A Guide to Simplify Decommissioning Exchange Server 2013

Decommissioning Exchange Server 2013 is crucial as its support has already ended on April 13, 2023. Organizations that have migrated all mailbox and Exchange resources to exchange online will be left with a redundant Exchange Server with no dependencies. Thus they should follow the steps for Decommissioning Exchange Server 2013. The following write-up deals with the uninstalling/ decommissioning of MS Exchange Server 2013 and a reliable approach to moving mailbox data to the new Exchange server.

A Brief Overview of Steps for Decommissioning Exchange Server 2013

Decommissioning Exchange Server 2013 involves a series of steps and it requires careful planning, monitoring, and execution of each step mentioned below. 

Step 1. Prepare for Soft Shutdown & Removal of Server Role

After migrating to a newer version of the Exchange Server, make sure all applications are configured to use the new infrastructure and are pointing to it. Update client access server settings and review namespaces.

Note: Make sure all clients are no longer connecting to legacy Exchange servers. This includes – ActiveSync, Outlook, EWS, OWA, OAB, POP3/IMAP, and Autodiscover 

Step 2. Transport Pipeline

Review mail flow connectors and ensure they point to the new Exchange servers. Check send and receive connectors, reviewing and updating as necessary.

Step 3. Edge Transport Role (If applicable)

Install a newer version of the Edge Transport role and update firewall rules if replacing Edge servers. If you do not want to replace your Edge servers and want to decommission, you need to make sure that your firewall rules are up to date and pointing to the incoming traffic to the Mailbox servers. Additionally, the mailbox server should also be capable of communicating outbound over TCP port 25.

Step 4. Mailbox Role

Move all Exchange 2013 mailboxes to the new servers. Ensure no mailboxes remain on Exchange 2013 before proceeding.

Run the below command in Exchange Management Shell (EMS) to find if any of the mailboxes are left in the Exchange Server 2013.

Set-ADServerSettings -ViewEntireForest $True

Get-Mailbox -Server <Ex2013 ServerName> -Arbitration

Get-Mailbox -Server <Ex2013 ServerName> -ResultSize Unlimited

Get-Mailbox -Server <Ex2013 ServerName> -Archive -ResultSize Unlimited

Get-SiteMailbox

If you find any of the mailboxes remain on the Exchange 2013 server, then you can use the SysTools Exchange to Exchange Migration Software. This user-friendly tool provides the most secure and customizable option to move mailboxes from Exchange 2013 to the respective new server, which can help you decommission Exchange Server 2013. It keeps the folder structure intact while copying the on-premise Exchange data and also it is reliable and efficient and guarantees that no data is lost during the migration process.

Download Tool Purchase

Here is the 5-step guide to operating this software:

• Step 1. Download, install, and launch the software on a PC. 
• Step 2. Choose Exchange as the source and destination.
• Step 3. Enable the desired mailbox category and set the filter. 
• Step 4. Provide the required credentials and validate the permissions.
• Step 5. Select the mailboxes to migrate and click on the start button.

Here are the features it comprises:

• It allows you to move emails, contacts, calendars, and tasks to the target server.
• The software is compatible with all Exchange Server versions starting from 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019. 
• It comes with a built-in date and category filter that allows admins to migrate only the required data to the target.
• The most remarkable feature of this software is priority migration, it allows admins to set a priority over the mailboxes to migrate first.
• It also allows admins to bulk migrate users to the new Exchange server version. 
• Its clean and simple GUI makes it easily operatable for even non-technical users. 
• The tool allows migrating in-place archives as well as shared mailboxes to the target. 
• It allows admins to set up SMTP to get updates for real-time migration status.
• The software allows the migration of Sub-Domain and OU Exchange user mailboxes.
• Compatible with Windows Server 2012, 2016, 2019, 2022, and Windows 10 & 11 (64-bit)

Step 5. Decommissioning the Database Availability Group

Verify no mailboxes exist on Exchange 2013 servers. Remove mailbox database copies and then mailbox databases.

You can verify by using the below command:

Get-Mailbox –ResultSize unlimited | Where-Object {$_.AdminDisplayVersion -like "Version 15.0*"} 

If you find any remaining mailboxes then move it to the newer version of the Exchange server.

Step 6. Unified Messaging Data Transfer (If applicable)

Migrate voicemail to Cloud Voicemail if upgrading to Exchange 2019. Otherwise, prepare for removal. Unified Messaging (UM) is not changed in Exchange 2016, therefore if your target environment is Exchange 2016 then you do not need to do anything. But for 2019 it has been removed and it does not include the voicemail or auto-attendant features.

Step 7. Put Exchange 2013 Servers into Maintenance Mode

Observe for any issues for a week. Resolve any problems before proceeding. Here the motive is to ensure services or applications are not trying to connect to the Exchange 2013 servers. If yer then you need to make sure to point it to the newer destination Exchange version. Otherwise, you can restore the Exchnage server 2013 in service till the service or software updates occur. 

Step 8. Uninstall Exchange 2013

In this step, admins need to remove health mailboxes from the Exchange server. Then they need to uninstall Exchange 2013 using unattended setup mode or setup.exe. 

They can also use the below command to remove the health mailbox easily. 

Get-Mailbox -Monitoring | Where-Object {$_.AdminDisplayVersion -like "Version 15.0*"} | Remove-Mailbox -Confirm:$false

Step 9. Perform Post-Uninstallation Tasks

To ensure a smooth migration and continued business communication, it is crucial to perform some of the most important post-uninstallation Exchange Server 2013. 

These are as follows:

• Removal of Exchange 2013 computer accounts from Active Directory.
• Updating any services that are pointing to Exchange 2013.
• Deletion of any old firewall rules that were intended for Exchange 2013.
•  Disposal of any physical equipment if applicable.

Why Choose the Above Software to Move Mailboxes While Decommissioning Exchange Server 2013?

As it is evident from the above steps, the process of Decommissioning Exchange Server 2013 is very lengthy and it requires time effort, and technical expertise to perform the same.  Hence, it becomes very important to make sure that the mailbox data that is transferred from Exchange Server 2013 safely reaches the destination Exchage server version. 

Any mistake in executing the commands results in data loss in severe circumstances and then the data recovery may not be possible. Since we can not automate the entire decommissioning process, however, we can automate the data

transfer of mailboxes using the above software. Hence it is recommended to use the above tool to ensure a safe and secure data transfer between the Exchange environment. 

Also Read: How to Migrate Exchange 2010 to Office 365?

Conclusion

By following this guide you can ensure a safe and secure uninstallation of the Exchange 2013 server without any downtime. Additionally, to make it a breeze operation you can take the help of the above-mentioned software to move mailboxes to any desired Exchange versions.