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Retrieving .pst file location - 4/13/2005 3:03:32 AM

robiee4u

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I need ideas to write a vbscript which will (use the outlook to) find out the .pst file locations(UNC path) for all users in Active Directory.

But I am not sure how exactly I can use outlook "com" objects in scripts to do this task.

Please help.

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/13/2005 6:00:06 AM

kirrilian

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the default location is c:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

what are you trying to accomplish?

(in reply to robiee4u)

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/13/2005 6:03:23 AM

token

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Yeah, what exactly do you intend to do ?

They will usually reside on local C: and if you use roaming profile, they will most likely to reside on a server that contains user's profiles as well. You do not want to search for a single file on hundreds or even thousands clients across the entire domain.

(in reply to robiee4u)

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/13/2005 7:38:46 AM

robiee4u

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Thanx for you reply.
In our company the pst is not always in the defalut location. I am trying to backup all the pst files to a server from local pcs. And to save time( from going to every single machine and ) to find out the pst paths, I was thinking if there is any way I can that by searching through each PC( in the Active diretory). Then it be easy to copy the pst from each machine.
Is there any ways to do a script which will use each machines outlook to reterive the pst paths? Hope it makes sense.

(in reply to robiee4u)

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/13/2005 8:21:10 AM

token

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"I am trying to backup all the pst files to a server from local pcs." I found that sentense to be problematic.

First of all, in our environment, global policies prohibit the use of PST files because it makes our lives a lot more difficult to provide fault tolerance and recovery solutions. One simple solutions though; aks the user to store their PST file to their home directory on a central server and backup the server instead.

I can't imagine the bandwidth required to search for pst files on clients and to copy the pst from all these clients into a single location. How many clients and how many sites are you talking about here ? Also, UNLESS the clients are online when the scritp runs (which is most likely to be at night for backup process), there is no guarantee that a user's PST file is actually backed up.

Seriously, you are way to nice to our users that would've unnecessarily increase the opeartion cost ;)

(in reply to robiee4u)

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/13/2005 8:54:50 AM

robiee4u

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Actually, we are planning to put pst files in mydocuments and all the mydocuments will be redirected to a file server.(using folder redirecttion).

(in reply to robiee4u)

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/13/2005 9:33:36 AM

token

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Planning ? Trust me, you will want to do that RIGHT NOW =)

Of course, it has to be done with folde redirection or it's gonna be a disaster.

I wonder, given the situation that your users have now (100MB+ PST in the profile folder), how long does it take them to logon (do they use roaming profiles ?).

(in reply to robiee4u)

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/13/2005 9:55:14 AM

kirrilian

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well searching for the pst file wouldnt be all that hard with wmi.
however, copying it to a centralized location and knowing who's pst file is whos would be a problem.
thats assuming they even have one of course!!
i agree with token, i didnt even have a pst file until i set that in my outlook preferences. its been awhile since ive used outlook and had forgotten about that little "detail"

if youre in a domain this would be easier to implement at the domain level per token's post.

NOTE: the LIKE operator only works on xp and win2k3
btw, this will be REALLY slow as well, probably 30-60 mins per machine depending on disk size, amount of files etc.

(in reply to robiee4u)

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/13/2005 9:59:32 AM

token

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heh.. Considering the speed of retrieving event logs with WMI; it is NOTHING compared to what CIM_DataFile class has provides us =)

(in reply to robiee4u)

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/13/2005 10:16:22 AM

Snipah

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Working with PST's must be structured from the beginning...

You could write a short notice on how users can find the location and email the screenshot to you (or whuteva) and publish it on the local Intranet (or whereeva)

Relocate them to the Fileserver (i.e. their HomeDir) and regularly back the FS up (as in: back up if there was a change made, that'll save ya some tapes

)

Voila... (owhyea, don't forget to mention that the PST must not exceed the 2GB or else they end up losing email)

Althoug the latest SP from Office2K has a new prevention on it, needless to say that alotta Corps. aren't running O2K...

(in reply to robiee4u)

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/13/2005 3:07:27 PM

token

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Just some additional thoughts. If the users log off everyday (which they should to ensure any users assigned or published applications and/or any permission modifications to take effect), you could also use logon scripts (using GPO or otherwise) to replicate the PST file(s). However, that will still consume a noticeable amount of network traffic; something that I would avoid.

Again folder redirection is the way to go. Also, registry includes some information about PST files. While I don't know how to get the PST that's actually being used, it might be a point to start.

Also note that PST file that is in used will never be copied and unlink PST from OL won't necesarily make the PST file usable again unless OL itself is shut down. Something to consider before you implment any type of backup strategies for these files.

