Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 : Creating and Working with Public Folders (part 2) - Determining Public Folder Size, Item Count, and Last Access Time

Creating Public Folders Using the Exchange Management Shell

As an administrator, you can create public folders within the default public folder tree by using the New-PublicFolder cmdlet. Use the –Name parameter to set the name of the public folder and the –Path parameter to create the folder under a particular folder. If you omit the –Path parameter, Exchange creates the folder as a top-level folder under the default public folders root. Example 1 provides the syntax and usage for the New-PublicFolder cmdlet.

Example 1. New-PublicFolder cmdlet syntax and usage

Syntax

New-PublicFolder -Name FolderName [-Path ParentFolderName]
[-Server Server] [-DomainController FullyQualifiedDomainName]


Usage

New-PublicFolder -Name "Projects" -Path \

Determining Public Folder Size, Item Count, and Last Access Time

In Outlook, you can determine the size in kilobytes (KBs) of a public folder by completing the following steps:

1. Start Outlook. If the Folder list isn't displayed and you are using Outlook 2007, click Go, and then select Folder List. If the Folder list isn't displayed and you are using Outlook 2010, click the Folder List button in the lower-right corner of the Navigation pane or press Ctrl+6.

2. Expand Public Folders in the Folder list, and then expand All Public Folders.

3. Right-click the public folder with which you want to work, and then select Properties.

4. On the General tab of the Public Folder Properties dialog box, click Folder Size. The Folder Size dialog box lists the total size of the selected public folder, including all subfolders and the individual size of each subfolder.

Using the Public Folder Management Console, you can determine the size, item count, and last access time of a top-level public folder by completing the following steps:

1. In the Public Folder Management Console, select the Default Public Folders node or the System Public Folders node as appropriate for the type of public folder you want to work with.

2. In the left pane, select the top-level folder you want to work with, such as Default Public Folders.

3. In the main pane, right-click the folder you want to examine and then select Properties.

4. On the General tab of the Properties dialog box, you'll see the key details for the selected public folder, as shown in Figure 3.

In the Exchange Management Shell, you can view the total number of items contained in and the last access time of public folders using the Get-PublicFolderStatistics cmdlet as shown in the following example:

Get-PublicFolderStatistics

The output will be similar to the following:

Name                 ItemCount                LastAccessTime
----                 ---------                --------------
Projects             19292                    03/17/2010 5:41:42 AM
SavedData             791                     03/23/2010 7:36:19 AM
Teams                 895                     02/14/2010 4:33:21 AM

If you use the –Identity parameter to examine a specific public folder and format the output as a list, you can see additional details, including total item size and deleted item size. Example 2 shows the syntax, usage, and sample output. Keep in mind that if you omit the –Identity parameter, you'll view details for all public folders.

Figure 3. Get information about the public folder using the Properties dialog box.

Example 2. Getting usage statistics for public folders

Syntax

Get-PublicFolderStatistics [-Identity FolderIdentity]
[-Server Server] [-DomainController FullyQualifiedDomainName]


Usage

Get-PublicFolderStatistics -Identity "\Projects" | fl


Output

AdminDisplayName         : Customer Support
AssociatedItemCount      : 4
ContactCount             : 52
CreationTime             : 1/22/2010 3:15:22 PM
DeletedItemCount         : 24
EntryId                  : 000000001A447390AA6611CD9BC800AA002FC45A030
                           164D2419EE9E7A08CCB68910001907875400000
ExpiryTime               :
FolderPath               : Customer Support
IsDeletePending          : False
ItemCount                : 789
LastAccessTime           : 2/8/2010 11:42:31 AM
LastModificationTime     : 2/8/2010 7:15:03 AM
LastUserModificationTime     : 2/8/2010 7:17:00 AM
LastUserAccessTime       : 2/8/2010 7:17:01 AM
Name                     : Customer Support
OwnerCount               : 12
TotalAssociatedItemSize  : 9823B
TotalDeletedItemSize     : 1281904B
TotalItemSize            : 397719508223B
ServerName               : MAILSERVER25
DatabaseName             : Public Folder Database
Identity                 : 000000001A447390AA6611CD9BC800AA002FC45A030
MapiIdentity               164D2419EE9E7A08CCB68910001907875400000
OriginatingServer        : mailserver25.cpandl.com
IsValid                  : True