Migrating an email address across to an Exchange server

[cprelude]

I am currently setting up a colleague as a client on a hosted Exchange
server, i.e., the server is hosted by a company and we are effectively
renting a mailbox on that server. My friend is using Outlook 2003 as
his client software. My colleague does not, however, want to change
his email address to the default address provided by the Exchange
Server company when he signed on for the rented mailbox. He does
however want to transfer his existing email address, so that email
address is now hosted by Exchange server. For the sake of an example,
let's call that existing email address "(e-mail address removed)". I am
finding the technical support provided by hosting company to be
woefully inadequate, and they are not all clear about the process by
which my friend can go about this step. As I understand it, the
following steps need to happen:
1) Migrate my friend's MX records, representing "(e-mail address removed)"
from the existing pop3 host (a different internet hosting company) to
the new hosted exchange server.
2) Add a second, new email address (effectively a second mailbox) to
my friend's rented Exchange server space, with this email being an
"Alias". The alias created is called "(e-mail address removed)".
3) Somehow (and I don't know how exatly?) reconfigure Outlook 2003 on
my friend's client PC so that (e-mail address removed) becomes a
synchronised account, with its collection of ost folders, as an
integral part of the hosted Exchange service.
I am very much looking for clarity and advice on the three guestimated
above steps as the new hosting company simply seems unable to answer
my questions, or under-resourced that it amounts to them same thing!

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

#1-2: Possible only if oldmailbox.com is a domain that the user owns in its entirety, so that he has full control over its MX records.

#3: No reconfiguration needed. The user would need to create a new mail profile using the Exchange mailbox credentials.

 

[F.H. Muffman]

I am currently setting up a colleague as a client on a hosted Exchange
server, i.e., the server is hosted by a company and we are effectively
renting a mailbox on that server. My friend is using Outlook 2003 as
his client software. My colleague does not, however, want to change
his email address to the default address provided by the Exchange
Server company when he signed on for the rented mailbox. He does
however want to transfer his existing email address, so that email
address is now hosted by Exchange server. For the sake of an example,
let's call that existing email address "(e-mail address removed)". I am
finding the technical support provided by hosting company to be
woefully inadequate, and they are not all clear about the process by
which my friend can go about this step. As I understand it, the
following steps need to happen:
1) Migrate my friend's MX records, representing "(e-mail address removed)"
from the existing pop3 host (a different internet hosting company) to
the new hosted exchange server.

This isn't entirely true.

An MX record does not point to a mailbox, but to a domain. If Bob doesn't
own oldmailbox.com, then you wouldn't be able to change the MX record. If
he *does*, then yes,

2) Add a second, new email address (effectively a second mailbox) to
my friend's rented Exchange server space, with this email being an
"Alias". The alias created is called (e-mail address removed).

Well, odds are it won't actually be a second mailbox at all. Just an
alternate email address on the single mailbox. At least, that's how I'd
admin it. The only downside is that you don't get the alternate address on
the replies. Which could be a bit of a pain.

3) Somehow (and I don't know how exatly?) reconfigure Outlook 2003 on
my friend's client PC so that (e-mail address removed) becomes a
synchronised account, with its collection of ost folders, as an
integral part of the hosted Exchange service.

Well, it all depends, again, on how they admin it. If it's simply a second
address on the single mailbox, then you don't need to do anything. If it's
a second mailbox, you either need to set up a second profile or open the
second exchange mailbox as an other mailbox on the Advanced tab of the
Exchange Server settings of the profile.

 

[cprelude]

#1-2: Possible only if oldmailbox.com is a domain that the user owns in its entirety, so that he has full control over its MX records.

#3: No reconfiguration needed. The user would need to create a new mail profile using the Exchange mailbox credentials.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Microsoft Outlook 2007 Programming:
Jumpstart for Power Users and Administrators
http://www.outlookcode.com/article.aspx?id=54

Hi Sue...OK, so if he does ownership of oldmailbox.com incorporate the
following: he pays an internet hosting company to host the domain for
him, has his website and pop3 mailbox there, attached to that domain?
This "other company" is NOT the company that hosts the exchange
service.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

If he owns the domain oldmailbox.com, then he should consult the original hosting company about managing his individual DNS records.

You will still need to talk to the Exchange host company about adding the oldmailbox.com domain to your hosting service. Note that what you're moving toward is having all the mail for oldmailbox.com go through the Exchange server.