Exchange Tools
Mimecast Training
Student Workbook
V 2.3
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© 2014 by Mimecast Services Ltd. The information posted in this guide is for use by Mimecast
customers only. Use of the guide is governed by the terms contained in the user’s agreement with
Mimecast. Information in this guide is subject to change without notice. The Mimecast name and
logo are owned by Mimecast Services Ltd and its affiliates. All other names and marks are the
property of their respective owners.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Mimecast Synchronization Engine .......................................................................... 3
Appendix: Knowledge Base and Resources ........................................................................... 13
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Chapter 1: Mimecast Synchronization Engine
Mimecast Synchronization Engine is a Mimecast proprietary product which integrates additional
services with the customer's server environment. Mimecast Synchronization Engine allows
Administrators to communicate data securely from the server environment to Mimecast, in order to
access additional mailbox management and file archive functionality.
Mimecast Synchronization Engine Deployment Considerations
Prior to deployment, consider the following:
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If multiple Exchange sites are present, which sites should the software be installed on?
On which servers will the software be installed?
Have the pre-requisites been attended to?
What features are going to be used?
What users will these features be applied to?
What effect will running these tasks have on your network bandwidth?
What services are running at present, and what will the task load effect be on the server?
What services (Mimecast Personal Portal and Mimecast for Outlook) do end users require in
order to access these features?
As with any 3rd party software that accesses the server environment, Mimecast Synchronization
Engine has a number of prerequisites in terms of hardware, software, and user account permissions
that need to be met prior to installation. This will ensure that the service runs as intended.
Mimecast Synchronization Engine Implementation
To get Mimecast Synchronization Engine installed and running in your environment, certain steps
are required. The software needs to be installed, the site configuration tool should be used to provide
specific details regarding the site, and then the site needs to bind with Mimecast.
Installation Wizard
Mimecast Synchronization Engine relies on software to be installed in your environment using an
Installation Wizard, which provides the Administrator with step by step configuration screens.
Download the software, and copy it to the environment that Mimecast Synchronization Engine will be
installed on. Once the software is installed, a Site Configuration Utility is used to bind your Mimecast
Synchronization Engine installation to Mimecast.
Site Configuration Utility
To transmit updates regarding the metadata of emails or files from your internal servers to Mimecast,
Mimecast Synchronization Engine communicates securely with your Mimecast Account. Once the
Mimecast Synchronization Engine software has been installed, this is configured using the Mimecast
Synchronization Engine Site Configuration Utility.
Mimecast Synchronization Engine Site Configuration provides various tabs where certain information
is required to bind Mimecast Synchronization Engine with your Mimecast Account. This process
ensures that the communication can take place securely using valid credentials for your Account.
The utility is launched automatically once the installation is complete. It can also be launched from
the Start menu of your server. This utility consists of six tabs:
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Tab
Service
Site
Accounts
Directories
Connection
Version
Description
Contains information regarding the actual Mimecast Synchronization Engine service
e.g. region, status, company name
Shows information about the server Mimecast Synchronization Engine is installed on
e.g. server name, display name and site code
This is the account used to run the Mimecast Synchronization Engine service, which
should exist on the local server as well as on Mimecast
Select your own install directories for data, log and temporary files
This should be completed if using a proxy server
Contains information regarding the version of Mimecast Synchronization Engine
installed
Note: The site code is generated automatically when the Site is bound to your Mimecast service.
Binding Mimecast Synchronization Engine to Mimecast
Once the configuration tool settings have been completed, the installation can be set to bind to
Mimecast by Selecting the Play button:
The installer will now register the details with your Mimecast Service and upon successful
completion, the NT Service field will display as Started.
