Technical Bulletin - Moving Add2Exchange to a New Appliance

Moving Add2Exchange to a New Appliance While Staying on the Same Exchange Environment - Upgrading Windows 10 to 11 or - Going machineless: "Cloud only" 

Audience Add2Exchange administrators, Exchange administrators, Microsoft 365 administrators, and support engineers
Scenario Moving Add2Exchange from an old appliance/server to a new appliance/server
Use Case Appliance-only migration where the Exchange server or Microsoft 365 tenant is not changing
Last Updated 6/4/2026

Executive Summary. When moving Add2Exchange to a new appliance, the safest process is to upgrade the old installation first, export the Add2Exchange setup, export the Add2Exchange registry profile, stop the Add2Exchange and SQL services, copy the database files, install Add2Exchange on the new appliance, restore the old database files, then relicense and validate synchronization.

Overview

This technical bulletin covers an Add2Exchange appliance-only migration. The Exchange server, Microsoft 365 tenant, sync accounts, distribution lists, and existing relationship design are staying the same. Only the Add2Exchange appliance/server is being replaced.

The underlying backup and restore pattern is similar when migrating Exchange servers or moving to Office 365, but those projects require additional planning, permissions, account validation, and migration steps. This bulletin starts with the simpler appliance-only move.

Direct Answer

No, you do not normally need to recreate sync service accounts or distribution lists when only moving Add2Exchange to a new appliance. If the Exchange or Microsoft 365 environment is not changing, you can normally use the same accounts and relationship configuration after the database is restored and the new appliance is licensed.

Important Notes Before You Begin

Item Guidance
Upgrade first Upgrade Add2Exchange on the old appliance before migrating.
SQL Server 2005 If the old appliance is still running Add2Exchange on SQL Server 2005, upgrade to SQL Server 2008 or SQL Server 2012 before migrating.
Downtime required The Add2Exchange service and A2ESQLSERVICE must be stopped while copying and restoring the database files.
Do not delete the new database files Rename the newly installed database files before restoring the old files. Keep them until the migration is confirmed.
Relicensing required After restoring the old database on the new appliance, Add2Exchange will normally show as unlicensed and must be relicensed.

Related Articles

Migration Checklist

Done Task
□ Upgrade Add2Exchange on the old appliance.
□ Create C:\A2E Backup on the old appliance.
□ Export Add2Exchange setup from the console.
□ Export the Add2Exchange registry profile.
□ Stop Add2Exchange and A2ESQLSERVICE before copying database files.
□ Copy the Add2Exchange database files into the backup folder.
□ Install Add2Exchange on the new appliance.
□ Restore the old database files into the new installation.
□ Start A2ESQLSERVICE and open the Add2Exchange Console.
□ Relicense Add2Exchange and validate synchronization.


Step-by-Step Process

Phase 1 - Back Up the Old Add2Exchange Appliance

  1. Upgrade Add2Exchange on the old appliance.
    Complete the Add2Exchange upgrade before migration. Use the Upgrade Add2Exchange article for the current upgrade procedure.
  2. Create the backup folder.
    Create the following folder on the old appliance:

    C:\A2E Backup
  3. Export the Add2Exchange setup.
    Open the Add2Exchange Console, click Help, then click Export Setup. Save the exported setup file into:

    C:\A2E Backup
  4. Export the Add2Exchange registry profile.
    Open Registry Editor and browse to:

    Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\OpenDoor Software®\Add2Exchange\Profile 1

    Right-click Profile 1, click Export, and save the registry export into:

    C:\A2E Backup
  5. Stop Add2Exchange services.
    Before copying the database files:
    • Close the Add2Exchange Console.
    • Open Windows Services.
    • Stop the Add2Exchange service.
    • Stop A2ESQLSERVICE.
  6. Copy the Add2Exchange database files.
    Browse to the Add2Exchange database folder. The default location is:

    C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenDoor Software®\Add2Exchange\Database

    Copy both Add2Exchange database files into:

    C:\A2E Backup

Checkpoint: The old appliance backup is complete when the setup export, registry export, and both database files are saved in C:\A2E Backup.

