There’s a reason why the Post Office uses those big locking mailboxes with the locking compartment on the bottom. It’s the same reason you should, too.

They do it so people with bad intentions don’t steal the mail.

Identity theft is big business– both doing it and preventing it.

There are two things, however, which will go a long way to preventing your vital information from falling into the wrong hands. A paper shredder, preferably a cross-cut model. And a secure, not just locking, mail box.

So what should you look for when you shop for a secure locking mailbox?

– A large drop chute with an angled design. Mail should drop into a locked box, where it can wait safely for you to retrieve it. This allows large envelopes and magazines to fall out of the reach of sticky fingers.

– Plenty of storage room. You want to be able to leave for a few days without having your mail fill the box and stick out the mail slot. A locking mail box with envelopes sticking out defeats the purpose.

– Sturdy construction. You want your mailbox to look good, and to function properly for years. You also want the mail box to resist attempts to gain entry.

– Deadbolt locks. Deadbolts are much harder to both pick and pop open than are cheaper spring-type locks.

– Seperate mechanism for outbound mail. Often this is a clip attached to the outside door box.

Locking mail boxes can either mount on a post, a wall or even built into a pier or pillar to match your home’s architecture.

Locks run the gamut, from cheap spring locks to keypad activated deadbolts.

There are enough colors and styles available to enable almost anyone to enjoy mail security without robbing from curb appeal.

Identity thieves are like all other crooks. They look for the easy pickings. Take yourself out of that group by buying and installing a truly secure locking mailbox soon.

Email deliverability incorporates all the issues which stop your emails from arriving in your recipient’s inbox. Improving email deliverability, therefore, involves increasing the amount of emails which get delivered by looking at the issues which are hindering email deliverability such as bounces and spam filters.

For those new to email marketing, it may be difficult to understand how an email could be prevented from being delivered. Bounces are akin to return mail, in that, when the email isn’t delivered it is returned to the sender’s inbox with a notification of failed email delivery. Bounces are divided into two types; hard bounces are the fault of permanent or technical error such as a non-existent address or a misspelt address. Hard bounces are common because people regularly change addresses resulting in the old ones being deleted after a period of time, or if people use their work email as their primary email access, this will be deleted if they change jobs. Soft bounces, on the other hand, are the result of a temporary technical error such as a faulty connection or a full inbox. Soft bounces will normally remain in the sender’s outbox until the email can be successfully sent, and some mailboxes may accompany this with a notification message.

Anti-spam measures such as spam filters are a deliberate interference from the recipient’s mailbox. Unsolicited bulk email, or spam, is illegal, and mailboxes go to great lengths to prevent this sort of mail being delivered. Some mailboxes will delete the mail outright, or place it in a junk or spam folder for the recipient to open at their discretion. The problems for email marketers is that spam filters aren’t perfect, and often legitimate mail will go undelivered because 1) not all mailboxes uses the same anti-spam measures, and 2) the sender won’t receive any notification of non-delivery meaning there isn’t any feedback on why the message was considered illegitimate.

Bounces are easier to improve because a notification is received, meaning the problem can be rectified immediately or even automatically if an email marketing software is being used. This bounce management system makes list hygiene a lot easier to keep on top of. To find out how you can manage anti-spam measures, see my article “The Big Spam Theory” and “How to Avoid Going from ‘Whitelists’ to ‘Blacklists”.

A lot of people don’t consider locking their mailboxes, but it should become a usual habit. Every now and again there are some people who decide to go digging through your mailbox. They may steal your phone bill or they may steal something as important as you social security card. That is just one of the reasons why everyone should have locking mailboxes.

Identity theft has become a very big problem for many people around the world. Many people who have gone through identity theft has happened just by unfortunately not having locking mailboxes. If you live in an apartment building, you have probably seen the neighborhood mailman deliver your mail. In the middle of the mailboxes of all your fellow neighbors there is one big lock in the middle that only the mailman has a key for. This prevents anyone else besides the mailman and the post office to have the ability to open everyone’s locking mailboxes.

