Is there a way of importing the Exchange Server info into a client via GP or Registry?

[halloween.habgood]

Hi All

I'm due to upgrade our site to Exch 2003 shortly, and this means a
fresh install on a new server. Old server is still running Exch 5.5 and
what we plan to do is, upgrade this to 2000, then to 2003 and then
fresh install 2003 on new server and then migrate mailboxes etc over.

We have about 200 users, who will all want to come in first thing on
Monday morning and log in as normal (we want this to be as transparent
as possible). However, their Outlook clients are all locally installed,
not published.

Is there any way to change which server their Outlook points to for its
Exchange mailbox upon logon? Via Group Policy or some sort of registry
setting? I don't want to have 200 people screaming at me haha...

Thanks in advance

Halloween

 

[Noel All]

I would post this to an exchange newsgroup as there a few methods available
and the guys/gals over there would be able to point you in the right
direction, also Microsoft has published whitepapers on various scenarios on
migration and upgrading (for instance the swing method
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;264879) also check
out http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;327928