Exchange Sites
An Exchange Site is the location where Mimecast Synchronization Engine is installed in the
customer’s environment. Each instance where Mimecast Synchronization Engine is installed and
configured to communicate with a server is listed in the Exchange Site widget in the Exchange
Services Dashboard:
From the Exchange Service Sites view, various tasks can
be performed:
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Pause and resume the service
Upgrade the current Mimecast Synchronization Engine
version installed
View the logs for the Mimecast Synchronization Engine
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service
Exchange Services Dashboard
All Mimecast Synchronization Engine related options are presented in a dashboard called Exchange
Services. The dashboard provides a single page to access all Mimecast Synchronization Engine
sites and settings. Administrators are able to perform the following tasks:
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View existing Exchange Sites, Exchange Definitions, Schedules and Exchange Tasks
Create new Exchange Definitions, Exchange Tasks and Schedules
View a dynamic log of all recent Exchange Task activity
Access the relevant Mimecast Synchronization Engine related Knowledge Base articles and
Release Notes
Download the latest Mimecast Synchronization Engine Installer package
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To access the Mimecast Synchronization Engine dashboard, navigate to Services | Exchange
Services. The dashboard consists of a toolbar menu, and widgets which contain information about
existing settings as well as a log of Mimecast Synchronization Engine task activity.
Exercise: Mimecast Synchronization Engine Dashboard
Navigate to the Exchange Services page and review the widgets and logs
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
Review the Mimecast Synchronization Engine Dashboard
Log In to the Administration Console
Navigate to Services | Exchange Services
Confirm the available information in the following widgets:
Exchange Tasks
Recent Task Activity
Note the various task toolbar menu options to create and edit Task Definitions, Schedules and
Exchange Tasks.
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Task Types
Exchange Tasks
Task Name
Mailbox
Folder
Replication
Managed
Folders
Calendar
Replication
Mailbox
Storage
Management
Details
Using the Mimecast Synchronization Engine application, the Mailbox Folder
Replication feature uses native Exchange entry points to extract folder and
message meta data from Exchange mailboxes and submit this data to the Mimecast
platform, where it is archived and made available to end users via Mimecast
applications.
Using the Mimecast Synchronization Engine , the Managed Folders compliance
feature utilizes admin defined retention definitions based on message age and / or
length of time a message which resides in a particular folder. Users are empowered
to manage how long to keep messages directly from their Exchange mailbox using
any mail client.
Using the Mimecast Synchronization Engine application, the Calendar Replication
feature uses native Exchange entry points to extract calendar entries (including any
attachments from Exchange mailboxes) and submit this data to the Mimecast
platform where it is made available to end users via Mimecast applications.
Note: Mimecast does not currently support archiving of Calendars or access to
shared Calendars via Mimecast Applications.
Using the Mimecast Synchronization Engine application, the Mailbox Storage
Management feature uses native Exchange entry points to identify and take action
on email messages / email attachments from Exchange mailboxes, helping you to
manage your Exchange storage and leverage the power of the Mimecast archive.
Schedules
Schedule Definitions are required to determine when and how often a Mimecast Synchronization
Engine task should run. They provide maximum flexibility and management to the Mimecast
Synchronization Engine tasks, as multiple schedule definitions can be created and assigned to tasks
and user groups.
Exchange task definitions can be configured to run at different times using the schedules so that they
are not all running at the same time. Mimecast recommends staggering schedules, as running too
many tasks simultaneously may place unnecessary load on the Exchange Server.
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For example, Mailbox Folder Replication can be set to take place twice each day, but not on
weekends. Message Stubbing can take place each week on a Saturday, and User Retention once
every three days in the evening.
Schedules provide various options:
Schedule
Options
Once off
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Details
This schedule will only run once on the date and time Entered. This option is often
used with initial Mailbox Folder Replication tasks
Task can either be set to run once a day at a certain time, or multiple times at
regular intervals
Weekly Settings allows individual days to be Selected, and then the Daily Settings
option provides the type (once or at regular intervals) and time for the schedule to
run
This can be configured to run on either a Set Date per month (e.g. the 24th) or a Set
Day (e.g. the third Thurs). Daily Settings option provides the type and time for the
schedule to run
Note: If you would like to activate this task in your live environment, do not remove the Schedule,
and complete the Exchange Tasks exercise detailed in this guide.
