Recommended Configurations for the 4. Mailboxes Job Group
Dependencies
This job group requires you to enable the following items:
-
Exchange Access Auditing is enabled in the Exchange environment
- This is required for the Logons Job Group. See the Enable Exchange Mailbox Access Auditing topic for additional information.
Successfully run the following job groups first:
- .Active Directory Inventory Job Group
- .Entra ID Inventory Job Group
- Exchange > 1. HUB Metrics Job Group (Optional)
- Provides data on mailbox metrics for on-premises Exchange environments and the last time a distribution list received mail
- Exchange > 2. CAS Metrics Job Group (Optional)
- Provides data on mailbox staleness for on-premises Exchange environments
- Exchange > 8. Exchange Online > Mailflow Job Group (Optional)
- Provides data on distribution list metrics for Exchange Online environments and the last time a distribution list received mail
Targeted Hosts
The Features > EX_Features job, Logons > 0.Collection job group, Permissions > 0.Collection job group, and Sizing > 0.Collection job group have been set for Exchange on-premises to run against:
- Local host
This Job Group can target a custom host list for Exchange Online instead of targeting Exchange on-premises. However, don't try to target both types of environments.
Connection Profile
Set a Connection Profile directly on the collection jobs within each sub-job group:
-
Features > EX_Features Job
-
Logons > 0.Collection > EX_MailboxActivity Job
-
Permissions > 0. Collection:
- EX_Delegates Job
- EX_MBRights Job
- EX_Perms Job
- EX_SendAs Job
-
Sizing > 0. Collection > EX_MBSize Job
See the Exchange PowerShell Permissions topic for the required permissions. See the Exchange Custom Connection Profile & Host List topic for additional information.
Schedule Frequency
Don't run these jobs at the 4. Mailboxes job group level. The Logons sub-job group and Sizing job group have been designed to run daily. The Features sub-job group and Permissions job group have been designed to run weekly. See the table for recommended times:
| Job Group Name | Frequency | Recommended Time |
|---|---|---|
| Logons | Daily | 4 AM |
| Sizing | Daily | 7 PM |
| Features | Weekly | No recommendation, run when desired |
| Permissions | Weekly | Fridays at 6 PM |
History Retention
Don't enable history retention on this job group. History is kept through analysis tasks. Modify the following analysis tasks to customize the amount of history which is kept:
| Job Name | Analysis Task Name | Default History |
|---|---|---|
| EX_DMailboxLogons | SET HISTORY RETENTION | 6 Months |
| EX_MailboxSizes | SET HISTORY RETENTION | 6 Months |
Query Configuration
Run the 4. Mailboxes job group with the default query configurations. However, the following queries can be modified:
- Features > EX_Features Job – User Mailbox Settings Query
- Logons > 0.Collection > EX_MailboxActivity Job – Exchange Mailbox Logons Query
- Permissions > 0. Collection > EX_Delegates Job – Delegates Query
- Permissions > 0. Collection > EX_MBRights Job – Mailbox Rights Query
- Permissions > 0. Collection > EX_Perms Job – Exchange Mailbox Permissions Query
- Permissions > 0. Collection > EX_SendAs Job – Send AS - Rights Query
- Sizing > 0. Collection > EX_MBSize Job – Mailbox Counts and Sizes Query
Don't modify other queries.
Analysis Configuration
Run the 4. Mailboxes job group with the default analysis configurations.
Most of these analysis tasks are preconfigured and shouldn't be modified or deselected. There are some tasks that are deselected by default, as they are for troubleshooting purposes.
The following analysis tasks shouldn't be deselected, but their parameters can be modified:
- Logons > EX_MailboxLogons Job – 03.SET HISTORY RETENTION Analysis Task
- Sizing > EX_MailboxSizes Job – 02.SET HISTORY RETENTION Analysis Task
The following analysis tasks is enabled to send Exchange mailbox permission data to the
Netwrix Access Information Center:
- Permissions > EX_MailboxAccess Job – 13.AIC Import - Export Exchange Permissions Analysis Task
Workflow
Step 1 – Set a Connection Profile on the jobs that run data collection.
Step 2 – Schedule the jobs. The following are the recommended schedules:
-
Daily Execution
- Schedule the Logons job group to run daily
- Schedule the Sizing job group to run daily
-
Weekly Execution
- Schedule the Features job group to run weekly
- Schedule the Permissions job group to run weekly
Step 3 – Review the reports generated by the jobs.