Introduction

To keep the GroupWise system running smoothly, some basic mail management is required from all users. Mailboxes cannot be allowed to grow without limit. Even if we increased drive space to accomodate the bigger mailboxes, the system would still be less responsive and more prone to error, and client startup times would still be unacceptably long. This Tech Note explains the most important tool that a user has for keeping their mailbox size manageable while still keeping all of the important emails they accumulate through the years: archiving.

Setting Up Your Archive

The GroupWise archive feature moves an email message from the system database to a separate file that can be accessed through the GroupWise client. Messages in the archive can be read just like a normal mail message, and an archived message can be un archived (i.e., returned to the system database) at any time.

To set up archiving, you must first specify a location for the archive file. From the GroupWise client menu bar, choose Tools -> Options... (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: GroupWise "Options..." Menu Item

Select Environment from the Options dialog and double-click. (See Figure 2).

Figure 2: GroupWise Options Dialog

In the Environment dialog, go to the File Location tab and enter the location of your GroupWise archive in the Archive Directory field. (See Figure 3). It is highly recommended that youp lace your archive on your H: drive. In the example in Figure 3, the archived mail will be placed in a folder called \GWARCHIVE (where "%user%" should be replaced by your username) on the H: drive; you can specify some other folder if you wish. Make sure that the Caching mailbox directory is blank. Click OK to save your changes; if the directory you specified does not exist, you will be prompted to create it.

Figure 3: GroupWise Environment Dialog

Cleanup

After selecting the destination you want to save to, click on Environment again and click the Cleanup tab. Select the "auto-archive after:" button under Mail and Phone (See Figure 4). You can put in as many days that you want to archive, we recommend 30. In the second box you can archive appointments. We recomend that you do not do this because it takes up very little space and there is a chance for recurring errors.

Figure 4: GroupWise Environment Dialog

Conclusion

This Tech Note attempts to introduce you to the concept of mail management through automated archiving. The GroupWise Rules feature is capable of much more than the simple example presented here. You are encouraged to experiment with this feature to automate other simple repetitive tasks that you perform often. Share any useful tips that you find with your co-workers and the System Support office. As always, questions or comments can be directed to the support line at 7-3954 or the Support GroupWise account.