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Migrate Exchange 2013 to 2019: Easy Guide to Move System Mailboxes

Maarten ~ Modified: December 24th, 2024 ~ Exchange ~ 6 Minutes Reading

This article shows methods for moving system mailboxes to migrate Exchange 2013 to 2019. It is crucial to update the organization’s email infrastructure to use new features and enhanced security for better productivity. The migration of mailboxes requires careful planning and execution.

System mailboxes are the special mailboxes used by the server for various internal processes. It includes arbitration mailboxes, which are responsible for maintaining the operation of an organization. They check for moderation requests, compliance auditing, and monitoring mailboxes. While performing migration, it is necessary to migrate arbitration mailboxes to maintain an organization’s operational integrity.

Table of Content

  1. Brief About Microsoft Exchange Server 2013
  2. Features of Microsoft Exchange Server 2013
  3. Brief About Microsoft Exchange Server 2019
  4. Features of Microsoft Exchange Server 2019
  5. Quick Comparison Between Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 & 2019
  6. Pre-requisite of Moving From Exchange 2013 to 2019
  7. Manual Method
  8. Automated Method
  9. Conclusion
  10. FAQs

Brief About Microsoft Exchange Server 2013

Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 was released on October 11, 2012, as the successor to Exchange Server 2010. It is an enterprise-grade email, calendaring, and collaboration platform, specially designed for organizations of all sizes.

Features of Microsoft Exchange Server 2013

User Experience

  • It provides features like email archiving and unified messaging for a better user experience.
  • It supports protocols like HTTP, POP, IMAP, and SMTP to easily handle client connections with Exchange Server.
  • Outlook Web app is a web-based email client that allows users to access their mailboxes from anywhere.
  • Users can connect to their Exchange mailbox using Outlook from anywhere.

High Availability

  • It has database availability groups that provide automatic recovery from failures such as database, network, and server failures. It allows for continuous replication and automatic failover of mailboxes.

Enhanced Management and Administration

  • Comes with Exchange Admin Center(EAC), a web-based task management to manage all tasks within a single interface.
  • Includes PowerShell which is a powerful scripting tool for automation and administration.

Security

  • Data loss prevention prevents sensitive data from sharing with unauthorized users.
  • Features like eDiscovery help in searching and holding emails for legal and compliance purposes.

Better Connectivity and Messaging

  • It integrates voicemail and email into a single infrastructure, so users can easily access and manage their voicemails alongside emails.
  • Users can easily connect using their mobile phones, and tablet to synchronize their emails, calendars, and other tasks.

Brief About Microsoft Exchange Server 2019

It is the latest version of Microsoft Exchange Server, released in October 2018. This is a server developed by Microsoft that provides email calendaring and collaboration platforms for organizations to collaborate and communicate effectively.

Features of Microsoft Exchange Server 2019

  • Uses TLS 1.2 by default for enhanced security.
  • Higher hardware supporting capabilities up to 48 CPU cores and 256 GB of RAM.
  • Simplified management with the Exchange Admin Center and enhanced PowerShell commands.
  • It Improved Hybrid deployments with an Exchange Server.
  • Optimized for modern hardware, with better support for SSD storage to handle large mailboxes.
  • It supports the HTTP/2 protocol for improved performance.
  • Uses OAuth 2.0 for better integration with Microsoft 365 and Azure.

Also Read: How to Delegate Access in Outlook 365?

