databases they required in the interim.

Note: do not forget – if you need expert assistance on your email migration project, then you can get in touch with me to get some expert assistance.   Use my consulting page within this website to get in touch.

Background to Migrate Domino Mail-In Databases

At the start of the email migration project, when all users were on Lotus Notes, the Mail-In Databases migration caused anxiety for the customer.   This anxiety reduced markedly once all users were successfully migrated to Exchange 2010, with Outlook 2010 on the desktop, due to increased confidence.   This was a big help when we came to migrate the Mail-In Databases.  It is always best to get the confidence of the business for email migration projects, and keep hold of that confidence throughout.

I found it easier to refer to the Mail-In Databases as Group Mailboxes, as that is the terminology I used to describe the same entity if it was on Exchange 2010.   Converting the customer to speak Microsoft is always a good idea !

Some users managed up to five Mail-In Databases from their Lotus Notes Workspace, and were used to switching rapidly between the different inboxes, and managing different settings for each – for example, different signatures, and Rules.  Users were even fussy over which Sent Items folder would get emails they sent from a Group Mailbox – all these concerns needed to be allayed.

On previous email migration projects, trying to match the equivalent functionality using Outlook 2007 was always a challenge, and a recent customer decided to Domino web-enable all their Mail-In Databases, rather than try and get users working with them from Outlook 2007.   The main reason for this was the single “primary” Outlook 2007 mailbox was generally the user’s mailbox, with secondary mailboxes added in as Additional Mailboxes for any Group Mailboxes.   This worked up to a point, but did not allow for a user to set up Rules for the secondary Group Mailboxes or custom signatures, as these options were only available for the “primary” mailbox.  You could set up multiple MAPI Profiles for all required Group Mailboxes, but this becomes unusable very quickly.

However, Microsoft have made some giant leaps forward (in my opinion) with Outlook 2010.  With Outlook 2010 you have the ability to add in an Additional Account to your Outlook Setup, via the File tab (top left) and the Add Account option.

Outlook 2010 "Add Account" Option

Assuming your mailbox has been granted Full Access and Send As rights (best scenario for a Group Mailbox in my experience), you can add in the Group Mailbox via this option.

Selecting a Group Mailbox to add to Outlook 2010 via "Add Account"

To add the required Group Mailbox you only need to know its full SMTP email address, and enter that value into Email Address field.  Enter some text for the Group Mailbox name – this does not need to match the Display Name value.  You do not need to input any Passwords, as if you have Full Access (with Send As), this is not required.  Select Next, and on the next screen your settings are validated.  If all three validation checks receive the green tick, you can select Finish.

You can now switch between Accounts and setup, for either mailbox,  Rules & Signatures, and a myriad of other settings under the File tab.

For the email migration project, due diligence is still required to ensure all discovery information is a captured for any Mail-In Database, such as Access Control Lists and Rules.   An AD security group can be used to apply the same permissions post-migration, and the key business users can re-create any Rules they may have had after the migration.

The Add Account feature must not be confused with the facility to add in Additional Mailboxes (via the MAPI Profile properties).

My rule is that:

• If the relationship is between two user mailboxes (CEO and Assistant, for example) then use the MAPI Profile Additional Mailbox feature (coupled with Delegate Access and Send on Behalf).
• If the relationship is between a user mailbox and a Group Mailbox, then use the Add Account feature instead (coupled with Full Access and Send As rights).

Conclusion – Migrate Domino Mail-In Databases to Exchange 2010 and Outlook 2010

Suddenly the convenience factor is available for users who manage multiple Group Mailboxes, with Outlook 2010 presenting a viable migration approach for all those Domino Mail-In Databases that often get left to last in an email migration project, and commonly never actually make it off Domino at all !