Yes Virginia, there is Exchange 2010 archive support in Outlook 2007
Published Dec 20 2010 06:00 PM 25.3K Views
Microsoft

In Yes Virginia, there is an Exchange 2010 SP1, we announced Outlook 2007 support for Personal Archives in Exchange 2010 SP1 timeframe. This is now available in February 2011 Cumulative Update for Office 2007.

Exchange 2010 includes Personal Archive, a feature designed to help you reduce the risks from PST files and reduce the costs of discovery. Organizations can provision archive mailboxes for their users, allowing them to store older e-mail that's accessed less frequently in the archive. From the user's perspective, archive mailbox behaves like a PST file, minus the file management overhead and risks of a PST file. For more details, see Understanding Personal Archives in Exchange 2010 documentation. Also check out Exchange GM Perry Clarke's Geek Out With Perry series for a chalk talk video on Exchange Archiving.

In the Exchange 2010 RTM timeframe, users could use Outlook 2010 or Outlook Web App (OWA) to access archive mailboxes. This update extends archive support to Outlook 2007.

How does it work in Outlook 2007?

If an administrator provisions an archive mailbox for a user, it is accessible in Outlook 2007 with the December 2010 Cumulative Update installed. As with Outlook 2010, Outlook 2007 uses the Autodiscover service to obtain information about the user's archive mailbox. This occurs when the user starts Outlook, or at a fixed interval when Outlook is running. The archive mailbox is only accessible when the user is connected to the Exchange server.

Cached Exchange Mode and Archive Mailboxes

In Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2007, users can access archive mailboxes only when they're connected to the Exchange server. The connection can be an RPC (over TCP) connection, or Outlook Anywhere (aka RPC over HTTP). Even if the Outlook profile is configured to use Cached Exchange Mode, the archive mailbox is never cached locally to the user's computer. When the user is no longer connected to Exchange, the archive mailbox becomes inaccessible. The locally cached primary mailbox remains accessible if using Cached Exchange Mode.

Once the archive mailbox is visible in Outlook 2007, users can expand the folder hierarchy, and are able to perform the following operations:

  • Move or copy messages and folders between their primary mailbox and the archive mailbox
  • Move or copy messages and folders between a PST file and their archive mailbox (if access to PST files is not blocked by the administrator).

    Note: In Exchange 2010 SP1, administrators can also use mailbox import requests to import data from PST files to either the user's archive or primary mailbox. For more information, see Understanding Mailbox Import and Export Requests.

  • Export or import messages to and from the archive mailbox
  • Use Inbox Rules to automatically move messages to a folder in the archive mailbox

However, Outlook 2007 does not support the following functionality:

  • Search across primary and archive mailboxes: When a user searches the primary mailbox, and selects All Mailbox Items, Outlook does not search the archive mailbox. Similarly, when the user searches the archive mailbox, the primary mailbox is not searched.
  • Archive policies: In Outlook 2007, users can't use personal tags (also known as archive policies) to move items to the archive mailbox. Any default archive policies for the mailbox continue to be applied. Users can use Outlook Web App to see or apply archive policies.

    Archive policies are retention policy tags with the Move to Archive action. Organizations can use the Default Archive and Retention Policy, or apply custom retention policies to a mailbox. The policies can include a default policy tag (DPT) to move items from the primary mailbox to the archive mailbox, and personal tags which users can apply to messages or folders to move them to archive. For more information, see Understanding Personal Archives, and Understanding Retention Tags and Retention Policies.

With the release of this update, organizations with Office 2007/Outlook 2007 deployed can benefit from Exchange 2010's archiving and retention features.

Bharat Suneja

Updates

2/28/2011: In Feb 2011, we posted about an issue with the Dec. 2010 cumulative update and subsequently released the Feb. 2011 cumulative update, which is a prereq for Personal Archives support in Outlook 2007. This post has been updated accordingly.

3/21/2012: The Feb. 2011 cumulative update requires Microsoft Office SP2.