Quick Comparison Between Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 and 2019

Features Exchange Server 2013 Exchange Server 2019
Release Date October, 2013 October, 2018
Deployment On-premises On-premises
Supported OS Windows Server 2008 R2, 2012 , Windows Server 2012 R2 Windows Server 2019, 2022
Editions Standard, Enterprise Edition Standard and Enterprise Edition
Server Configuration 24 CPU Cores, 192 GB RAM Maximum 48 CPU Cores, 256 RAM
Database Size 1 TB per Database 1 TB per Database
Mailbox Limit 5 Databases(Standard Edition), 100 Databases(Enterprise Edition) 5 Databases for the Standard Edition and 100 Databases for the Enterprise Edition
Protocols Supported HTTP, IMAP, SMTP, and POP to handle client connections. Similar Set of Protocols(HTTP, SMTP, IMAP, and POP).
Security SSL, Data Loss Prevention(Limited), Malware Protection Advanced Threat Protection, Anti-Malware, Data Loss Prevention, and Improved SSL(Secure Sockets Layer).
Management Tools Exchange Control Panel, Exchange Management PowerShell Exchange Admin Center and Exchange Management Shell or PowerShell.
Search Granular Search, Limited Indexing Improved Search with Bing Integration and better Indexing in the database.
Cloud Integration Limited Deployment Capabilities with Exchange Online Improved Hybrid Deployment Capabilities with Exchange Online
Availability Database Availability Groups to Overcome Failures Improved DAG to tackle failures
Unified Messaging Integrated Voicemails and Emails Infrastructure No, Unified Messaging
Client Support Outlook(2007, 2010, 2013) and Outlook Web App Outlook(2013, 2016, 2019) and Outlook Web Application

Pre-requisite of Moving From Exchange 2013 to 2019

  • Install the 2019 Exchange Server on a separate server that meets system requirements.
  • Configure and set necessary things such as user accounts, permissions, certificates, and others to ensure proper functionality.
  • Verify mailbox permissions and clean up the inactive or archived emails on Exchange Server 2013.
  • Prepare Active Directory and complete the installation of the exchange 2019 and mailbox role.

Manual Method to Migrate Mailboxes from Exchange 2013 to 2019

Step 1. Sign in to the Exchange Admin Center and navigate to recipients and then mailboxes. Choose the mailboxes you want to migrate to the new Exchange Server.

Step 2. Click on the “+” option and choose the option Move to a Different Database. You can add more mailboxes in the next window.

Step 3. Select the database from Exchange Server 2019 in which you want to migrate and give a new name to the migration batch. You can choose what you want to migrate such as primary mailboxes, archive mailboxes, or public folders.

Step 4. You can add a user who will be informed about the migration stages. Start migration instantly or choose a scheduled time when the Exchange Server has a lesser load.

Step 5. The migration batch can be automatically or you can select to create it manually.

Step 6. When the migration batch is created it will appear in the migration category. After mailboxes are synchronized, you can start migration accordingly.

Automated Method to Migrate Mailboxes Exchange Server 2013 to 2019

Migrating data is not an easy task, there are many challenges the users face when migrating. Using the right approach is necessary to prevent data loss and security threats. You can use an automated and secure Exchange to Exchange Migration software. The user-friendly software interface can migrate your mailbox from Exchange Server 2013 to 2019 easily.

Conclusion

We have discussed the two Microsoft Exchange Servers 2013 and 2019, and their features. Also, done a quick comparison between them, and seen manual methods to migrate mailboxes. However, manual methods are complex and require expertise, or in some cases, they can lead to data loss. Further, discussed an automated approach to migrate mailboxes Exchange Server 2013 to 2019.

FAQs

Q1. Why should I upgrade from Exchange 2013 to Exchange 2019?

You will get several benefits by upgrading to Exchange 2019 such as better & improved performance, strong security features, and better integration with other Microsoft 365 services and applications.

Q2. How to verify the successful migration status?

Check and ensure that all the mailboxes are working properly in the new Exchange 2019 environment. Also, check the mail flow, calendar sharing, and other services. Check the status of each move request to ensure they are completed successfully.

Q3. How to move discovery search mailboxes using PowerShell?

You can use the following command to move the search mailboxes:

Get-Mailbox -RecipientTypeDetails DiscoveryMailbox | New-MoveRequest -TargetDatabase "NewDatabase"