Configuring and Managing Public Folders

1. Configuring and Managing Public Folders Chapter Five

2. What are Public Folders? • Public folders, introduced in the first version of Microsoft Exchange, are designed for shared access and provide an easy and effective way to collect, organize, and share information with other people in your workgroup or organization. • Public folders are hierarchically organized, stored in dedicated databases, and can be replicated between servers running Exchange. • In Exchange Server 2010, public folders are an optional feature. • If all client computers in your organization are running Microsoft Outlook 2010 or Office Outlook 2007, there are no dependencies on public folders for features such as free and busy information and offline address book (OAB) downloads. • Instead of using public folders for OAB downloads and free and busy information, in Exchange 2010, these features are serviced by the Autodiscover service, the Microsoft Exchange System Attendant service, and the Microsoft Exchange File Distribution service. • Computers running Outlook 2003 and earlier or Microsoft Entourage require a public folder database (previously called the public folder store) to connect to Exchange. Therefore, in a pure Exchange 2010 organization, as you install the Mailbox server role on the first server, Setup prompts you with the question: Do you have any client computers running Outlook 2003 and earlier or Entourage in your organization? If the answer is yes, a public folder database is created. If the answer is no, a public folder database isn't created.

3. Public Folders Computers running Outlook 2003 and earlier or Microsoft Entourage require a public folder database (previously called the public folder store) to connect to Exchange. Therefore, in a pure Exchange 2010 organization, as you install the Mailbox server role on the first server, Setup prompts you with the question:  Do you have any client computers running Outlook 2003 and earlier or Entourage in your organization? If the answer is yes, a public folder database is created. If the answer is no, a public folder database isn't created

4. Public Folders • The MAPI folder tree (only one PF MAPI hierarcy or tree per organization) is divided into the following two subtrees: • Default public folders (also known as the IPM_Subtree) • Users can access these folders directly by using client applications such as Outlook.  • System public folders (also known as the on_IPM_Subtree) • Users can't access these folders directly by using conventional methods. • Client applications such as Outlook use these folders to store information such as free and busy data, OABs, and organizational forms. • Other system folders contain configuration information used by custom applications or by Exchange. • The public folder tree contains additional system folders, such as the EFORMS REGISTRY folder, that don't exist in general purpose public folder trees.

5. System folders include the following: • EFORMS REGISTRY and Events Root • By default, one content replica of each of these folders resides in the default public folder database on the first Exchange server installed in the first administrative group. • This is the location where organizational forms are stored for legacy Outlook clients (clients using an Outlook version earlier than Outlook 2007). • Offline Address Book and Schedule+ Free Busy • The Offline Address Book folder and the Schedule+ Free Busyfolder automatically contain a subfolder for each administrative group (or site) in your topology. • By default, a content replica of a specific administrative group folder resides on the first server installed in the administrative group. These folders are used to store legacy free and busy information and OAB data for legacy Outlook clients. Legacy Outlook clients don't support the new features in Exchange 2010 or Exchange 2007 that manage free and busy information and OAB data. (These features include the Availability service, the Autodiscover service, and OAB distribution on Client Access servers.) 

6. System folders include the following: (cont) • OWAScratchPad • Each public folder database has an OWAScratchPad folder, which is used to temporarily store attachments that are being accessed by using Microsoft Office Outlook Web App. Don't modify this folder.  • StoreEvents • Each public folder database has a StoreEvents folder, which holds registration information for custom Exchange database events. Don't modify this folder. • Other folders • To support internal Exchange database operations, a tree may contain several other system folders, such as schema-root. Don't modify these folders.

