XADM: Custom Attributes Are Not Migrated from Exchange 5.5 (306213)

WORKAROUND

To work around this issue if SP2 has not been applied, use this three-step procedure to retain the custom attributes for a mailbox in Exchange 2000:

• Export the custom attributes to a file before you use the Migration Tool to migrate the mailbox.
• Modify the output file.
• Import the custom attributes back into the Active Directory after the mailbox has been migrated.

While you are migrating a large organization,there may be a period of coexistence while some users and their mailboxes have been migrated to the Active Directory and Exchange 2000. To mitigate the effects of coexistence, administrators often use ADMT and ADC in conjunction with the Migration Wizard. A typical scenario is described in the following procedure, which allows the capture of attribute information for later import after the mailbox migration is complete.

Export the Custom Attributes to a File

This section uses two custom attributes from the Active Directory to demonstrate how to export custom attributes to a file. These two attributes, extensionAttribute1 and extensionAttribute2, correlate to the first two custom attributes that are brought over from Exchange 5.5 by the ADC.

The following example command exports these attributes from a specific OU in the Active Directory: The two attributes are exported from the OUName OU to a file named Export1.ldf. The -r "(objectClass=user)" part of the command-line syntax limits the export to user objects only. The output file looks like this:

   dn: CN= User1,OU=OUName,DC=DomainComponent,DC=microsoft,DC=com
   changetype: add
   extensionAttribute1: 12
   extensionAttribute2: 7

   dn:CN=User2,OU=OUName,DC=DomainComponent,DC=microsoft,DC=com
   changetype: add
   extensionAttribute1: 11
   extensionAttribute2: 8
				

Modify the Output File

This step ensures that the proper modifications are made to the user objects. You must modify the Export1.ldf file so that the custom attributes can be reapplied to the user objects. Make the following changes to the file:

1. Save the Export1.ldf file as Import1.ldf.
2. Change the changetype from add to modify
3. Add the following line in front of every attribute in the list:

   replace: AttributeName

4. After every attribute name, add a hyphen (-) on an otherwise blank line. This is necessary for the import to work. Note that there is a blank line between object modifications, and there is also a blank line at the end of the file.

The new file, Import.ldf, then looks like this:

   dn: CN=User1,OU=OUName,DC=domainComponent,DC=microsoft,DC=com
   changetype: modify
   replace: extensionAttribute1
   extensionAttribute1: New12
   -
   replace: extensionAttribute2
   extensionAttribute2: New7
   -

   dn: CN=User2,OU=OUName,DC=DomainComponent,DC=microsoft,DC=com 
   changetype: modify
   replace: extensionAttribute1
   extensionAttribute1: New11
   -
   replace: extensionAttribute2
   extensionAttribute2: New8
   -

				

Import the Custom Attributes

To import the custom attributes, use the following command: