When migrating to a new Exchange Server, you use the New-MoveRequest PowerShell command via the Exchange Management Shell to migrate the mailboxes. You always hope that all works well and mailboxes will get moved successfully. But you notice that the mailboxes have not moved to the new server. What would you do in such a case?
In this case, since there is no graphical user interface for the move requests, you need to use the PowerShell command Get-MoveRequest, along with the Get-MoveRequestStatistics (see the example below).
Get-MoveRequest | Get-MoveRequestStatistics
Here you get an error on the Status Detail column saying Waiting for Job Pickup.
Ways to Fix the Waiting for Job Pickup Error
The first thing to do is try to check with another mailbox. If the problem persists, you should also test from another mailbox database in the source Exchange Server environment. This will provide some information about the issue if it is concentrated on a particular mailbox or mailbox database. Another way to identify the possible problem is to make a local transfer of the mailbox from one database to another on the same Exchange Server.
The next thing to do is to ensure that both Exchange Servers and the hosting operating system are fully updated. In the case of the Exchange Server, it’s important to have the latest Cumulative Updates (CU) installed. Before going ahead with such updates, it’s important to have a backup as during such updates anything can go wrong.
To check the version of the Exchange Server, you must use the PowerShell command Get-ExchangeServer with the pipe and ft -auto to list all the Exchange Servers in the organization.
Get-ExchangeServer | ft –auto
Next, you can try to suspend the move request and resume the transfer of the move. Sometimes, this restarts the move and it will start transferring. To do this, you need to use the commands – Suspend-MoveRequest and Resume-MoveRequest.
Suspend-MoveRequest -Identity "<identity of move request>"
Resume-MoveRequest -Identity "<identity of move request>"
If the problem still persists, since nothing has been transferred, there is the option to remove the move request and restart it. For this, you need to follow the below instructions which include the Remove-MoveRequest and New-MoveRequest.
Remove-MoveRequest -Identity "<identity of move request>"
New-MoveRequest -Identity "<identity name>" -TargetDatabase "<target database>" -BadItemLimit "20" -AcceptLargeDataLoss
If this doesn’t work, it would be best to check the two servers. The Exchange Server is highly dependent on DNS and Active Directory since all the configuration is stored in the Active Directory Schema. You need to make sure that there isn’t anything affecting you. A firewall might be a culprit. If the problem still persists, it would be best to check with the network team. There is something on the network which is affecting the transfer of the mailboxes.
Another thing you can try to do is remove the index of the source mailbox database. To do this, follow this article from Microsoft.
It is also suggested that at this stage, you take backup of the server just in case. After this is complete, restart the Replication services on both servers. If possible, restart the servers for assurance. This way you will have a failback if something goes wrong during the operation.
You can use the PowerShell command
Get-Service *repl* | Restart-Service
If all fails and the issue is only with a particular mailbox, it would be suggested to export the mailbox to PST.
To Wrap Up
The other feasible and guaranteed way to move mailboxes is to use a third-party tool, such as Stellar Migrator for Exchange, which helps minimize issues and reduces administrative effort. The software comes with an intuitive interface, making the migration process straightforward. With Stellar Migrator for Exchange, you can migrate mailboxes seamlessly between different versions of Exchange Servers. The application allows you to browse, select, and migrate user mailboxes, including emails, calendars, tasks, contacts, and journals. You can perform granular migrations, moving specific mailboxes or items as required. Additionally, the tool enables direct migration to a live Exchange Server database as well as to Office 365 tenants, making it ideal for organizations shifting to the cloud.
