MailFlow as an Economical Archive Server

Thursday, November 10, 2011


VisNetic MailFlow combined with your corporate mail server enable you to take advantage of all legal, technical and economical aspects of contemporary email archiving.

The MailFlow database stores perfect copies of all company email in a central archive which can safely maintain any amount of data for many years. Users can easily access the archived emails using VisNetic MailFlow.

Configuring VisNetic MailFlow as Email Archive Server

1. Create two new POP3 accounts on the mail server:

Inbound@domain.com
Outbound@domain.com

Replacing 'domain.com' with your actual domain name.

2. Create two new Content Filters on the mail server;

Inbound CF Filter:
Where Recipient matches domain.com, Copy to inbound@domain.com

This filter simply means that all messages accepted by the mail server will be copied to the inbound@domain.com account.

Outbound CF Filter:
Where Sender matches domain.com, Copy to outbound@domain.com

This filter simply means that all messages sent from the mail server will be copied to the outbound@domain.com account.

Note: Content Filters can be added or deleted to meet your requirements. As example, a Content Filter could be created so that any message sent from a local user to another local user by copied to another account for archival purposes. The possibilities are numerous.

Now that we have a method of collecting/copying the appropriate messages, we'll define the archive process.

VisNetic MailFlow

Install VisNetic MailFlow following the standard product installation process.

**Collecting Inbound mail to the VisNetic MailFlow Archive Server**

With VMF installed, log into VMF using Administrator credentials.

1. Select Administration / Message Handling / Message Sources
2. Select 'New'

Defining New Message Source:

- Type: POP3
- Server Address: IP Address of the mail server where the Inbound@domain.com and outbound@domain.com accounts were created
- Description: Inbound
- Port: 110
-Username: inbound
-Password: (password created in mail server for inbound@domain.com)
-The remaining settings can be left as defaults.
-Save the Message Source
Assure access to the mail server by selecting the 'Test Login' button.

Creating the Inbound TicketBox to view the Inbound messages.

1. Select TicketBox Configuration / TicketBoxes
2. Select 'New'

-Name: Inbound
-Default email address: inbound@domain.com
-Description: Inbound
-The remaining settings can be left as defaults.
-Save the TicketBox

Create Routing Rule to route inbound messages copied from the mail server to the Inbound TicketBox.

1. Select Message Handling / Custom Routing Rules
2. Select 'New'

-Description: Inbound
-Message Source: Select Inbound from the drop-down box
-Scroll down to 'Assign to TicketBox'
-Select Inbound from the Default TicketBox drop-down box
-Select radio button to 'Assign to the Default Ticketbox'
-Save the Routing Rule

Test Archive Server operation

1. Send an email to any account on your mail server.
2. If configured properly the message should be received by the mail server then copied to the inbound@domain.com account defined by the Inbound Content Filter. Depending on the "Check Interval" defined in Messages Sources, the message will be collected by the Archive Server and delivered to the Inbound TicketBox.