Organisations everywhere are turning to Windows Small Business Server 2003 to power their small businesses. As the platform's Exchange services are often part of the draw, here's what you need to know when it comes to installing, configuring, and managing SBS 2003 e-mail accounts.
Microsoft's Windows Small Business Server (SBS) is changing the way many small businesses operate. Combining simple but powerful Windows user controls and robust e-mail services in a single platform priced attractively for smaller organisations is one of the brighter ideas Microsoft's had of late.
When you create a new user in Windows Small Business Server 2003, the Add User Wizard creates an Exchange mailbox for that user and adds the user to the default Exchange distribution group. You can also use the Change User Permissions Wizard to create Exchange mailboxes for users.
By default, SBS 2003 restricts a user's mailbox size, as well as the storage space available to that user. The restrictions help protect Exchange, and the server, from growing out of control. In the case of SBS 2003's Exchange mailbox store, there's a hard stop at 16GB in total size. Installing Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2 expands the mailbox store size limit to 75GB.
Note that the default mailbox store database is limited to 18GB following the installation of Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2. A registry change is required to enable the database to grow to the new 75GB limit (while beyond the scope of this article, you can learn more about making this registry change here).
Out of the gate, Exchange limits user mailbox sizes to 200MB in SBS 2003. Users will begin receiving warning messages when their mailbox sizes reach 175MB. As long as the user's mailbox size is less than 200MB, the user will continue to be able to send and receive e-mail using the Exchange 2003 Server built into Windows Small Business Server 2003. Once a user's mailbox size reaches or exceeds the default 200MB, however, the user will no longer be able to send or receive e-mail until the mailbox's size is reduced below the limit (or the mailbox size limit is adjusted).
Change a single user's mailbox size limit
To change a single user's mailbox size limit (Figure
A):
- Log on to the server as a member of the Domain Admins group.
- Open Server Management from the Start menu or using a desktop icon.
- Select Users.
Figure A |
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| Use SBS' Server Management console to change a user's mailbox settings. |
- From the details pane that appears on the right, highlight the user account you wish to configure.
- Click Change User Properties (and the users' Properties dialog box will appear).
- Select the Exchange General tab (Figure B).
Figure B |
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| Highlight the Exchange General tab from the user's Properties dialog box to access the Storage Limits button. |
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Is the 16 GB Exchange mailbox store limit in regards to the individual user (total mailbox size)? Or does that apply to the total mailbox store size for the server and all users.