Preparing public folder migration to exchange 2013

By setting up Public Folders in Exchange Server and facilitating shared access to them, Microsoft has introduced a very convenient way to collect, organize and share information within a work group or organization. Though there were some significant changes in the design of Public Folders, they exist in Exchange 2013 also. Now a days Microsoft encourages the usage of SharePoint for collaborative works space. However, Exchange users seem to be very comfortable with the usage of Public Folders.

Public Folders – What are they?

Public folders provide a shared space that is accessible to all the users in a work group or organization. Generally, they reside on the public folder database of the Exchange Server. They are organized in in a hierarchical order that ease the browsing experience. Users of Outlook Web App for Exchange 2013, Outlook 2013, Outlook 2010, Outlook 2007, and Outlook for Mac can view and access Public folders in their Outlook folder view.

Modern Public Folders - Public Folders in Exchange 2013

In Exchange 2013, there is no Public folder database. Instead, Public folders in Exchange 2013 reside on mailbox database. The public folder mailboxes, the main part of public folders, can reside on one or more mailbox databases. A Database Availability Group (DAG) makes these databases available for public folders.

Types of Public Folder Mailboxes

Public Folder mailboxes are of two types:

• Primary hierarchy mailbox 

It contains the public folder hierarchy in original (it is copied to all secondary hierarchy mailboxes as a read-only copy). This folder can contain public folder content as well.

• Secondary hierarchy mailboxes

It contains the public folder content. It also contains a read-only copy of the public folder hierarchy.

Managing Public Folder Mailboxes

Users have two options for managing Public Folder mailboxes, and performing various actions on them:

1. Through Exchange Admin Center :

In the Exchange admin center (EAC), the options for managing the public folders are available in Public folders > Public folder mailboxes.

2. Through Exchange Management Shell :

You can use Mailbox set of cmdlets of the Exchange Management Shell to manage Public Folder Mailboxes.

Migrating Public Folders to Exchange 2013 (from Exchange 2007/2010 within the same forest)

If you want to upgrade to Exchange 2013 from an earlier version, you need to migrate your Public folders to Exchange 2013 first. Please remember that you can move directly to Exchange 2013, only from Exchange 2010 (Exchange 2010 SP3 or later versions) and 2007 (Exchange 2007 SP3 RU10 or later versions). As mentioned above, Exchange 2013 does not have public folder database. Therefore, some precautions are necessary for the migration of Public Folders from earlier Exchange versions to Exchange 2013. You can move Exchange public folders to Exchange 2013 after you have moved all user mailboxes. In order to start the migration:

1. You should be a member of Exchange 2013 Organization Management role group
2. For Exchange Server 2010 SP3 - You should be a member of Exchange 2010 Organization Management or Server Management role groups.

OR

For Exchange 2007 SP3 RU10 - You need to have the Exchange 2007 Organization Administrator role or the Server Administrator role. Also, you should have the Public Folder Administrator role and assigned local Administrators group for target server.

The Steps in Brief for the Migration of Public Folders to Exchange 2013

For the migration of public folders, you do not have options in Exchange Management Console. You need to use PublicFolderMigrationRequest cmdlets of the Exchange Management Shell along with some PowerShell scripts. Here are the steps involved:

1. Download and save the Microsoft Exchange 2013 public folder migration scripts.
2. Perform prerequisite steps and prepare for the migration
3. Generate the .csv files
4. Create the public folder mailboxes on the Exchange 2013 server
5. Start the migration request as required for your Exchange version (2010/2007)
6. Log off all public folder users, and lock down the public folders on the legacy Exchange server
7. Resume the migration request to finalize the public folder migration
8. Test for the success of migration and unlock the public folder migration

Blog Summary

The migration of Public Folders from some earlier version to Exchange 2013 is performed using the cmdlets of the Exchange Management Shell and some PowerShell scripts. However, some third party utilities like, Lepide Exchange manager(http://www.lepide.com/exchange-manager/) provide the option to migrate public folders directly to Exchange 2013, from Exchange 2010 (Exchange 2010 SP3 or later versions) and 2007 (Exchange 2007 SP3 RU10 or later versions) .

About the Author

The author of this blog is an ardent observer of IT events, trends and technologies. He is watchful of every new happening in these fields. He tries to share his observations and assessments through this space. Your comments, feedbacks and opinions are appreciated here.