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Converting an Exchange Userbase to Unix?

Posted by Cliff on from the can-we-not-do-this-by-hand...please dept.

Jwfulcher asks: "This is kind of backwards from what normal people do, which is why i'm having problems finding any documentation on it, but I have around 150 users on exchange, with distribution lists and a few custom recipients as well. The CEO wants to switch to a Unix based POP/IMAP mail solution for licensing reasons (we don't use the groupware functions anyway), I was wondering if anyone knew of a method to convert the exchange userbase and add the users on a FreeBSD system and possibly point to our Radius server (which is capable of doing NT authentication) for authentication on those accounts."

7 of 54 comments (clear)

  1. you're not going to find a canned solution... by honold · · Score: 1, Informative

    but if you're using exchange 2000 you could use adduser.exe from the nt/2000 server resource kit to dump the usernames to a text file, then hack something together to parse it and add the users. to wit, it doesn't dump the passwords so you'll have to enter those back in or create new ones :O

  2. Some suggestions by Geek+Boy · · Score: 4, Informative

    KMail (part of KDE) can import Outlook address books and folders. I'm sure that Evolution can help you too, but I don't know if that runs on FreeBSD very well.

    You should be able to use PAM to do authentication to the Radius server. As for converting the users, you will probably have to write a script to do that. If there are tools to convert from unix to exchange, then I'm sure you can use those as a reference to do the inverse.

    1. Re:Some suggestions by Lazaru5 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Neither KMail nor Evolution or any MUA will help in anyway. These are end user applications. The Question is how do you convert an Exchange Mail Store (a broken DB based binary storage of everyone's mail) into 150 mbox or Maildir style Unix mailboxes, AND get their passwords out of Windows and into FreeBSD (if they're not kept in clear text in any billing software already.)

      Your answer would be right if the question was "How do I switch from Outlook [Express] on Windows to some other mail program on FreeBSD?"

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      My comments and opinions completely reflect those of anyone and anything I am remotely associated with.
  3. Slave Exchanges LDAP service with OpenLDAP by fdragon · · Score: 3, Informative

    One thing most people don't consider is that Exchange 5.5 and 2000 run their own LDAP services.

    One method would be to setup OpenLDAP as a slave to the exchange server to pull all the DLs and so forth to your unix platform. From there (with redhat at least) it is pretty strait forward to use Sendmail's integration with LDAP to use that OpenLDAP store.

    If you don't want to leave OpenLDAP running you can use the MigrateTools from padl.com to see how you can convert that OpenLDAP store back to something usable. Or just export the sections you need via GQ.

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    The program isn't debugged until the last user is dead.
  4. LDAP + Cyrus + PAM by maeglin · · Score: 4, Informative

    The site here describes how to create an Exchange replacement. If you want to use RADIUS you can probably find a PAM-RADIUS module to substitute for PAM-LDAP, or conversely replace your Radius server with a FreeRADIUS instance which can be backed by the LDAP server.

    For moving users, enable the LDAP directory service on the Exchange server and you should be able to script (or find) some LDAP-to-LDAP migration tools. At worst, do a full directory search and massage the data into an LDIF file to be imported. Moving the mail data would be harder but I imagine something could be rigged up using the Exchange IMAP service, fetchmail, procmail and the Cyrus deliver command.

    If you can find a BackOffice resource CD you should be able to create a way to access the Exchange store without even going through the LDAP and IMAP services.

  5. Sourceforge.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    ..has a listing for a script that converst Exchange .psts to some unix format. Look there.

    Between that and the import utility that someone mentioned in KMAIL, there's probably a reasonable solution in here.

    Also, Bob's mail server (if I remember correctly) purports to be an Exchange replacement, too.

  6. Been there, done that by Nailer · · Score: 4, Informative
    • Open Outlook on each PC, and use the Outlook export wizard to export your mail from the Exchange message store (what you're looking at on your Exchange system) to a pDo whatever conversion is necessary to view such items in Evo if that's what you're usingersonal store (also known as a .PST file)
    • Import this into Unix mbox format, for use with Evolution (or Kmail, but I'd use Evo, with Out 2 Unix.
    • Export your contacts to a Personal Address book (.PAB file)
    • Use LookOut to import the .PAB file ( to KAB or Gnomecard format). You might need additional conversion depending on your mail client.
    • Think about paying a local software development house with QT or GTK programmers to make a little GUI wizard application to automate this process. It'll save you and your users time. Since the app isn't giving you any competitive advantage, Open Source it.