Creating Dedicated Public Folder Servers

A dedicated public folder server is an Exchange server that is used to store public folders and has no mailboxes. Dedicating a server for this purpose can increase client access to public folder data and can make for a more central backup strategy.

Implementing a dedicated public folder server involves the following steps:

1. Move public folders to the designated server. This can be done via replication, which is discussed later in the chapter.

2. If there are any mailboxes on the designated public folder server, they must be moved to another server or mail-disabled. Techniques for performing these actions are discussed in Chapter 5.

3. Remove any mailbox stores and unneeded storage groups from the server by right-clicking them and choosing Delete from the shortcut menu. For protection, you will not be allowed to delete any mailbox store that still has mail-enabled mailboxes in it.

Dedicated public folder servers can be an appropriate part of an Exchange environment when there are large amounts of public folder data and you need to offload processing and disperse the workload. Dedicated servers also provide for a more central backup strategy.