In this article we will be reviewing an application called Stellar Converter for EDB which can be easily used for a smooth and easy migration to a new Exchange Server, Office 365 and even as an extraction tool to PST file and other formats.
Why would one use this tool when the Exchange Server offers mailbox export to PST using the Exchange Management Shell (EMS) or the Exchange Admin Center (EAC)? Well, the answer is very easy. To extract using the native tools, one would need the Exchange Server to be active and running, otherwise there is no way to export the data. Also, exporting to Office 365 can be a challenging task and with various points of failures.
This is purpose of this document to illustrate why one would choose Stellar Converter for EDB for the migration to a new Exchange Server (instead of hopping from one version to another), Office 365 and export of User Mailboxes, Disabled Mailboxes, User Archives, Shared Mailboxes, and Public Folders, from an online Exchange Server or Offline EDB files with ease and with a peace of mind.
Features of Stellar Converter for EDB
This EDB to PST converter software is very small (not larger than 40MB), but still very powerful. As regards to the installation, Stellar Converter for EDB can be installed on any Window Server operating system from the 5.5, till the latest version which is Windows Server 2022 along with Standard and Datacenter. With regards to Windows operating system, it can be installed from Windows 7, up to the latest Windows operating system, Windows 11. One must note that with older versions of the operating system, the 32bit operating system is not supported.
Once an EDB file or files are opened and shown in the listed structure on the interface, you can easily use the save button and convert to the available options being the below.
- Export to a live Exchange Server.
- Export to an Office 365 tenant.
- Save to PST and other file formats.
- Export to Public Folders.
The application processes direct exports with automatic mailbox matching the source with the destination as we can see below. Alternatively, you can map the source to the destination manually. The export also features priority exports for those mailboxes which are critical and these will be processed first.
During the export task, you will have a full status report of the operation.
With regards to the supported Exchange Server versions to open the databases online or offline ones, Stellar Converter for EDB supports any version of Exchange Server from Exchange Server 5.5, to the latest version which is 2019. There is no size limit of databases you can attach and process as well to no limits when it comes to number of mailboxes and resources.
As we can see below, the interface is very easy to master as there are no windows or extra clicks. Everything you need is on the screen. It features an inline search in the list pane with a full HTML view on the right pane. In the left pane there is the full structure of the databases which one can granularly select to export. The buttons are easy switches between the mail, contacts, calendar, tasks, and journal views. Once the selection is made, just click on the Save button and select the destination.
Performance
The resource utilization is very good when comparing running the application on Window Server application with 16GB or RAM and 8 Core CPU having SSD drives. The application has parallel exports which can process several mailboxes or resources at a time. Exporting to PST was very light on the resources of the server. We couldn’t run a comparison on the migration options to Office 365 as there are the internet connection bandwidth used and throttling of bandwidth from Microsoft. Saying that, we tried the migration from on premises Exchange Server to Office 365 and another Exchange Server database, and the performance was quite good. Again, one must stress the performance of the server, storage and the configuration of the server will make a difference in the migration performance.
Pricing
Stellar Converter for EDB is mainly composed of two versions, the Corporate and Toolkit. The Corporate version splits into two options where one is limited to 50 mailboxes and the other is limited to 500 mailboxes. The toolkit version has unlimited number of mailboxes and resources processing, and it comes bundled with Stellar Repair for Exchange, Convertor for OST, Extraction tool from Exchange server backups, and recovery of password from Exchange Server and operating systems. The pricing is as follows.
- Corporate with 50 mailboxes – $299
- Corporate with 500 mailboxes – $399
- Toolkit with unlimited mailboxes and bundle – $699
Compared to the time spent with scripting and verifying the migration processes, and not putting in the expense of the administration effort on the verifications, Stellar Converter for EDB is the right solution to keep the expenses to a minimum.
Overall Recommendation
The application is small and very strong. To be honest I couldn’t find any flaws in the application or missing features. Especially with the Toolkit version, there isn’t anything that would happen to your current Exchange Server that the application doesn’t support. Stellar Converter for EDB is designed for the Exchange Administrators as well as for the non-technical users as the application will allow you to search for the EDB files and the interface is quite self-explanatory.
Conclusion
As we have seen Stellar Converter for EDB is the right solution when it comes to a migration or extraction of data, with a peace of mind that all the data has been migrated to the right destination with no margin for error. The application is recommended for its value for money and while the price is reasonable, it’s fully loaded with features. One should not worry about extracting data or migrating their resources to the cloud if they have the right solution in their portfolio.
