Public folders are used as storage repositories for sharing files/folders. It can also be used as shared file systems for applications, newsgroup hosting and others.
Public folders can be accessed through Microsoft Outlook, clients compatible with Internet Message Access protocol (IMAP) such as Outlook Express, and through Outlook Web Access (OWA).
I have been from working on Exchange Server from last couple of years and noticed that there are administrators who never use public folders and others uses it very heavily. Some understands the importance of public folders, while other do not knows its worth. I have been regularly encouraging them to use public folders for messages, files or contacts if that information needs to be accessed by everyone.
There are two types of public folders in Exchange Server 2003:-
- Public folders
- System folders
We can create as many public folders as we want and those folders are visible to the exchange users.
Systems folders are hidden for internal Exchange System Management. These are the Exchange generated System Folders :-
- EForms Registry
- Events Root
- Nntp Control Folder
- Offline Address Book
- Schedule+ Free Busy
- StoreEvents
- System Configuration
Public folders can be created either from the Exchange System Manager or from the Microsoft Outlook/ Outlook Web Access (OWA).
Public Folder Enhancements in Exchange 2003
- Easily move all public folder contents from a public store to a different server.
- View public folder Content from Exchange System Manager
- Improved search capabilities for public folders in Exchange System Manager
- Manually stop or resume public folder replication.
- Track the deletion of public folders
- Introduction of Public Folder Migration Tool (pfMigrate) which is used to create replicas of your public and system folders on new Exchange Server 2003.
For more detail, click here.