If you are someone who owns a house and you have a regular mailbox that anyone can open it would be a very good idea to put a lock on it and make sure that only the people that you trust to have the key for it. Another thing you should make sure of is that your locking mailbox is big enough so if you are away for a couple of days you do not have to worry about it sticking out of the slot.

If you are expecting something very important a very good suggestion would be to wait in front of your window until the mailman gets it to you. Make sure that you do not leave it in the mailbox for too long; especially if it does not have a key. If it does have a key still wait for it, you can never be too safe.

Pay attention to where you keep your locking mailbox key so you do not lose it. You may consider it misplacing and you can just get another one, but to some people it may just be the beginning of an identity theft case. No, there are not many people who are willing to walk around to every mailbox and see if the key they have opens it, but there is a lot of technology now that can help them find out what household’s mailbox it belongs to.

Post offices all around the world have been thinking of many possible ways to keep your mail safe. In some states and countries have even set up security alarms on mailboxes that go off when someone besides the mailman opens the lock that opens all the mailboxes at the same time.

The best types of locks to use for locking mailboxes would be Deadbolt locks. This is not the usual key lock this lock is made up of a combination, key and springs so it is not easy to open. You do not have to worry about anyone breaking into that. These locks are so amazing that you cannot just buy them at your local hardware store you must order them. The companies that sell these locks are usually associated with the Post office.

Are you sick and tired having your mailbox vandalized or covered with graffiti? You’re not alone. You’d think in this day and age of electronic communication good old-fashioned mailboxes are a thing of the past, but they aren’t. While many of us do most of our correspondence and bill paying via email or online, traditional postal service isn’t going to go away anytime soon, and until then your mailbox is vulnerable to abuse.

Unfortunately, there is little we can do to keep undesirables from attacking letter boxes, but there are ways to keep mail safe and make mail boxes a less desirable target for the bad guys. You do that by replacing old standard issue mailboxes with specially designed and virtually indestructible lockable mailboxes.

Lockable residential mailboxes are made from very tough polymer material that’s formulated to withstand not only severe impact and abuse, but also the sun. The materials used are UV-stabilized; they are essentially the same employed for automotive and outdoor plastics and other applications where strong and durable materials are needed. Not even the colour will fade.

Unbreakable letterboxes come in a variety of shapes, colors and designs. The most popular are the traditional freestanding, post-mounted boxes. These can be mounted on conventional wooden posts, or special aluminum posts that are colour-coordinated with the mail box. Specially designed mounting brackets very securely attach the box to the post. A properly mounted polymer mailbox is almost impossible to break off. It is able to withstand all attacks.

Another popular design consists of upright letterboxes that are mounted to walls. These are generally used in places where space is an issue. They are often used in apartment blocks. Uprights come in many different colours, making it easy to have them fit in and blend in. Uprights have a top-loading design so drivers can get their mail without leaving the car.

It always surprises me that so many people still have unlocked mailboxes. It is good to know that there are still places in this world where one neither has to lock a car, garage or even front door, but why take a chance? Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes, and one that can cause major problems. All it takes for it to happen to you is someone stealing your mail. Bills, official papers, and many other documents include enough personal information to make it easy for a criminal to get access to your accounts, often with devastating consequences. A strong lock makes it much more difficult to swipe mail, and this deterrent alone discourage theft.

Bottom line? As long as we still get “snail-mail,” and that may be many years to come, having an unbreakable, lockable mailbox makes total sense. Those mailboxes are strong; they won’t bend, rot or rust; they are attractive and available in many colors; they are waterproof so your mail won’t get soaked, and the lock provides a god degree of security. If your letter box is old or damaged box, make sure to replace it with one of those new unbreakable ones that have a lock. It’s inexpensive insurance.

Advertising

Spread the word. Let friends and family know that you have started your own home cleaning business. Ask them to spread the word at work and wherever they go. Personal referrals can help at this level to get the first customers. Serve the first customers as good as you can. These customers can be the make or break foundation. If you treat them like king they might refer you to their friends. Word of mouth is the most successful form of advertising for small businesses of that kind. “Word of mouth” can carry your business further and also help to cut down on marketing expenses.

