Archiving Emails from Microsoft Office 365
From MailStore Help
Please note: This tutorial only covers the specifics of archiving from Microsoft Office 365 mailboxes. It is assumed that you already have a MailStore Server installation or test installation and are familiar with the fundamentals of MailStore Server. Please refer to the Manual or Quick Start Guide for more information.
MailStore Server offers several ways to archive emails from Microsoft Office 365 mailboxes, which are described below. If you are not sure which archiving method best suits your company, please refer to chapter Choosing the Right Archiving Strategy.
Important notice: Dependent on your Office 365 plan, some archiving methods might not be usable in MailStore. The methods described under Archiving Multiple Office 365 Mailboxes Centrally and Archiving Incoming and Outgoing Emails Directly require functions that are only available Office 365 plans for midsize businesses and enterprises.
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Synchronizing Users
As Microsoft Exchange requires the existence of an Active Directory, it is recommended to set up a synchronization as described in chapter Active Directory Integration of the MailStore Server manual.
Archiving Individual Office 365 Mailboxes
By following the procedure described here, a single Exchange mailbox can be archived for a specific MailStore user. The archiving process can be executed manually or automatically according to a schedule.
Setting Up the Archiving Process
For each mailbox, please proceed as follows:
- Unless the mailbox of the current user is to be archived into his or her own user archive, log on to MailStore Client as MailStore administrator. Only an administrator can archive emails for other users.
- Click on Archive Email.
- From the Email Servers list in the Create Profile area of the window, select Microsoft Exchange to create a new archiving profile.
- A wizard opens to assist in specifying the archiving settings.
- Select Single Mailbox.
- Under Access via, select the protocol to be used to access the Exchange server. Whenever possible, HTTPS should be used.
- Please note: Depending on the protocol chosen, there is the option to Ignore SSL Warnings. Generally, these warnings appear if an unofficial or selfsigned certificate is used on the server.
- Under Host, enter the name of the Exchange server.
- Please note: If it is a externally hosted mailbox you are about to archive and do not know the host name, you can find it out by using the MailStore Exchange Autodiscover Tool.
- Under User Name, enter the Windows login name of the user whose emails are to be archived (e.g. peter.stein@domain.local or peter.stein@domain.com).
- Please note: Alternatively, any user with the appropriate access privileges for the mailbox to be archived can be specified. In this case, it is imperative that the mailbox to be archived is specified under Mailbox (opt.) see below.
- Under Password, enter the user's password.
- As long as the user's email address matches that of the user's Windows login name, the field Mailbox (opt.) must be left blank. Otherwise, the user's email address has to be entered here.
- Click on Test to verify that MailStore can access the mailbox.
- Click on Next.
- If needed, adjust the settings for the List of Folders to be Archived, the filter and the Deletion Rules. By default, no emails will be deleted from the mailbox. The Timeout value only has to be adjusted in specific cases (e.g. with very slow servers).
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Important notice: Did you specify IMAP as the protocol and have also defined a deletion rule? If so, empty folders (folders containing no emails, such as Deleted Items or Contacts) have to be added to the list of excluded folders manually. This is the only way to avoid these folders being archived and deleted according to the deletion rule specified. Please read more in chapter Archiving Specific Folders.
- Click on Next to continue.
- If logged on to MailStore Server as MailStore administrator, the Target Archive can be specified. Select the archive of the user for whom the selected mailbox is to be archived. If the user does not exist yet, click on Create a New User.
- Click on Next.
- In the last step, a name for the archiving profile can be specified. After clicking Finish, the archiving profile will be listed under Saved Profiles and can be run immediately, if desired.
More information on how to execute archiving profiles can be found under the topic Email Archiving with MailStore Basics
Archiving Multiple Office 365 Mailboxes Centrally
With MailStore, some or all mailboxes of Microsoft Office 365 can be archived in a single step. All necessary preparations, such as creating MailStore users, can be made automatically. The archiving process can be executed manually or automatically according to a schedule.
Important notice: The function ApplicationImpersonation, which is required in order to archive multiple Office 365 mailboxes in a single step, is only available in Office 365 plans for midsize businesses and enterprises (E1-E5).
