Table of Contents

Release Notes

Highlights

The Hosted Exchange application is a mail hosting solution that enables providers to offer Microsoft Exchange Server services to customers. With Odin Automation and the application, end-users can manage their mailboxes, distribution lists, contacts, public folders, resource mailboxes, and company disclaimers through UX1 for Customers.

The application is based on APS 2 technology and is the successor of the Odin Hosted Exchange module. This version of the application uses the infrastructure of the module, which includes servers with Microsoft Exchange Server, Odin Automation packages installed on the servers, up to and including the module's resources.

The application can be integrated with third-party systems through its APS REST API, which allows the third-party systems to manage application resources.

The application can coexist with the module within the same Odin Automation instance, which allows providers that use the module to gradually migrate their Hosted Exchange customer base from the module to the application.

See the sections that follow to learn more about the application.

UX1 for Customers

With the Hosted Exchange application, end-users can manage their mailboxes, distribution lists, contacts, public folders, resource mailboxes, and company disclaimers through UX1 for Customers.

The following table compares the features and capabilities available to end-users in CCP v1, which is used by the Hosted Exchange module, and UX1 for Customers, which is used by the Hosted Exchange application.

Feature CCP v1 UX1 for Customers
Mailbox management Yes Yes
Resource mailbox management Yes Yes
Public folder management Yes Yes
Company disclaimer management Yes Yes
Distribution list management Yes Yes
Contact management Yes Yes
Storage usage report per mailbox / public folder Yes Yes
Address list management Yes Yes
Exchange domain management Yes Yes
Bulk creation of users and their mailboxes Yes Yes
Vendor Outlook licenses for mailboxes Yes Yes
Mobile UI No Yes
Single view of all services No Yes
Seamless experience for users buying additional resources No Yes
Purchasing new services in a unified marketplace No Yes
Real-time notifications No Yes

APS REST API

The Hosted Exchange application is built with APS 2 technology, meaning its APS REST API is available through the APS bus. The specifications of the application's APS REST API are shipped with the application package.

Providers willing to migrate their customers from the Hosted Exchange module to the Hosted Exchange application and using the Odin Automation XMLRPC API to manage the module's resources will need to switch their on-premise systems to the application's APS REST API. The mapping between the module's XMLRPC API methods and the application's APS REST API methods is provided in the specifications.

To learn how to access the APS bus and manage APS resources, refer to the article at https://doc.apsstandard.org/7.4/systems/ready/.

Migration from the Hosted Exchange Module to the Hosted Exchange Application

The Hosted Exchange application can coexist with the Hosted Exchange module within the same Odin Automation instance, which allows providers that use the module to gradually migrate their Hosted Exchange customer base from the module to the application.

The following must be considered before migration:

  • This version of the Hosted Exchange application uses the infrastructure of the Hosted Exchange 2016 module, which includes servers with Microsoft Exchange Server 2016, Odin Automation packages installed on the servers, up to and including the Hosted Exchange module's resources.

  • There is no direct migration path from the Hosted Exchange 2010/2013 module to the Hosted Exchange application. Providers that use the Hosted Exchange 2010/2013 module who want to migrate to the Hosted Exchange application need to first migrate to the Hosted Exchange 2016 module, and then migrate to the Hosted Exchange application.

  • During migration, the module's resources are replaced with the application's resources. Almost every resource of the module has a counterpart in the application, with the following exceptions:

    • The application does not have direct counterparts of the following module resources: ActiveSync Access, IMAP4 Access, Outlook Access, Outlook Web Access, and POP3 Access. Instead of the resources, the respective settings of the application's mailbox types can be used.
    • The Maximum Allowed Mailbox Size and Maximum Allowed Public Folder Size resources of the Hosted Exchange module are replaced with the respective settings of the application's configuration profiles.
  • For the Hosted Exchange module, a subscription can be upgraded so that one Hosted Exchange module resource type is replaced with another Hosted Exchange module resource type without unprovisioning existing resources if both the resource types are based on the same resource class. For instance, if a subscription is upgraded so that a Hosted Exchange Basic / Mailboxes resource type is replaced with a Hosted Exchange Advanced / Mailboxes resource type, all existing mailboxes of the subscription remain on respective Exchange servers. For the Hosted Exchange application, such upgrades are not supported. For instance, if a subscription is upgraded so that a Hosted Exchange Mailbox A resource type is replaced with a Hosted Exchange Mailbox B resource type, where both the resource types are based on the same resource class and intended for the same APS type, all existing mailboxes are removed from respective Exchange servers.

  • The module is managed through the Odin Automation XMLRPC API, whereas the application is managed through the APS REST API.