24 Comments
Not applicable
Thank you Exchange/Outlook team!! It's not everyday that a new feature gets ported back to a previous version of the product.
Not applicable
Is this for all versions of Outlook 2007 or limited to the Professional Plus version as in Outlook 2010? If so, would you please consider extending Online Archive access to other ( non-Professional Plus) Outlook versions?
Not applicable
@Scott: look at http://blogs.msexchange.org/walther/2010/12/15/still-waiting-for-outlook-2007-online-archive-support...

This will light up the Archive for the following SKUs:

· Office Ultimate (retail)
· Office ProPlus (volume license)
· Office Enterprise (volume license)
· Outlook Standalone (retail)
· Outlook Standalone (volume license)

@MS: what's the reason why MS only implemented the archive in Office ProPlus and higher?

NB: I've tested the following:
1. Install Office 2007 ProPlus with SP2
2. Run MS Update and install latest updates
3. Access to Exchange 2010 Archive mailbox with OL 2007

So, it seems that Hotfix 2458611 is not necessary for accessing an Exchange 2010 archive mailbox. Can someone confirm this?

Martijn
Not applicable
Congratulations and thanks!
My customers are now asking for offline access to their archive mailboxes... when will this be available?

Thanks.
Not applicable
@Martijn: KB2458611 is part of office 2007 cumulative update Dec'10 (KB2479671). Note that that one might be pulled ATM due to issues (see http://blogs.msdn.com/b/outlook/archive/2010/12/17/issues-with-the-recent-update-for-outlook-2007.as...)

@Mauricio: Never was (also not in Outlook 2010), and probably never will. One of the ideas of archiving is to keep your mailbox with recent/current mail as smooth and slick (i.e. small and fast) as possible. You can make this one available offline. Now what would happen if you made your 10 GB archive available offline and let Outlook keep it in sync with your online archive? Stress on network (initial sync), corruption, ..
Not applicable
Is personal archive email is cached in memory. The reason this is important is because I do not want archive email competing for server resources against the main databases. Ideally the archive email is indexed and not loaded into memory leaving better performance for the main databases. Any help or pointers to documentation would be appreciated.

Thanks
Not applicable
@Michel de Rooij: the 3 issues mentioned in that

Outlook team post

do not affect Outlook profiles with Exchange accounts. Specifically:


Note for Office 365 Beta customers: You do not need to uninstall this update. The listed folder switching and AutoArchive issues do not apply because Office 365 accounts are Exchange Server accounts.
Not applicable
We are in the process of rolling out Office 2010 so we were not affected by this too much but we also have a growing but small number of Office 2011 for the Mac users.  Is it on the roadmap to add archive support to this Mac version of Office 2011?

Thanks
Not applicable
In the future can you ensure that communication about what's included in these updates are included in the KB articles?  Even now, KB 2412171 just says that it includes stability and performance issues but doesn't list at all what it is impacting.
Not applicable
It would be great to know how how Exchange handles this Archive
database with respect to memory. I hope with I/O reduction Exchange will not beg for resources.
Not applicable
@Anand, @hamiljockey: From the server's perspective, archive mailboxes are similar to the user's primary mailbox, albeit with higher quotas (50 Gb in Exchange 2010 SP1). You can locate archive mailboxes on a different mailbox database on the same or another Mailbox server (and with the Office 365 beta, archive mailboxes can reside in the cloud).
Not applicable
@Martijn, I'm not seeing Online Archive support in any non-ProPlus versions (Both 2007 and 2010)... What am I missing?
Not applicable
Has anyone experienced an issue if the user's mailbox is enabled with Offline cache, when they open Outlook 2007 with the patch installed, instead of seeing Online archive, it is instead named "formation about opening an .oft file(mailbox name)Limited ConnectivityLimitedConnectivity (Headers)Publish My Calendar...cli"

If offline cache for same user isn't enable, everything it shows up correctly. Even after subsequent relaunches with offline cache enabled again.

