chas716
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Backup Exchange Mailboxes
We are using Exchange 2003 Standard and I need to be able to archive or backup specific users mailboxes. There are 4 users that I will need access to any email that they recieve in the event something happened to them or they leave the company. This should include messages that they received and then deleted.
My first thought was to create a seperate mailbox and have copies of all messages sent to there. I could then backup those specific mailboxes to tape and archive for retrieval later. Although this could work I am concerned about space issues with the database.
Is there another way to accomplish this that I am not aware of. I know that some companies are required to archive messages for auditing purposes. Do these compnies just archive to tape and store them?
My first thought was to create a seperate mailbox and have copies of all messages sent to there. I could then backup those specific mailboxes to tape and archive for retrieval later. Although this could work I am concerned about space issues with the database.
Is there another way to accomplish this that I am not aware of. I know that some companies are required to archive messages for auditing purposes. Do these compnies just archive to tape and store them?
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Typically this is done via backing up the individual mailbox contents, usually called a brick-level backup. Veritas has been in my experience the best at making this happen consistently.
How the archiving is done depends on the funding available and how long.
How the archiving is done depends on the funding available and how long.
Agree with MidnightOne, use brick-level backups for individual mailboxes. You might have to purchase a separate license for brick-level, I don't know.
Neither of the methods I specified require user intervention - and it is all done server side so the user will not know.
The real question is how easy you want this to be, how specific you want this to be, and how quickly you want to be able to get the information you want.
Then - how much you want to spend on this. The best one i have seen is the Quest product, but not cheap.
http://www.quest.com/archive-manager/
The real question is how easy you want this to be, how specific you want this to be, and how quickly you want to be able to get the information you want.
Then - how much you want to spend on this. The best one i have seen is the Quest product, but not cheap.
http://www.quest.com/archive-manager/
ASKER
This was another thought that I had, then of couse management throws in a monkey wrench saying "Well what happens if they read it and then delete it before you back it up" I told them that it would be gone and not on the backup. That was not the answer they wanted. The only way that I could combat that is to have to emails forward a copy to another mailbox and back that up.
Is there anything else that I am missing or is this the only method?
Is there anything else that I am missing or is this the only method?
The brick level backup is only as effective as your schedule - in between you don't have visibility.
An archiving solution copies the lot to a seperate DB. Which is searchable. This is done through journaling.
e.g.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/586157f3-51a2-4517-8f8f-b9785881b232.aspx
An archiving solution copies the lot to a seperate DB. Which is searchable. This is done through journaling.
e.g.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/586157f3-51a2-4517-8f8f-b9785881b232.aspx
E-Mail journaling is the only way to ensure that every message will be saved to a alternate mailbox. But it comes with the price of disk space and resource overhead. The archiving solutions mentioned and there are many other out there will do the job but at even more added costs.
Money solves almost everything - DNS fills in the holes! :-)
Money solves almost everything - DNS fills in the holes! :-)
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ASKER
JimboEfx:
From what I read journaling works at the store level and affects all mailboxes. Correct??
I may have to use a combination of things entered here. I could use my solution of sending a copy to another mailbox, then use a brick-level backup on a monthly basis and then delete the contents after the backup.
If that method does not work properly I would try out the solution from Exclaimer.
MidnightOne:
All employees sign a waiver when they start with the company saying that all email belongs to the company and they have no implicit or explicit right to privacy on any of these computer systems. Now whether or not that can be upheld in courst is another story. Either way I do have a copy of the request in writing. I do appreciate your concern though.
From what I read journaling works at the store level and affects all mailboxes. Correct??
I may have to use a combination of things entered here. I could use my solution of sending a copy to another mailbox, then use a brick-level backup on a monthly basis and then delete the contents after the backup.
If that method does not work properly I would try out the solution from Exclaimer.
MidnightOne:
All employees sign a waiver when they start with the company saying that all email belongs to the company and they have no implicit or explicit right to privacy on any of these computer systems. Now whether or not that can be upheld in courst is another story. Either way I do have a copy of the request in writing. I do appreciate your concern though.
ASKER
As a matter of fact they cannot know that it is being done. Upper management wants to monitor all activity for these 4 users without them knowing. Big Brother at it's best.