M365 syncing - how does it work?

[HCHTech]

This is a continuation of an earlier project outlined here. We've gone through a couple of testing scenarios as well as had a couple more phone calls with GoDaddy. The end result is that I'm going to do this manually. There aren't many people in total, and we need to just get on with it. I have all of the exported PST files and now I'm ready to import them to the new domain.

There are only 5 people in this first company, so I'm doing this manually in a dedicated machine running Outlook Classic. This process happens in 4 more-or-less discrete steps:

1. Create a profile in Outlook for the user in question (I'm using separate profiles to give me the most flexibility and control over the process)
2. Open Outlook and let the current profile completely sync
3. Import the PST file for the user, choosing to import in the same folders
4. Wait for the import to finish, and wait for the syncing to MS servers to finish

There are a couple of variables here. Once the profile is created, you can choose either to disable cached Exchange mode, or leave cached Exchange mode on and move the slider telling Outlook how much email to download all the way to the right = "download all". As far as I can determine, either of these choices forces Outlook to download all of the mail on the server.

The issue is how to know when both the original download is complete, and how to know when the upload of the imported data is complete.

When you import a PST file, there is a dialog that shows the folders/mail being imported. As with most progress bars, the one shown does indeed have a decreasing time shown, but it gets to zero then another time is set and the bar starts over - presumably with a new folder, but it doesn't say. Also, there is no progress bar measuring the progress of the entire job.

Once the import finishes, then Outlook starts syncing the imported data up to the MS servers. How this is shown varies:

If you have Exchange Cached mode on, then you get a status bar message showing what folder is currently being updated. After [presumably] the task finishes, then you get the message "All folders are up to date" in the status bar.

If you DON'T have Exchange Cached mode on, then there is no specific notification of the upload of the imported data. I believe this is because when cached mode isn't enabled, then the import itself is going direct to the Microsoft servers and simultaneously reflected in the Outlook view. I can't find proof that this is true, however.

Mostly, I just want to give myself the best chance of only having to do this once and knowing that all of the data that I imported made it to the Microsoft servers successfully.

In my testing with a single user, whose profile was defined with cached Exchange mode enabled and the slider set to 'download all mail', I found that once the import was finished and the "all folders are up to date" message was visible on the status bar, not all of the mail had made it to the Microsoft servers, even after an overnight wait (confirmed by the user themselves checking in OWA the next day).

I can't just use message counts to check because a) some users have a lot of folders, and b) for most users there is already email existing in the "new" domain since they have been using both. Additionally, since there are no error logs generated, it's never going to tell me what didn't import. I'm only going to see what DID import when looking in OWA, for example.

 

[Sky-Knight]

You... dont... that process has no knowable progress bar which is why the migration tools are better ways of doing this.

you'll need to spring for a storage account for a bit, but try this: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/use-network-upload-to-import-pst-files

 

[trevm999]

You... dont... that process has no knowable progress bar which is why the migration tools are better ways of doing this.

you'll need to spring for a storage account for a bit, but try this: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/use-network-upload-to-import-pst-files

IIRC, it uses a Microsoft managed storage account that you don't need to pay for.

But wasn't the issue here that it's GoDaddy? But IMO, this process using Outlook sounds so bad I'd rather just get them off the GoDaddy exchange

 

[HCHTech]

But wasn't the issue here that it's GoDaddy? But IMO, this process using Outlook sounds so bad I'd rather just get them off the GoDaddy exchange

As would I. I'm in a no-win corner here. Client is a referral from my biggest referral source, and will not give up GoDaddy despite my best efforts. Can't fire them, and can't get them off GoDaddy. Like I said, I just want to get on with it, so I'm using Outlook, with all of its downsides - ugh. I'm just going to grind through it so I can get the project in my rear view mirror asap. I've looked into the direct upload method @Sky-Knight mentioned, but setting up the mapping looks to be a bigger project than I'd like. The example from the .learn site looks simple enough, but when I read through each bit, I got scared off. The first company only has 5 users, so I'll see how that one goes doing it the hard way, I guess and go forward from there.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Prefer the migration tool approach myself. Even Microsofts native tools are sweet.
But doing the old fashioned way, manual PST import...just plan on (thus...account for the time, and bill accordingly)...a second pass a day or three later, to disconnect the attached PST personal folder.