Business Referral Program: I already mentioned the “word of mouth” advertising. Taking this a step further can really help your business to take off. Implement a referral program. Pay customers if they refer new customers to you. This can be in form of cash or free house cleaning services

Start advertising in local newspapers: Concentrate on the smaller local community newspapers and less on the large metro area newspapers. Pricing will be much more affordable. A local news paper in the area where I live gets distributed to about 75,000 residential customers (not households). A business card sized ad in a reasonable location costs around $95.00 per week. You can also just work with classified ads. These ads run anywhere from $10.00 per week to around $45.00 per week. If you can – don’t choose the weekly run, but go for a monthly or quarterly deal. Don’t try to put too much information into a classified ad. Keep it short, but easy to understand. Example: “Affordable house cleaning services. No job too small. Free estimates. (123)-555-1234″

Magnetic Signs or decals for your Vehicle: If you drive a decent looking vehicle use it for advertising. If you drive an old, rusty looking piece of the 80’s – skip to the next section. Car advertising can be very effective if you follow some basic rules. It has to look professional. The message has to be short and easy to understand. Do not drive like a maniac when having advertising for your business on your car. Magnetic signs can be purchased for around $75.00. Decals are available starting at around $25.00. Look at other cars that carry an advertising message to get ideas of what to do.

Flyers: You could print nice looking flyers on your home computer, but I recommend to rather spending a little money on professional printing. Design a flyer first. Then talk to local print shops for pricing. You can also check out Internet printers like www.gotprint.com. 1,000 (color print) flyers at Gotprint.com will set you back around $125.00 + shipping. Try to beat that with your home computer. Paper, ink, time, and wear and tear will cost you 2 or 3 times as much. How to distribute the flyers? Start with hanging flyers on bulletin boards in supermarkets and coin laundries. Ask store owners in your area if they are willing to show the flyer in their store somewhere (if appropriate).

Do not put flyers on car windows at local groceries stores and businesses. You might violate local laws or property owner’s permissions. Rather spend a morning in large residential areas and walk from door to door and place the flyers at the front door (bring plenty of scotch tape). You can even go a step further and ring door bells and drop of flyers in person and mention that you are expanding your services to that area to see if people are interested. DO NOT put flyers into mailboxes – that is against federal law.

Have you ever seen those advertisement door hangers? Pre-printed door hangers are pretty much an extension of hanging flyers at front doors. They are already shaped with an opening for the doorknob so that they can easily be put on a doorknob when walking by. Scan the Internet for best pricing or talk to local print shops. We do not endorse a specific shop, but we have seen prices for about 5,000 door hangers for $189.00.

Business Cards: Business cards can be a very effective marketing tool. Check out different websites on the Internet. Often these websites (like Vistaprint.com or Gotprint.com) have online tools to design your business cards on their website. Always carry business cards with you and use them frequently to market your business. Keep in mind – it is a little more cumbersome reaching a large group of people with business cards compared to using flyers.

Internet: Get a good domain name and have a website build for you. More and more people search for service providers online. It starts when being in need of handymen and does not end with finding a reliable house cleaning service. A website and an email address also leave a good impression on your business cards. Statistics show that a lot of working women shop for services around their house online while at work. Purchase an online listing in your local yellow pages. The Yellow Pages are still a great way of advertising your business. The online version on the Internet is gaining more popularity compared to the print version and a listing online will help you to get more customers.

Background

Today’s businesses, large and small, depend on their email systems for a significant majority of their communication needs. Email has developed from a rudimentary, inaccessible technology used only by the tech-savvy to its current role as a rapid, reliable communications tool for just about everyone. Along the way, as user needs and data storage have evolved – remember when 1 Mb of storage was a big deal? – the use of email systems has increased well beyond their original scope of sending and receiving short messages. Today’s email systems provide calendaring, group collaboration, task management, workflow and, ever-increasingly, file and data storage. Users now store many years worth of email and attachments, and refer back to them on a frequent basis for important historical information.