Any ideas? Is this a bug?
Not applicable
You have to kidding right? Office Pro Plus only?
Not applicable
@martijn,

Hello,
as you wrote follwing OL07 Versions can show the archive:
· Office Ultimate (retail)
· Office ProPlus (volume license)
· Office Enterprise (volume license)
· Outlook Standalone (retail)
· Outlook Standalone (volume license)

How about OL2010?!
i asked several resellers, and everyone tells something else...
(e.g.: You can use archives with every standalone outlook 2010)
so, with which version of Outlook am i allowed to use the archive (with enterprise cals of course)
the stuff i found from MS is:
1. Requires Office 2010 Pro Plus Volume Licensing (http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/en-us/licensing-exchange-server-email.aspx)
2. Personal Archive is available only when you use Outlook 2010 as part of Microsoft Office Professional 2010 or Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 with a volume license. (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc178996.aspx)

perhaps you can help me with this ;)

thx in advance
Not applicable
Anyone tried to use Online Archive with Outlook 2007 AND Outlook Anywhere?  ( office-kb2458611-fullfile-x86-glb)
Outlook 2007 works fine with Online Archive when I'm in the office.
Not applicable
I'm trying to find documentation regarding archiving, relating to how much disk space will be freed up in the primary storage databases.
Is there a way to determine, based on the archive criteria, how much space will be freed up?

TIA

Pam
Not applicable
@Pam: The simple answer is - it depends on the archive policies (retention tags with 'Move to Archive' action) you use. For example, the

Default Archive and Retention Policy moves items older than 2 years to the archive. You could modify it or create your own policy and apply to mailboxes. Users can also use Outlook 2010 or OWA to apply personal tags (displayed as

'archive policies') to folders and items.


There's no built-in tool to calculate number/size of items in mailboxes that are older than X days/months/years. You can use

Get-MailboxStatistics and

Get-MailboxFolderStatistics cmdlets to determine the total number of items and the total size of a mailbox or folders in a mailbox, but results won't indicate

how many are older than a particular date.

Not applicable
Has anyone seen an issue where Auto-Discover is working, yet the archive isn't seen when both the Dec and Feb rollout patches have been installed on and OL2007 client?
Not applicable
@MS: can MS provide some specific guidance regarding Exchange 2010 archive support in OL 2007 (and OL 2010).

What OL 2007/2010 version(s) support Exchange 2010 archive? There is so much confusion about this.

Thanks!

Martijn
Not applicable
As per rweiss and Martijn... Much confusion relative to exaclty what is required for Exchange 2010 Personal Archive support.

I understand that Exchange Server 2010 Enterprise CALs are required but totally confused on OL licensing support.

Please clarify.
Not applicable
@ADavison and others: This should clear up any confusion. Please post back if you still have questions.

License requirements for Personal Archive and retention policies
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/license-requirements-for-personal-archive-and-retenti...
Not applicable
Outlook retail licenses:
* Outlook 2010 (except Outlook 2010 included with Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010 or Microsoft Office Professional 2010)
* Outlook 2007*(except Outlook 2007 included with Microsoft Office Basic 2007 or Microsoft Office Professional 2007)
* Outlook 2007* included with Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate

So, OL 2007/2010 (retail license) as a standalone program (not part of Office) does support Exchange archive and as part of Office 2010 Home/Business/Professional or Office 2007 Basic/Professional not?

Outlook volume licenses:
* Outlook 2010
* Outlook 2010 included with Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus
* Outlook 2007*
* Outlook 2007* included with Microsoft Office 2007 Professional Plus

Office 2007/2010 Prof Plus and higher?

Martijn
Not applicable

We buy Office OEM from Dell as we get in new PC's.  We've bought Exchange 2010 server and enterprise CALs.  Still no love for us?  This is ridiculous - makes me feel like I've been bait & switch'ed.  I should've gone Google.

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