In Exchange 2000, like Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5, a public folder
is a storage container that is used for messages or information that is shared
among all users in your organization. Public folders contain different types of
information, ranging from custom forms to Internet content, and are part of the
information store that Exchange 2000 clients and Web browsers can access.
Presently, you can use Microsoft Office 2000 and custom programs to browse
Exchange 2000 public folder stores and open and save documents directly to the
public folder stores.
If you are using Exchange 2000, you can use a
number of features to enhance the use and the administration of public folders,
for example:
- Multiple store support
- Integration with Microsoft Windows 2000 groups
- Public folder connection agreements
- Web exposure
- A new way to configure public folder affinity
- Full-text indexing
The following features affect the upgrade of public folders
from Exchange Server 5.5 to Exchange 2000:
- Multiple store support
- Integration with Windows 2000 groups (which affects
permissions on public folders)
- Public folder connection agreements
After you upgrade to Exchange 2000, you must take the
additional step to reconfigure public folder affinities. You must do so because
Exchange 2000 uses a very different method to configure these affinities. By
default, public folder affinities are not upgraded.