This increasing document retention, along with the ever-increasing size of attachments, has caused email systems to dramatically increase in size and therefore demand higher technical capacity and management. Meanwhile, the email content itself has increased in value – often being sensitive, proprietary or even mission-critical in nature. It is essential that today’s business protects its email investment and associated systems with document retention and archiving policies. An effective policy will balance system needs for security & stability with user needs that include rapid access.

Over the years of working with our clients, Seitel Systems has developed a set of best practices for dealing with these complex needs. Outlined below are our recommendations for retention and archiving under Microsoft’s Exchange Server.

Group Policy Templates

Regardless of whether Outlook Auto Archive is used to manage mailboxes, the Outlook Group Policy Template should be used to centrally control settings (including whether or not archiving is allowed). Configuration information is available below.

Outlook 2007: Outlk12.adm Outlook 2003: Outlk11.adm

Exchange 2000 Environments Exchange 2000 is limited in the amount of available storage to 16 GB (17 GB for short term repairs). As a result, SSL recommends that these organizations implement mailbox management policies as follows:

1. Mailbox Size Limits: to 500 MB or smaller depending on the overall size of the organization. Smaller organizations can have larger mailbox limits. This should be managed through mailbox quotas enforced by Exchange Server. As users approach their assigned quota they’ll receive warning messages to that effect. Once they reach the quota they’ll be restricted from sending and receiving emails.

2. Outlook Email Auto Archive should be configured for all users to run with the following settings:

Turn On Auto Archive: Yes

Run AutoArchive every days: 7

Prompt before AutoArchive runs: No

Delete Expired Items: No

Archive or delete old items: No

(note: this is a setting relevant to email retention policies and expiration dates, not the deleted items folder)

Show archive folder in folder list: Yes

Clean out items older than: Never

Permanently delete old items: No

(note: this is a setting relevant to email retention policies and expiration dates, not the deleted items folder)

3. Archive folders should be stored in the following locations:

· Workstation users should archive to a pst file located on the network. This runs the risk of file corruption as MSFT recommends against using a network share for email auto archiving but alternative solutions (such as archiving locally) entail greater risk of data loss due to disk or backup issues.Search the Microsoft support site for kb/297019 to find the supporting article.

· Laptop users should archive to a pst file located on their local hard drive. A manual process will be required to copy these psts to the network on a regular basis (minimum weekly) to ensure that they are backed up. SSL recommends placing a recurring appointment on the user’s calendar.

· A manual process will be required for all users to ensure that individual pst files do not exceed 2 GB in size. The frequency of this process will depend on the rate of email sending & receiving, but should be checked on at least an annual basis. SSL recommends placing a recurring appointment on the user’s calendar.

Exchange 2003 Environments Exchange 2003 is limited in the amount of available storage to 75 GB. This is likely more storage space than will be consumed by the average small business, but for those businesses that approach this limit SSL recommends one of the following solutions:

· Upgrade to Exchange Server 2007 with its near-unlimited storage space. This is the likely solution for businesses on older hardware or simply wanting to take advantage of the features of 2007.

· Add in a second mailbox store on the existing Exchange Server and migrate mailboxes to balance the storage load. This solution assumes available disk space and remaining useful life of the server hardware.

Due to the large available storage space and the inherent complexities of archive files SSL does not recommend implementing mailbox size limits or email auto-archiving policies except for laptop (mobile) users. Prudent user management of their mailboxes is encouraged through deletion of non-essential emails especially those with large attachments that do not need to be archived. The Outlook Group Policy Template should be used to prevent users from enabling Auto Archive on their mailbox.

