Lesson 3: Preparing the Client Base for Exchange 2000 Server | MCSE Training Kit (Exam 70-225): Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Design and Deployment (Pro-Certification)

Migrating to Exchange 2000 Server is not only a question of integrating and replacing server systems with each other. A far greater challenge is the move of the user community to the new platform. The actual amount of work depends to a large degree on the installed client base. For instance, if your users are not already using Outlook 2000 in an Exchange Server 5.5 organization, and you wish to take advantage of Exchange 2000’s advanced features, you may have to deploy new client software (that is, Outlook 2000) on all workstations and plan end user training to help your users familiarize themselves with their new environment. This is not a requirement for simple messaging, however, because Exchange 2000 Server supports standard protocols, and therefore, any Internet mail client can send and receive messages. It’s easier if your colleagues already work with Outlook 2000. A review of the client configurations and the messaging habits of your users will provide you with insight into the specific requirements of your organization.

This lesson explains how to document and assess user environments for a migration to Exchange 2000 Server. Among other things, you learn how to deploy Outlook 2000 with various messaging systems, such as Lotus cc:Mail, Lotus Domino, and Novell GroupWise. This can be an interesting option if you want to prepare a user community for a migration prior to the installation of Exchange 2000 Server.

After this lesson, you will be able to

Document the messaging habits and client requirements of your users
Identify appropriate client software for your users to participate in the Exchange 2000 organization
Determine whether an existing client base is ready for the deployment of Exchange 2000 Server

Estimated time to complete this lesson: 45 minutes

Understanding the User Community

A migration to Exchange 2000 Server typically involves the replacement of messaging clients and workgroup solutions while retraining the data of your users. It’s not much different from replacing a mechanical typewriter with a PC. Paper and ink will go (unless you install a printer for backward compatibility reasons), while the information remains (scanned in and now saved in electronic files). A PC is significantly more powerful than a typewriter, but crucial features, such as the keyboard layout, do not change when exchanging the systems. Otherwise, the users will find it frustrating to work with the new PCs, won’t make use of the new features, and consequently, their productivity will drop. Just follow this little experiment: Change your keyboard layout to German, then type a few sentences, and then count how often you misspelled a word because the z is now a y and vice versa. If you couldn’t switch back to the English layout, you might opt to go back to the typewriter to do your work!

The same principle applies to your migration project. You need to carefully study how your users work with their data to understand how the "keys" are currently arranged. The better you match the new "keyboard layout" to that of the legacy system, the easier your users will find it to work productively in the Exchange 2000 organization. It’s not immediately important how many exciting features the new messaging system provides. The point is to retain as many features of the old system as possible in the new environment.

Messaging Clients

As explained in Chapter 1, "Introduction to Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server," you can use a broad variety of messaging clients to participate in an Exchange 2000 organization. Exchange users typically work with a Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI)-based client, such as Microsoft Outlook 98 or Microsoft Outlook 2000, but you can also use an Internet-based client, such as Microsoft Outlook Express or Outlook Web Access (OWA), to create and read messages. If your users are using any of these clients already, they can continue to do so in the Exchange 2000 organization—and the "keyboard layout" is retained.

Outlook 2000 in Heterogeneous Environments

If you are using a proprietary messaging client, such as Lotus Notes R5, you need to change the user interface (that is, the messaging client) with the migration. However, the good news is that Outlook 2000 can most likely support the legacy system through an appropriate MAPI transport driver. Many transport drivers are included in the Outlook 2000 product package and others can be downloaded from the Web. Most vendors provide a MAPI transport driver for their messaging systems to open up the power of Outlook to their customers (Table 4.4).

Table 4.4 Important Messaging Systems and MAPI Transport Drivers

Messaging System	MAPI Transport Driver	Obtainable From
Exchange Server 5.5 and Exchange 2000 Server	Exchange Transport	Included in Outlook 2000
MS Mail	MS Mail Transport	Included in Outlook 2000
Lotus cc:Mail	Microsoft Outlook Support for Lotus cc:Mail	Included in Outlook 2000
POP3 mail systems	Internet Mail Transport	Included in Outlook 2000
Lotus Domino	iNotes Access for Microsoft Outlook	Lotus Development Corporation
Novell GroupWise	GroupWise 5.5 Plug-In for Outlook	Novell, Inc.

