Migrating to Exchange

Update Distribution Lists

Migration Wizard does not provide you with the means to migrate groups or distribution lists directly from a messaging system other than Exchange. There are two basic strategies for updating distribution lists: you can convert them to public folders and migrate them, or you can export them and then import them into Active Directory using the LDIFDE or CSVDE command-line utilities.

For more information about maintaining distribution lists during migration, see Microsoft Exchange Server 2000 Planning and Installation.

To move users from distribution groups to public folders:

  1. Create Exchange public folders that correspond to the distribution groups on your existing system.
  2. Add a rule in each public folder to forward all new items to all members of the distribution group who have mailboxes that have not migrated to Exchange.
  3. On the public folder, give user permissions to all Exchange members of the corresponding distribution group.
  4. When the name of the public folder is visible in the existing system, remove the corresponding distribution group.

To migrate groups or distribution lists:

  1. Export the lists from your current messaging system. (For example, use the Export.exe utility for Lotus cc:Mail.)
  2. If you need to match or update groups that already exist in Exchange, from System Manager, select the organizational unit that contains the group or groups that you want, click Action, and then click Export List.
  3. Use the LDIFDE or CSVDE command-line utilities to import the groups into Active Directory. (For more information about the utilities, see the Windows 2000 online documentation.)