Mobile users with large mailboxes will experience significant performance degradation when operating outside of the office LAN. Cached exchange mode or offline storage files are not recommended as they are both limited to 2 GB file sizes, plus their required synchronization time can be painful when done over a WAN connection (broadband or otherwise). For mobile users SSL recommends the following:

1. Outlook should be configured to use RPC over HTTPS to allow secure access to the Exchange Server whenever the laptop is connected to the internet

2. To keep performance at an acceptable level it is recommended that mobile users need to keep their mailboxes below 500 MB in size. This could be managed through mailbox quotas enforced by Exchange Server.

3. Auto Archive should be enabled for mobile users to run quietly every 7 days and archive information to a pst file located on their local hard drive. A manual process will be required to copy these psts to the network on a regular basis (minimum weekly) to ensure that they are backed up. SSL recommends placing a recurring appointment on the user’s calendar.

4. A manual process will be required for mobile users to ensure that individual pst files do not exceed 2 GB in size. The frequency of this process will depend on the rate of email sending & receiving, but should be checked on at least an annual basis. SSL recommends placing a recurring appointment on the user’s calendar.

Exchange 2007 Environments Exchange 2007 offers near unlimited storage limited only by the available hard drive space. As a result, SSL does not recommend implementing mailbox size limits or email auto-archiving policies except for laptop (mobile) users. Prudent user management of their mailboxes is encouraged through deletion of non-essential emails especially those with large attachments that do not need to be archived. The Outlook Group Policy Template should be used to prevent users from enabling Auto Archive on their mailbox.

Mobile users with large mailboxes will experience significant performance degradation when operating outside of the office LAN. Cached exchange mode or offline storage files are not recommended as they are both limited to 2 GB file sizes, plus their required synchronization time can be painful when done over a WAN connection (broadband or otherwise). For mobile users SSL recommends the following:

1. Outlook should be configured to use RPC over HTTPS to allow secure access to the Exchange Server whenever the laptop is connected to the internet

2. To keep performance at an acceptable level it is recommended that mobile users need to keep their mailboxes below 500 MB in size. This could be managed through mailbox quotas enforced by Exchange Server.

3. Auto Archive should be enabled for mobile users to run quietly every 7 days and archive information to a pst file located on their local hard drive. A manual process will be required to copy these psts to the network on a regular basis (minimum weekly) to ensure that they are backed up. SSL recommends placing a recurring appointment on the user’s calendar.

4. A manual process will be required for mobile users to ensure that individual pst files do not exceed 2 GB in size. The frequency of this process will depend on the rate of email sending & receiving, but should be checked on at least an annual basis. SSL recommends placing a recurring appointment on the user’s calendar.

Links:

Configuration information for retention settings is available at: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc303413.aspx (Click on “configure retention settings).

The Outlook Administrative template is located in the Office Resource Kit which can be downloaded from: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/desktop/default.aspx. Different versions are available via the Home->Versions link.

OBJECTIVE:

Electronic messaging services within a company remains a mission critical application and its implementation is a vital part to the conduct of everyday business strategies, needs and goals. Within the organization the business requirements now include the safeguard of electronic content retention best practices. Therefore, it is important to see to it that a migration project is undertaken with a lot of care. Read this document carefully to gain a good understanding of not only the pre-requisites but also the migration path from mixed to native mode.

The delivery of mail is a challenging task which includes the support of thousand of users within the corporation environment. The new infrastructure must set up procedures to respect compliance, corporate governance and internal regulatory policy enforcement. Affirmatively, business guidelines and principles for the preservation of electronic mail within the corporate body must now be taken into consideration. This requires that companies learn how to standardize their projects to meet not only corporate needs but also judicial demands.

The granularity of server management depends upon a business model that will sustain the rationalization of all of the mechanics of the migration project from Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2003. It is understood that the migration will introduce many changes upon the business model. It is to be undertaken by keeping the infrastructure model and design flexible without the impairment of performance.

SETUP PROCEDURES FOR THE MIGRATION:

MANAGING THE MIGRATION:

• Domain controller location. You’ll need at least one Domain Controller in each office that has an Exchange 2003 server

• Global Catalog server location. Need at least one Global Catalog server in each office that has an Exchange 2003 server. This can also act as the local Domain Controller. The simplest way to accomplish this is to make all branch office DCs into GCs. Microsoft recommends a minimum of one GC server for every four Exchange processors, not servers.

