Exchange admin and users archive .pst files best practices
Hello all - I need some outside guidance please. What is the best practice for a medium size business to handle the about 50 mailboxes and their .pst files?
What I have now-
A 2GB full email size inbox- past that Outlook will notify them of their threshold and use the "I will stop working scare tactic"
Outlook 2010 Exchange
Outlook 2007/2010 clients.
What I need is a good way to default the users to a map drive and their pst settings for emails older than 1 year if possible.
Can I default the Outlook client pst path via GPO or reg key somehow and as a exchange environment - can I force the archive settings (for a year or two) or are they strictly on the end users' client end to be configured?
What I have now-
A 2GB full email size inbox- past that Outlook will notify them of their threshold and use the "I will stop working scare tactic"
Outlook 2010 Exchange
Outlook 2007/2010 clients.
What I need is a good way to default the users to a map drive and their pst settings for emails older than 1 year if possible.
Can I default the Outlook client pst path via GPO or reg key somehow and as a exchange environment - can I force the archive settings (for a year or two) or are they strictly on the end users' client end to be configured?
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David Johnson, CD
with Exchange by default the client uses .ost files not .pst files. Archives are again managed by the server but you need enterprise CALS.. These are not .pst files they occupy space in the mailbox store. This 2G limit is an artificial limit set by you the exchange administrator. With users using Cached mode, a mailbox/.ost <10G is ideal in terms of performance.
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Lets start with the first thing - PST files are not the answer.
Storing them on a LAN is not supported.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=297019
More on the same subject:
http://blogs.technet.com/askperf/archive/2007/01/21/network-stored-pst-files-don-t-do-it.aspx
If a client wants to use PST files as an archiving solution I tell them they may as well use the delete key. The content will be lost anyway, at least with the delete key they know it is gone, rather than hoping it hasn't with PST files.
Next. Do you actually NEED to keep the content? Don't ask the users, ask the lawyers. If you don't, then old email should be treated as a ticking bomb. In the event of legal discovery, that content could come back to bite you. Unless you are required to keep it, then I would be trying to find ways to discourage its storage.
If you do need to retain data, then PST files will not give you the coverage you require. You will need a proper archiving solution.
For 50 users, I don't see the point in Enterprise edition of Exchange. Unless everyone has 100gb mailboxes you don't need more than five databases. Two mailbox databases, two archive databases. You will need Enterprise CALs though to use the built in archiving solution.
Simon.
Storing them on a LAN is not supported.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=297019
More on the same subject:
http://blogs.technet.com/askperf/archive/2007/01/21/network-stored-pst-files-don-t-do-it.aspx
If a client wants to use PST files as an archiving solution I tell them they may as well use the delete key. The content will be lost anyway, at least with the delete key they know it is gone, rather than hoping it hasn't with PST files.
Next. Do you actually NEED to keep the content? Don't ask the users, ask the lawyers. If you don't, then old email should be treated as a ticking bomb. In the event of legal discovery, that content could come back to bite you. Unless you are required to keep it, then I would be trying to find ways to discourage its storage.
If you do need to retain data, then PST files will not give you the coverage you require. You will need a proper archiving solution.
For 50 users, I don't see the point in Enterprise edition of Exchange. Unless everyone has 100gb mailboxes you don't need more than five databases. Two mailbox databases, two archive databases. You will need Enterprise CALs though to use the built in archiving solution.
Simon.
ASKER
thanks all. I was afraid of that