Microsoft's (not so) latest tool to switch Domino users to Exchange
by Volker Weber
Update: Amy says it is the 2003 version. The latest has yet to come out. It isn't done yet, but Microsoft had to get the press release out before Lotusphere.
Comments
I'm surprised the migration tools have been so feeble over the years. I could probably sit in my basement and come out with something better using the C api, but then I've been a long time user of Notes and have a good understanding of it.
Maybe the problem is even if you can programmatically capture the code and flow of a Notes DB, what MS product(s) could you transfer it to?
What a powerfull tool :-)
Huh. That's wrong. It should be 42.
Tony, there are a large number of customers who (a) use Notes for mail only, (b) have dual directories (AD plus Notes) and (c) run Domino on Windows. Those customers have all the options they want. And then there are customers where (a) is not completely true. But the applications they have on their servers might be no longer of any value, or may have not been used for quite a while, or are ripe for re-engineering anyway. A tool might be able to identify these situations.
Customers who are heavily invested in Notes applications cannot be migrated. As much as Microsoft would like to. For that matter, as much as IBM would like to.
But if you can't even open your server database list in the analyser tool it's all kind of irrelevant.
It's always a matter of more or less balanced coexistence of the systems. Most customers live in two or more worlds ...
Ben, what good is a product, if you can't install it? Right, it will get there.
Vowe, good point that even IBM can't force users off Notes.
@ volker
The Beta version actually worked just fine. It doesn't do a lot from a technical perspective though. If you want to see what it *should* have done, my review is
here.
From the screenshots Ben posted, he was trying to install the old Application Analyzer (2003). It likely blew up during install because it expects Notes 4 or 5 and he may have had 6 or 7. Paul's comments are for the current Application Analyzer beta.
The new Application Analyzer 2006 will be available in Q1 2006. Sorry for the confusion.
My comments are related to the Beta of the new one. I also reviewed the old one in an earlier post.
@Amyb
As I said elsewhere, the release notes clearly stated "You must install Lotus Notes R6 or higher to analyze applications with Lotus Notes R6 storage format and application design." This is exactly what I had. I don't believe it mentions Notes 4 or 5.
It IS Q1 2006!