It may be a good idea to use an appropriate MAPI transport driver and deploy Outlook 2000 to all desktops prior to the migration to Exchange 2000 Server. You can then let your users test this client in their current environment. Be aware, however, that they may not want to change back to their old system. In any case, testing Outlook 2000 helps build familiarity with the new client interface while users work in a familiar environment. This strategy can make system changes more bearable and accelerate the actual migration process. All it takes later on is a reconfiguration of the MAPI transport to let the users work with Exchange 2000 Server. It is possible to automate the configuration of the MAPI transport, for instance via a customized login script.

Client Access Methods

Depending on the access method, messaging clients can be classified as online, remote, and offline clients (Figure 4.12). Online clients are permanently connected to the server and the users can work with their messages stored in their server-based mailboxes. Remote clients, on the other hand, establish a dial-up connection to the server to download the messages, and then they disconnect. The users can work with a local messages store on their clients and don’t need a permanent connection. Offline clients maintain a local replica of the server-based mailbox. When connected to the server, the client replicates any changes, new messages, and message deletions between the offline store and the server-based mailbox. When the client is offline, the user is still able to work with the messages (in the offline store) and the client behaves as if a connection to the server still exists. Outlook 2000 and Internet mail clients that support IMAP4 are able to operate in connected, remote, or offline mode.

Figure 4.12 - Online, remote, and offline clients

Documenting the Existing User and Client Environment

You should document your existing user environment so that the project team can design the Exchange 2000 organization according to user requirements and expectations. As mentioned earlier, the new messaging environment should initially provide features similar to that of the former system. The more similarities there are, the quicker the users will learn how to use the Exchange 2000 organization to their advantage. Advanced changes may be introduced after the production rollout. For instance, if your users currently work with an Internet mail client, such as Eudora Pro, it may make sense to migrate to Exchange 2000 Server and let your users continue to use Eudora Pro for messaging. Gradually and in stages, you can then deploy Outlook 2000 and provide appropriate end user training.

When documenting the user environment, include the following information:

The current client topology, including the number of clients in each location, the access methods, and user mail habits
The configuration standards for messaging clients, including hardware, client software, and other messaging or groupware applications

Documenting the Current User Environment

The messaging habits of your users greatly influence your options to migrate user data. For instance, if your users download all their messages from the server to their clients, you will not be able to migrate their data centrally using a migration utility. More often than not, users who store their messages locally will have to perform the data migration themselves. Another critical example is a user who works with encrypted messages. To migrate encrypted items from one system to another, decryption is required because the messages have to be converted into Exchange formats. Of course, only the correct user will be able to perform the decryption. You cannot migrate encrypted messages on behalf of your users. Besides, if it is not feasible to store sensitive information in nonencrypted form in Exchange 2000, encrypted items should not be migrated. Your documentation must make clear how to handle encrypted messages. You can read more about the migration of user data in Chapter 7, "Designing a Migration Plan to Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server."

You should also document how many messages your users send during a normal business day and during peak hours. This information allows you to predict the workload in the future Exchange 2000 organization. The amount of message traffic usually does not change just because you migrate to a new system. The amount of messages (that is, the communication needs) depends much more on the business role and responsibilities of the users.

Furthermore, take a look at your users’ current mailbox sizes. At a minimum, the new environment should allow all users to store the same amount or more data in their mailboxes. It is not a good idea to enforce more restrictive mailbox quotas with the new system. Your users would then not experience the new Exchange 2000 organization as a positive change to their workplace. Document the average and maximum mailbox sizes to provide the project team with the required information to adequately design the future message stores. Remember that the mailbox and public store databases of Exchange 2000 Enterprise Edition have no size limitation and can grow up to the capacity of your server’s hard disk system.

The documentation of the current client environment should provide answers to the following questions:

How many messages do the users generate in each location?
What are the current storage requirements?
Are advanced security technologies used to encrypt messages?
Which methods are used to access mailbox and public servers (that is, permanent or modem connections)?

Documenting the Client Configuration

Most of the client configuration is documented as part of the network environment, as discussed in Chapter 3, "Assessing the Current Network Environment." You should review and possibly update this documentation to determine whether the installed client base is ready for Exchange 2000 Server or requires configuration changes.

