Enterprise Vault configuration problem.

[phuong_huynh]

Hi all,

I setup the Exchange Mailbox Archiving Task with default policy, but it doesn't work as expected. Some items were archiving, and some were not. Please help me to solve the problem.

[TonySterling]

You need to be a bit more specific.

What version of EV?

What is not being archived that you expect to be archived?

What are the details of your policy? Is it age-based, quota, or both? etc...

[phuong_huynh]

EV version is 8.0. It setuped on Windows Server 2003 Standard x64 R2.
Exchanger sever 2007 setting on Windows Server 2008 x64.
I setup archiving mailbox task with policy default, but there are some changes in it. Policy changes as follows:

Tab General:
    Indexing leve [Full].
Tab Archiving Rules:
    Archiving strategy [Based on age]
    Age based [1 days]
Tab Archiving Actions:
    Create shortcut to archived items affter archiving.


If you need to collect log, guide me how to collect.

Thanks for your support.

[phuong_huynh]

This is my first time to configure Enterprise Vault.

[Nick_White]

You will need to check some of the following:

- Do the unarchived items have a message class that is not selected for archiving in the policy?

- Was this a run now and if so did you only select a certain number of items to process (default 200)?

- Was this a scheduled run and if so, was the window sufficiently large to allow all the expected items to archive?

- Do you have "Archive unread items" selected?

[ndt]

I reply for my co-worker (phuong.huynh).

I want to archive all my company email accounts automatically comply with the rules and schedule, but It not work properly. I show you my configuration as pics below:

----------------------

I try with two account. This is my steps:

- For account named "backupadmin", with Provisioning Task, I "run now" in normal mode. After that with Archiving Task:

I try with another account, I do the same procedure:

-----------------------------

With the second account, It seem that ok when I run manually, but It not automatic archiving.

With the first account, there are some wrong. It can not be archived.

Please help me. Thank you all for your time.

ndt.

[GertjanA]

Hello ndt,

First.
policy properties Set - Delete original item after archiving (make sure you leave a shortcut)
Lock all settings (as you do not want your users to change it)

2nd - task properties - general - untick 'report mode'
3rd - task properties - settings - concurrent connections = 5, max numbers per pass 200 (1000 max!)
4th - task properties - schedule - specify schedule to allow time for backup and exchange backup.

Because 2nd report mode. Check ..\enterprise vault\reports\exchange mailbox archiving\

There should be reports, do they show items to be archived? If not, do a run now, report mode, all users (or the ones not working), let it run. Import in excel, is there anything to archive?

LOWER your items per pass. 10000 is tooooo much. settle for 200 (or 1000 max), and let EV do it's job. Also concurrent connections, too high imho. lower to 5.

Verify your MSMQ. Are there messages in A5, storage queue?

Any events in your eventviewer?

Taskmanager, performance? high/low?

GJ

[Nick_White]

With your current policy you won't archive unread e-mails, so that would account for some of the items. However, you also have your schedule set to always on which can cause problems. Try adding a gap in the schedule each day to see if that resolves the problem too

[GertjanA]

After changing settings, synchronize users, restart tasks.

[ndt]

Hi Nick White,

I changed some settings as your advice.

Hi Gertjan,

I don't tick "Delete original item after archiving". Because I think users can not use their email when I shutdown EV server for maintenance or If EV server find problems. I just have only one EV server.

If "Delete original item after archiving" ticked, after archiving, will all databases from Exchange server have been moved to Vault storage of EV server ? And if EV server down, mail system can not conect to database? Is there any my misunderstand?

I did some settings follow your instructions as below:

Ah, how can I synchronize users, please guide me.

Thank you for your advice.

ndt.

[TonySterling]

My advice is to consult a certified Symantec partner to help you with this installation.  EV isn't just a plug and play solution.

In looking at your screen shots you seem to have quite a lot of users and looking at the settings you are using I don't get the sense you quite grasp the consequences of your selections.

The forum is a great resource but cannot be considered a replacement for a qualified partner to assist you with planning and deployment.

[ndt]

Hi Tony Sterling,

EV is a "new world" for me. I read included documents in CDs, but It is really not easy :(

Thank you.

ndt.

[JesusWept3]

Hey,
To be honest I agree with Tony, and to add to that, see if they can you get some training, Enterprise Vault is a vast and complex product, the decisions you make now may not be ideal and rectifying them in the future could potentially be difficult.

But just looking at the general configuration....


1. Reconsider deleting the original item....
The way you have it set up is to create a shortcut to the item and keep the original meaning that you will have two of each email, one being the original item and the other being a shortcut, doubling the amount of items in the users mailbox.

Where it is true your users won't be able to access their items when EV is offline for maintenance, you should do these maintenance windows during a time when there are likely to be less users (i.e at night out of business hours)

You could also look at Vault Cache / Virtual Vault which will put a copy of their archives on the local users machine, so when a user double clicks a shortcut it will retrieve it from their local copy and not the EV servers.

That way you can also start to use Virtual Vault which represents the users archive like a PST file within Outlook which users absolutely love.

2. Schedule and Archived Items Per Pass
The schedule as Nick pointed out if left to 24 hours to continually run, you can actually get in to a situation where items will never be processed unless you are doing a Run Now from the Vault Admin Console or the user manually archives items.

What I would suggest that you do is is putting the Schedule to run every 4 hours and then let it rest for an hour, however this is a pretty aggressive archiving policy that you have.

Also you have your Items Per Pass on the policy set to 10,000 is 10x the amount set by default, this can have a negative impact to where some mailboxes may never get processed properly because it is busy archiving a few selected mailboxes and trying to archive all their items and never getting around to archive everyone elses.

 

For the errors that you are seeing, if you double click the error itself and paste the error that you are seeing we can help try and show why those users aren't synchronizing, a lot of times when i see that its because users are over quota

 

But honestly as tony said get a consulting company to come in, listen to your business needs, and work out the best archiving strategies for you and maybe do a transfer of knowledge whilst you're at it.

And as I said earlier, push for some training because it's a difficult product and by no means is it a cheap product, so the product is only as good as those administering it

[ndt]

Hi,

Could you please give me a sample of EV configuration template before I have supports from Symantec partner. First, I want my EV server can run with basic functions. Because I need a stuff to report to my boss.

Thank you.

ndt.

[JesusWept3 · Accepted solution]

There may be such a thing in the consulting circles but i'm not aware of it.
This is what i'd suggest
 

1. Stop targeting real users and real data for the moment
2. Turn Enterprise Vault off
3. Set up a lab or some VMWares where you can test EV against data, where you don't care if you have to start again, where you won't have any users complaining at you etc

Once you have played about with it sufficiently in the lab, then i would talk to consulting, to start looking at your configuration and try and learn things from them, why they are setting things the way they are etc

That way you can be more familiar with EV, have it set up correctly and then look at getting some training.