IN THIS ISSUE
*Commentary: SharePoint and Public Folders, Part 1
*Calling All Windows IT Pro Innovators!
*Exchanging Ideas: SharePoint Tips & Techniques
*New and Improved: Centralized Management Across All Exchange Servers
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***COMMENTARY: SharePoint and Public Folders, Part 1
by Paul Robichaux, Exchange Editor, [email protected]
Microsoft Exchange Server public folders have been around since the introduction of Exchange back in 1996. Since that time, they've been used for a wide variety of purposes, not all of which were anticipated by Microsoft's designers.
The basic concept behind public folders is simple: You can create a folder that's accessible to multiple users at the same time and put various kinds of data (including email messages—known as posts—calendar items, or contacts) into the folders. By setting the ACL, you can control which users can create, read, modify, and delete information in each folder; by creating replicas of a folder on multiple servers, you can make the data in the folder available throughout an organization without having a single point of access (or a single point of failure).
Exchange uses public folders internally for two key purposes. First, a special set of public folders holds the system-generated Offline Address Book (OAB). The format of the Exchange OAB has changed several times over the years, so each version is stored in a separate folder. Outlook clients connect to the appropriate folder and download the correct version of the OAB. Second, the system SCHEDULE+ FREE BUSY folder stores information from users' calendars about when they are free or busy. This information is stored as a bitmap for each user. You can add replicas of the free/busy folder to provide local access in different sites, but the replication process might introduce latency.
There are also several common external uses for public folders.
— You can mail-enable a public folder so that email sent to its address is automatically posted to the folder. I use a public folder to receive reader email about my columns, for example, because it's a good way to collect email sent to an address and make it available to a group. Public folders provide per-user read/unread status data, too.
— You can store documents in public folders in two ways: documents can be attached to posts (in which case they look like regular message attachments) or they can be stored directly in folders (in which case they're called "freedocs"). I know of one large Exchange site that has more than 250GB of document data stored in one public folder as a big, replicated file share.
— Applications can store data in public folders. Several workflow tools on the market route workflow items by moving them between public folders.
When I say the preceding uses are "common," though, bear in mind that customer data gathered through surveys at TechEd shows that only about half of Exchange customers use public folders.
Microsoft has been positioning its SharePoint products (Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services, a no-cost download; and Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2003, a larger-scale retail product with more capabilities) as its primary collaboration platform. As part of that positioning, Microsoft has said that new collaboration applications should target SharePoint rather than Exchange for data storage. That raises the question of how you get existing public folder data—which often forms the backbone of collaboration processes, if not applications—from Exchange into SharePoint. The answers, which I'll share in next week's column, might surprise you.
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***CALLING ALL WINDOWS IT PRO INNOVATORS!
Have you developed a solution that uses Windows technology to solve a business problem in an innovative way? Enter your solution in the 2006 Windows IT Pro Innovators Contest! Grand-prize winners will receive airfare and a conference pass to Windows and Exchange Connections in Las Vegas, November 6-9, 2006, plus more great prizes and a feature article about the winning solutions in the November 2006 issue of Windows IT Pro. Contest runs through August 1, 2006. To enter, click here:
http://www.windowsitpro.com/AWARDS/innovators_2006.cfm
Take the Windows IT Pro Salary Survey!
We need your help! Windows IT Pro is launching its third Windows IT Pro Industry Salary Survey, and we want to find out all about you and what makes you a satisfied IT pro. When you complete the survey (about 10 minutes of your time), you'll be entered in a drawing for one of five $100 American Express gift certificates. Look for the survey results—and how you stack up against your peers—in our December issue. To take the survey, go to:
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***EXCHANGING IDEAS
Focus: SharePoint Tips & Techniques
SharePoint Q&As from John Savill's FAQ for Windows
If you're getting started with Windows SharePoint Services, you'll find these FAQs helpful.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Articles/ArticleID/50540/50540.html
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Have a question? Got answers? Join your peers in the Exchange discussion forums: http://forums.windowsitpro.com/web/forum/default.aspx?forumid=8
Current Threads:
Failed delivery
Two recipients with same address?
Global Address List (GAL) not updating
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Don't forget to sound off in our Instant Poll. This month's question is "Which Exchange 2007 feature appeals to you most?"
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***NEW AND IMPROVED
by Blake Eno, [email protected]
Centralized Management Across All Exchange Servers
Configuresoft announced Enterprise Configuration Manager (ECM) for Microsoft Exchange, a new add-on module to ECM that provides centralized visibility of configuration management, security, and operational compliance across Exchange servers. ECM for Microsoft Exchange provides an enterprise view of Exchange data and activity from a single dashboard and provides compliance assessment against corporate policy and Exchange Security Hardening Guides on mailbox, public folder, distribution group attributes and permissions, and Exchange server configurations. The product also identifies potential security vulnerabilities and assesses storage capacity and user utilization. For more information, contact Configuresoft at [email protected], 719-447-4600, or 888-826-6344.
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Have you used a product that changed your IT experience by saving you time or easing your daily burden? Tell us about the product, and we'll send you a Best Buy Gift Card if we write about the product in a future Windows IT Pro What's Hot column. Send your product suggestions with information about how the product has helped you to [email protected].
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***EVENTS AND RESOURCES
These Windows-related events, papers, and resources will help you keep your knowledge and skills up to date and help you deploy, secure, and maintain the latest Exchange- and Windows-related technologies. For additional resources, visit
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Take the necessary steps for managing application migration to a new OS, from converting legacy applications to MSI to customizing applications to fit corporate standards. Don't overlook an important component of an OS migration—join us for this free Web seminar, now available on demand.
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Hear first-hand from today's leading interoperability experts, vendors, and peers at this exclusive one-day event. You'll learn about OS interoperability management, directory migration, data interoperability, and much more. This event provides in-depth information on how Windows and other systems cooperate with each other.
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