Migrating from Global Mailbox to Global Mailbox

You can migrate from one Global Mailbox to another. This is useful when you want to create a test environment, create your mailboxes, virtual roots, and event rules, then move them to a production environment when you are satisfied with your data.

The flow of migration from Global Mailbox to Global Mailbox involves the following major steps:
Step Where performed
Plan the migration and create a worksheet.  
Create an export file by running the exportUtility.sh or exportUtility.bat script from the command line. Source system
Review the export file. Source system
Import mailboxes, permissions, and event rules to target system by running the importUtility.sh or importUtility.bat script from the command line. Target system
Review the imported assets to confirm the results. Target system
Import the virtual roots to create or modify them by running the importUtility.sh or importUtility.bat script from the command line. Target system
Verify the migration. Target system

When you create the export file, if you choose an import option that includes mailboxes and permissions, the system parses the export file and creates the necessary mailboxes and permissions on the target Global Mailbox system.

You can choose from the following modes of mailbox import:
Create Only
Create new mailbox only if it does not exist already. Mailbox import fails if the leaf mailbox already exist without applying any permissions anywhere in the mailbox path. If the leaf mailbox does not exist, it and any other missing mailboxes in the exported path are created and permissions within the export file are applied to existing and created mailboxes.
Merge
Create new mailbox if it does not exist already or merge permission records from export file with existing mailbox. Any mailbox in the path that does not exist is created and permissions within the export file are applied to existing and created mailboxes.
Overwrite
Same treatment for mailboxes as merge, but with different treatment for event rules.
Importing permissions is the same for all import modes, with the following results:
  • If the export file includes permissions for user U on mailbox M, then any existing permissions U has on M are removed and replaced with what is in the export file.
  • If other users have permissions on M and the user is not included in the exported permissions for M, then those user permissions on M remain unchanged.

Application data validation can be optionally enabled for an import operation. When enabled, the importer validates data elements within the import file that reference objects maintained by the application rather than by Global Mailbox.