Using the Mailbox Manager Utility

A familiar tool to Exchange 2000 administrators is the Mailbox Manager utility. This utility is now built into Exchange Server 2003 and is installed by default when the Exchange server is installed and configured.

In Exchange Server 2003, Mailbox Manager tasks are configured differently than in previous versions of Exchange. These tasks are now configured using the mailbox recipient policies. Mailbox recipient policies are used to manage and enforce email-retention policies and cleanup tasks in the same manner that these tasks were previously configured. The one benefit to using the policies in Exchange Server 2003 is that they are now replicated to all Exchange servers in the organization by the Recipient Update Service, eliminating the need to configure mailbox management on every server when performing mailbox-cleanup tasks .

These policies can be created and configured to move or delete mailbox items based on size and age limits, specific folders, and times when the Mailbox Manager should be run by the policy.

Accessing the Mailbox Manager

Mailbox recipient policies are created using the recipient policies container. Using the Exchange System Manager, administrators can add mailbox recipient policies via the same method used to add standard recipient policies.

By selecting the recipient policy container in the Exchange System Manager and choosing the Action menu, new recipient policies can be created to perform the mailbox-cleanup task.

When a policy is configured and created, the recipient policies container can be used on any Exchange server in the organization to view and modify the mailbox recipient policy.

Understanding Mailboxes Manager Options

When creating a policy for the Mailbox Manager to run, administrators need to understand the different tasks' options and the implications of using each option when it is added to a recipient policy.

When configuring options using the mailbox recipient policy, policies can easily be created by selecting the preconfigured tasks available. To understand the different options available, review the following descriptions of the preconfigured tasks.

Move to Deleted Items

Working with the limits configured in the policy, this option moves all items meeting the configured limits to the Deleted Items folder in the Exchange mailbox.

Move to System Cleanup

An effective way to move and keep items in case recovery is needed is to use the System Cleanup option. This creates a partial replica of the mailbox folders. Each item exceeding the policy limits is then moved to corresponding system folders and stored.

Using the System Folders

When the Move Messages to the System Folders option is configured using the Mailbox Manager, a replica of the user mailbox hierarchy is created and placed in a folder called System Cleanup. Deleted messages are then moved to the same folder where they resided in the user's mailbox, creating a partial replica of the user mailbox.

This option is often used as an alternative to placing aged messages in the Deleted Items folder. When the Deleted Items folder option is selected, if a user has selected to enable the option to empty deleted items when logging off, messages are deleted permanently, requiring a restore if a message needs to be recovered.

The system folders can easily restore messages to the original location and archive information based on the recovery period configured through the Mailbox Manager.

Delete Immediately

The Delete Immediately option is the most aggressive of all cleanup task options. This option immediately deletes all items exceeding the configured policy limits.

Generate Report Only

When using this option, no messages are affected; this option is often best implemented to determine the total effect of actually running a policy that will delete or move items. The result can then be reviewed and evaluated by administrators before performing the actual tasks.

Reporting with Mailbox Manager

As a best practice, it is often a good idea to create a recipient policy in Generate Report Only mode to identify message totals and sizes that will be deleted when the actual tasks are performed. When this option is selected, a report can be generated in two methods :

• Send Summary Report to Administrator This option provides administrators with the total size of all messages deleted or moved to other folders during the mailbox-cleanup process.

• Send Detailed Report to Administrator This option provides administrators with a complete report, listing the policies, folders, and messages that the Mailbox Manager processed during cleanup.

To create a new report-only task, begin by opening the Exchange System Manager and selecting the recipient policies container. Begin configuring the new mailbox recipient policy in Report Only mode by completing the following steps:

1. Select Action from the Exchange System Manager menu, and select New, Recipient Policy.

2. Select the Mailbox Manager Settings option on the New Policy dialog box screen, and click OK to continue.

3. On the Properties page for the mailbox recipient policy, enter the name Report Policy in the Name field.

4. Select the Modify tab to assign policy membership for the mailbox policy. For this exercise, select Users with Exchange Mailboxes only and click OK to continue.

5. In the Recipient Policy Change dialog box, click OK.

6. Select the Mailbox Manager Setting (Policy) tab. From the Processing a Mailbox drop-down menu, select Generate Report Only.

7. For this exercise, leave all the default options in place and click the OK button to continue.

Configuring Mailbox-Cleanup Tasks

To configure an actual mailbox-cleanup task, administrators need to determine the message size limits and age limits before configuring the mailbox recipient policy. When a new policy is created, Exchange Server 2003 defaults the message limits to the following values:

Message size limits = 1024KB.

Message age limits = 30 days.

All folders in the Exchange mailbox are selected.

In this scenario, the default values will be used when creating the new mailbox recipient policy. To create the recipient policy, begin by opening the Exchange System Manager and complete these steps:

1. Click the Recipients container and select the recipients policies container.

2. On the Exchange System Manager menu, select Action, New, Recipient policy.

3. Select the Mailbox Manager Settings option on the New Policy dialog box, and click the OK button to continue.

4. On the Properties page for the mailbox recipient policy, enter the name for the cleanup policy in the Name field.

5. Select the Modify tab to assign policy membership for the mailbox policy. For this exercise, select the Users with Exchange Mailboxes tab and click OK to continue.

6. On the Recipient Policy Change dialog box, click OK.

7. Select the Mailbox Manager Setting (Policy) tab to configure the cleanup tasks for this policy.

8. At the Mailbox Manager Setting page, select the options for the mailbox-cleanup tasks being configured. Review the selection, as shown in Figure 18.7, and select the folder for which the Mailbox Manager will perform the cleanup tasks.

   Figure 18.7. Mailbox Manager settings.

   

Scheduling Mailbox Manager Tasks

After the Mailbox recipient policy has been created, the next step is to plan and configure the schedule to run the Mailbox Manager task. If no corresponding schedule is created for the mailbox recipient policy, the policy configuration will not be implemented and the tasks will not run.

When planning and configuring a schedule, one important consideration is determining when it is best to run the scheduled task. Because mailbox-cleanup tasks can be demanding on Exchange server resources and the information store, as a best practice, Exchange administrators should plan and schedule cleanup tasks to occur during off-hours, when the Exchange system is in less demand.

To begin configuring the schedule, follow these steps:

1. Open the Exchange System Manager and select the Exchange server where the tasks will run.

2. With the Exchange server highlighted, select the Action option for the Exchange System Manager and select Properties.

3. Click the Mailbox Management tab on the Exchange server to configure the schedule for the policy to run.

   • Start Mailbox Management Process This option allows administrators to select a predefined schedule for the policy to use. Administrators also can select Custom to create a custom schedule by selecting the Customize tab.

   • Reporting With this option, a detailed or summary report is sent to the administrator account defined in the Administrator tab.

   • Administrator Use the Browse tab to select an administrator account that will receive the report when the task is run.

NOTE

Although each mailbox recipient policy is replicated to all Exchange servers, the administrator must configure the schedule for the policy to run on each server in the organization.