Exchange & Outlook UPDATE, Outlook Edition, May 20, 2003

Exchange and Outlook UPDATE, Outlook Edition, May 20, 2003

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Exchange and Outlook UPDATE, Outlook Edition--brought to you by Exchange & Outlook Administrator, the print newsletter with practical advice, how-to articles, tips, and techniques to help you do your job today. http://www.exchangeadmin.com

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~~~~ THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY ~~~~

Quest Software http://www.quest.com/landing/winnetmag_exchange052003.asp

Imanami http://www.imanami.com/specials/winnet/030520.asp?p=winnet_030520 (Below COMMENTARY)

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May 20, 2003--In this issue:

1. COMMENTARY - AutoArchiving Outlook Items

2. ANNOUNCEMENTS - How Can You Reclaim 30% to 50% of Windows Server Space? - Cast Your Vote in Our Annual Readers' Choice Awards! - Attention 2003 TechEd Attendees - Invitation to Underground "MEC ED List Event"

3. RESOURCE - Tip: Sorting Outlook Items by Follow-Up Date

4. EVENTS - Security 2003 Road Show

5. NEW AND IMPROVED - Keep Exchange Healthy

6. CONTACT US See this section for a list of ways to contact us.

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COMMENTARY

(contributed by Patricia Cardoza, Guest News Editor, [email protected])

* AUTOARCHIVING OUTLOOK ITEMS

Many companies institute storage limitations on their Exchange Server mailboxes. A storage limit of 50MB is common, and even lower storage limits aren't unreasonable or unheard of. A low storage limit means that employees must take various actions on a regular basis to reduce the size of their mailbox. For example, I typically send and receive anywhere from 20 to 50 email messages a day. If each email message is a mere 10KB, I'm adding almost half a megabyte of information to my mailbox every day. If any of the messages I send or receive have attachments, I can easily add more than a megabyte of data to my mailbox each day.

To keep your Exchange mailbox within its storage limits, you could simply purge items from your mailbox every day. Deleting read messages, purging your Sent Items folder regularly, and deleting old appointments, tasks, and journal entries is a surefire way to keep your mailbox size small. Unfortunately, this method also prevents you from referring back to a crucial message you sent 3 months ago or determining exactly when you met with an important client. To keep your mailbox small and maintain a record of important messages and other Outlook items, consider using Outlook's built-in AutoArchiving feature.

By default, AutoArchiving moves messages that are older than a certain date to folders in the archive.pst file, which is typically stored on your local hard disk. Outlook then removes the messages from your Exchange mailbox, saving space and reducing clutter.

To access Outlook's AutoArchiving options, choose Options from the Tools menu, go to the Other tab, and click AutoArchive. The AutoArchive dialog box contains AutoArchive options for your entire mailbox. By default, AutoArchive runs every 14 days; however, you can choose a different interval to meet your particular needs. Outlook archives Calendar, Tasks, and Journal items after 6 months; Deleted Items after 2 months; and Inbox, Drafts, and Notes items after 3 months. The Contacts folder is never archived.

If you have a very low mailbox size limit, you might want slightly more aggressive AutoArchive settings on certain folders. To configure the settings on a per-folder basis, right-click the folder name, choose Properties, and go to the AutoArchive tab.

By default, all items in a folder are archived if they meet the AutoArchive age criteria. However, you can exclude items in a folder from automatic archiving on a per-item basis. For example, if you want to clean out all Inbox items that are more than 3 months old but keep three items that contain information you need on a regular basis, you can do so. To prevent Outlook from AutoArchiving an item, open the item and choose Properties from the File menu. Select "Do not AutoArchive this item" and click OK. Close the item and save your changes.

In Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2002, the archive.pst file should be visible at the top of Outlook's Folder List. The file, called Archive Folders, contains a duplicate of the folders in your Exchange mailbox, and these folders contain any items that Outlook has archived. You can access these items just as you would items in Outlook's regular folders. If you don't see Archive Folders in your Folder List, choose File, Open, Outlook Data File (or Personal Folders File in Outlook 2000 and earlier) and search for the archive.pst file. Opening this file through Outlook will add Archive Folders to your Folder List. (Windows XP and Windows 2000 treat .pst files as hidden files, so before you can find archive.pst, you must enable hidden-file viewing. To do so, open the Folder Options dialog box in Control Panel. On the View tab, select "Show hidden files and folders.")

