| Exchange 2003 uses two types of data stores as containers for information: mailbox stores, which store a server's mailboxes, and public stores, which store the server's public folders. Mailbox stores contain information about Exchange logons and mailbox usage. Public folder stores, discussed in the next section of this lesson, contain information about Exchange logons, replication, and public folder instances. Both stores contain information about full text indexing. A default mailbox store is created in every Exchange organization. As an organization grows, additional mailbox stores can be created. In addition to accommodating more users in an organization, additional mailbox stores help with database recovery due to a failure, can improve Exchange performance by placing mailbox stores on different drives, and help with administration by allowing different sets of rules to be applied to different sets of users for items such as maintenance, security, or policies. Creating a new mailbox store requires basic information: the name of the new mailbox store, where the store's database files will reside, a schedule for maintenance, mailbox size limits, and which default public folder to use. To create a new mailbox store with ESM, use the following steps: 1. | Select the Exchange server to manage. Right-click the necessary storage group, select New, and then click Mailbox Store. | 2. | As shown in Figure 4.3, the Properties dialog box appears. On the General tab, type the name of the mailbox store into the Name field. If changes to the default options are needed, change them here. Otherwise, default settings are okay. Figure 4.3. The Properties dialog box containing tabs for setting messaging properties.
| 3. | Click the Database tab. If changes to the default database location are needed, change them here. The maintenance schedule can also be changed on this page by clicking the Customize button and setting a new time. | 4. | Click the Limits tab. The page contains options for the storage limits and deleted item retention for individual mailboxes and entire mailbox stores. Configure settings in accordance with organizational storage policies and procedures. | 5. | Click the Full Text Indexing tab. The Full-Text Indexing tab is to set up an indexing schedule for creating full-text indexes and enabling fast searches and lookups in Exchange 2003. You can update existing indexes or completely rebuild an index. You can also take an existing index offline so that it cannot be searched by clients. Caution | Full indexing places a high demand on server processor utilization. Administrators should be sure to schedule indexing for off-peak usage time periods when the server is not in heavy use so that server performance is not impacted. |
| 6. | Click the Details tab. The Details tab gives the administrator a place to enter notes and keep a track record of notes about the mailbox store configuration. It also shows the creation date and the last time the mailbox store was modified. | 7. | Click the Policies tab. The Policies tab is used to check which policies apply to this mailbox store, but it does not allow modification of the policies. | 8. | Click OK to finish and create the new mailbox store. When prompted, click Yes to mount the new store and make it available for use. |
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