SkyKick Outlook Assistant Known Issues

Outlook Assistant Common Installation Issues

The SkyKick Outlook Assistant is typically installed by users several days in advance of the migration, and runs silently in the Windows System Tray until the migration time when it finalizes the migration and sets up the user’s PC.

The most common issue detected by the Outlook Assistant is outdated Outlook installations needing Service Packs or patches.

NOTE: The Outlook Assistant’s Client app will run under the identity of the currently logged in user and must be able to communicate with migsvc.skykick.com on ports 80 and 443. The Outlook Assistant’s Windows Service will run under the identity of the Network Service and must be able to communicate with migsvc.skykick.com on ports 80 and 443.

Outlook Assistant Profile Creation Failure 

As part of its standard workflow, the Outlook Assistant is often able to resolve errors automatically. Many errors are transient and often resolved with a retry of the operation at a later time. When profile creation fails, the next retry is set for 4 hours later. If the failure occurs within 6 hours before or after cutover, the next retry will occur 39 minutes later.

IMPORTANT: Beyond 24 hours after cutover, there are no profile creation retries and you must proceed with the manually initiated forced profile creation process below. In the event an Outlook profile creation fails and the Outlook Assistant is unable to resolve the error automatically, an error will be indicated on the Devices tab of the Migration Dashboard, along with a link to troubleshooting information.

In order to expedite the troubleshooting process, the Retry profile creation button enables you to force the Outlook Assistant to retry its operation sooner than the standard schedule. This allows you to quickly determine if the troubleshooting steps resolve the issue. In most cases the Outlook Assistant will poll (check-in) to the Migration App web service every two minutes to request the next command.

Clicking the Retry profile creation button will instruct the Outlook Assistant to reattempt to create an Outlook Profile when it next polls the Migration App web service instead of waiting the standard interval of either 4 hours or 39 minutes, depending on the proximity to cutover.

To retry profile creation:

1. Go to the Devices tab in the Migration Dashboard.
2. Select the devices for which you would like to retry profile creation.
3. Click Actions to open the Devices Action panel.
4. Click the Retry profile creation button.
   

The Outlook Assistant will automatically switch the Outlook profile, restart Outlook, and connect to the user’s new Office 365 account. This process starts about 10 minutes after cutover and takes a few minutes to complete.

1. The Outlook Assistant will close Outlook (if it is currently open) and begin transferring local data to the new Office 365 profile according to the migration type. For more information, see What We Migrate from the Skykick website.
2. A dialogue box with a status bar will appear on the screen detailing the status of the transfer of local data. During this transfer, Outlook will not be usable, but Outlook Web Access (OWA) can be used during this time. Once completed, Outlook will reopen to the new Office 365 profile.
3. Outlook syncs with Office 365. During this time, Outlook will begin downloading data from the mailbox and rebuilding the local .OST. Depending on the size of the migration, this may impact local bandwidth.
4. There are generally few new Alerts in the Partner Portal because all the prior readiness work should have already identified any desktop issues. However, the best practice is to check for any last minute alerts.
5. Users show up to work the next day, and their Outlook is now configured and operational with Office 365.

End User Scenario

If the user is working at their PC, they will be asked if they want to delay the migration an additional 10 minutes in order to finish up any last-minute tasks. If the user is away but not logged out, the Outlook Assistant will proceed as long as the PC is unlocked and the user is signed in.

The Outlook Assistant only operates when a computer is in an unlocked state. If the computer is off, not connected to the internet, or locked at cutover, the Outlook Assistant will wait until the computer is on, connected, and unlocked to initiate its processes. If this is the status of a small number of computers, the impact on the customer may be minimal.

However, the impact may be more significant if:

• A large number of devices are turned on and unlocked simultaneously (e.g. Monday morning)
• It is a migration from POP3 (requiring the Outlook Assistant to sync email data at cutover)
• The customer has limited bandwidth

Therefore, if the cutover is scheduled during non-business hours, it is recommended that end users either leave their workstations on and unlocked or stagger their logins when business hours resume. By taking laptops home and having them on, unlocked, and connected to the internet at cutover, users can also reduce the impact on bandwidth.

NOTE: In rare cases during Outlook profile creation, Windows or Outlook may prompt the end user to perform an action (e.g. entering credentials). If the user responds to the prompt within the 10-minute time frame, there will be no impact on Outlook profile creation. However, if there is no response, the Outlook profile will not be created. If this occurs, profile creation must be retried by going to the Devices tab in the Migration Dashboard, selecting the user, and clicking Retry Profile Creation.