UMail Migration Process

Note: bold red text are clickable links

Info for Email Admins of GroupWise Post Offices

GroupWise to UMail Migration details/issues

Preparation for Migration to UMail

The information below contains many links to instructional web pages and important UMail migration documents. Click here to download a complete Zip file with all UMail migration links and documents.

Information For Email Administrators of GroupWise Post Offices

This is important information about the process that needs to be followed to successfully migrate from GroupWise to the campus UMail system. Please ensure that all support staff (server and desktop support) get a copy of this document for reference.

System Administrator Familiarization

Email system administrators need to familiarize themselves with the features and functions of the UMail system as well as the client software features prior to planning a department migration. There are many reference web pages in place and being added regularly to make as much information available as possible. A good place to start is the Exchange Quick Reference feature guide, and the Campus UMail System FAQ & How Tos web page: http://www.it.utah.edu/services/helpDesk/emailWebhelp/index.html

Delegated Administration Tools

Departmental email system administrators will have access to delegated administrative tools that allow them to view and manage various aspects of their departmental user accounts. Attributes of user accounts that can be viewed and manipulated include mailbox quota settings, user aliases, user passwords and account activation/deactivation. Complete instructions on using these tools will be available soon. View a demo DA Tools ppt presentation from the February IT Managers meeting.

Support for PDAs

Support for PDAs and operating systems is limited. Unfortunately, we are unable to support all devices and all operating systems. However, that does not mean that unsupported devices or operating systems will not synchronize with the UMail system. To find out which devices are supported and get assistance with these, please refer to the PDA support pages here: http://www.it.utah.edu/services/helpDesk/emailWebhelp/umailpda.html

If you have devices in your department that are not on the supported device/operating system list, you can refer to the vendor support pages to find out how those devices can synchronize with the UMail system.

UMail Migration Project Overview/Timeline

This remainder of this document is arranged in a timeline fashion, outlining various steps that need to be accomplished and in what timeframe, relative to your scheduled migration date. Please plan accordingly and make sure to assign appropriate dates to each task based on this suggested timeline. A project schedule template is available in HTML, Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Project file formats. If you want to use the Microsoft Project file format you must have access to Microsoft Project software.

60 Days Before Migration

Schedule a meeting with the OIT Systems group to discuss your department and system requirements and schedule your migration. Send an email request to umail-migrate@lists.utah.edu to schedule an appointment.
Assess your department/user requirements, operating systems in use, email client software, etc. If you would like to take advantage of on online survey to assess your users' requirements, please email us and we will send you a link to the online utility.
Run GWCheck to verify various GroupWise databases are clean. This must be run before migration can occur.
If quotas are not already in place turn them on so users can see their mailbox size. Make sure to set the quota maximum larger than the largest user mailbox.

30 Days Before Migration

Notify users of pending migration and send link to the User Preparation Instructions (below).
Encourage users to prepare for migration by cleaning up their mailboxes. Instructions link: http://www.it.utah.edu/services/helpDesk/emailWebhelp/userpreparation.html or
http://www.it.utah.edu/services/helpDesk/emailWebhelp/UserPreparationInstructions.pdf
Download the Migration Checklist that is right for your environment:
- Generic Migration Checklist (xls)
- GroupWise Migration Checklist (xls)
Document and submit to OIT:
- User information such as full name, preferred email address, uNID, etc., in a .csv file
- A document listing your domain(s) and corresponding MX records;
- Organization-level shared resources (including user permissions)
- Any white, grey or black lists that are in place on the current system;
- (download http://www.it.utah.edu/services/helpDesk/emailWebhelp/Migration_info_form.xls for file specifications and requirements for above documentation);
- (GroupWise system admins should download http://www.it.utah.edu/services/helpDesk/emailWebhelp/Migration_info_form-gw.xls for file specifications and requirements for this documentation)
User archives should be saved to a central location on a network-accessible server.
Identify users with multiple archives and assist users with consolidating archives.
Make sure users have appropriate client software. Most client software is available as a free download through the Office of Software Licensing (www.software.utah.edu).
Schedule instructor-led training for your users or refer them to the online computer-based Microsoft training (this must be done from U of U IP space).
Have Windows/Outlook users download and run the Outlook profile file (.prf) at www.it.utah.edu/services/helpDesk/emailWebhelp/umailprofile.html
(Also see the profile file in .txt format) OR
To configure multiple Windows machines with the UMail profile, download the Outlook profile file yourself and follow the steps at www.it.utah.edu/services/helpDesk/emailWebhelp/umailprofile.html .
Submit role and authorization forms for UMail Delegated Administration access.
- Create or modify a role: Delegated Administration role add/change form (pdf)
- Get permission to use the role: Delegated Administration authorization (pdf)

2 Weeks Before Migration

Final planning meeting for migration
Change MX records for all domains to route through mailgate.utah.edu. (see Changing MX Records instructions)
Test and verify mail delivery through mailgate.utah.edu
Turn off all auto-archive rules. (see Disabling Auto-Archiving instructions)
Update user information previously submitted.
Verify that all users have installed and configured email client software.
Resource meeting with OIT Systems to determine how organization-level resources should be set up in Exchange (contact vs. mail account vs. public folder; single owner). See the Outlook Resource vs Public/Shared Folder matrix for clarification (pdf).

Week of Migration

Signoff for proceeding with migration.
Verify accounts are provisioned for all user accounts.
Have users login to www.umail.utah.edu to verify account access.
Update user information previously submitted with any last minute changes.

Migration Day

Mail routing is changed to direct mail to UMail instead of departmental system. Email will begin being directed to users UMail mailbox.
Users should begin using the UMail system via whatever client software they have chosen.
Organizational or building shared (or proxy-accessed) resources are migrated first. These will be set up in UMail as discussed with departmental management, users and system administrator.
User mailboxes and address books are migrated next.
Users’ GroupWise mailbox items will populate their new mailboxes as the migration proceeds.

Things to Know About the GroupWise to UMail Migration Process

There are reporting utilities that will take the GWCheck Log and generate a list of the mailbox sizes for each users if quotas are an issue. This information is needed to determine a migration time frame. That GWCheck log will also show a user’s shared resources and proxy settings.
Frequent Contacts are not migrated as the rule. If email administrators choose to migrate Frequent Contacts, they should educate their users about how Frequent Contacts work and the pros and cons of this choice.
Both departmental and individual shared folders/address books will migrate for owners only. An automated message with instructions on accessing new shared resources will be sent to all affected users.
Proxy access (called Delegation in Exchange) will migrate.
Archives will be migrated a short time after mailboxes (3-5 days).
If users want archives to migrate at the same time as their mailbox they should move their archive back into their mailbox before the migration.
Caution! Large archives could put users over quota limits if they are in place. Make sure users are aware of this possibility and make sure you have enough space available on your file server.
Archives will be saved as PSTs at migration to a temporary OIT file share. A DVD will be burned (one per department) and the files will be deleted.
Archives that are missed during the migration can be moved ad hoc at a later time. If they are missed during migration because: 1) they weren’t on a network server or 2) they were a 2nd or 3rd archive file, they will be lower on the priority list.
Reports of any errors will be provided to IT Admins after each migration.