(in reply to robiee4u)

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/13/2005 6:06:31 PM

Snipah

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yeah, you cannot use the PST while OL is open and you cannot open the PST in OL while the file is being 'backed' up. Some users also use the 'treat' to use Offline OL. which means there is another file with their emails...how save.....

(in reply to robiee4u)

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/13/2005 11:22:52 PM

robiee4u

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I am working with win2k machines. And I do not want to invoke any search. Instead, do u guys have any idea about how to use com objects. For example, creating a outlook object(loading invisiabily). Then somehow use the properties of com object to access the personal folder path.
Please help.

(in reply to robiee4u)

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/14/2005 9:35:43 AM

token

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I guess you don't really care all the information and/or suggestion that I've given you regarding the entire situation and the business of these PST files. All you seem to care is how to find the path using COM objects. They are a bad idea to even begin with.

Now, suppose you have the personal folder path handy, what do you intend to do next ? Back them up ? What if the files are in used ? Skip them ?

What if I tell you that the location of the PST can't be obtained or provided by any properties of the Outlook COM object; they can only be obtained from the registry ?

(in reply to robiee4u)

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/14/2005 8:41:58 PM

robiee4u

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I really appriciate your suggestions, honestly. But my company needs to follow the Sarbanes-Oxley policy and hence we must need to backup every single files users deal with including all the pst. And often users' machine crashes and they seems to lose their pst files. These are the main reasons of doing this task which might cause some network traffic obviously. But this is company policy and we have to do it. I hope, I was able to make sense now.

(in reply to robiee4u)

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/14/2005 11:34:54 PM

beaker

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robiee4u, know your audience! Most of the contributors here are not American, so they may have no clue what Sarbanes-Oxley is. From memory, it is an American law passed circa 2002 in the wake of the Enron scandals. It imposes much stricter accounting standards on public corporations. One of the more notorious features of the bill is that it requires the CEO to personally vouch for the veracity of the financial statements.

Apparantly, the lawyers in robiee4u's company have directed the IT department to comply with one of the regulations in the bill to back up all email. So no matter what good advice has already been dispensed, he still needs to get from 'here' to 'there' to comply with the law.

With some 1500 machines to contend with, this has got to be done with script. Also, given bandwidth issues, it may have to be done incrementally and during off-hours. If I were you, robiee4u, I would start with some kind of pseudocode flowchart to break the problem down into pieces, elicit advice from the members here on that, then start fleshing out each block of code from there. At the end of the process, your plan should position your email policy where token has advised it should be now, so that backups of the email can be done virtually transparantly.

(in reply to robiee4u)

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/15/2005 8:59:39 AM

spinnerdog

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Take a look at the outlook backup tool. It's the only solution I've found to dealing with outlook .pst files. You could install it during a login script and possibly set registry keys to make it work as you want.

But, be aware outlook backup tool is poorly designed. As users move around to different workstations the outlook backup tool sometimes loads and sometimes not. It also won't re-install for a new user every time.

You might be able to figure out the arguments to the .exe it installs but I've not found docs. It's worth a look but not you will be disapointed unless you can do more with it than I could.

(in reply to robiee4u)

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/15/2005 9:05:44 AM

spinnerdog

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Another solution would be to move the users to and IMAP server and backup the server. Though I'm not sure what kind of horse power you would need to build an IMAP server. Any Linux distro has an IMAP server.

(in reply to robiee4u)

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Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/15/2005 9:14:21 AM

token

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The easiest solution to all of these is.

1. Send a organization wide notice (paper-based, email, anouncements, post-it notes, whatever works) to all users and REQUEST them to point their PST to a share on a central server.
2. Backup the server as usual.

If this solution is simply not acceptable, you have another 2 options.

1. FIND a way to backup PST files that are in use, then perhaps we can start working on a script.
2. Tell the management this is no possible because it's impossible to get the locations of ALL PST files at once without the possiblility of one of them being changed during the process of gathering such information.

(in reply to robiee4u)

Post #: 19

Re: Retrieving .pst file location - 4/15/2005 1:22:55 PM

spinnerdog

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Token,

If you survey 1500 users and asked them what a .PST file is, about 2 or 3% might know. Even less would know how to point their PST file to a sahre on a server. Then add in the opportunity for human error and only the IT staff and a few executives, that asked the IT staff, would have pst files backed up.

Now if you could figure out where the PST files were on the local system you could RoboCopy to do a differential sync of the data in the PST and all this network traffic you complain about would be non existent.

(in reply to robiee4u)