Phase 2 - Move the Backup to the New Appliance

  1. Create the working library folder on the new appliance.
    On the new Add2Exchange appliance, create:

    C:\zLibrary
  2. Copy the backup folder to the new appliance.
    Move the entire A2E Backup folder from the old appliance to:

    C:\zLibrary\A2E Backup

Phase 3 - Install Add2Exchange on the New Appliance

  1. Install Add2Exchange using the correct environment article.
    Before restoring the old database, complete the installation procedure that matches the environment:

Note: If you are only moving Add2Exchange to a new appliance and the Exchange or Microsoft 365 environment is not changing, use the same accounts for installation and management. You do not need to create new sync service accounts or distribution lists for an appliance-only move.

Phase 4 - Restore the Old Add2Exchange Database

  1. Stop services on the new appliance.
    Before replacing the database files:
    • Close the Add2Exchange Console.
    • Stop the Add2Exchange service.
    • Stop A2ESQLSERVICE.
  2. Open the new appliance database folder.
    The default location is:

    C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenDoor Software®\Add2Exchange\Database
  3. Rename the newly installed database files.
    Rename the new database files so they are preserved as a rollback copy. For example:

    New.A2E.mdf
    New.A2E_log.LDF
  4. Copy the old database files into the new database folder.
    Copy the old database files from:

    C:\zLibrary\A2E Backup

    Paste them into:

    C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenDoor Software®\Add2Exchange\Database
  5. Start A2ESQLSERVICE.
    Close Windows Explorer, return to Windows Services, and start:

    A2ESQLSERVICE
  6. Open the Add2Exchange Console and verify relationships.
    If the restore was successful, the old Add2Exchange relationships should appear in the console. The software will normally show as unlicensed on the new appliance.
  7. Relicense Add2Exchange.
    Use the Relicense Add2Exchange article to license the new appliance.
  8. Start syncing after validation.
    After licensing is complete, and if no Exchange or Microsoft 365 changes were made, start Add2Exchange synchronization and review the logs.

Default File Locations

Item Default Path
Old appliance backup folder C:\A2E Backup
New appliance library folder C:\zLibrary
New appliance backup copy C:\zLibrary\A2E Backup
Add2Exchange database folder C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenDoor Software®\Add2Exchange\Database
Add2Exchange registry profile HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\OpenDoor Software®\Add2Exchange\Profile 1

Post-Migration Validation

Done Validation Item
□ Add2Exchange Console opens successfully on the new appliance.
□ All expected relationships are visible.
□ Add2Exchange is relicensed successfully.
□ Add2Exchange service starts cleanly.
□ A2ESQLSERVICE starts cleanly.
□ A controlled test sync completes before normal production syncing resumes.
□ Event logs and Add2Exchange logs are reviewed after the first sync.


Troubleshooting Notes

Symptom Check
Old relationships do not appear Confirm the old .mdf and matching log file were copied into the active database folder and that A2ESQLSERVICE was restarted.
Console opens but software is unlicensed This is expected after moving to a new appliance. Relicense Add2Exchange before syncing.
Database files will not copy Confirm the Add2Exchange Console is closed and both Add2Exchange and A2ESQLSERVICE are stopped.
Service does not start Review Windows Services, SQL service status, database file names, file permissions, and Event Viewer logs.

Conclusion

Bottom line: For an Add2Exchange appliance-only migration, upgrade the old appliance first, export setup and registry information, stop services, copy the database files, install Add2Exchange on the new appliance, restore the old database files, relicense, and validate with a controlled test sync. If the Exchange or Microsoft 365 environment is unchanged, the existing sync accounts and relationship design normally remain in place.

Support Escalation - Open a Support Ticket: Here

If you are having issues migrating Add2Exchange to a new appliance and would like DidItBetter to assist under Premier Support, open a support ticket online and include the migration step where the issue occurred, the Add2Exchange version, the SQL version, and any service or Event Viewer errors. We will immediately assign a certified engineer and once started, most resolutions are completed within an hour or so.

 

 

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