Exchange Tasks
Exchange Tasks are required to apply Mimecast Synchronization Engine task definitions to specific
groups of users at specific time schedules. Exchange Tasks reference a Directory Group or
Organizational Unit, which must be setup up in Active Directory prior to being linked to.
Exchange Task definitions and Schedules can either be created prior to creating the Exchange Task,
or as part of the configuration:
Note: Mimecast Synchronization Engine tasks will not run until the Exchange Task is created and
applied to a valid Directory group of users or OU.
Monitoring
Administrators are able to monitor their Exchange Sites as well as Exchange Tasks using the logs
provided in the Administration Console. Detailed service and task logs are also available on the
server where Mimecast Synchronization Engine is installed.
Mimecast Logs
Mimecast provides various logs for the Mimecast Synchronization Engine installations and task
activity:
Log Type
Exchange Site
Logs
Task Summary
Logs
Recent Task
Activity Logs
Server Logs
Details
Condensed logs which show the execution time for the Mimecast Synchronization
Engine service since it started up, and the last time the execution report was run.
This helps identify potential site problems
Detailed logs for each Exchange Task. By Clicking on a specific log report,
further information is available on the execution of the task.
Accessible from Exchange Services, this log provides a list of the last ten
Exchange tasks that have been executed. By accessing a task in the list, the
Task Summary logs can be viewed
Within the installation directory there is a log folder, which has server and task
specific logs. These can be used in conjunction with Mimecast Support when
troubleshooting site and task queries
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Monitoring
Administrators are able to monitor their Exchange Sites as well as Exchange Tasks using the logs
provided in the Administration Console. Detailed service and task logs are also available on the
server where Mimecast Synchronization Engine is installed.
Mimecast Logs
Mimecast provides various logs for the Mimecast Synchronization Engine installations and task
activity:
Log Type
Exchange Site
Logs
Task Summary
Logs
Recent Task
Activity Logs
Server Logs
Details
Condensed logs which show the execution time for the Mimecast Synchronization
Engine service since it started up, and the last time the execution report was run.
This helps identify potential site problems
Detailed logs for each Exchange Task. By Clicking on a specific log report,
further information is available on the execution of the task.
Accessible from Exchange Services, this log provides a list of the last ten
Exchange tasks that have been executed. By accessing a task in the list, the
Task Summary logs can be viewed
Within the installation directory there is a log folder, which has server and task
specific logs. These can be used in conjunction with Mimecast Support when
troubleshooting site and task queries
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File Archive
Mimecast provides the functionality to add files to your archive, which can then be accessed by
Administrators and users (with sufficient permissions). Files will be archived based on the Account
Retention period specified in the Account Settings page. Mimecast File Archive can be configured to
include the following types of files:
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User Folder Archive - user's home directories or My Documents folders
Shared Folder Archive - common or shared data directories
Lync Instant Messaging Archiving – instant messages shared on Microsoft Lync
Instant Messaging Archive
Mimecast Synchronization Engine (Mimecast Synchronization Engine) can be configured to archive
historical Instant Message (Instant Messaging) conversations within Microsoft Lync.
Note: Instant Messaging Archive must be enabled for the organization's Mimecast account in order to
utilize the available functionality.
Once the Mimecast Synchronization Engine site has been configured, an Instant Messaging Archive
Definition, Schedule and Task must be created to begin the archive process. Navigate to the
Services | Instant Messaging Archive menu:
Mimecast Synchronization Engine Best Practice
When installing and configuring Mimecast Synchronization Engine, it is important to be aware of
certain requirements for your environment. This article aims to assist with Mimecast Synchronization
Engine best practice guidelines.
Installation Recommendations
Mimecast recommends that the Mimecast Synchronization Engine software should never be installed
directly on the Exchange server, but instead on another server within the Exchange domain. A
standalone server in a virtual environment is preferable, or an application server may be retasked. For companies with more than 1000 users, an additional Mimecast Synchronization Engine
server should be deployed for every 1000 users.
For Instant Messaging Archive, a separate instance of Mimecast Synchronization Engine with access
to the Lync SQL Database is recommended.
