How to Manage AD Accounts After Removing the Last Exchange Server?
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TechWhiz123
I'm looking for some guidance on what to do with Active Directory accounts in a hybrid setup after I remove the last Exchange Server. I'm pretty sure this all involves PowerShell, but I haven't come across a solid guide that breaks it down well. Any advice would be appreciated!
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Oh no! I recently removed my last Exchange Server, and trust me, there are specific PowerShell commands you need to run. The typical web methods won't cover everything, especially for groups created on-prem. Be ready for some tedious workarounds. If I had another shot, I definitely wouldn’t take off the on-prem server!
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You should definitely remove the Exchange server but be careful not to lose the AD attributes. Once that's sorted, you can install Exchange Server 2019+ PowerShell for managing everything. There’s talk that Microsoft might eventually allow managing these attributes directly from Exchange Online, but it's still just hearsay.
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If your identity stays hybrid with on-prem AD syncing to Entra, you’ll need to manage everything through PowerShell. You can find some good instructions here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/manage-hybrid-exchange-recipients-with-management-tools. Alternatively, if you prefer using a GUI, you might keep a low-spec Exchange Server that doesn’t host any mailboxes just for management.
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It's crucial that you don't uninstall Exchange straight up. If you do, it could delete the Active Directory attributes, which is a huge mess! At my last job, we dealt with this by simply installing the Exchange management tools on a new server and shutting the old one down instead of uninstalling it.
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You've got two paths here: either install the Exchange Management Shell or manage everything in Entra. Check these links for details:
1. Entra (Preview): [Cloud-based management of Exchange attributes for Remote Mailboxes in Hybrid Environments](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/hybrid-deployment/enable-exchange-attributes-cloud-management)
2. PowerShell: [Manage Recipients in Exchange Hybrid Environments using Management Tools](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/manage-hybrid-exchange-recipients-with-management-tools?source=recommendations). Just remember - do NOT uninstall the last Exchange Server, or things could break!
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