  • During migration, customer accounts with Hosted Exchange subscriptions are switched from CCP v1 to UX1 for Customers.

  • The application does not support the following:

To learn how to migrate from the Hosted Exchange 2016 module, please refer to the Odin Automation Hosted Exchange Integration Provider's Guide >> Switching Subscriptions from the Hosted Exchange 2016 Module to the Hosted Exchange Application.

To migrate from the Hosted Exchange 2010 module to the Hosted Exchange 2016 module, please use the instructions at https://docs.cloudblue.com/oa/8.0/premium/content/MS-Exchange-Hosting-Guide/Exchange-2010-to-Exchange-2016-Transition.htm.

To migrate from the Hosted Exchange 2013 module to the Hosted Exchange 2016 module, please use the instructions at https://docs.cloudblue.com/oa/8.0/premium/content/MS-Exchange-Hosting-Guide/Transition-2013-2016/Exchange-2013-to-Exchange-2016-Transition.htm.

To learn more about the Hosted Exchange application's APS REST API, please refer to APS REST API.

New Features and Changes

Odin Automation 8.2 Support

As of this version of the application, Odin Automation 8.2 is supported.

Important: On an existing installation of the application, you must upgrade the application to version 1.3.4 before upgrading Odin Automation to version 8.2.

Fixed Issues

HEX-2027 When buying subscriptions with zero limits on mailboxes, customers can request the application to create mailboxes, which causes orders to fail.

Prerequisites

The Hosted Exchange application requires the following:

Notes:

  1. The application supports Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 only.
  2. The application supports demo mode, which enables you to evaluate the application's capabilities. In this mode, the Hosted Exchange 2016 module is optional.

Limitations

This version of the Hosted Exchange application has the following limitations:

  • End-users have the same login name and password for both mailbox access and logging in to UX1 for Customers. This limitation will be removed in a future version of the application, and end-users will be able to have separate credentials for mailboxes and UX1 for Customers.

  • For the Hosted Exchange module, a subscription can be upgraded so that one Hosted Exchange module resource type is replaced with another Hosted Exchange module resource type without unprovisioning existing resources if both the resource types are based on the same resource class. For instance, if a subscription is upgraded so that a Hosted Exchange Basic / Mailboxes resource type is replaced with a Hosted Exchange Advanced / Mailboxes resource type, all existing mailboxes of the subscription remain on the respective Exchange servers. For the Hosted Exchange application, such upgrades are not supported. For instance, if a subscription is upgraded so that a Hosted Exchange Mailbox A resource type is replaced with a Hosted Exchange Mailbox B resource type, where both the resource types are based on the same resource class and intended for the same APS type, all existing mailboxes are removed from their respective Exchange servers.

  • In the Hosted Exchange module, access to mailboxes through ActiveSync, IMAP4, POP3, Outlook, and Outlook for Web is represented as the respective resources: ActiveSync Access, IMAP4 Access, POP3 Access, Outlook Access, and Outlook Web Access. The Hosted Exchange application does not have such resources; access to mailboxes through various protocols is controlled by the respective settings of mailbox types.

  • In the Hosted Exchange module, the maximum size of mailboxes and public folders is controlled with the respective resources: Maximum Allowed Mailbox Size and Maximum Allowed Public Folder Size. In the Hosted Exchange application, it is controlled with the respective settings of configuration profiles.

  • In the Hosted Exchange module, vendor Outlook licenses are represented as Outlook License for Hosted Exchange Mailboxes resources; such licenses can be configured for both ordinary mailboxes and mailboxes created based on mailbox templates. The Hosted Exchange application does not have such resources; vendor Outlook licenses can be configured by using the respective mailbox type settings.

  • The application supports only UX1 for Customers.

  • The application does not support the following:

Technical Information

Obtaining the Hosted Exchange Application Package

Contact your Ingram Micro technical account manager to obtain the latest version of the Hosted Exchange application package.

Installation

To install the Hosted Exchange application, use the instructions provided in the Odin Automation Hosted Exchange Integration Provider's Guide.

Upgrade

To upgrade the Hosted Exchange application, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure that there are no unprocessed Hosted Exchange application tasks.
  2. Stop the provisioning of Hosted Exchange application services. For instance, deactivate all service templates of the Hosted Exchange application.
  3. Upload the application package to your management node.
  4. Unzip the application package.
  5. Go to the directory where the contents of the application package are placed.
  6. Execute the following command:

    python hosted-exchange.py install
    
  7. Start the provisioning of Hosted Exchange application services. For instance, activate all service templates of the Hosted Exchange application.

Helpful Resources

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