Active Roles 7.2.1 - Exchange Resource Forest Management Administrator Guide

Mailbox type conversion

This section demonstrates how to perform mailbox type conversion using Active Roles. The following scenarios are covered:

• Converting a linked mailbox to a user mailbox
• Converting a user mailbox to a linked mailbox

Converting a linked mailbox to a user mailbox

If a given mailbox from the Exchange forest is assigned to a user from an accounts forest (linked mailbox), then you can use Active Roles to convert that mailbox to the user mailbox type. After you convert the mailbox, the external user (formerly master account) can no longer access the mailbox. The mailbox can only be accessed by the user account that is associated with the mailbox in the Exchange forest (formerly shadow account).

To convert a linked mailbox to a user mailbox

1. Open the Active Roles Web Interface for Administrators, and select the mailbox user account in the Exchange forest (shadow account).
2. Click the Convert to User Mailbox command.
3. Click OK in the confirmation message box that appears.

After mailbox conversion, the mailbox user account remains disabled. To enable the user account, set the user password by using the Reset Password command, and then click the Enable Account command.

Converting a user mailbox to a linked mailbox

For a user mailbox in the Exchange forest, you can use Active Roles to assign that mailbox to a user from an accounts forest. This configures the mailbox as follows:

• The mailbox type changes to the linked mailbox type.
• The user from the accounts forest becomes the master account for the mailbox.
• The user associated with the mailbox in the Exchange forest becomes the shadow account.

The domain of the user from the accounts forest must be registered with Active Roles (managed domain).

To convert a user mailbox to a linked mailbox

1. Open the Active Roles Web Interface for Administrators, and select the user mailbox in the Exchange forest.
2. Click the Convert to Linked Mailbox command.
3. Click Change under the Linked master account field, and select the user from an accounts forest.
4. Click Finish.

As a result of these steps, the master account is assigned to the mailbox and the mailbox user in the Exchange forest becomes the shadow account, linked with the master account. If the master account is in the scope of the Exchange Resource Forest Management policy, the properties of the master account and shadow account are synchronized in the same way as when you configure a mailbox-enabled user in an accounts forest by using the Exchange Resource Forest Management solution.