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Export Local Outlook email to .pst
Last Post 04 Sep 2008 08:59 PM by ssaehrig. 7 Replies.
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ssaehrigUser is Offline
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04 Sep 2008 01:56 AM  

So heres a good one. I have a challenge to move 80 users from a linux based outlook connection which stores email in a local .dat file. I need to convert this to .pst so i can import them into exchange. the files are very large each user has about 2 GB of mail in there local systems. Here is what i want to do.

1.Export email from local systems to .pst 
2.Centralize the .pst files to a file share. 
3.rename each pst to username.pst

This may be way over my skill set but will be fun to try. 

Steve

marco.shawUser is Offline
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04 Sep 2008 12:54 PM  
.pst are a proprietary format, as far as I'm aware, so there's no way you can "create" it.

My approach would be something like:
1. Setup a second system with Outlook running.
2. Have the Linux system resend all its email to have the 2nd system pick it up.
3. Take the .pst from that 2nd system.

How exactly does this app work on Linux? Can it be automated to send?

Does that .dat file look to be in plain text format?
ssaehrigUser is Offline
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04 Sep 2008 01:39 PM  
From what I gather it is a MS Exchange emulator for outlook to connect to call Communicate Pro ( have to very this ). The desktops are all office versions from xp to 07. My challenge is moving them all to exchange. Could i use .NET at all to invoke and email forward from there local outlook clients to the exchange server.

The end game is
1. Move all clients to AD
2. Move all email from local outlook to exchange (then archive policies :) )

I have not had a chance to review the .dat file format
marco.shawUser is Offline
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04 Sep 2008 01:45 PM  
OK, so you're saying the .dat file resides on the server?

An example of how PowerShell can "connect" to Outlook:
http://blogs.msdn.com/jmanning/archive/2007/01/25/using-powershell-for-outlook-automation.aspx

I don't know if all versions of Outlook have COM support...
ssaehrigUser is Offline
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04 Sep 2008 03:29 PM  
Sorry I should have clarified that a little more. Outlook connects via imap and stores all data local on the client pc.
glnsizeUser is Online
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04 Sep 2008 03:48 PM  
If all their mail is already being managed via outlook, then all you need to do is connect to the exchange server in outlook, and move the messages from the local store to their mailbox. This can absolutely be scripted with the outlook.Application com provider.
$outlook = New-Object -ComObject Outlook.Application
$mailbox = $outlook.session.folders | ? { $_.Name -eq "your Mailbox name"}
$localstore = $outlook.session.folders | ? { $_.Name -eq "local folder name as it appears in outlook"}
$localstore.items | % { $_.move($mailbox)}
Obviously there is a lot of refinement required here, but it can be done!
~glenn
glnsizeUser is Online
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04 Sep 2008 03:56 PM  
Sorry forgot to add... Don't worry about the dat file Office XP-2003 uses a .dat file for the local data store. Office 2k7 uses an .OST (I think)... long story short... Outlook is the king of mail clients. If it can connect to a mail source then it can move mail between them. Ie. Outlook can move mail from hotmail/exchange/yahoo etc into Gmail (not forward to Gmail, but place them directly). To the user it's a drag and drop operation now the hoops outlook jumps through to get it done? Can’t tell ya don't know :)
ssaehrigUser is Offline
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04 Sep 2008 08:59 PM  

Excellent point Glenn I was thinking about how that could be accomplished. i have been meaning to look into com objects more to explore app invoking. Thank you Marco i was able read that article. Now that i have some direction i will do some reading on com  on MSDN.

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