 

[callthatgirl]

1. Create a profile in Outlook for the user in question (I'm using separate profiles to give me the most flexibility and control over the process)
2. Open Outlook and let the current profile completely sync
3. Import the PST file for the user, choosing to import in the same folders
4. Wait for the import to finish, and wait for the syncing to MS servers to finish

There are a couple of variables here.
Once the profile is created, you can choose either to disable cached Exchange mode, or leave cached Exchange mode on and move the slider telling Outlook how much email to download all the way to the right = "download all".
As far as I can determine, either of these choices forces Outlook to download all of the mail on the server.

--I would leave cached mode on, better results for search and overall OST use

The issue is how to know when both the original download is complete, and how to know when the upload of the imported data is complete.

--when "Updating folders" is done, you should see "connected to Exchange" and it should be done. If you're not sure, compared the PST file you imported with the size of the mbx. Should be very close.

When you import a PST file, there is a dialog that shows the folders/mail being imported. As with most progress bars, the one shown does indeed have a decreasing time shown, but it gets to zero then another time is set and the bar starts over - presumably with a new folder, but it doesn't say. Also, there is no progress bar measuring the progress of the entire job.

--the bigger the PST, the longer it takes. Could be a day or more.

Once the import finishes, then Outlook starts syncing the imported data up to the MS servers. How this is shown varies:

If you have Exchange Cached mode on, then you get a status bar message showing what folder is currently being updated. After [presumably] the task finishes, then you get the message "All folders are up to date" in the status bar.

--Correct

If you DON'T have Exchange Cached mode on, then there is no specific notification of the upload of the imported data. I believe this is because when cached mode isn't enabled, then the import itself is going direct to the Microsoft servers and simultaneously reflected in the Outlook view. I can't find proof that this is true, however.

-I never set this up, so I can't say

PST imports to Exchange can take hours or days if they have a big PST and AV/VPN, Firewalls get in the way. And it's just a waiting game unfortunately. Leave PC on and Outlook open over night for best results

 

[HCHTech]

@callthatgirl , thanks for the detailed response. The big issue here is that some/most employees already have an account on the "new" domain with existing folders & email. Even in this first group of 5, there are 3 of them with a lot of content already existing on the new domain. Some of the folders we're importing already exist and some do not - I think this is part of the challenge. It sounds like the import routines should handle this fine as long as the folder names match, but in my testing this doesn't seem to be true.

--I would leave cached mode on, better results for search and overall OST use

None of the 5 employees in the first group use desktop outlook at all - they are 100% mobile. I'm doing this import/sync on a dedicated computer in my shop as a result. Once this project is done, that computer will get nuked.

--when "Updating folders" is done, you should see "connected to Exchange" and it should be done. If you're not sure, compared the PST file you imported with the size of the mbx. Should be very close.

Can't do that. I can take the size of the OST file once it is fully synced but before the import, then add the size of the PST I'm trying to import, then compare that total to the size of the OST once the import is fully synced, but I don't believe OST file sizes mimic PST file sizes enough for that to actually match. Not to mention the fact that the accounts on the new domain are active, so folks are all sending/receiving email while I'm trying to do this. In my testing, I thought things were done because of the "Connected to Exchange" message, but some folders that I expected to have imported content did not, even after an overnight wait.

--the bigger the PST, the longer it takes. Could be a day or more.

Yes, of course. That's why I'm interested in the "I'm done" state of things so I can know for sure the syncing is complete. In my testing, I reached this state, but not all of the email actually imported.

For this first group, I think I'm stuck reviewing individual folders. We're going to have a discussion with the stakeholders before any of the other groups are worked on. GoDaddy isn't much help, so I think a migration tool is the only way to avoid the nonsense of this first group. I've done lots of PST imports in the past and never run into things just not working like this one.