Jan 09 2018 02:32 PM
Hello,
I currently have a scenario where there is a Hybrid Exchange environment with 1 server. All my mailboxes have been migrated online.
I would like to completely remove dependency on local AD and I do not care about AD synchronization.
How do I "tell" the O365 tenant not function on it's own so that I can manage 100% from 365 Administration?
I do understand that my MX and other DNS records will need to be changed.
Are there any solid guides out there on decommissioning the on premise exchange server. I want to do this with the least impact on users.
Thanks,
Keith
May 07 2019 12:32 PM
I'm getting ready to migrate my Exchange Server 2013 to Exchange Online in about 8 weeks. What if I don't implement Azure AD Connect, and simply manually configure the passwords online to match the passwords in on-premises AD? With only about 30 users, it would be easier for me to simply configure the same passwords in Azure AD manually (for the convenience of my users) than it would be to have AD Connect take care of that, but then have to continue maintaining the on-premises Exchange Server. Do I have to implement Azure AD Connect for some reason? And if not, and I don't, can I then do all my email admin (e.g. aliases, email addresses, hide from address book, distro groups, etc.) online?
May 07 2019 12:43 PM
May 07 2019 01:00 PM
May 07 2019 10:29 PM
@DeepakRandhawa
You had post a link for how to license a Exchange Hybrid Server. The License now is offered in the HCW (Hybrid Configuration Wizard). So I have to finish the HCW and implement a hybrid Exchange Organisation. Is it not possible to install the Exchange Server only for Management and without a hybrid Installation?
May 07 2019 10:37 PM
May 08 2019 08:42 AM
Yes, we will keep on premises AD. I would keep Exchange Server on premises except given our size and the new hardware requirements for Exchange 2019, and our upgrade cycle, it's now more cost-effective to move Exchange to the cloud.
May 08 2019 08:45 AM
Thanks @wroot-- good to know.
I'm actually doing a cutover migration for the mailboxes. There are only 30 or so, but the cutover migration seems the more efficient/less painful approach.
May 08 2019 08:46 AM
May 08 2019 09:43 AM
May 15 2019 04:33 AM
This seems like a great discussion to jump into:).. It's a debate that has been around for so long, and that will last forever (until Microsoft release the official answer someday as promised at Ignite 2017).
Most people in the camp of removing the last server like Dominik on this thread, have small environments that they manage either all by themselves or with a small crew who are all quite savvy.
As soon as your environment scales up, the ADSI Edit / Attribute Editor tab, other manual alternatives to EAC/EMC/ECP seem pretty burdensome. Once you introduce a 3rd party tool, you're pretty much just as bad off as you would be with a single Exchange server, but less all of the benefits (such as Email Address Policies, super EASY SMTP relay server, EAC, super EASY offboard plan ready to go).
Since AAD Connect is not a bother for most, the final Exchange server (with complimentary Hybrid product key) can just go onto the AAD Connect box. If you wouldn't be using the SMTP relay capabilities, or anything else other than recipient administration, you could spec the server just based on AAD Connect and not even worry about Exchange server performance.
I'm thinking (and this is where I change into speculation mode) Microsoft will introduce a new server role or new installation package for Exchange (or some awesome ClickOnce app like the HCW) that puts in place some kind of middle ground solution that will prevent every new wave of EXO customers from having this last-server-required-?!?! revelation and panicking about having to still keep Exchange alive.
As a final point (so many points have been made in this thread, both good and bad :) ), I think there is no reason to feel any kind of shock that a final server will still be required after migrating all your mailboxes to the cloud. The truth is that Exchange is a one of kind product that has continuously beat out the competition globally forever (in email land). It has several unique characteristics, and most of all for this topic, Exchange Online integrates with on-premises AD like nothing else. It's not Gmail, which has no such on-premises equivalent that over time had to be transformed into a cloud product (while still also being an on-premises product). The hoops that Microsoft would have had to jump through to get Exchange to where it is.... I think trump the hoop of having to keep a single Exchange server around.
May 28 2019 11:15 PM - edited May 28 2019 11:17 PM
Exchange hybrid scenario has been in existence for a while. It is high time for MS to support on-cloud only office 365 instead of hybrid. The whole point of managed PAAS solution goes for a toss, if we have to upgrade and maintain on exchange everytime version it expires. Upgrade and maintenance becomes nightmare if you have DAG. I would really prefer moving to cloud, even, if it includes buying license for Azure AD premium and managing AD directly from cloud, considering I dont have much of group policy hierarchy for MAC user and single tree group policies for servers.
Only reason I am keeping hybrid is the campaign mailbox which blast almost 2500 mails during the ad campaign for clients which is not supported by office365 as it considers it spam. I am planning to divide that to three of four mailbox as source campaign and workaround this.
May 29 2019 08:59 AM - edited May 29 2019 09:00 AM
May 29 2019 11:13 AM
May 29 2019 11:15 AM
May 29 2019 11:15 AM
Jun 11 2019 09:14 AM
@Prasant Chettri I don't know if you know this but if you are paying for E3 monthly via Billing. Then your Exchange on-premise license is free. If you are only running Exchange Server for email infrastructure in your organization - then you need to pay for the Exchange License. Ask your Microsoft Licensing individual that is assigned to your organization. This model was adopted since 2018 and onwards.
Jun 11 2019 09:47 AM
Sep 04 2019 06:33 AM
Just wondering how you got on with this?
I have to work out how to do this for a customer who has a very aging SBS2011 server with a Hybrid (exch2010<>o365) config. AAD is running also. Thus, is both an SBS 2011 Server Decommsion excercise and Hybrid-Removal because, the customer wishes to do away with the on-prem server and Local Active Directory ENTIRELY and go forward with Azure AD joined computers instead and Office 365 only, with no local AD Domain Servers or Windows Server at all.
Thanks
Sep 04 2019 06:39 AM
Nov 26 2019 07:27 PM
@Joe Wichowski Are you uninstalling Exchange from these environments, or ghosting it? In our experience, when Exchange is uninstalled (single server environments); attribute values (such as proxyAddresses) were removed. We had to manually add the proxyAddresses back in.