• DNS configuration. Make certain that DNSLint shows no errors, other recommended tool KILLADCGN.EXE to verify chkds Checkdisk and chkdsro (CheckReplicationOrphan objects in AD);

• Active Directory Native Mode. Important Notice: The Active Directory domain containing the Exchange servers must be in Native Mode so that you can use Universal Security Groups for e-mail distribution.

• Replication or authentication problems. Verify Event Viewer to have no errors from directory service replication, KCC topology calculations, or authentication errors originating from domain controller accounts. You can use the EventCombMT utility (download from Microsoft). EventCombMT is part of the Account Lockout and Management and Lockout

• Domain Prerequisites Considerations : Name Resolution, ADC Staging OU, ADC Staging, Verify trusts issues, Replication topology

Verify Current Exchange Organization Roles and Distributions:

O Exchange server version

O Site configuration

O Site connectors and Directory Replication connectors

O Internet connectors

O Unsupported connectors

O Key Management Services

O Compatible backup

O Antivirus and Antispam software

O Patches

O E-mail dependent applications

O Exchange 2000 instant messaging

Pre-Requisites and Precautions before the installation:

o Security patches (ISDS for Exchange)

o In order to preserve Exchange 5.5 Public Folder Access Control Lists (ACLs) after mailboxes or distribution lists are moved between sites the Administrator will need to install an Exchange 5.5 DS/IS hotfix (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=836489) on every Exchange 5.5 Public Folder server prior to moving mailboxes or DLs between sites.

o The Consistency Adjuster must be run for each server in each site.

o Windows service packs (SP4.0 for Exchange 5.5 while Exchange 2003 is on SP2.0 this information must be revised on the website of Microsoft for the latest updates)

o Considerations – Mobile Information Server (MIS) –To preserve functionality for existing mobile users during the Exchange 2003 deployment, keep at least one MIS 5.5 servers running as you migrate to Exchange 2003.

o Instant Messaging (IM) and Chat –This functionality has been replaced by Live Communication Server (LCS) in Exchange 2003.

o CcMail connector — If you are running ccMail (mainly for Lotus Mail Agents) in the organization along with Exchange, it’s time for a final transition upon the migration path to Exchange 2003.

o Backup, Antivirus, and Antispam software compatibility issues and third party software issues

o ADC upgrades considerations – You must upgrade the ADC servers to Exchange 2003 ADC prior to introducing any Exchange 2003 servers into the organization. The ADC upgrade modifies the schema, so make sure that the Schema Master is available.

o Front-end/back-end upgrades. – If you have an existing deployment such as for example, Exchange 2000 that uses a distributed architecture, upgrade the front-end servers first and then upgrade the backend servers.

PRE-MIGRATION NORMALIZATION ISSUES:

O Install service packs (verify Microsoft website for the latest versions)

O Normalize mailboxes (size sum check)

O Verify public folders permissions (permissions will affect the RUS)

OMigration Account Rights Ensure the account(s) used for the migration process are given ‘Service Account Admin’ rights at the Organization, Site and Server level.

OSimple-Synchronization Ensure the Simple-Sync replication schedule is set to every twelve hours (12 hours) – Exdeploy.hta. (Deployment tools)

Considering ultimate performance:

• Domain Upgrade

• Upgrade the current PDC to Windows Server 2003.

• Install additional Windows Server 2003 domain controllers

• Shift the domain and forest to Windows Server 2003 functional level

Network Infrastructure Considerations:

• Traffic patterns

• Outages

• Remote users

• Routing groups

Costs Topology:

• Server software

• Client Access Licenses (CALs)

• Additional personnel

• Training

• Client software

Additional Networking Considerations:

• Directory service connection failures

• Inability to access public folders

• Inability to replicate public folders with legacy Exchange

• Incompatible historical backups

• Hardware failures

• Software compatibility failures

Considering Final Networking Objectives:

• No service interruptions

• Single mailbox-enabled account for each user

• Retain existing mailbox and public folder permissions.