You should also include information about any existing workgroup and workflow solutions, whether you intend to migrate them or not. Document those applications that are going to be migrated in detail to ensure they are ported to Exchange 2000 Server accurately. For applications that you do not intend to migrate, specify why they are excluded.

Your network environment should provide answers to the following questions:

How many and which messaging clients are installed in each location of the corporate network?
Are there special messaging or groupware applications installed on the workstations?
Who is responsible for end user support and the configuration of desktops?
What are the hardware standards in each location?
Which operating systems are installed on the workstations?
Do you use systems management software or group policy to control the configuration of the workstations?

Assessing the Installed Client Base

When reviewing the installed client base, the most important question is whether your workstations are capable of running the desired messaging client. Usually, this will be Outlook 2000, which requires at a minimum an Intel Pentium-compliant processor, 40 MB (or better 64 MB) of RAM, and 160 MB of disk space on a machine running Windows 2000 Professional. If your workstations cannot support Outlook, for instance because they run a UNIX operating system, you have to find an alternate client solution (such as an Internet mail client, Outlook Web Access) or deploy a terminal server client, which is a viable option if you want to bring Outlook 2000 functionality to every desktop in your environment.

In assessing the existing client base, you should answer the following questions:

What client functionality do the users require in the future to accomplish their daily work?
Are the current workstations capable of running the desired messaging clients for Exchange 2000 Server?
Does the current messaging system support the desired messaging clients and is it feasible to deploy the clients in the current environment?
What are the options for converting existing messaging and groupware applications into Exchange 2000 applications?
Do users require training on the desired messaging clients for Exchange 2000 Server?

Analyzing the Requirements of the User Community at Adventure Works

Adventure Works, currently operating an Exchange organization, had fully deployed Outlook 98 to all workstations during the rollout of Exchange Server 5.5. According to John Y. Chen, Senior IT Administrator, "Our users generally appreciate the functionality in Outlook, although they are not using the client’s full capabilities. We use Outlook primarily for messaging and less for groupware. The offline folder configuration appears to be especially popular amongst our tourist guides. Down in the wildlife you can’t expect a telephone line for a modem connection around every corner. We hope that Exchange 2000 Server will give us even more opportunities for mobile communication. However, if possible, we would like to skip upgrading to Outlook 2000 and wait until Microsoft ships their next Outlook version."

Summarizing the situation for Adventure Works, Chen recommended using Outlook 98 as the preferred messaging client. This will help Adventure Works to hold the costs of migration at a minimum and keep a tight project schedule because there is no need to upgrade workstations or provide end user training.

Activity: Evaluating Client Installations

In this activity, you need to review the installed client bases at Coho Vineyard & Winery and Woodgrove Bank and recommend appropriate actions to prepare the users’ workstations. It is your task to determine the best possible messaging client for Exchange 2000 Server.

Tip

You can use Figure B.12 in Appendix B as a guideline to accomplish this activity.

Scenario: Coho Vineyard & Winery

Currently, the users at Coho Vineyard & Winery are free to choose their own Internet mail client for messaging. "Many of our users prefer to work with Eudora mail. Others find Outlook Express convenient to use. It really doesn’t matter what client a user uses because we only deal with plain e-mail messages at the moment. And Internet mail works great on our legacy UNIX workstations. However, we intend to standardize on Outlook 2000. In fact, the deployment of Outlook 2000 on all of our workstations was one of the most important reasons we chose a multistage migration in small user groups to Exchange 2000 Server," said Paul West, Information Technology Administrator. Table 4.5 gives a concise overview of Coho Vineyard & Winery’s installed client base.

Table 4.5 The Installed Client Base at Coho Vineyard & Winery

Location	No. of Clients	Messaging Client	Operating System	Hardware	Mail Access Methods
Napa Valley	200	Eudora Pro, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and other Internet mail clients	Windows 2000 Professional	Pentium III 750 MHz 64 MB RAM 100 Mbps Ethernet adapter	LAN
Los Angeles	20	Eudora Pro and other Internet mail clients	Windows 98	Pentium II 750 MHz 64 MB RAM 10 Mbps Ethernet adapter and 56kbps modems	Modem
New York	30	Eudora Pro and other Internet mail clients	Windows 98, Apple Macintosh, Red Hat Linux 6.2	Pentium II 750 MHz 64 MB RAM 10/100 Mbps Ethernet adapter, and for Macintosh, 400 MHZ G3 processor, 128 MB RAM, 10/.100 Mbps Ethernet adapter	Asynchro- nous Digital Subscriber Line

It is your task to identify required configuration changes on the workstations to prepare Coho Vineyard & Winery’s client base for the migration to Exchange 2000 Server.

