Lotus Domino to Exchange Migration Without Using MS Transport Suite

With the growing popularity of Microsoft Exchange, the world has also seen the decline of Lotus Domino in recent time. Every day, people switch to Exchange Server from Lotus Notes. Many other willing users are unaware of the migration methods. For these group of people, this blog will be beneficial. The reason is, it will discuss Lotus Domino to Exchange export techniques in detail. Other necessary information about Lotus Notes to Exchange Server migration will also be covered in this post. Let us get started with the necessity of IBM Domino Server to Microsoft Exchange Server conversion. You can even try an automated solution i.e SysTools Mail Migration Wizard to export Lotus Notes email to Exchange.

Necessity of Lotus Notes to Exchange Conversion

Users face the necessity of Lotus Notes data migration to Exchange for various reasons.

1. Complete Migration: Many organizations switch from Lotus Notes to O365 for better facilities. In this case, they need to export Domino Server data to Exchange Server for obvious reasons.
2. Data Synchronization: Sometimes, it becomes necessary to synchronize data between these two servers. For this reason, users want to migrate data from IBM Domino to Exchange.

How to Migrate Lotus Domino Items to Exchange

There are two techniques to export IBM Lotus Domino to Exchange. We will call the first one as conventional technique and another one as trouble-free technique. Users will learn about both the techniques from this post.

Conventional Technique to Convert IBM Lotus Notes to Exchange

Earlier, traditional Lotus Domino files to Exchange migration was possible using Microsoft Transporter Suite. This suite has been discontinued by Microsoft in 2007. Since then, ‘Exchange 2007 bridgehead server’ (within Exchange 2013 environment) is used for Domino Server to Exchange migration. As this conventional technique is complex, we will briefly know about steps of executing this process. The steps are:

i. Pre-Migration Assessment: This is the first step of the whole migration process. You need to gather complete knowledge about resources and requirements in this stage.

ii. Confirming Coexistence of Lotus Domino and MS Exchange: For directory synchronization, make sure you have both Lotus Domino and Exchange before export.

iii. Provisioning Exchange Mailbox: This step is closely related to coexistence. Users are pre-provisioned as contacts in Exchange, that route the mail back to Domino.

iv. Setting Migration Baseline: This step includes knowing how fast the data travels in your environment. This information allows you to plan migration activities properly.

v. Performing a Pilot Export: The aim of this step is to know upcoming challenges practically. Even more, challenges should be expected during the actual conversion process.

vi. Data Storage Designing: The required data space for resultant data can largely vary from the source data space. Users must calculate it and act accordingly before export.

vii. Migrate Domino to Exchange and Follow Its Progress: In this final step, the migration is done. Organizations should analyze the migration report to find out success rate.

Challenges Encountered While Exporting Lotus Domino to Exchange

This conventional method is not only extravagant but also complex in nature. Users face these challenges while implementing the conventional method for Lotus Notes migration:

1. It takes a significant amount of time to completely execute this conversion process manually. Apart from this, money and other resources are also been consumed in this process.

2. Organizations should know about required resources and potential risks of this export process. Experts should be consulted for a suggestion. Otherwise, the company can face severe data loss and other issues.

3. If necessary amount of investment, manpower, tool and time are not available, migration process might stop in midway. Organizations should be aware of these issues before starting the process.

4.Different types of logistical challenges also appear while implementing the conventional method. These include migration scheduling, training users, and providing support for them after the migration is over.

Trouble-Free Technique to Convert Lotus Notes to MS Exchange

The discussion distinctly shows the difficulty level of performing IBM Domino to Exchange 2013 migration conventionally. To avoid all these troubles, users can choose trouble-free technique of using Mail Migration Wizard. This program exempts users from all the hassle and conveniently exports Lotus Domino to Exchange. This tool can convert Lotus Notes NSF files to Exchange Server in a batch efficiently. This program is capable of decrypting encrypted NSF files before migration. The tool requires Lotus Notes 9.0 or below versions to be installed for migration. Here are some of the highlighted features of this application:

1. Migrates multiple Domino Server Mailboxes to Exchange in a batch
2. Mailbox Mapping option available for direct migration to Exchange
3. Also contains option to translate Canonical Name into SMTP format
4. Supports Calendar Recurrence during Lotus Notes Calendar export
5. Retains original Message Internet Header and Read/Unread status
6. Live Exchange Server and Domino Server are required for migration.
7. Installation of Lotus Notes 9.0 or any other version is compulsory
8. Supports Exchange Server 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, 2003, & 2000

Conclusion

In a nutshell, the conventional or manual method of Lotus Domino to Exchange migration is almost impossible to perform. The only other option left for the users is using the tool mentioned in the post. This software can convert multiple Lotus Notes mailboxes into MS Exchange easily. Mailbox mapping and canonical name translation are also possible with the help of this program. Users can use this software to transfer Domino Server to Exchange in a short time.