• Fastest possible introduction of new features

• Maximize existing hardware

Domain Prerequisites Considerations: Name Resolution, ADC Staging OU, ADC Staging, Verify trusts issues, Replication topology. ADC, DcDiag, NetDiag, AD Snapshot, Log Files, Event Viewer Security, Application and System Logs

NB*: Remove Internet Explorer Enhanced Security. ADC Setup will make extensive use of Internet files (.html, .hta, etc.). Windows Server 2003 has a feature called Internet Explorer Enhanced Security that forces a security launched wizard. Remove this feature from the server for the duration of the ADC and Exchange setup.

1. Launch Control Panel.

2. Open the Add/Remove Programs applet.

3. Click Add/Remove Windows Components

4. Uncheck the Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration option

5. Click Next to accept the change.

Primary Reports and Log Files verifications:

• DSConfigSum. This test reports the total number of sites and the number of servers in each site.

• DSObjectSum. This utility reports the total number of public folders, distribution lists, distribution lists with hidden membership, and custom recipients.

• UserCount. This test reports the total number of recipients (users) in the organization, broken down by site.

• VerCheck. This test verifies that you have the right Exchange version and service pack level on your Exchange servers.

• NB*: The main log file for the deployment is Exdeploy.log. It shows the result of each test performed by DSScopeScan.

INSTALLATION CONTROLS:

The Extending of the Active Directory Schema:

/Forestprep switch is used to extend the Active Directory schema.
§ Will modify the Active Directory Schema to include new attributes and classes used by Exchange 2003 and also installs the top-level objects for a placeholder organization tree in the Configuration Naming Context in the Active Directory forest.

Preparing the Windows Server 2003 Domains to Support Exchange Server 2003:

/Domainprep It will prepare the domains that will host Exchange servers or mailbox-enabled users
§ This creates objects in the Active Directory domain that represent Exchange service accounts, public folders, and groups that represent Exchange servers in the domain and the enterprise.

It will configure the Recipient Update Service parameters responsible for keeping Exchange address lists up-to-date and for creating proxy addresses for users based on recipient policy addressing configuration.

NB*: Recipients are Active Directory objects that have messaging capabilities. The object itself does not receive messages. The messages are not stored in Active Directory. Instead, they can reside in a mailbox on an Exchange server, in a public folder, or in another messaging system.

How these objects work:

When the proper credentials are sent to the domain controller for the user object, the contents of the mailbox become available to the e-mail client like Outlook (in the inbox of the user).

It will also create the Exchange Server 2003 specific groups (permissions) that allow Exchange services to run without a service account.

Domainprep will create two new groups:

a) Exchange Domain Servers

b) Exchange Enterprise Servers

Utilities to Run to verify the settings of the Organization:

1) OrgPrepCheck

2) OrgCheck

3) PolCheck

OrgPrepCheck: Verifying the Organization Settings with OrgPrepCheck. To validate the Forestprep and Domainprep utilities were functionally successful. The OrgPrepCheck utility is found via the Exchange Deployment Tools and is a recommended way of determining whether it is safe to proceed with the migration process.

OrgCheck: This test is made to verify that the Setup created the proper Exchange objects in the Configuration naming context and Domain naming context. By making sure that the Exchange Domain Servers group, Exchange Enterprise Servers group, and Exchange Services group exist. It also will verify that the schema changes are propagated and that it can find a Global Catalog server in the same site as the ADC server.

PolCheck: This test queries each domain controller in the domain to determine if the Exchange Enterprise Servers group has been given the Manage Auditing and Security Logs privileges. If the changes have not been created it is possible to make use of Active Directory Sites and Services to force replication to the affected problematic Domains to run OrgPrepCheck again.