7. Planning for Public Folders • Public folder strategy must be well defined within your organization • If you have Exchange Server versions that are prior to 2007, or if you have Exchange clients prior to Outlook 2007 and Entourage clients, you are required to deploy a public folder database. (server with just the Mailbox role) • Public folder database is automatically created during setup of first Exchange 2010 Mailbox server role if choose yes when asked about Outlook 2003 or Entourage during setup. 7

8. Creating a Public Folder Database • Can be created with either EMC or EMS • Permissions needed: • Organization management • Server management • EMS commands: New-PublicfolderDatabase Get-PublicFolderDatabase New-PublicFolder Get-PublicFolder Get-PublicFolderItemStatistics 8

9. Removing Public Folder Databases • Items to consider: • A public folder database with data cannot be removed. • A public folder database cannot be removed if a mailbox database is associated with it. • The last public folder database of an organization cannot be removed if you have Outlook 2003 users or Exchange 2003 servers or previous versions. 9

10. PF design • Hierarchy tree is a list of PF and their subfolders which are stored in the default public folder stores • One organization-wide PF hierarchy object • Top-level folders should be few because of replication • Top-level design helps with permissions and normally reflect the companies functional structure

11. Creating Public Folders • Can be created using • EMC • EMS • Outlook • OWA • Even though you are able to create public folders in EMC and EMS, you have to use a client such as Outlook or OWA to create the content of public folders. 11

12. Using the Public Folder Management Console (PFMC) • Under the tools node in EMC • Limited compared to EMS • Still needed other tools to manage individual folders • Can perform these functions: • Update the public folder hierarchy • Add and remove public folders • Mail-enable and mail-disable public folders • View and modify public folder properties • View and modify public folder replicas • Update public folder content • Manage Send As permissions for mail-enabled public folders 12

13. Configuring and Managing Public Folders with EMS • Can preform these functions: • Get statistics for public folders • Suspend and resume public folder replication • Configure public folder permissions for client users and administrators • Move public folder content from one public folder database to a new public folder database 13

14. Accessing PFs • Outlook 2010, 2007, 2003 and IMAP4 clients • A PF created in Outlook holds email and posted items (default) • OWA • Full access to public folders on Exchange 2010 Mailbox servers without having to keep an Exchange 2003 Mailbox server available for public folder access from Outlook Web App • Public folder search capabilities • Web Parts support • A Web Part, also called a Web Widget, is an ASP.NET server control which is added to a Web Part Zone on Web Part Pages by users at run time. The controls enable end users to modify the content, appearance, and behavior of Web pages directly from a browser. • It can be put into certain places in a web page by end users, after developing by programmer. • Web Parts can be used as an add-on ASP.NET technology to Windows SharePoint Services.

15. Public Folder Client Permissions 15

16. Public Folder Client Permissions 16

17. Using Outlook to Manage Public Folders • Use Outlook to perform the following tasks: • Make the folder available on the Internet. • Add a description for other mailbox owners who access the folder • Set up a default view of the folder, including grouping by such things as the subject sender • Set up administrative rules on folder characteristics, access, and such • Set permissions for using the folder 17

18. Public Folder Database Configuration

21. Use the Public Folder Referral tab to configure the folder replica that will be accessed by the client application • When a user accesses a public folder by using a MAPI client application, such as Microsoft Outlook, the public folder database determines which public folder replica the client should access. • This process is called referral. If a replica of the requested content exists on the server running Microsoft Exchange that serves the client request, the client accesses the local replica. • When a user connects to a public folder database that doesn't contain a copy of the public folder content that the user wants, the user is redirected to another public folder database that has a copy of the content.

23. Introduction to ExFolders • New tool which is based on the functionality available in PFDAVAdmin • Only be run from Exchange 2010 • Only used on Exchange 2007 or higher public folders • New features: • Import and export folder properties • Export item-level properties for all items in a folder • Have support for the new Exchange 2007/2010 free/busy permissions • Connect to multiple mailbox stores at same time 23

25. Replicating Public Folders • When to replicate folders? Five main reasons: • When you need to balance public folder access loads on your Exchange servers. • When you have an Exchange server or group of Exchange servers separated from other servers in your organization by low-bandwidth links. • When IMAP4 clients see folders only on the Exchange server to which they connect, including public folders. • When public folder replication is essential because you are planning to remove an Exchange server from your organization. • When you are coexisting with previous versions of Exchange. • Replica handout 25