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~~~~ SPONSOR: IMANAMI ~~~~ IMANAMI RELEASES NEW OPROFILE v4.5 Tired of Outlook profile related support calls? Now your Outlook profiles can be automatically generated at login! Eliminate desktop visits during migration. New version allows you to easily configure virtually any Outlook setting. Evaluate OProfile v4.5 and enter to win a FREE MP3 Player! http://www.imanami.com/specials/winnet/030520.asp?p=winnet_030520

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

(brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners)

* HOW CAN YOU RECLAIM 30% TO 50% OF WINDOWS SERVER SPACE? Attend the newest Web seminar from Windows & .NET Magazine and discover the secrets from the experts. We'll also advise you on how to reduce storage growth and backups by 30% and how to reduce storage administration by 25% or more. There's no charge for this important Web event, but space is limited so register today! http://www.winnetmag.com/seminars/precise

* CAST YOUR VOTE IN OUR ANNUAL READERS' CHOICE AWARDS! Which companies and products are the best on the market? Tell us by nominating your favorites in the annual Windows & .NET Magazine Readers' Choice Awards survey. Click here! http://www.winnetmag.com/readerschoice

* ATTENTION 2003 TECHED ATTENDEES - INVITATION TO UNDERGROUND "MEC ED LIST EVENT" MessageOne announces the "List Party" at TechEd 2003. This is an invitation-only event for Exchange and Outlook admins! Join us at SpeedZone for unlimited beer, food, and the chance to test your driving skills in 300 horsepower dragsters or grand prix-style race cars. This event will be held on June 1, 2003 from 9 pm to 12 am. Space is limited, so get your chance to attend this event using reservation code TE-M1EMS-WN. http://www.messageone.com/winmaglist

RESOURCE

(contributed by Sue Mosher, [email protected])

* TIP: SORTING OUTLOOK ITEMS BY FOLLOW-UP DATE

Q: I want to sort Outlook items by follow-up date. How can I add the Due By field to a contacts view?

A: In the Field Chooser, you won't see a Due By field listed under "All Contacts fields." The trick is to switch to "All Mail fields." The Due By field under "All Mail fields" works fine with contacts.

See the Exchange & Outlook Administrator Web site for more great tips from Sue Mosher. http://www.exchangeadmin.com

EVENTS

(brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine)

* SECURITY 2003 ROAD SHOW Join Mark Minasi and Paul Thurrott as they deliver sound security advice at our popular Security 2003 Road Show event. http://www.winnetmag.com/roadshows/security2003/

NEW AND IMPROVED

(contributed by Carolyn Mader, [email protected])

* KEEP EXCHANGE HEALTHY Lucid8 released GOexchange 3.0, automated maintenance software for Exchange Server 2003, Exchange 2000 Server, and Exchange Server 5.5. The software corrects errors and Message Transfer Agent (MTA) problems, improving system performance and reducing the average message store size by 30 percent to 55 percent the first time it runs and 5 percent to 20 percent on subsequent runs. GOexchange 3.0 features a new UI that integrates with Microsoft Management Console (MMC), runs as a service, and lets you schedule maintenance tasks. For pricing, contact Lucid8 at 425-451-2595. http://www.goexchange.com

CONTACT US

Here's how to reach us with your comments and questions:

* ABOUT THE COMMENTARY -- [email protected]

* ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER IN GENERAL -- [email protected] (please mention the newsletter name in the subject line)

* TECHNICAL QUESTIONS -- http://www.winnetmag.com/forums

* PRODUCT NEWS -- [email protected]

* QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR EXCHANGE AND OUTLOOK UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION? Customer Support -- [email protected]

* WANT TO SPONSOR EXCHANGE AND OUTLOOK UPDATE? [email protected]

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