Monthly Archives: November 2015

Creating an Archive PST file

Below you will find the steps for creating an archive/offline PST File within Outlook 2010. Retaining a large number of emails on the actual mail server can have a negative impact on your account’s performance within Outlook and within the webmail client. By creating an offline archive, you can retain the files in the same mail profile while improving your account’s performance within it.

To start, you will select File. Within the File menu, click on Account Settings to display the Account Settings drop-down menu, where you will select Account Settings to open the Account Settings dialog.

 

Outlook_2010_Archive_PST_1.png

 

Within the Account Settings dialog, select the Data Files tab. Next, select the Add icon to open the New Outlook Data File dialog.

 

Outlook_2010_Archive_PST_2.png

 

Within the Outlook Data File dialog, you will select Outlook data file (.pst) from Types of storage: then select OK to move forward to the next step.

 

Outlook_2010_Archive_PST_3.png

 

Within the Create or Open Outlook Data File dialog, you will name the PST file you wish to create and select the location you wish to save it. After choosing the location and giving the file a name, select OK to create the file.

Note: By default, it generally opens to C:\Users\<User’s name>\Documents\Outlook Files

 

Outlook_2010_Archive_PST_4.png

 

After creating the PST file, you will be returned to the Account Settings dialog. You will notice that the newly created PST file is now listed. Select Close to exit the Account Settings dialog.

 

Outlook_2010_Archive_PST_5.png

 

After creating your new PST File, you will notice that the file now appears within the mail navigation pane below your email account(s). Simply expand the carat down to view the pst file. You can now create folders to store/archive historical email correspondence you wish to retain offline. To move mail, all you have to do is select the messages then drag and drop them into the desired offline folder.

 

Outlook_2010_Archive_PST_6.png

How to Archive in Outlook 2010

Archiving is storing your email on your local hard drive. This enables you to keep your mailbox capacity within limits as well as organized.

There are two different types of archiving:

Manual Archiving: you do archiving manually for each specific folder.

Auto Archiving: Outlook automatically archives specific folders based on the time interval specified.

This article will instruct you on how to do manual archiving using Microsoft outlook 2010 Details:

1) Click the File tab, then click ‘Cleanup Tools’

Image of Cleanup Tools Outlook 2010...Click File, then CleanUp Tools.

 

2) Click Archive

Click Archive under the cleanup tools drop down menu

 

3) Click the Archive this folder and all subfolders option, and then click the folder that you want to archive. Any subfolder of the folder you select is included in this manual archiveImage of Archive settings pane...Check 'archive this folder and all subfolders' then select the folder you would like to archive.

 

4) Under Archive items older than, enter a date

5) If you do not want to use the default file or location, under Archive file, click Browse to specify a new file or location. Browse to find the file that you want, or enter the file name, then click OK. The destination file location appears in the Archive file box.

7) Select the Include items with ‘Do not Auto Archive’ checked check box to include any items that might be individually marked to be excluded from automatic archiving. This option does not remove that exclusion from these items, but instead ignores the Do not Auto Archive check box for this archive only.  Should you want to archive archive manually only, follow the Turn off Auto Archive instructions below.

 

How to turn off Auto Archive:

If you want to archive manually only, you must turn off Auto Archive. Do the following:

1) Click the File tab, then click Options

Image of Outlook 2010 Options...Click File, then Options.

 

3) On the Advanced tab, under Auto Archive, click Auto Archive Settings.

Image Outlook 2010 advanced options - Under auto Archive... under auto archive, click auto archive settings

 

4) Clear the Run Auto Archive every n day’s check box, then click ok.  Auto Archive is now disabled, you will need to manually archive to backup any of your e-mail after performing this step.

Auto archive settings pane...Clear run auto archive every n days check box

How to Archive Email Messages in Outlook 2013

To begin archiving your email, click the “File” tab on the ribbon.

01_clicking_file_tab

On the Account Information screen, click the “Cleanup Tool” button next to “Mailbox Cleanup.”

02_clicking_cleanup_tools

Select “Archive…” from the drop-down menu.

03_selecting_archive

The Archive dialog box displays. Select “Archive this folder and all subfolders” and select a folder to archive. If you want to archive all your email, select the node with your email address at the top.

