Novell GroupWise integrates email, calendaring, instant messaging, and personal information management features into a central application – a client that is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems, while its server requires either Windows Server or Linux platform. A great number of users across the globe use this client and server setup for exchanging their crucial information via emails. However, priorities do change with the era changes as well as with the availability of a new and/or better service provider. Well, I am talking about Microsoft Outlook – the email client for your desktop and laptop, which provides quick mailbox access at a fully-fledged emailing platform.
As mentioned above, people do make up their mind for an upgrade with the availability of new and better things. Well, the fact is applied to mailboxes as well. In fact, with the availability of MS Outlook, people migrate from GroupWise to Outlook to attain mailbox security, and most importantly, for a brand new interface. Another reason for why people switch to Outlook may be that they no longer find their information safe on GroupWise, or they may have their own priorities for their mailbox.
GroupWise to Outlook Migration
You must have noted that this post from its very beginning is talking about migration from Novell GroupWise to Microsoft Outlook. However, did you wonder that how can someone go for it? Well, since GroupWise client and server software both run in collaboration with one another, it is not possible to configure your GroupWise server to connect to Outlook directly. In other words, you simply cannot connect your GroupWise account to Microsoft Outlook for emailing, while the same is feasible if you go for GroupWise to Exchange migration. With your mailbox migrated to the Exchange Server, you can set up that exchange profile to Outlook and access those emails easily.
Following are the key steps involved in the migration process:
- Planning the requirements for GroupWise to Exchange migration
This is the key steps for migration that includes deciding what resources are required as well as the available ones. This step also discusses planning for how to reach from the current point (GroupWise) to the final point (i.e. Exchange). With this done, the migration process becomes smoother. If you analyze the migration criteria, you get to know that two things – available and required resources – are clear, but plan to reach the final point is yet to be practiced.
- Challenges coming across while migrating from GroupWise to Exchange
While looking for resources required for GroupWise to Exchange migration, we come across the following facts:- Exchange Server 2007 is not provided with Connector for GroupWise, which is supposed to route the email messages for GroupWise, having a good understanding of GroupWise to Exchange address spaces.
- Exchange Server 2007 is not provided with Calendar connector that was supposed to help to view the information available on these systems.
- Exchange Server 2007 is not provided with the inbuilt Migration Wizard that was supposed to help in the migration.
Important: In the unavailability of the aforementioned connectors, the only way you can go on with the migration is to install Exchange Server 2003 first.
- Install Exchange Server 2003 for required connectors
Insert the Exchange 2003 CD into CD ROM and run the Setup.exe found in /SETUP/i386 folder.
On the Welcome to Microsoft Exchange Installation Wizard, click the Next button.
Subsequently, alter the Action for ‘Microsoft Exchange’ and ‘Microsoft Exchange Messaging and Collaboration Services’, and then click the Next button.
Note: The disk must have at least 8 MB of free space.
Now, you need to reinstall Exchange Server 2003 SP2 to fulfill the requirements of GroupWise updates. Also, go to the Regedt32 folder and look for the key mentioned below:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\ContentFilterVersion
You need to alter the value of the Value Data field to 1, which is shown in the Edit DWORD value dialog box. This makes you see two connectors – one is for Novell GroupWise and other is for the Calendar – in ESM.
Important: In this post, we suppose Novell GroupWise is installed and configured already.
With the Exchange Server 2003 installed successfully, you can go on with the Exchange Server 2007 installation on the same computer. Subsequently, you can proceed to migrate from GroupWise to Exchange 2007. Use Stellar GroupWise to Exchange Migrator to carry out migration in the following systematic manner:
- Install and run Stellar GroupWise to Exchange Migrator tool.
- Provide the following details under “Connect to Novell GroupWise” to connect to GroupWise Server:
◦ Type in the GroupWise administrator name in the Proxy User Name field
◦ Type in the administrator password. - Provide the following details under “Exchange Server Information”:
◦ Admin Name – Type in
◦ Server Name – Appear automatically
◦ Server Domain – Appear automatically - Click the OK button to connect.
As you connect to the GroupWise Server, you see all the clients to the left. If you see one or more clients offline, you cannot migrate those clients to the Exchange Server. You first have to get those users online. Or else, you may skip them and continue migrating to Exchange 2007.
You can see a preview of the clients’ mailboxes once you see them online to the left. Proceed to migration in an existing storage group with the following steps:
- Select a client to the left and click the Export option on the toolbar.
- Choose Export Data to Exchange Server option on the Export Options window.
- Click OK and choose one of the following options:
- ◦ Export to New Storage Group
- ◦ Export to Existing Storage Group
- ▪ Export to Existing Mailbox Database
- ▪ Export to New Mailbox Database
- Note: I suggest choosing Export to New Storage Group option.
- Select the Export to New Storage Group option, and then click the Next button.
- Provide the following information:
- ◦ New Storage Group Name – Type in a name
- ◦ New Mailbox Database – Type in a name
- ◦ Log Folder Path – Select a folder to save logs
- Click the Next button to continue.
- On the next screen, provide Server Name in the respective field.
- Check the ‘Set User Default Password’ check box and type in a password to set it default for all the users of the mailbox you are exporting.
- Click the Finish button.
Note: With these steps, you are done exporting the particular user’s mailbox to a new storage group with the provided name, which will be stored on the Exchange Server 2007.
