Dial-up/Cached exchange mode fault

[Aaron]

Our system is running outlook2003/Exchange server 2000. One of our systems
dial-up users (56k modem) in having problems. We use cached exchange mode
which tends to work very well for the majority of users. This user has a
particular large mailbox- some 700mb, about 5000 items of email(complicated
folder structure too).She is trying to synchronise this over dial-up. We are
finding it works for a week or two before when dialled up then she starts
getting severe problems , outlook freezes, synchronization hangs without
completing and other faults. I've found a new outlook profile will solve the
problem completely but only for a week or two then the problems are back.



I think she is pushing outlook to its limits and while it work for a short
it clearly starts to break down rapidly after a new profile. My question is
what is the practical limits of cached exchange mode over a dial-up
connection? I've heard the theory offered that it shouldn't matter how big
the mailbox is, it will just take longer and longer but should complete. My
proposed solution is simply setting up the send/receive groups to essential
folders only only i.e. the inbox not subfolders. Its doing the whole lot at
the moment. I've not been able to find out any size limitations on cached
exchange mode/OSTs (although I do recall PST files had something like a
recommended limit) 600mb. I certainly know that our system users with
mailbox in the 300-400mb range don't have problems.



Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on this fault please. Given enough
time should outlook be taking this job in its stride? I think its asking way
to much of just a 56k modem connection.


Thanks,

Aaron

 

[Brian Tillman]

Our system is running outlook2003/Exchange server 2000. One of our
systems dial-up users (56k modem) in having problems. We use cached
exchange mode which tends to work very well for the majority of
users. This user has a particular large mailbox- some 700mb, about
5000 items of email(complicated folder structure too).She is trying
to synchronise this over dial-up. We are finding it works for a week
or two before when dialled up then she starts getting severe problems
, outlook freezes, synchronization hangs without completing and other
faults. I've found a new outlook profile will solve the problem
completely but only for a week or two then the problems are back.

I was under the impression that cached Exchange mode was intended to address
the vagaries of a slow connection, performing synchronization in the
background so that performance appeared to be better.

I think she is pushing outlook to its limits and while it work for a
short it clearly starts to break down rapidly after a new profile. My
question is what is the practical limits of cached exchange mode over
a dial-up connection? I've heard the theory offered that it shouldn't
matter how big the mailbox is, it will just take longer and longer
but should complete. My proposed solution is simply setting up the
send/receive groups to essential folders only only i.e. the inbox not
subfolders. Its doing the whole lot at the moment. I've not been able
to find out any size limitations on cached exchange mode/OSTs

Perhaps offline mode may be a better solution that cached mode.

(although I do recall PST files had something like a recommended
limit) 600mb. I certainly know that our system users with mailbox in
the 300-400mb range don't have problems.

PSTs and OSTs on Outlook 2003 can be 20 GB by default, but can be adjusted
to allow up to 4 TB. a paltrey 600 MB is no problem whatsoever. Check the
OST format, though, because I've had Outlook 2003 create ANSI-format OSTs,
which have a limit of just over 1.8 GB.