Personal/Archive Files (.pst Files)

A. Summary:

Many users of the AFSC email system have been forced, due to disk space constraints, to save mail to Personal/Archive Folders. Because Personal/Archive folders have a number of drawbacks and disk space is not nearly the constraint it once was, the Information Technology Department is now recommending minimizing the use of Personal/Archive Folders, and storing important email in your Outlook Mailbox.

B. Key Points:

· In the past IT encouraged the use of Personal/Archive Folders (PST files) in Outlook, due to disk space constraints

· The new IT guideline is that PST files should be used minimally, because of an increase in server capacity and a variety of problems with PST files

· IT recognizes that elimination of PST files is not practical for everyone, so guidelines for their usage are below

· Over time IT will continue to expand the amount of disk space on the Exchange server, which will allow us to increase your mailbox quota as well

· IT will be deleting PST files that have been copied to file servers

· Link to Moving Emails from PST Files to Exchange

· Link to Mailbox Size - How to Manage

· For corrections, updates, or clarifications on this Star Point, please email plor@afsc.org

C. Details:

For many years the Information Technology Dept. encouraged the use of Personal Folders (also known as Archive Folders or PST files) in Outlook. Basically this was because we know many folks at AFSC like to keep a lot of emails, and disk space on the Exchange server was very limited. IT has had to severly restrict the amount of space each person has been allowed for his/her mailbox. Since PST files are kept on your workstation, not on the server, they allow you to keep a lot of e-mails but not fill up your mailbox quota. Seems like a good plan, right?

In fact, PST files are a stopgap measure at best. There are several problems with PST files:

1. Since PSTs are not on a server, IT does not back them up.

2. AFSC's backup software doesn't back PSTs up anyway -- errors are generated and the PST files are skipped.

3. PSTs can grow very large very quickly.

4. When PSTs get too large, they crash and are lost forever.

Now, however, disk space on the Exchange server is no longer at such a premium. Consequently we have increased the quota for your mailbox (see the Star Point Mailbox Size - How to Manage for details). Because the amount of mail you are allowed to store in your mailbox (your quota) has gone up, we encourage you to move your emails from PST files to the Exchange server. (For instructions on how to move your Personal/Archive Folders data back into your mailbox, see the Star Point Moving Emails from PST Files to Exchange.) As needed, IT will increase disk space on the Exchange server, which will allow us to also increase the size of your mailbox quota. Consequently, the official IT guideline now is that you should not use Personal/Archive Folders for essential emails.

We do recognize, however, that your quota may still be too small to make practical the total elimination of all PST files. If that is true for you, then follow these two guidelines:

1. Put your most valuable emails -- emails you absolutely cannot afford to lose -- back into your Mailbox on the server so IT can back it up for you.

2. Leave your least valuable emails -- emails you can afford to lose, such as your Junk E-mail or older Sent Items -- in your Personal/Archive folders. These emails will not be backed up by IT.

Now that we have expanded the size you are allowed for your mailbox, in the near future we will be deleting all PST files that have been copied to our file servers.