Step 1: Setting up a central user for accessing mailboxes
Before the archiving process can be set up in MailStore, a user has to be created. Afterwards follow these steps, to grant access permissions to the newly created user on all mailboxes:
- Log into Microsoft's Online Portal with your Office 365 admin account.
- Click on Admin and then on Manage under Exchange Online.
- Navigate to Roles & Auditing > Administrator Role.
- Under Role Groups select New....
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- Enter a reasonable name and description for the new role group.
- Under Roles add the role ApplicationImpersonation
- Under Memebers add the user you want to give permission to access all mailboxes.
- Click on Save to create a new role group.
Step 2: Configuration of MailStore Server
Please proceed as follows:
- Log on to MailStore Client as administrator.
- Click on Archive Email.
- From the Email Servers list in the Create Profile area of the window, select Microsoft Exchange to create a new archiving profile.
- A wizard opens to assist in specifying the archiving settings.
- Select Multiple Mailboxes.
- In order to be able to archive multiple mailboxes, some MailStore users along with their email addresses have to exist in the MailStore user management. If this is not the case, MailStore will offer to set up and execute the Active Directory Synchronization at this point. Once completed, the wizard will resume. If Active Directory Synchronization is not desired, the process can be cancelled. In this case, users have to be created manually as described the in chapter User Management. Once finished, click on Archive Email and then on Microsoft Exchange.
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- Under Access via, select the protocol to be used to access the Exchange server. Whenever possible, HTTPS should be used.
- Please note: Depending on the protocol chosen, there is the option to Ignore SSL Warnings. Generally, these warnings appear if an unofficial or selfsigned certificate is used on the server.
- Under Host, enter the name of the Exchange server.
- Please note: If it is externally hosted mailboxes you are about to archive and do not know the host name, you can find it out by using the MailStore Exchange Autodiscover Tool.
- Under User Name and Password, enter the access data of a user who has access to all the Exchange mailboxes that are to be archived.
- Click on Next to continue.
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- If needed, adjust the settings for the List of Folders to be Archived, the filter and the Deletion Rules. By default, no emails will be deleted from the mailbox. The Timeout value only has to be adjusted in specific cases (e.g. with very slow servers). Please keep in mind that these settings apply to all mailboxes to be archived, as specified at the next step.
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- Select the users whose mailboxes are to be archived. The following options are available:
- All users with configured email address
- Choose this option to archive the mailboxes of all users who are set up, along with their email addresses, in MailStore's user management.
- All users except the following
- Choose this option to exclude individual users (and thereby their Exchange mailboxes) from the archiving process, using the list of users below.
- Only the following users
- Choose this option to include individual users (and thereby their Exchange mailboxes) in the archiving process, using the list of users below. Only the mailboxes of those users explicitly specified will be archived.
- Synchronize with Active Directory before archiving
- If selected, the MailStore user list will be synchronized with Active Directory before any archiving process is executed. This has the advantage that, for example, new employees will be created as MailStore users before archiving, so once the archiving process is executed, their Exchange mailbox is archived automatically as well. This option is especially recommended when the archiving process is to be executed regularly according to a schedule.
- In the last step, a name for the archiving profile can be specified. After clicking Finish, the archiving profile will be listed under Saved Profiles and can be run immediately, if desired.
More information on how to execute archiving profiles can be found under the topic Email Archiving with MailStore Basics
Archiving Incoming and Outgoing Emails Directly
With the support of Office 365 Exchange Online's journal function, MailStore can archive the incoming and outgoing emails of all users automatically. This is the only way to ensure that all emails are archived in their entirety
Important notice: The Office 365 Exchange Online's journal function, which is required to archive incoming and outgoing emails directly, is only available in Office 365 plans for midsize businesses and enterprises (E1-E5).
Basic Functionality
Microsoft Office 365 Exchange Online provides the option to take down all incoming, outgoing and internal email traffic. At the time of sending and receiving, a copy of the respective email is created and stored in a mailbox called Journal Mailbox. Additionally, the email is provided with a Journal report containing information about the actual senders and recipients.
