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Question

How to automatically archive pst files to a network drive

Jul 21, 2017 3:30AM PDT

Want to backup email archives on a LAN location for 100+ users. How best to tackle this situation using a Microsoft function. Is there any danger when moving the pst files incase of power loss?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Re: automatically
Jul 21, 2017 3:56AM PDT

That really depends on how you distribute software to and then run or schedule it on those 100+ PC's from your central management server(s).
Moreover, a .pst-file can't be copied when it's open, which complicates any automatic solution.

How do you do the backup of other files on those PC's?

Finally: note that backup isn't moving. It's copying. Any interruption, such as power loss or the user shutting down the PC won't damage the source.

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Re: automatically
Jul 21, 2017 4:45AM PDT

Thank you for your response.

interesting, well we do two backups..one on the cloud and another on a local server via WINDOWS BACKUP & RESTORE, so we have 3 sources of one document at the same time.

the problem is we have been excluding outlook files for space management issues. Our mailbox is hosted by an external company, they do have backups but they are poor at maintaining it as it normally crashes due to it reaching its maximum capacity.

Thus said we are looking for the smartest way to have the archives on a local machine syncd to a storage unit that is on our LAN.

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Answer
This means your IT will make a study.
Jul 21, 2017 6:37AM PDT

With ideas and then the committee will select the best. You didn't reveal all in your top post as evidenced by your other reply. The current backup only needs to include the PST files and you are done.

But you claim the current backup is unreliable and want a local server copy.

Now it's your choice how to implement that. Many IT systems use a domain/AD login and your IT will run scripts which makes this easy. Add to the script to sync the PST with the local server copy.

Done.

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Answer
On A Small Scale, I've Used "Task Scheduler"...
Jul 21, 2017 12:13PM PDT

Basically, you create a script with commands to copy the pst file from each user's computer to the server. Then create a new task in Task Scheduler.

I've done it easily on small networks of 8 - 10 user by creating the script, copying it to each computer, in the same location, then creating the same task on each computer using triggers for the time of day plus the Action to run the script. It might be a little difficult for 100+ users, but it could be done.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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on a small
Jul 24, 2017 12:01AM PDT

Ok so atleast I have several options now. i have been thinking, when the archive is backed up on the network drive what happens to an older archive that would have been saved there previously? is it overwritten? because that would mean loosing mail from a previous archive and already on the mailbox it would have been pulled off.

I think the script idea will work, especially if it can allow us to keep the old backup. Any ideas where I can get such scripts?

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Re: keep the old backup
Jul 24, 2017 12:32AM PDT

You'll need a lot of disk space to save ALL 365 .pst files from all 100 users if you keep the old pst-files for a year. And it will be practically impossible to find a mail received and deleted in "around november last year" by a certain user.

If you want to keep old mails in stead of old .pst-files, it's best to backup individual mails from your Exchange server.

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It Depends On How The Script Is Worded
Jul 24, 2017 10:32AM PDT

When the copy is made from one location to another, it will ask you if you want to "replace" the other file. With the right language in the script/batch file, it can over-write the previous file or you can choose to allow the copy process to paste a different copy to the final destination. In that case, would be two files, one named: "file.pst" and the other "file2.pst" .

But like Kees stated, the storage location would need to be extremely large if you want to save the files for a year.....plus you would need to visit each computer and rename the "Outlook.pst" files so they are identifiable to each user. (They're probably the same name on all computers.) We named them something like "GrifsOutlook.pst" but it worked on a small scale.

Hope this helps.

Grif

Post was last edited on July 24, 2017 3:21 PM PDT