Are all operating systems capable of running Outlook 2000?
Does the current hardware meet the requirements of Outlook 2000?
Do you need to provide end user training on Outlook 2000?

Scenario: Woodgrove Bank

Woodgrove Bank intends to migrate their entire environment to Exchange 2000 Server in multiple stages. The MS Mail environment in Switzerland will be migrated first, followed by all other locations. "We understand that migrating to Exchange 2000 Server is primarily a challenge for our users," says Luis Bonifaz, Chief Information Officer. "Replacing the server systems is relatively easy because their number is small, but migrating thousands of users is a significant challenge. Our users must receive appropriate training to familiarize them with Outlook 2000. The better our users know their new client, the easier the transition to the new messaging environment will be. Ideally, we would like to deploy Outlook 2000 in all locations parallel to the migration of our MS Mail environment in Switzerland. When we start migrating our international locations, the users will already be familiar with Outlook 2000. This seems very promising to us." A summary of Woodgrove Bank’s installed client base is displayed in Table 4.6.

Table 4.6 The Installed Client Base at Woodgrove Bank

Location	No. of Clients	Messaging Client	Operating System	Hardware	Mail Access Methods
Switzerland	500	Outlook 2000 with MS Mail transport driver	Windows 2000 Professional	Pentium III 750 MHz 64 MB RAM 100 Mbps Ethernet adapter	LAN
Germany	500	Outlook 2000	Windows 2000 Professional	Pentium III 750 MHz 64 MB RAM 10 Mbps Ethernet	LAN
England	500	Lotus Notes R4.6	Windows 2000 Professional	Pentium III 750 MHz 64 MB RAM 10 Mbps Ethernet	LAN
United States	500	Lotus Notes R5	Windows 2000 Professional	Pentium III 750 MHz 64 MB RAM 10 Mbps Ethernet	LAN
Cayman Islands	500	Lotus cc:Mail release 8	Windows 2000 Professional	Pentium III 750 MHz 64 MB RAM 10 Mbps Ethernet	LAN
Hong Kong SAR	500	Novell GroupWise 5.5	Windows 2000 Professional	Pentium III 750 MHz 64 MB RAM 10 Mbps Ethernet	LAN
Japan	500	Outlook 2000	Windows 2000 Professional	Pentium III 750 MHz 64 MB RAM 10 Mbps Ethernet	LAN

It is your task to identify required configuration changes on the workstations to prepare Woodgrove Bank’s client base for the migration to Exchange 2000 Server.

Are all operating systems capable of running Outlook 2000?
Does the current hardware meet the requirements of Outlook 2000?
Do you need to provide end user training on Outlook 2000 prior to the migration of the MS Mail environment in Switzerland?
Is it possible to deploy Outlook 2000 in all locations of Woodgrove Bank prior to the migration to Exchange 2000 Server?

Lesson Summary

A review of the client configurations and the messaging habits of your users can help you determine whether the installed client base is ready for Exchange 2000 Server. The ideal Exchange 2000 client is Outlook 2000. If your workstations support this messaging client, you should deploy it as part of your project. Users who have never used Outlook before will need appropriate end user training. Without training, the rich functionality of Outlook 2000 can be overwhelming. You can use Outlook 2000 online, as a remote client, or in offline mode.

If your users are currently working with an Internet-based messaging client, they can continue using their clients in the future Exchange 2000 organization. This can facilitate the move to Exchange 2000 Server. You can also deploy Outlook 2000 in the existing environment and use the Internet transport driver to send and receive messages. The users will then be able to familiarize themselves with the new messaging client before Exchange 2000 Server is deployed. After the deployment, it is only necessary to change the client configuration, which is not difficult. You can also use Outlook 2000 to connect to MS Mail, Lotus cc:Mail, Lotus Notes, or Novell GroupWise. For the latter two, a MAPI transport driver must be obtained from the vendor.