Maintenance Tips for GroupWise Mailbox

Marshal HubsEmail Consultant
Published:
Regular maintenance of GroupWise Mailbox keeps it running flawlessly. Sometimes, it is also seen that mailbox maintenance is needed for resolving various issues of mailbox and other Novell GroupWise database. By using the ‘Repair Mailbox’ feature, a GroupWise user can perform following maintenance actions on his mailbox:

•      Analyze/Fix Databases
•      Structural Rebuild

Both these mailbox maintenance functions are performed on mailboxes to which the user is connected currently, which may include the Caching Mailbox, Remote Mailbox, or the Archive. Moreover, you get the Repair Mailbox option only on the menu of Caching, Archiving, or Remote mode. However, before getting into the functionalities of these options of GroupWise Mailbox, let us get an overview of it:

An Overview of GroupWise Mailbox:

In online mode, your GroupWise mailbox is stored in the post office to which you belong and the GroupWise administrator does its maintenance. However, in other modes, you perform some of your maintenance tasks by your own, which entirely depends upon which feature of GroupWise client you are using.

•      Remote Mailbox: The Remote Mailbox is stored at the location that you have specified by using the ‘Hit the Road’ feature in client for creating the Remote mailbox if you are using the Remote mode.

•      Archive: Archiving GroupWise items send them to Archive folder situated at the location that you have mentioned by using ‘Tools >> Options >> Environment >> File Location’. To repair this file, you can open it from ‘File >> Open Archive’.

•      Caching Mailbox: The mailbox in caching mode is stored at the location that you have specified while setting up the ‘Caching Mailbox’. For repairing your caching mailbox, you should be in caching mode.

For each of these mailbox locations, three databases are associated:

•      User Database: The user database contains the client options settings, personal groups, pointers to messages, rules, and personal Address Books.

•      Document Database: This database contains only the documents that you are accessing from your GroupWise library.

•      Message Database: All the GroupWise items are contained in message database.

The idea behind providing you the overview of these mailboxes and the database associated in them is to make your selection of database clear while repairing it. Moreover, having the understanding of these databases also helps you to choose the correct database according to the problem that you are having with your mailbox.

Analyze and Fix Your Databases: This process will help you to take necessary actions for GroupWise Mailbox maintenance, and hence check your mailbox for different errors and repair the problem that is detected.

Follow the below mentioned steps to check and repair your mailbox:

•      Go to ‘Tools >> Repair Mailbox’, and then click ‘Yes’.

•      Now, go to the ‘Action’ drop-down list, and then select ‘Analyze/Fix Databases’ option.

•      Select any option from the following ‘Analyze/Fix Database’ options as needed:

o      Structure: The check of the structure verifies the structural integrity of your mailbox and produces the amount of space that can be recovered, if you rebuild your mailbox.

o      Contents: A check for ‘Contents’ verifies that whether the messages listed under your mailbox actually exist in your mailbox or not. In other words, you can think of it as a method to verify the references of other items. In your messaging database, the ‘Contents’ check checks whether all the attachments of the messages in your mailbox actually exist in the attachment directory or not. Moreover, it also ensures that your rules, personal groups, and distribution lists are valid.

o      Index Check: Generally, this check is performed when you get a read error while trying to open a message or when someone sends you a message and you cannot see it in your mailbox despite the sender can see the ‘Delivery status’ for that message. An index check can be time-consuming, if your mailbox is large. You can perform the ‘Index Check’ while selecting the Structure check.

o      Collect Statistics: During the content checking, you can also collect statistics. These statistics provide you the number of appointments and messages in your mailbox, the amount that your mailbox consumes, and so on.

•      To repair your mailbox, select ‘Fix Problems’ option. If you deselect this option (Fix Problems), then the problems with your database will be reported, but will not be fixed.

•      Go to the ‘Databases’ tab and select one or more databases for analysis and optional fix.

•      The ‘Log File’ field at the ‘Logging’ tab shows a file with name ‘GWCHK32.LOG’. This shown file will be created in ‘GroupWise’ client installation directory. However, you can select a different location and file name. Moreover, you can also select ‘Verbose Logging’ for recording detailed information during ‘Analyze/Fix’ process.

•      Click ‘Run’ for starting this ‘Analyze/Fix Database’ process. A log of the entire process is displayed during this process. You can click ‘Stop’ at anytime in between this process to stop it, but you can find an error code, which simply indicates that the process is stopped. Moreover, during this process, you can click ‘Statistics’ anytime for adding the statistical information to this log file. This statistical information can include the number of problems that have been identified and which are fixed so far in this process.

•      Click ‘Close’, and then click ‘OK’ as soon as this process of analysis/fix is completed.

•      Further, click ‘Close’ to get back to GroupWise mailbox.

Structural Rebuild: The ‘Structural Rebuild’ option of GroupWise Mailbox maintenance process forces structural rebuilding of the database in your mailbox, irrespective of the detection of the problem, with the help of ‘Analyze/Fix Database’ action. The ‘Structural Rebuild’ makes sure that all the record containers in the database are correctly organized so that you can retrieve data successfully from your GroupWise client. Follow the below mentioned steps for performing structural rebuilding:

•      Click Tools >> Repair Mailbox’, and then click ‘Yes’.

•      Go to the ‘Action’ drop-down list and select ‘Structural Rebuild’.

•      Select ‘Databases’ tab and select one or more databases that you want to rebuild.

•      The ‘Log File’ field at the ‘Logging’ tab shows a file name GWCHK32.LOG. This file is created in the installation directory in your GroupWise client. However, you can specify a different location and filename. Moreover, you can also select Verbose Logging for recording detailed information during the structural rebuild process.

•      Click ‘Run’ for starting this process. You can click ‘Stop’ anytime to stop this ongoing process; however, you may get an error code, but do not worry as this only indicates that the process is stopped completely. By clicking ‘Statistics’, you can add statistical information to the log anytime during the rebuild process.

•      After completion of structural rebuilding process, click ‘Close’, and then ‘OK’.

•      Click ‘Close’ for returning to GroupWise mailbox.

Therefore, by following these maintenance methods, you can maintain your GroupWise mailbox and minimize the risk of data loss. Moreover, the ‘Analyze/Fix Database’ option of this maintenance process enables the users of GroupWise mailbox to analyze and repair the corruption. So, this feature not only maintains the integrity of GroupWise, but it also enables its users to diagnose and fix problems related to their databases.
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Marshal HubsEmail Consultant

Comments (1)

Marshal HubsEmail Consultant

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Commented:
Hi,

Currently I am working on Active directory corruption, management issues & solution, As well as reviewed a tool regarding this. Can i publish my experience with tool name?

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