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How to Use PowerShell to Perform a Cutover Migration to Office 365: Complete Guide

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Published By Siddharth Sharma
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh
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Published On May 17th, 2024

Office 365 being a prominent software and services subscription is put to use in a large number of organizations. It automatically detects the running server, i.e. Exchange 2013, 2010, 2007 on-premises. It uses a process known as cutover migration or cut over email migration, in which user can use the Office 365 setup wizard to copy the data if there are less than 151 mailboxes. After copying the data, they can add all the users at the same time. In the following session, we will discuss a way to use PowerShell to perform a cutover migration to Office 365.

Things to Know

To learn how to use powerShell to perform a cutover migration to Office 365, users need to log in and import cmdlets on local Windows PowerShell session to access cmdlets of Exchange Online PowerShell. Discover what you need to know about a cutover email migration to Office 365.
Before performing this process, users require various permission.

Use PowerShell to Perform a Cutover Email Migration to Office 365

There are a few steps, which help users perform a cutover migration of email to Office 365 by utilizing PowerShell as mentioned below:

Step 1: Prepare for Migration

Before Wizard can copy the email data and add users, complete few changes on-premises Exchange Server environment.

  • Add on-premises as accepted domain: The migration service utilizes SMTP address of user’s on-premises mailbox that creates user ID for MS Online services and email address for mailboxes of new Office 365. The migration will fail or primary domain of Office 365 organisation if users don’t accept Exchange domain
  • Configure Outlook Anywhere: Email migration uses some services, i.e. RPC over HTTP, Outlook Anywhere to connect on-premises Exchange server. There are different ways to enable Outlook Anywhere on Exchange server 2010, 2007, 2003.
    • Verification: User can try any of the mentioned method to examine the connection settings. As mentioned.
      1. Utilize MS Outlook from outside the organization for the connection of on-premises Exchange mailbox.
      2. To test the connection settings, use MS Exchange remote connectivity analyzer.
      3. Run the mentioned command on PowerShell of Exchange online.

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    • Assign Required Permissions: User account of on-premises, which is utilizes user’s on-premises Exchange organization. They must have access to permissions to use on-premises mailboxes, which is required for the migration to Office 365. This account helps in creating endpoint of migration for on-premises organization. Administrative privileges are needed for migration. There are some mentioned options:

1. In active directory in the on-premises organization, administrator should be a member of group of Domain Admins.
2. Full Access permission should be assigned to the administrators for every on-premises mailbox.
3. Receive As permission must be allotted to administrator for storage of user mailbox.

  • Disable Combined Messaging

    If the mailboxes of on-premises are enabled for UM (Unified Messaging) then, users have to disable it on mailboxes before starting migration. It can be enabled again only after the completion of migration.

  • Security Delegates and Groups

    The email migration services cannot be detected whether groups of Active Directory groups are secured or not. If users require the security groups in Office 365 then, user must provision empty mail and enable the security group before performing a cutover Exchange migration to Office 365. Moreover, this method of migration only allows moving of mailboxes, contacts, mail users, and mail-enabled groups. It should be removed from the object before you use PowerShell to perform a cutover migration to Office 365.

Also read: How to Increase Mailbox Size in Office 365 – Simple Steps Explained

Step 2: Create Endpoint

Office 365 should have a connection with email system of source for the successful migration. To perform this, Office 365 utilizes endpoint of migration. Firstly, user needs to connect to Exchange Online for the creation of endpoint of Outlook Anywhere migration. Now run the following command on PowerShell in Exchange online:
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User can utilize Test –MigrationServerAvailbility cmdlet to obtain and test the settings of connection to on-premises Exchange server, and then utilize those settings of connections for the creation of migration endpoints known as CutoverEndpoint.

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Note: The cmdlet New-MigrationEndpoint can be in use for specifying database service by using targetDatabase randomly allocating from services of Active Directory Federation, where mailbox is in place.
For the Verification run the mentioned command on PowerShell to displayinformation about CutoverEndpoint migration.

