http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq_appxf.htm Appendix F - Why PST = BAD
Why PSTs are bad, by Ed Crowley. Reprinted by permission of the author (Ed Crowley). Items 11, 12 and 13 courtesy of Stephen Gutknecht. Based on input from the many PST=BAD proselytizers in the Exchange Discussion List and personal experience. PST=BAD #1. They're fragile, especially as they get big. They get corrupted too easily. Users aren't the best at ensuring that their systems are properly shut down. PST=BAD #2. You have to run the Inbox Repair Tool on them way too often. PST=BAD #3. Your users don't back them up. Presumably you do back up the server. PST=BAD #4. Your users don't compact them. They just get bigger and bigger. PST=BAD #5. Your users forget their PST passwords. Even though there are unsupported tools to crack them, it can take a significant amount of time to do so. PST=BAD #6. You lose single instance store (SIS). PST=BAD #7. Messages take up more space in a PST than in an Exchange store. PST=BAD #8. It's simply nuts to store PSTs on a network drive. They just end up taking up more space. Is disk space on your file server cheaper than disk space on your Exchange server? PST=BAD #9. One might think that it will be easier to restore a single mailbox by using server-based PSTs. However, with proper implementation of the Ed Crowley Never Lose a Mailbox Procedure, it should never ever be necessary to restore a mailbox. PST=BAD #10. For road warriors, OSTs are a much superior storage technique, especially with the improvements made with Outlook 98. They allow untethered computing at a higher level than with PSTs, plus with the added security of a backed-up information store on the server. PST=BAD #11: A PST can be opened by only one machine at a time. This precludes a manager and assistant from working from the same PST simultaneously, and precludes team access. PST=BAD #12: You cannot use Outlook Web Access to read your downloaded messages. PST=BAD #13: Future applications, such as unified messaging, will be poorly implemented when using PSTs. Groupware applications that work with the mailbox probably won't work at all. PST=BAD #14: PST files are not secure. Anyone with access to the PST file can open it using the right tools. PST=BAD #15: You cannot clean up PST files after virus infestations. Why PSTs are good. PST=GOOD #1. They're just about all you have when using a POP3 mail source. (We maintain that use of POP3 in an enterprise, unless that's the only client available, is a reflection of administrative sloth.) PST=GOOD #2. They're useful as an archive for those who simply can't ever delete a message, as long as the user understands that they could lose all their data, and as long as they keep it on their local hard drive. -- Dr. Milton R. Dogg Of the Dogg Foundation -----Original Message----- From: David N. Precht [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2001 4:10 PM To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues Subject: Re: Information Store Limit Like I have said before, I have seen 800meg + PSTs go up in smoke ----- Original Message ----- From: "Benjamin Winzenz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "MS-Exchange Admin Issues" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2001 16:50 Subject: RE: Information Store Limit > Just remember that there is a hard limit for PST files, which is set > at 2GB. > You hit that, the PST is toast. Can't open it any more. > > Ben Winzenz, MCSE > Network/Systems Administrator > Peregrine Systems, Inc. > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Desiree Herrmann [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2001 4:43 PM > To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues > Subject: RE: Information Store Limit > > I agree, running a somewhat smaller mail system here, but last March > we ended up with a corrupt Inf Store every time I tried to do anything > with the > boss' mailbox. A few restores later, and my entire day Good Friday, I > got the Information Store up, took care of that one, very large > mailbox, 1.4GB, > created Personal folders for him on a 40GB PC in his office, and put > that into my backup routine... > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Randy Hensel [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Friday, December 14, 2001 3:21 PM > To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues > Subject: RE: Information Store Limit > > > Yes > > Randy Hensel, MCP, Network Systems Administrator > Coffey Communications, Inc. > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > 509.525.0101 Ext. 594 > 509.525.4793 (Fax) > http://www.coffeycomm.com > > > -----Original Message----- > From: David N Precht [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Friday, December 14, 2001 7:41 AM > To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues > Subject: RE: Information Store Limit > > Do you run backups of workstations ? > > --- Martin Blackstone <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > Agreed. While PST does = BAD, there can be a time > > and place. This sounds > > like it. > > I would also let them know they are keeping it on > > the local machine. If they > > want to abuse resources, let them abuse their own. -----Original > > Message----- > > From: Randy Hensel [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Friday, December 14, 2001 7:35 AM > > To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues > > Subject: RE: Information Store Limit > > > > > > I will have to go with William on this one. I have > > 147 users the top 10 > > offenders account for more that 9GB of data. As I > > see it I have 2 options, > > Spend $3300 on an Enterprise upgrade, or set storage > > quotas and encourage > > the use of PST files. Seems like a no brainer to > > me, I have 5 users with > > more than 1GB each. I don't mind users saving every > > little email but it > > seems logical that they should find somewhere else > > to put them. > > > > Randy Hensel, MCP, Network Systems Administrator > > Coffey Communications, Inc. > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > 509.525.0101 Ext. 594 > > 509.525.4793 (Fax) > > <http://www.coffeycomm.com/> > > http://www.coffeycomm.com > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Lefkovics, William > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2001 5:24 PM > > To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues > > Subject: RE: Information Store Limit > > > > What else you got? ;o) > > > > Not for primary email storage. Only for archiving. > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: David N. Precht [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2001 5:23 PM > > To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues > > Subject: RE: Information Store Limit > > but stable ? > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Lefkovics, William [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2001 19:46 > > To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues > > Subject: RE: Information Store Limit > > It is a viable form of email archiving. > > > > William > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: David N. Precht [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2001 4:34 PM > > To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues > > Subject: RE: Information Store Limit > > as in don't use them > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Randy Hensel [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2001 19:07 > > To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues > > Subject: RE: Information Store Limit > > I'm not sure I can recover that much space, I am > > planning an upgrade to > > 2000. I don't have a quota in place it looks like I > > will need to implement > > that as well as plan some formal training on the use > > of pst files. > > > > Randy Hensel, MCP, Network Systems Administrator > > Coffey Communications, Inc. > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > 509.525.0101 Ext. 594 > > 509.525.4793 (Fax) > > <http://www.coffeycomm.com/> > > http://www.coffeycomm.com > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Lefkovics, William > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2001 3:59 PM > > To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues > > Subject: RE: Information Store Limit > > > > If you recover enough space within the database > > (perhaps 6GB+), an offline > > defrag would not be a bad idea. > > > > Otherwise, yor plan is certainly sound. Do you have > > a formal mailbox quota > > policy in place? > > > > William > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Randy Hensel [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2001 3:57 PM > > To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues > > Subject: Information Store Limit > > I am running Windows NT 4.0 SP 6a and Exchange 5.5 > > SP 4 (not Enterprise) I > > have run up against the 16GB information store > > limit. I have managed to the > > IS started again and would like to take steps to > > reduce the IS size. My > > plan is to: > > > > 1. Move data to PST files > > 2. delete unused mailboxes > > 3. reduce deleted item retention > > > > Is this a good plan? Should I also do an off line > > defrag? Any thing else? > > > > Thanks > > > > Randy Hensel, MCP, Network Systems Administrator > > Coffey Communications, Inc. > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > 509.525.0101 Ext. 594 > > 509.525.4793 (Fax) > > <http://www.coffeycomm.com/> > > http://www.coffeycomm.com > > > > List Charter and FAQ at: > > > http://www.sunbelt-software.com/exchange_list_charter.htm > > List Charter and FAQ at: > > > http://www.sunbelt-software.com/exchange_list_charter.htm > > List Charter and FAQ at: > > > http://www.sunbelt-software.com/exchange_list_charter.htm > > List Charter and FAQ at: > > > http://www.sunbelt-software.com/exchange_list_charter.htm > > List Charter and FAQ at: > > > http://www.sunbelt-software.com/exchange_list_charter.htm > > List Charter and FAQ at: > > > http://www.sunbelt-software.com/exchange_list_charter.htm > > List Charter and FAQ at: > > > http://www.sunbelt-software.com/exchange_list_charter.htm > > List Charter and FAQ at: > > > http://www.sunbelt-software.com/exchange_list_charter.htm > > > > > > > > List Charter and FAQ at: > > > http://www.sunbelt-software.com/exchange_list_charter.htm > > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Check out Yahoo! 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