Click the “Archive items older than” drop-down list to select the latest date for items to be archived. A calendar pops up. Select a date in the current month by clicking on the date or scroll to a different month to select a date. All items older than the selected date will be archived.

Click the “Browse” button if you want to change the location where the archive file will be saved and the name of the archive file. Click OK when you have made your selections.

04_selecting_archive_options

The archived .pst file is saved to the chosen location.

05_outlook_archive_created

Notice that all the email messages you chose to archive are not available anymore in the main .pst file. The archived .pst file should become available automatically in Outlook. However, if it doesn’t, click the “File” tab.

06_clicking_file_tab_to_open_archive

In the blue panel on the left side of the “Account Information” screen, click on “Open & Export.”

07_clicking_open_and_export

On the “Open” screen, click “Open Outlook Data File.”

08_clicking_open_outlook_data_file

The “Open Outlook Data File” dialog box opens. Navigate to the location where you saved the archived .pst file, select it, and click OK.

09_selecting_outlook_data_file

In the left pane of the main Outlook Mail window, a section called “Archives” displays and the emails you archived are available.

10_archives_open_in_outlook

Archiving email can help you keep your emails organized, making it easier to find older emails and to keep your inbox and folders uncluttered.

AD FS High Availability

Since we configured AD FS into a farm configuration, making the solution highly available, is relatively straight forward. We essentially add another server to the farm, then load balance through hardware or software. This will be a two part post; the first part will cover adding another server to the AD FS farm and the second part will detail how to load balance those servers.

 

Prepare the Server for AD FS

 

We are going to jump between a few of my other posts, to prepare the server. Sorry, but I am too lazy to re-write the content.

  1. Domain join the new AD FS server
  2. Use, Prepare the Local AD FS Server, and complete the following sections
    1. Install AD FS Server Role
    2. Install Sign-in Assistant
    3. Install the Windows Azure Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell
    1. Follow the instructions and import and assign the certificate on the new AD FS server

This will get us to the point where we can add the AD FS server to the existing AD FS Farm

 

Method 1 – Adding a Server to an AD FS farm with the AD FS Configuration Wizard

 

  1. Login to the server that you just prepared for AD FS, with an administrative account
  2. Open Server Manager
  3. Click Tools
  4. Click AD FS Management
  5. Click AD FS Federation Server Configuration Wizard

  6. Walk through the wizard and the second server is added.

 

Method 2 – Adding a Server to an AD FS Farm from the Command Prompt

 

  1. Login to the server that you just prepared for AD FS, with an administrative account
  2. Get the Thumbprint from the certificate that you imported on the AD FS server. This is located on the certificate.

  3. Open a Command Window as an Administrator
  4. Change the directory to the path where AD FS 2.0 was installed.
    1. Windows Server 2008 C:\Program Files\Active Directory Federation Services 2.0
    2. Windows Server 2012 C:\Windows\ADFS
  5. Add the server with FsConfig.exe

FsConfig.exe JoinFarm /PrimaryComputerName PRIMARY AD FS SERVER /ServiceAccount DOMAIN\SERVICE ACCOUNT /ServiceAccountPassword PASSWORD /CertThumbprint “ff eb 43 bb 8b f9 34 56 4b 45 ec 6f 53 bb 99 7f bf 48 7e”

Now we have the second AD FS server added to the AD FS farm.

 

 

Network Load Balance the AD FS Servers in the Farm

Now that we have two servers in the AD FS Farm, we still have to load balance them. In an Enterprise production environment, I always recommend that you use a hardware based load balancing solution. In non-production and small to medium organizations you can use Windows Network Load Balancing. Regardless of the load balancing solution, you need to make sure that you are load balancing TCP 443 to the AD FS Farm name.

NLB Cluster Name – sts.office365supportlab.com

Nodes –

FS01.office365supportlab.com

FS02.office365supportlab.com

 

If you need help configuring Windows NLB, please use Configuring Windows NLB for AD FS 2.0

 

DNS Configuration

Since we are now using network load balancing, we need to make sure that our A record for sts.office365supportlab.comis updated with the IP address that you assigned as the VIP to the NLB cluster.

Type Name IP
A sts.office365supportlab.com 10.0.0.20
A fs01. office365supportlab.com 10.0.0.14
A fs02. office365supportlab.com 10.0.0.17