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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."

5 of 54 comments (clear)

  1. couldn't resist by trentfoley · · Score: 5, Funny

    So, you want to exchange Exchange with little change for no change? Sorry I couldn't be more help...

  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.

  3. Well.. by cmowire · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm not speaking from experience here, but here's a suggestion:

    You can open an IMAP server in Outlook and open your Exchange server at the same time and just drag the mail across. For 150 people, you might need a little help to do this, but with a few helpers, it's not totally insurmountable.

    --
    Gentoo Sucks
  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. 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.