Groups
Mimecast Synchronization Engine Tasks are applied to Groups of users, and should adhere to the
specifications below:
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Groups should remain fairly static.
The recommended maximum number of users per group should be:
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Exchange 2003: 75 - 100 Users/group
Exchange 2007/2010/2013: 250 - 500 Users/group.
For troubleshooting purposes, Mimecast recommends creating an additional troubleshooting group. In
the event that an issue should arise with syncing a single user/group of users, they may be removed
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from their original group and placed into the troubleshooting group. This will ensure that other
members of the group and the task will not be affected.
Schedules
When configuring Schedule definitions for any daily recurring tasks, create one schedule per task,
and ensure that these schedules are staggered by 5 - 15 minutes at an interval of every 2
hours. Depending on the task and the needs of the organization, separate schedules should be
created to run on daily, weekly and monthly intervals. Some examples of the application of different
schedules could be:
File Archive Tasks
For the initial folder archive, all files (except for those listed as excluded extensions) will be archived.
This results in the first task run being the most resource intensive. Subsequent archive jobs will only
archive any differences to those existing files, or any new files. The Mimecast Synchronization
Engine application pushes the files to Mimecast, where they are then converted to emails, and as
such added to your archive. It is important to monitor the load on the Selected servers, and the
success of the Mimecast Synchronization Engine tasks, in order to ensure that the hardware
requirements are suitable for the relevant tasks.
The examples below assume that user files are stored on a separate server to network files:
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User Drives: Schedule for Group A starts at 7:00 pm and runs until 23:00 pm every 60 minutes
daily (weekdays)
User Drives: Schedule for Group B starts at 7:14 pm and runs until 23:00 pm every 60 minutes
daily (weekdays)
Network Drives: Schedule for Group C starts at 7:00 pm and runs until 23:00 pm every 60
minutes daily (weekdays)
Instant Messaging Archive Tasks
Instant Messaging Archive Tasks interact with the SQL database where Lync stores the Instant
Messaging data. As with other Mimecast Synchronization Engine tasks, the first task run is the most
resource intensive, as all existing data in the database must be uploaded to Mimecast. The task has
a built-in execution limit of 1000 conversations at maximum, and it may be necessary to run the task
frequently initially to capture all existing data. Subsequent archive jobs will only archive new data
added to the store, and as the data is text-based, it is likely that little resource load will be placed on
the Mimecast Synchronization Engine server.
One task is required per SQL database, and it can be configured to run once or several times each
day.
Exercise: Mimecast Synchronization Engine
1) View the existing Exchange Sites for your account
a)
b)
c)
Log in to the Administration Console.
Navigate to Services | Exchange Services.
The first widget in the Dashboard is the Exchange Site widget. View the number of Exchange Sites
there are in each status group.
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d)
e)
Click on the View All link to view an unfiltered list of all Exchange Sites.
Click the View menu to access different filtered lists of Exchange Sites.
2) Review the properties of an Exchange Site
a)
b)
c)
d)
Open an Exchange site from the list.
Confirm the status of the Exchange site.
Confirm the date that the site was last modified.
Review the Administrative options available in the task toolbar.
3) Review the Mimecast Synchronization Engine Dashboard
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Log in to the Administration Console.
Navigate to Services | Exchange Services.
Confirm the available information in the following widgets:
Exchange Tasks
Recent Task Activity
Note the various task toolbar menu options to create and edit Task Definitions, Schedules and
Exchange Tasks.
4) Create a Mailbox Folder Replication definition
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
Log in to the Administration Console.
Navigate to Services | Exchange Services.
Select Exchange Definitions | Mailbox Folder Replication from the task toolbar OR click on
the Definitions button next to Mailb ox Folder Replication in the Exchange Task widget
Click on the New Folder Definition button.
Enter a description into the Description field.
Leave the Exclude/Include options unchecked.
Click Save and Exit in the task toolbar.
5) Create T ime based Exclusion/s for your Mailbox Folder
Replication task
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
Click on the Manage Full Sync Exclusion Times button for the Mailbox Folder Replication definition
you have created.
