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Archiving Tips

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kenzai

Programmer
Aug 23, 2003
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I am a newbie in Exchange 2000, I just want to get suggestions/recommendation on how to approach archiving emails messages in E2k? Will it archive all the mailboxes, messages, including all the data within that individual messages. My company don't want to archive in pst files, any suggesstions? I will be very glad to learn more from you guys.. I know you're all good ...thanks...

Succeess is never final and failure is never fatal. It's Courage that counts.
 
PST file is the way to go man........ there is no other way. unless your co wants to invest on super hugh storage for exchange which is super duper dumb.

PST file on file server with regular backup is better then tons of mail in the server.

Try restoring and try to move a 6~10 G EDB. Just moving it out of server can takes up to 3 hours. dont ask if you need to run off line degrag and off line repairs to the database.

Just had my email server crashed on me last month. spend 4 days including weekends to restore all the mail back with mail loss too. half of the time is waiting for the server to move the db out and in the server and running tool to recover the data.

I know no voice, I knew nothing about systems,
i know NUTS on networking, Therefore I dont know anything!
-----------------------------------
©2003,2004 SCHT.
 

But the problem with pst file in Exchange 2000 is the limitation for 2GB and that's the very reason why we can't archive in pst file.. but my company want a individual mailbox archive but not in a pst file? any alternative you know, without spending anything? thanks....

Succeess is never final and failure is never fatal. It's Courage that counts.
 
If mutiple mailbox require access by a single user then,
You need to login to the secondary mailbox in outlook and needs to asign "Owner permission" to the user for every mail folder.

In Active Directory MMC u need to delegate pernmission of the secondary mailbox account to the user as well.

The outlook can launch and display 2 mailbox for a single user.

2GB limitation is Outlook 2000 and 2002, in outlook 2003 this limit has widen. Besides Mailbox access requires CAL licenses .unless u have user CAL then single user can have multiple mailboxes. And CALS also cost big time.

Personal opinion:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Besides I do not believe any person in a company can choke up 2 GB mails in a years unless they CC and BCC with Attachments to everyone in the company.

I advise my staff to break their email in Years. email_yyyy.pst and keep it in their home Drive (File Server for personal usage).
This also has another benefit as in the exchange require less time to load the Outlook each time esp. for those mobile users which need to works off line from exchange. Sync a mailbox of 2 GB can takes up to half an hour.

It is the job of the MsxSA to advise the company to change their usage habit. I was facing the same issue before. Staffs refuse to backup their mail and when the server crashed and they suffered! Nowadays they just comply with the email usage/backup policy.

I know no voice, I knew nothing about systems,
i know NUTS on networking, Therefore I dont know anything!
-----------------------------------
©2003,2004 SCHT.
 

If I will implement the pst file archive...will i use exmerge for this...? i am just new to exchange so I don't know how can i do it...will you give me details on how to implement this?

Succeess is never final and failure is never fatal. It's Courage that counts.
 
no need.

just open the Outlook for the user and go to tools and Account. Select Add Personal folders *.pst

Open this file in the users document folder(Personal PC)/Home Drive (File Server).

Once done. you should see the PST file in the location.
copy a copied of that file as template.

Following is 1 time event.
go to Tools > Options > Others.

AutoArchive > Set the default to that PST file.
Autoruns every 2 weeks or so clean out after 2 months and move old items to the PST file just created.
("Apply these setting to all folders now" Only in Outlook 2003).

for outlook 2002 and before.

Go to every mail folder and right to set the archive setting to the similar setting.

When the PST reachs 1.5 ~ 1.8 GB.shutdown Outlook. remane the PST file to PST_yyyy.pst and copy the template PST back to the original name. then restart outlook.

Maybe u can come up with a user instruction for this. then u can sent me a copy :)

"Exmerge is used to export ALL the mailbox to PST file all at once." meant more for Troubleshooting or migration uses

I know no voice, I knew nothing about systems,
i know NUTS on networking, Therefore I dont know anything!
-----------------------------------
©2003,2004 SCHT.
 


i will configure that in exchange or in every outlook box my users are using.... can i do it in one central location like in exchange system manager?

Succeess is never final and failure is never fatal. It's Courage that counts.
 
achive? Sadly every mailbox in the whole exchange.

that y it is good to have a user manual/ instruction guide. let the user manage their own mailbox.

unless you want to use exmerge to export all mail but that will make the users less wanting to archive their mails.


I know no voice, I knew nothing about systems,
i know NUTS on networking, Therefore I dont know anything!
-----------------------------------
©2003,2004 SCHT.
 
There are various 3rd party products available that will archive Exchange without using PST files.

-------------------------------

If it doesn't leak oil it must be empty!!
 
hmmmm... interesting... does 3rd party software comes free?
can you list some names?

will these archival can be access by outlook without having to unpack the files?

I know no voice, I knew nothing about systems,
i know NUTS on networking, Therefore I dont know anything!
-----------------------------------
©2003,2004 SCHT.
 

maybe i will choose to develop my own archive solution....using cdoex or webdav?

Succeess is never final and failure is never fatal. It's Courage that counts.
 
You may try the SDK provided with Exchange.
However i still standby my PST file after being working in Exchange 5.5 and 2000. PST file is still the best way to store and to retrive. Fast and compact. Did you know the PST compact by ZIP or RAR is about 10 times smaller (dependig on the attachement in it).

The choice is yours. and to reinvent the wheel that is up to your company decision.

I know no voice, I knew nothing about systems,
i know NUTS on networking, Therefore I dont know anything!
-----------------------------------
©2003,2004 SCHT.
 
does 3rd party software comes free? None that I know of.

can you list some names? EAS from Essential

Fully integrates into outlook plus lots of additional functionality.


-------------------------------

If it doesn't leak oil it must be empty!!
 
If your co is willing to spend some cash then kvs enterprise vault might be an option. software compresses old items on criteria you set, that reduces size on exchange server. old items are not lost and a link remains in users mailbox to that item.

its a good product from experience
 
I have to say, we ran into lots of issues with PSTs getting corrupted approaching the 2GB limit. I work for a law firm and it's not uncommon for a user to have hundred thousand emails with large PDFs attached. KVS saved us the hastle by importing all the data from PSTs into a personal archive for each user. They could then access their folders from webmail too, so it's an added benefit for those who don't take their laptops home with their local PSTs.

Theo1881, how much experience do you have with KVS? I just inherited it and am having issues with the Offline Vault.
 
For OFfice 2003, they have resolved the 2GB Limited in the PST file.

Usually i would advise my user to do a YEarly or half Yearly Achival of the Emails. It shouldn't exceed 2GB within 6 months.

I know no voice, I knew nothing about systems,
i know NUTS on networking, Therefore I dont know anything!
-----------------------------------
©2003,2004 SCHT.
 
Do you know how to filter the email that I can move to a pst. Example I have emails that came from a voice mail server and I need to store these mail on exchange server and the other in pst.

Thanks
 
hernanme,

The exmerge utility on Exchange server gives you options to select only certain messages to archive to a .pst. That might do what you are askign about.

Alice
 
Thanks Alice, but Exmerge works with the email client offline. But that I need is when an email come into the User Inbox on the server, can discern automatically if the email stay on the inbox or move to the pst file.

Regards,

Hernan
 
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