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On Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:59:15 +0100 Rob Beard wrote: > On 09/04/2009 17:32, Grant Sewell wrote: > > Hi all, > > > > Yes, I know this is a Linux list but I don't know of any DCWUGs (and > > I'm sick of the Windows support forums full of people who reckon > > Windows is the best thing since best things were invented). > > > > Might have a major issue at work of emails that have gone missing, > > essentially due to Microsoft's wonderful product. > > > > SBS2008 with Exchange 2007. Our MX records point to a 1&1 server. > > Exchange's POP3 connector downloads these emails every 5 minutes and > > stores them in Exchange. Brilliantly there is no option (that I can > > find) to "keep messages on POP3 server" - they get annihilated. > > This wouldn't be a problem except... > > > > An update failed (see the other topic for my rant about it). This > > prevented the backup service from running, so 10pm last night was > > the most recent backup. It did not, however, stop the POP3 > > Connector service from running, so /mail was still being pulled > > down throughout the night (bear in mind that this company deals > > with a lot of international customers who would have been emailing > > us during this time). > > > > So, there is a window between 10pm last night and 9am this morning > > (when I found the server in a very poorly state) where the emails > > were being retrieved, stored in Exchange, but not backed up. (My > > backup schedule is for every 3 hours). > > > > To avoid this in the future, I'd like to use an alternative POP3 > > connector (well, there are a lot of other things I'd prefer to use, > > but for some crazy reason (even after this massive cock-up) they > > still want to keep the Windows server) that does *not* delete mail > > from it's parent. > > > > Any (sensible) suggestions? > > > > Cheers all. > > A very frustrated Grant. > > > > > There seems to be all sorts of non-free solutions which seem to cost > a couple of hundred quid but I can't find anything directly relating > to the Microsoft Exchange POP3 connector. Maybe Microsoft left it > out? (although I presume it would be a registry hack knowing > Microsoft). I wonder if a workaround would be to setup a Linux box > on an old machine to download the mail using POP3 and then forwarding > it on via SMTP to the Exchange server? That way you can presumably > either keep a local copy on the Linux box either until the disc > starts to get full or for a specified amount of time (I'm guessing) > or get it to leave the mail on the server. > > Not an elegant solution but it might at least give you a bit of > increased safety? > > Would the company you work for let you have any Linux box, even say > if it was using an old recycled PC? > > Rob Funny you should mention that, it was a suggestion I made earlier today. There is a machine that could be recycled - an *old* Dell desktop. It is something I have been toying with today. I'm actually contemplating installing Linux on the Dell server anyway, and having SBS2008 run in a virtual machine. That way I can take a system snapshot before I perform any updates! Might as well drop in a separate Linux VM to do exactly as you have just suggested. Me thinks it's going to be a *long* night. Grant. -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html