Click on the New Replication Exclusions button.
Select a Day and From/To times you do not want the Mailbox Folder Replication task to run (e.g. when
your Exchange Server is being backed up).
Click Save and Exit to save the exclusion time. Your exclusion times are now listed.
Click Go Back to return to your Mailb ox Folder Replication Properties, and Go Back again to see a list
of the configured Mailbox Folder Replication definitions.
Right click on the task definition and select Remove Definition.
6) Create a Schedule Definition
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
Log in to the Administration Console.
Navigate to Services | Exchange Services.
Select Schedules from the task toolbar, and select the New Schedule option.
Enter a description into the Description field, e.g. Run every 10 minutes.
From the Schedule Type, select Daily.
Click on the Date Range, which will display a calendar control. Leave the Start date as today's date, but
click on Eternal for the To date.
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g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
In the Schedule Type, select Many from the drop-down.
Leave the Start Time and End Time as is - this covers the full day.
Change the Interval (minutes) field to 10.
Click Save and Exit.
Delete the schedule definition by clicking on the schedule, and selecting the Remove Schedule button.
Note: If you would like to activate this task in your live environment, do not remove the Schedule, and
complete the Exchange Tasks exercise detailed in this guide.
7) Create a new Exchange Task
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
l)
Create a Mailb ox Folder Replication Definition and Schedule, as detailed in the previous exercises in
this guide.
Create an Active Directory Distribution List or Security Group, and add your individual email address to
the Group.
Log into the Mimecast Administration Console.
Navigate to Services | Exchange Services.
Click on the Tasks button associated with Mailbox Folder Replication in the Exchange
Tasks widget, OR Click on the New Exchange Task button in the task toolbar.
Click on New Task Definition.
Select the Mimecast Synchronization Engine Site drop-down menu, and select the relevant site
(where Mimecast Synchronization Engine is installed) from the list.
Select the Schedules drop-down menu, and select the pre-prepared Schedule.
Select the Task Type drop-down menu, and select Folder Replication.
Select the appropriate definition from the Folder Replication Definition drop-down list.
Select the AD Group to apply the task to, by clicking the Lookup button next to the Lookup from
AD field, OR Select the radio button next to Enter DN Manually field to manually enter the distinguished
name of the Group.
Click the Save and Exit button to implement the task.
8) Review the Exchange Service Site logs
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
Navigate to Services | Exchange Services.
Click on the View All link in the top right corner of the Exchange Service Site widget.
Select one of the Active Exchange Sites.
Click on the Logs drop down menu option in the task toolbar.
Select the Site Summary Logs option.
If logs are available in the list, click on one of the logs to view more detail.
Information is provided about how long the Mimecast Synchronization Engine service has been running
for.
9) Access the Task Sum m ary logs
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
Navigate to Services | Exchange Services.
Click on a listed Task in the Recent Task Activity log.
Click on the Logs drop down menu option in the task toolbar.
Select the Task Summary Logs option.
A list of all the logs for each task are displayed.
Click on one of the task logs, and view the detail provided.
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Appendix: Knowledge Base and Resources
Knowledge Base
To access the Knowledge Base, use the direct link: http://kb.mimecast.com
Training Courses
Visit our website to view the latest information on our available training courses:
http://www.mimecast.com/What-we-offer/ email-s upport-and-education/Upcoming-course-schedule/
Available Online Course
Titles:
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Available Classroom Course Titles:
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Mimecast
Mimecast
Mimecast
Mimecast
Mimecast
Security
Continuity
Archiving
Stationery
Partner
Other useful links:
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Mimecast Community:
https://community.mimecast.com/
Mimecast TV:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mimecast
Mimecast Blog: http://blog.mimecast.com/
Mimecast Twitter: http://twitter.com/mimecast
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Mimecast
Mimecast
Mimecast
Mimecast
Mimecast
Mimecast
Mimecast
Mimecast
Mimecast
Product Overview
Account Tour
Continuity
Security
Archiving
Admin Tasks
Exchange Tasks
Stationery
User Services