MailStore can be configured to archive this Journal mailbox at regular intervals. During this process, the emails from the Journal mailbox will be assigned to their respective MailStore users (i.e. their user archives) automatically. This means that all users are able to view only their own emails.
Before the archiving process can be set up in MailStore, journaling has to be set up for the Office 365 Exchange Online Server. Please proceed as follows:
Step 1: Creating a Mailbox for Journaling
- Log into Microsoft's Online Portal with your Office 365 admin account.
- Click on Admin and then on Manage under Exchange Online.
- Click on Mail Control > Journaling.
- Click New... to setup a new journal rule.
- Configure the new rule as follows:
- If the message is sent to or from... [Apply to all messages]
- Journal the following messages... All messages
- Set Send journal reports to any email address
- Under Name of rule enter a reasonable name for the new journal rule, for instance MailStore Journal Archiving
- Finally click on Save and confirm the question if you want this rule to apply to all future messages by clicking on Yes.
- If you have not set up a recipient for None Delivery Reports (NDRs) for undeliverable journal reports yet, you are asked to do it now. Just follow the onscreen instructions.
Step 2: Configuration of MailStore Server
Please proceed as follows:
- Start MailStore Client on the computer that is to execute the archiving task regularly and according to a schedule. This can be the MailStore server machine or any user computer. Log on as administrator.
- Click on Archive Email.
- From the list in the upper area of the window, select Microsoft Exchange to create a new archiving profile.
- A wizard opens to assist in specifying the archiving settings.
- Select In- and Outbound Email Automatically.
- In order to be able to archive emails immediately upon sending and receiving, some MailStore users along with their email addresses have to exist in the MailStore user management. If this is not the case, MailStore will offer at this point to set up and execute the Active Directory Synchronization. Once completed, the wizard will resume. If Active Directory Synchronization is not desired, the process can be canceled. In this case, users have to be created manually as described in chapter User Management. Once finished, click on Archive Email and then on Microsoft Exchange.
- Under Access via, select the protocol to be used to access the Exchange server. Whenever possible, HTTPS should be used.
- Please note: Depending on the protocol chosen, there is the option to Ignore SSL Warnings. Generally, these warnings appear if an unofficial or selfsigned certificate is used on the server.
- Under Host, enter the name of the Exchange server.
- Please note: If it is a externally hosted mailboxes you are about to archive and do not know the host name, you can find it out by using the MailStore Exchange Autodiscover Tool.
- Under User Name and Password, enter the access data of a user who has access to the Exchange Journal mailbox (i.e. the user that has been created when setting up the Journal mailbox).
- As long as the user's email address matches that of the user's Windows login name, the field Mailbox (opt.) can be left blank. Otherwise, the user's email address has to be entered here.
- Synchronize with Active Directory before archiving (recommended): If this option is selected, the MailStore user list will be synchronized with Active Directory before any archiving process is executed. This has the advantage that, for example, new employees will be created as MailStore users before archiving, so once the archiving process is executed, their Exchange mailbox is archived automatically as well.
- Select the option Delete them in origin mailbox only if Exchange Journaling has been tested sufficiently. Even without this setting, MailStore will not archive any duplicate emails.
- Click on Test to verify that MailStore can access the mailbox.
- Click on Next to continue.
- A Timeout value can be specified. Change this value only in case of definite need (e.g. with very slow servers).
- Click on Next to continue.
- At the last step, a name for the archiving profile can be specified. After clicking Finish, the archiving profile will be listed under Saved Profiles and can be run immediately, if desired.
More information on how to execute archiving profiles can be found under the topic Email Archiving with MailStore Basics
Troubleshooting
The settings described above work in most cases. Yet, depending on the configuration of Microsoft Exchange Server, it is possible that a connection or registration fails even if all data has been entered correctly. If the suggestions in the corresponding error messages do not eliminate the problem, please try one or more of these alternative settings:
- Use HTTP instead of HTTPS.
- Make sure that the field Mailbox (opt.) contains the user's email address if it is different from the user's Windows login name.
- Use IMAP (unencrypted), IMAP-TLS or IMAP-SSL (both encrypted) instead of HTTP(S). To use IMAP, it has to be activated in Exchange.
