Automating
EXMERGE
You can easily
automate the process of exporting the
mailboxes to .PST files by running
EXMERGE from the command prompt or from
a simple batch file.
To perform automated
Brick-Level backups of one or more
mailboxes found on one Exchange server
follow these steps:
- Run the steps
outlined in the "Configuring
EXMERGE" section above - up to step
number 16. Do NOT press Next (i.e.
do NOT perform step number 17).
- In step 16 make
sure you save the EXMERGE
configuration files in a convenient
path, i.e. c:\EXMERGE\ or
similar.
- Quit EXMERGE
(i.e. do NOT perform step number
17).
- Notice that the
saved files location (i.e.
c:\EXMERGE\) holds a few files.
At the minimum, it will hold the
following files:
EXMERGE.INI
MAILBOXES.TXT
- Open the
MAILBOXES.TXT
file (with Notepad or similar) and
notice how the mailboxes that are to
be exported are listed (in the
format of a Distinguished Name - or
DN). You can easily add or remove
mailboxes by editing the
MAILBOXES.TXT
file.
For instance, if
you want to cause EXMERGE to work on
the mailboxes of a user called
DANIEL and another user called
DAVID, then open the MAILBOXES.TXT
file and add the following lines:
Note that you do
need to use the RIGHT syntax for
YOUR scenario, this is just an
example.
- Open the
EXMERGE.INI
file (with Notepad or similar) and
notice how the EXMERGE settings are
entered. In most cases you will not
need to manually edit these
settings, however make sure you read
the following note:
Hebrew users
note: To successfully utilize
the power of EXMERGE when using
Hebrew enabled servers with
Hebrew-titled items and mailbox
names you MUST follow the next tip:
EXMERGE and Hebrew Fonts. Failing to
do so might cause great damage to
your exported mailboxes and to the
names and titles of items within
those mailboxes. Failing to do so
will not harm the items that are in
the original mailboxes, however
items that were exported to the .PST
files might turn out to be
illegible.
- After you're
satisfied with the changes you've
made to the files (if any changes
were made in the first place) you
can now run the EXMERGE operation
via the command line or through a
simple batch file (which can also be
scheduled by using the AT command):
(use your own path to the
EXMERGE.INI
file)
- Note how the .PST
file(s) will be added to the folder
which was specified as the file
location. Note that this process
might take a considerable amount of
time, all depending on the number
and size of the mailboxes being
exported. You ill not get a visual
confirmation of the operation, and
you will not be notified when it has
ended, however, if you're in doubt,
use Task Manager to see if the
EXMERGE.EXE process is still
running.
If you want to get
a visual GUI you can add -D to the
command, thus causing EXMERGE to
display the GUI while running:
Done! |