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Step 3: Create Cutover Batch Migration

User can create cmdlet New-Migration Batch in Exchange OnlinePowerShell for the creation of batch migration. They can create batch migration and begin it automatically by including AutoStart parameter. Even, the user can create it and then manually start it after utilizing cmdlet Start-MigrationBatch.

Step 4: Begin Batch Cutover

User can run the mentioned command to begin the batch migration in Exchange online. It creates migration batch known as “CutoverBatch.”

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Step 5: Route All Emails

Mail systems utilize DNS record known as MX record that helps to figure out where the mail has to deliver. At the time of email migration procedure, MX record was pointing towards source mail system. It is time to point MX record at Office 365 once the mail migration is complete.. It helps to make sure that the mails reach the mailboxes of Office 365. With MX record, user can also off the old mail system after completion of migration.

Step 6: Deletion of Cutover Migration

After changing the MX record, verify all the emails reach the correct mailboxes of Office 365 properly or not. After this, user can delete the cutover migration batch. Before deletion, verify the following:

1. All users are utilizing Office 365 mailboxes. Mail is sent to mailboxes after deleting the batch. On-premises server does not copy to resultant mailboxes of Office 365.

2. After sending mails directly, the mailboxes of Office 365 should be synchronized at least once. For this, make sure that value in last synced time box for batch migration is more recent than the started mail.

Step 7: Allot Licenses

Assign licenses to users to activate Office 365 user accounts for the migrated accounts. If the license is not assigned then, mailbox is disabled when the grace period ends.

Step 8: Complete Task of Post-Migration

  • Create Autodiscover record of DNS
    After users shift on-premises mailbox to Office 365, they can configure autodiscover DNS record for the Office 365 organization to enable users to connect with their new Office 365 mailboxes via mobile and Outlook clients. It uses the same namespace that is in use for Office 365 organization. It utilizes CNAME record for implementation of service of Autodiscover for mobile and Outlook. It should contain following information:1. Alias2. Target
  • Decommission on-premises Servers
    User can remove all exchange from servers and remove on-premises Exchange organization if it is verified that all the emails are routed directly to mailboxes of Office 365. Then, there is no need to maintain the on-premises mail organization.
Also read: How To Configure an Out-of-Office Notification – A Detailed Guide

What is the Alternate Method to This?

If you are finding the entire process of using PowerShell to perform a cutover migration to Office 365, you can use IMAP to migrate emails to Office 365 Account.

The steps to do so are:

  • Create an Active User
  1. Go to Microsoft 365 Admin center.
  2. Click on User > Active User List.
  3. Assign the license to a User.
  • Create IMAP Migration Batch
  1. Go to Exchange Admin center > Migration> Add Migration.
  2. Put in a name in the migration batch and select next.
  3. Select IMAP migration > Next.
  • Requirement for IMAP Migration
  1. Select “Create a new migration endpoint” > Next.
  2. Choose Endpoint settings option > Type the name of Endpoint > Next.
  3. Select endpoint connection setting > Provide IMAP server.
  4. Choose Encryption – SSL > Port: 993 > Then click on Next.
  • Add a User Mailbox
  1. Create a CSV file using Target and source email, and password, and then click on the browse button.
  • Configuration Setting Selection

Here the users have three options: Manual, Automatic, and Start Time.

  1. By using the Manual option, users can start migrating as per their wish.
  2. The Automatic option runs the migration process automatically as soon as it reached an Exchange Admin Window.
  3. The Start Time option allows users to choose the time and date to initiate the process.
  4. Click on the “done” button to start the process.
Conclusion

In this article, we review the complete process on how to use PowerShell to perform a cutover migration to Office 365. If we follow the steps correctly, then the user can perform a Cutover email Migration to Office 365. However, if any issue does occur while performing the process of migration, drop a comment below, and experts will come up with a solution.

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