Outlook .pst backup

Filipe Matias · Joined: 15 Jan 2008 Posts: 5

Hello everyone,

We have a client with a Exchange 2k3 Standard and about 100 Outlook 2k3
clients. The have all their mails online in theis mailboxes but the
server is running out of disk space so we are going to use the .pst files.
What is the best way to backup these .pst files? We were thinking a
centralized backup server (because they are going to create one for
another use) and backup all those .pst files to it.

Could this be done with a backup software and an agent to push the .pst
backup to the server? If so what software do you recomend?

Thanks in advanced
Filipe MAtias

Archived from group: microsoft>public>exchange>clients

Mark Arnold [MVP] · Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 1126

On Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:20:59 +0000, Filipe Matias
wrote:

>Hello everyone,
>
>We have a client with a Exchange 2k3 Standard and about 100 Outlook 2k3
>clients. The have all their mails online in theis mailboxes but the
>server is running out of disk space so we are going to use the .pst files.
>What is the best way to backup these .pst files? We were thinking a
>centralized backup server (because they are going to create one for
>another use) and backup all those .pst files to it.
>
>Could this be done with a backup software and an agent to push the .pst
>backup to the server? If so what software do you recomend?
>
>Thanks in advanced
>Filipe MAtias

Going with the PST files would be a horrible step to take. Sometimes
unavoidable but always horrible.
Isn't there anything you can do to housekeep the server or extend the
storage (whilst accepting that you've only got 75GB to play with)?

The only way to get these files backed up is using a client-side
backup package (from who I have no clue).

Lanwench [MVP - Exchange] · Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 875

Filipe Matias wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> We have a client with a Exchange 2k3 Standard and about 100 Outlook
> 2k3 clients. The have all their mails online in theis mailboxes but
> the server is running out of disk space so we are going to use the
> .pst files.

Ah. This is not a good plan - you should avoid PST files if this data is
important at all.

See
http://www.exchangefaq.org/faq/Exchange-5.5/Why-PST-=-BAD-/q/Why-PST-=-BAD/qid/1209

Either get more disk space for your existing server or get third party
archive software (or both).

> What is the best way to backup these .pst files?

You really can't do this easily. PST files must be stored locally - and you
can't back them up while they're in use. It's a nightmare trying to do
workstation backups anyway - and even a manualy copy to the server on logout
will be error prone and slow.

> We were
> thinking a centralized backup server (because they are going to
> create one for another use) and backup all those .pst files to it.
>
> Could this be done with a backup software and an agent to push the
> .pst backup to the server? If so what software do you recomend?
>
> Thanks in advanced
> Filipe MAtias

John · Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 78

If you're not hitting the 75GB limit, buy a larger hard disk.
Otherwise, take a look at the following:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=8b081f3a-b7d0-4b16-b8af-5a6322f4fd01&displaylang=en

Consider yourself warned (by 2 other replies) that PST is BAAAAAAD. If I
were you, I'd avoid using PST.

"Filipe Matias" wrote in message
news:%238hyYT8bIHA.4696@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Hello everyone,
>
> We have a client with a Exchange 2k3 Standard and about 100 Outlook 2k3
> clients. The have all their mails online in theis mailboxes but the server
> is running out of disk space so we are going to use the .pst files.
> What is the best way to backup these .pst files? We were thinking a
> centralized backup server (because they are going to create one for
> another use) and backup all those .pst files to it.
>
> Could this be done with a backup software and an agent to push the .pst
> backup to the server? If so what software do you recomend?
> Thanks in advanced
> Filipe MAtias

John Fullbright · Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 365

Messages stored on Exchange are (hopefully) backed up regularly; they are in
Managed Storage. PSTs are distributed around the organization on desktops
and laptops that may or may not be backup up, or the process used to back
them up is managed by the end user and not centrally; thay are Unmanaged
Storage.

Mail exists to further the goals or objectives of the business. If the
business did not need mail to meet their business objectives, the business
would not invest in a mail infrastructure. The level of invenstment depends
on the priority of the particular business objective. You need to go back
and have a discussion with your business units about how much mail is
required to meet business objectives, and how much it will cost to support
that level of service.

Now, it seems that the problem you are trying to address is that you're
running out of space. Your are retaining more mail than the business has
provided investment for infrastructure to store. Your proposed solution is
to move mail from managed to unmanaged storage using a file format that
doubles the actual space requirement. I don't see where your proposed
solution addesses the problem.

To address the problem, you need to set limits based on the requirement to
meet the business objective and the investment provided by the business to
support that objective. It's that simple.

"Filipe Matias" wrote in message
news:%238hyYT8bIHA.4696@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Hello everyone,
>
> We have a client with a Exchange 2k3 Standard and about 100 Outlook 2k3
> clients. The have all their mails online in theis mailboxes but the server
> is running out of disk space so we are going to use the .pst files.
> What is the best way to backup these .pst files? We were thinking a
> centralized backup server (because they are going to create one for
> another use) and backup all those .pst files to it.
>
> Could this be done with a backup software and an agent to push the .pst
> backup to the server? If so what software do you recomend?
> Thanks in advanced
> Filipe MAtias

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