Two offiles folders?

[MelissaT]

We are running out of space on our GroupWise 7.0 server. I happened to notice that we have 2 different OFFiles folders (From what I read, this is where file attachments are stored). One, the correct one, is at the same directory level as ofmsg and ofuser folders. The other is inside of the OFMsg folder, but no files in any of the sub folder structure of that have been modified in over 5 years. I was wondering if maybe someone copied the folder long ago and it isn't needed. Does anybody know if there should/shouldn't be and offiles folder within the Ofmsg folder?

Melissa
Designing Access databases since 1999

 

[goombawaho]

It's been so long since I was "into" Groupwise administration that I can't recall all the ins/outs. But this diagram doesn't seem to show that 2nd OFFILES folder being there.

http://www.novell.com/documentation/gw65/?page=/documentation/gw65/gw65_tsh3/data/h6rf9mws.html

Whatever you do, have a good backup of that folder.

A better option would be to run some type of cleanup/message reduction/housekeeping on the post office and/or force users to archive their mail.

This gets tricky, so it's not something that you can just pull the trigger on. You have to think this out. The OFFILES is always the big monster folder in a PO because it contains the attachments that are sent with messages.

If you have no attachment size policy and/or mail retention period policy, you are doomed to suffer with an over-filled post office at some point in the future no matter how much disk space you have.

In essence, you have waited until the bitter end to where you HAVE to act to start thinking about mailbox size, mail retention guidelines.

 

[MelissaT]

Thanks for the reply. I don't get that link to the documentation to work, but I'll try to find it @ Novell's site.





Melissa
Designing Access databases since 1999

 

[MelissaT]

Found the doc! Thank you!

Melissa
Designing Access databases since 1999

 

[marvhuffaker]

If you have an OFFILES folder underneath the OFFILES folder that is parallel to OFMSG and OFUSR, it's not being used. It probably got put there by accident. I'd say you can delete it, or at least move it until you're sure you're still okay with it gone.

Marvin Huffaker, MCNE
Marvin Huffaker Consulting, Inc.
A Novell Platinum Partner

http://www.redjuju.com

 

[goombawaho]

Regardless, I imagine your problem is caused by never removing anything from your post office, unless the users decided to do that for themselves. If you allow users to keep whatever they want, they'll keep a ton and eat you out of disk space. It's always the OFFILES folder that will kill you.

Take a look at this for some strategies for reducing PO bulk.

http://www.novell.com/documentation/gw65/?page=/documentation/gw65/gw65_admin/data/abacve9.html

Take a look at this for my strategy of REMOVING mail/mailbox for departed users while still keeping their mail available (but off the server) if needed. Last two comments in this thread:

http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=1523815

 

[MelissaT]

We copied off and then removed the extra Offiles directory and everything still seems to be working fine. We will be moving to outlook/exchange sometime this year and will definitely being setting limits on mailbox sizes to prevent the same problems on the new system. Thank you for your responses.

Melissa
Designing Access databases since 1999