Lotus Domino Administrator 8 Help - Setting up shared mail databases

MAIL

Setting up shared mail databases
Before setting up shared mail, decide where to locate your shared mail databases. On each server that uses shared mail, you specify the directory where you want shared mail databases to reside. When creating multiple shared mail databases, you can place all of the databases in one directory, or create multiple directories and have multiple databases in each directory. Servers can have up to 10 active shared mail directories, each supporting a maximum of 100 shared mail databases. In addition, IBM® Lotus® Domino™ recognizes as many as 40 inactive shared mail directories, from which users can continue to access messages. Inactive directories are directories that no longer appear in the server document, but remain in the last location specified. Each server can support a combined total of 1000 active and inactive shared mail databases.

Shared mail directories must reside within the logical directory structure that is controlled by the server or be referenced by a directory link within that directory structure. To improve performance, you can place shared mail databases on another file system. When creating shared mail databases in a directory that is not a subdirectory of the Domino data directory, Domino creates a link to point to the shared mail directory. If no link exists, Domino cannot locate the shared mail databases.

To create and enable a shared mail database

1. From the Domino Administrator, click the Configuration tab and then expand the Server section.

2. Select the Server document to be edited and then click Edit Server.

3. Click the Shared Mail tab.

4. Enable or disable the use of shared mail by completing the following field:

Field name Enter

Shared Mail Choose one:

None - The server does not use shared mail.
Delivery - The server uses shared mail for messages delivered to multiple local recipients.
Transfer and delivery - The server always uses shared mail.

5. For each shared mail directory you want to create, complete the following fields and then click Save & Close:

Field name Enter

Directory The full path to the shared mail directory. For example:
C:\LOTUS\DOMINO\DATA\SHAREDMAIL
If the directory you specify does not exist, Domino creates it for you.
You can configure up to 10 active shared mail directories. In addition, Domino recognizes as many as 40 inactive shared mail directories, from which users can continue to access messages. Inactive directories are directories that no longer appear in the server document, but remain in the last location specified.

Number of files The number of shared mail databases to create in the specified directory. Enter a number between 1 and 100.

Maximum directory size The maximum total size, in megabytes (MB), of all shared mail databases in the directory. Enter a number between 1 and 8192. If the directory size exceeds this value, Domino stops adding new mail to the shared mail databases in the directory.

Delivery status Specifies whether the Router can deliver messages to shared mail databases in the directory. Choose one:

Open - (default) The Router can access active shared mail databases in this directory for delivery. Although the delivery status for the directory is set to Open, individual databases in the directory may be closed to delivery.
Closed - The Router does not deliver new messages to shared mail databases in this directory. Domino closes a directory automatically if it exceeds its size or as the result of certain error conditions. Select this option if you have a temporary need to shut off access to the database to prevent directory growth -- for example, if another service that stores data on the disk needs immediate space -- but you don't want to change the configured directory size.

Availability Specifies whether the mail system can access shared mail databases in the directory. Choose one:

Online - (default) Domino designates shared mail databases in the directory as available for use. The server periodically checks the directory to ensure that it contains the number of configured shared mail databases. If the number of databases in the directory falls below the value specified in the Number of Files field, the server attempts to recreate the missing databases.
Offline - Domino designates shared mail databases in the directory as not available. The server does not check the directory to ensure that it contains the correct number of shared mail databases. Select this option to prevent access to shared mail databases in preparation for moving a directory or database. Setting the availability status of a directory to Offline automatically sets the delivery status to Closed.

6. To put the new configuration into effect, restart the server or enter the following command at the server console:

Show SCOS

For more information about using the SHOW SCOS command, see the appendix Server Commands.

See also

Managing a shared mail database

Shared mail overview

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Field name	Enter
Shared Mail	Choose one: None - The server does not use shared mail. Delivery - The server uses shared mail for messages delivered to multiple local recipients. Transfer and delivery - The server always uses shared mail.

Field name	Enter
Directory	The full path to the shared mail directory. For example: C:\LOTUS\DOMINO\DATA\SHAREDMAIL If the directory you specify does not exist, Domino creates it for you. You can configure up to 10 active shared mail directories. In addition, Domino recognizes as many as 40 inactive shared mail directories, from which users can continue to access messages. Inactive directories are directories that no longer appear in the server document, but remain in the last location specified.
Number of files	The number of shared mail databases to create in the specified directory. Enter a number between 1 and 100.
Maximum directory size	The maximum total size, in megabytes (MB), of all shared mail databases in the directory. Enter a number between 1 and 8192. If the directory size exceeds this value, Domino stops adding new mail to the shared mail databases in the directory.
Delivery status	Specifies whether the Router can deliver messages to shared mail databases in the directory. Choose one: Open - (default) The Router can access active shared mail databases in this directory for delivery. Although the delivery status for the directory is set to Open, individual databases in the directory may be closed to delivery. Closed - The Router does not deliver new messages to shared mail databases in this directory. Domino closes a directory automatically if it exceeds its size or as the result of certain error conditions. Select this option if you have a temporary need to shut off access to the database to prevent directory growth -- for example, if another service that stores data on the disk needs immediate space -- but you don't want to change the configured directory size.
Availability	Specifies whether the mail system can access shared mail databases in the directory. Choose one: Online - (default) Domino designates shared mail databases in the directory as available for use. The server periodically checks the directory to ensure that it contains the number of configured shared mail databases. If the number of databases in the directory falls below the value specified in the Number of Files field, the server attempts to recreate the missing databases. Offline - Domino designates shared mail databases in the directory as not available. The server does not check the directory to ensure that it contains the correct number of shared mail databases. Select this option to prevent access to shared mail databases in preparation for moving a directory or database. Setting the availability status of a directory to Offline automatically sets the delivery status to Closed.