Exchange Server 2010 has several features to help manage the storage and retention of e-mail messages. One of the cool new features is called the Personal Archive, replacing the need for individual users to manage Microsoft Outlook PST files on their local computers. In essence, the Personal Archive feature provides users with a separate archive mailbox stored on the Exchange server and i accessible using Outlook 2010 and OWA.
The Personal Archive mailbox is created on a per user basis and can be enabled for both new mailboxes and for existing mailboxes. For new mailboxes, you will create the user’s mailbox using the New Mailbox wizard. When you get to the Archive Settings page, select Create an archive mailbox for this account. To enable the archive mailbox for an existing mailbox, find the mailbox in the Exchange Management Console (Recipient Configuration | Mailbox), and then click Enable Archive in the Actions pane. Mailbox items will then be moved automatically from the primary user mailbox to the archive based on the retention policy settings.
When you install Exchange Server 2010, it automatically creates a default archive policy and three personal archive policies available to the users. The default policy directs any messages that are more than two years old to be automatically moved to the archive mailbox. After the Exchange Mailbox Assistants run on the user mailbox and processes all messages against this default archive policy, the user can then select one of the other three policies for individual folders in their mailbox structure. These three personal policies allow messages to be archived after 1 year, after 5 years, or marks the folder as to never be archived.
The Personal Archive mailbox is stored in the same database as the user’s primary mailbox and will follow the primary mailbox if it is moved from one database to another.
Posted Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 8:28 am by peterl
Tags: Exchange Server 2010, Personal Archives, PST
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