Mimecast Synchronization Engine - Mailbox Folder Replication

This article provides insights and instructions on the Mailbox Folder Replication feature. Mailbox Folder Replication continuously extracts folder and message metadata from Microsoft Exchange mailboxes and submits this to the Mimecast platform. Once a user's mailbox has been successfully replicated, they can access their Mimecast archive in the same familiar, structured format they use daily in their email client.

Prerequisites

The following services must also be up and running on your account before you start:

• Journaling: This ensures internal messages and inbound messages sent to a distribution list are available in the Mimecast archive and load when selected from the Archive Folders view created by Mailbox Folder Replication.
• Legacy Data Ingestion: This ensures all messages in your user's mailbox from before the time that Journaling was enabled with Mimecast are available in the Mimecast archive and load when selected from the Archive Folders view created by Mailbox Folder Replication.

Usage Scenarios

Continuity

During an Exchange server outage, users can use Mimecast applications to view the most recent snapshot of their mailbox with its folder structure, allowing them to navigate through their folders and messages familiarly.

Archiving

All folder and message metadata extracted from an Exchange mailbox are kept for the same period as your email data. So when a message or folder is deleted from an Exchange mailbox, it is not deleted in the Mimecast platform. This allows administrators to manage Exchange storage confidently because users can access deleted messages from their last known folder location using Mimecast applications.

Considerations

The following considerations apply to mailbox folder replication tasks:

• The first time a mailbox is processed, all messages and folder metadata are replicated.
  • Only the metadata is replicated, as the content is assumed to be in the Mimecast archive already.
  • A message's metadata is enough to find and display the associated message content to end users when requested.
• Depending on the number of folders in the mailbox and the number of items in each folder, replication can take a long time to complete.
• Once the first full replication of a mailbox is complete, a state file for the mailbox is saved to the Mimecast Synchronization Engine server.
• This state file is linked to the Mimecast Synchronization Engine site and the task that the mailbox is processed by:
  • It allows all subsequent mailbox replications to leverage Exchange's incremental change system. This only replicates changes since the last replication.
  • Consequently, all replications after the first full replication are significantly faster to complete per mailbox.
  • To enable this, the mailbox must be processed by the same Mimecast Synchronization Engine site and Exchange task. Changing the task results in full replications starting over again.
• The user must be an Active Account with an active mailbox license for MSE to sync. If the account is disabled or the license revoked, the mailbox will no longer be synchronized, but the Folder Structure will remain accessible when logging into the Mimecast Personal Portal or via Mimecast for Outlook as the user or as a delegate.

Supported Mailbox Items

For details on what IPM Class Types are replicated and any available overrides, please see the relevant section of the following article: Mimecast Synchronization Engine - FAQ.

Creating The Mailbox Folder Replication Definition

To ensure you're ready for the Mailbox Folder Replication feature, you must have successfully installed the MSE client and bound it to a site. The following services must also be up and running on your account before you start:

• Journal: This ensures internal messages and inbound messages sent to a distribution list are available in the Mimecast archive and load when selected from the Archive Folders view created by Mailbox Folder Replication.

The user will be sent an error message if a message cannot be located in the archive when selected from the Archive Folders view.

• Legacy Data Ingestion: This ensures all messages in your user's mailbox from before the time that Journaling was enabled with Mimecast are available in the Mimecast archive and load when selected from the Archive Folders view created by Mailbox Folder Replication.

1. Navigate to the Archive | Exchange Services page.
2. This launches a dashboard, which allows you to manage Exchange Sites, Exchange Definitions, Schedules, and Exchange Tasks and view a log of recent MSE task activity.
3. Two options can be used to create a new Exchange Definition:

• Click the Exchange Definitions button on the task toolbar and select the Mailbox Folder Replication option.
  • Navigate to the Exchange Tasks widget. Click on the blue Definition link next to the Mailbox Folder Replication definition.

4. Click on the New Replication Definition button in the task toolbar of this page to create a new definition.
5. The following Replication Properties page is displayed:

6. Enter a Description.
7. The Inbox, Sent, and Deleted Items folders (and subfolders) will be replicated by default. Place a checkmark in the related check box to exclude any of these from replication.
8. If you have message shortcuts from Enterprise Vault that you wish to include in the Mailbox Folder Replication task, select the Include Enterprise Vault Shortcut option.
9. Click the Save and Exit button on the top toolbar. The Message Folder Replication list displays information regarding the Replication definitions that have been created:

Editing a Mailbox Folder Replication Definition

A Mailbox Folder Replication Definition can be edited at any time. However, it cannot be removed if used in an Exchange Task. If a definition used in an Exchange Task is edited, the new settings will be applied on the next execution of the Task.

To edit a definition:

1. Navigate to Archive | Exchange Services | Mailbox Folder Replication Definition
2. Click on the Definition you wish to edit.

Adding Sync Exclusions

Sync Exclusions can be added if there is a specific time of the day when the Mailbox Folder Replication task should not execute a full synchronization of a mailbox, for example, during an Exchange Server backup or peak business hours.

The first-time synchronization can take several hours, depending on the number of folders and items in the mailbox. Subsequent synchronizations after the initial full replication are significantly faster to complete.

To add an exclusion:

1. Click on the Mailbox Folder Replication definition.
2. Click on the Manage Full Sync Exclusion Times button. This displays any Full Sync Exclusions that already exist against the definition.
3. Click the New Replication Exclusion icon button on the top toolbar.
4. Select a day, start, and end time (in 24-hour clock format) during which Folder Replication should not occur.
5. Click the Save and Exit button on the top toolbar.

These exclusions will now be listed on the main Replication Properties screen.

Next Step(s)

If you have not already done so, you must configure a Schedule for the Exchange Task outlined in the two articles below.

1. Create an Exchange Task in the Administration Console. This is where you select your definition and schedule and apply it to group(s) and/or users.
2. Create a Task Schedule in the Administration Console. This is where you define when the Task Schedule runs.