AHHH!! I hate MS Exchange server, HELP!

[mcveigh]

OK 6 users have managed to fill up 6 gigs on the C: drive, exchange wouldn't work because it only had 4 megs of free space.

1) Where are users mail boxes stored?
2) can I move them to another partition? How? all I can find is howto move them to another exchange server.
3) I found the 1 folder (crogram FIles/Exchcrvr/MDBDATA) was 3+ gigs in size. I moved files older than lsat month out of it and on to another partition. I guess those were the outlook data? was that a bad thing?

I wish I'd insisted on a linux server here.

 

[bozo1]

Run the Optimizer wizard. In there it will let you change where the database, transaction logs, etc., are stored and will move them for you. Don't even think about moving them manually.

 

[mcw82]

You can migrate the database and public stores to a different location. You can also try moving your page file from the C drive to a different location, but that's a short term solution at best.

 

[mcveigh]

Thanks guys!! I managed to get it working and tomorrow i'm going to be doing some rearranging of ye old Hard Drive.

what a crappy system

 

[iamwiz82]

get your users to archive their old mail. This way, you can clean out the mailboxes and save space. The mailboxes are all set in that database, so you cant just go around moving them, it's a pain.

 

[BreakApart]

<< what a crappy system >>



???

Sounds more like a rookie admin...


To avoid what you managed to do:
-Limit message sizes, so people don't send or recieve 40mb+ movies and such
-Limit mailbox size, use warning messages and "stop send" at your preset level, say 200mb each user.
-decrease the deleted items retention # of days.

Allowing (6) users to fill 6gigs is entirely the admins fault.

 

[iamwiz82]

At my job we have most attachments not allowed, except those exempted by us. Cuts WAAAAY down on the pr0n.

 

[mcveigh]

I'm forced into being the admin here, so I'm learning as fast as I can. I think the main problem is our new phone system which sends all voice mail messages to the user as a .wav file attachment.


Break apart, how can i "-decrease the deleted items retention # of days."

I working on my quotas now

Thanks

 

[mcveigh]

<< Run the Optimizer wizard. In there it will let you change where the database, transaction logs, etc., are stored and will move them for you. Don't even think about moving them manually. >>



What optimizer wizard, I've never seen or heard of it. And I can't find it.

 

[BreakApart]

Optimizer should only be run after a fresh reboot when everyone is off the system. -less headaches

start->programs->Microsoft Exchange->Microsoft Exchange Optimizer (normally the 3rd option, 2 below Administrator)

For now just get your quotas setup with a warning level and a blocked SEND level, just make sure you don't block the recieving of messages, this is rarely a good thing to block.

Also set the max file size allowed to recieve and send. Makes life alot easier when you don't have people emailing 40mb+ movies to 10 friends, talk about hoggin the bandwidth. Example: hotmail only allows people to recieve 1.5mb files max.

Also on each client machine make sure the client is setup to empty the deleted items apon exit. The client must be setup to empty the deleted items or they are stuck in the deleted items folder wasting space.

Last tip for now... on the client machines also turn off "save forwarded messages" big waste of space. "Saving sent items" is ok, but saving forwarded messages is a huge waste.


Ohhh the message size limit can be global for all users or by individual incase you wondered.

Best of Luck, don't take my comments personal just seemed you blamed Exchange for eveything like it was sending secret emails when you weren't looking or something. lol...

 

[mcveigh]

Thanks!
I still can't find the optimazation wizard though, it's not an available choice.
I 've got some quotas setup now.
The important thing is everything works.