Manage the (ADC) Active Directory Controller:

Do not make use of the ADC that comes on the Win 2000 or Win 2003 Setup CD. These specific versions of ADC do not map special attributes required by Exchange recipients and public folders. If you have already installed the operating system version of the ADC, remove it before installing the Exchange version. Also, unlike the Exchange files themselves, you can do the initial installation of the ADC using the Exchange service pack files. The ADC uses LDAP to query and update servers. The ADC stores configuration parameters in Active Directory objects called Connection Agreements (CAs). A CA defines object types for the ADC to copy, the source and target containers for the objects, a replication schedule, and credentials to use for making inter-server replication connections between sites.

Failed Over Principle: The (ADC) Active Directory Connector has the capacity to delete objects in both directories, as a pre-migration rule and precaution the data should be stored. This failed over principle is important for if things go wrong during the migration an authoritative restore must be performed with the NTDSUTIL utility of the Active Directory Database.

Fail Over practices for recovery purposes during the migration:

This particular tool is going to provide a fail over practice which is the standard approach to perform database maintenance of Active Directory

- managing of single master operations

- managing of the metadata in regards to the Domain Controllers


Found in systemrootSystem32

May also perform the restore from Backups

CONFIGURING THE ACTIVE DIRECTORY CONNECTOR (ADC):

Step 1: Before installing the ADC the Administrator must create or choose a user account that will be used to run the ADC service and manage the (CA) connection agreements.

Step 2: Permissions rights for the (DC) Domain Controller: This account needs to be added to the Administrators group in the domain if the ADC is installed on a domain controller.

Step 3: Permissions rights for a Member Server: This account needs to be added to the local Administrators group. Must standardize the rights on both sides 5.5 Admin and 2003 server by adding the service accounts from both administrative accounts to gain the proper credentials (service account Admin group)

Step 4: To install the ADC there are two (2) options ADC Setup from the Auto Run menu, or simply invoke the setup from the Exchange Deployment Tools.

Step 5: Before building the installation of the (CA) connection agreements the Administrator must configure the Attribute replication, account-matching rules, diagnostic logging properties and replicating directory entries. (Very important)

Step 6: Once the ADC is installed with its account credentials and services it will be time to configure the connection agreement (CA) and to begin synchronizing the Active Directory and Exchange 5.5 directories.

VERIFY THE CONNECTIVITY WITH ACTIVE DIRECTORY:

Run the Exchange 2003 SP1 version of exdeploy.exe with the following switches to test the ADC configuration.

%pathname%exdeploy.exe /t:ADCCheck /p:%logpath% /s:< Server Name >

• Initial ADC Attribute Copy , ADC-Global-Names Attribute Creation

• NT Account Migrations -Invalid User Accounts , Do not Enable the Disabled User Objects

• Multiple Mailbox Owners (NTDSNoMatch) set an exclusion standard on the account

• Active Directory Account Cleanup Wizard

• ADC and Distribution Lists – Automatic Security Group Upgrades

• Distribution List Membership

• ADC Setup Permissions – ADC Server Selection – ADC Service Account Selection

Synchronization: The connection agreements (CA) in the ADC are necessary to synchronize directory entries between the Exchange 5.5 and Exchange Server 2003 systems.

Dispositions: Can be installed on a Member Server or on the 1st Exchange 2003 Server installed.

Implementation of CA: At this point you can choose to implement one or more (CA) connection agreements within the organization. It must be done because of the migration process for it will not sustain issues of fault tolerance or load balancing. For managerial purposes of the migration installation procedures the best practice is to install a single ADC with one connection agreement for each Exchange 5.5 site.

Site Replication: The 5.5 Exchange Server and the installed ADC must be on the same physical network segment.

Permissions: The rights must be Schema Admin and Enterprise Administrator both are required to install the ADC.

Installation Process: Allocate at least two hours for the replication of about 5,000 objects within a single direction. But, the length of time for replication really varies on the number of
Connection Agreements that is present and on the recipient containers on the populated attributes and on the actual directory objects.

SYNCHRONIZATION BY USING THE ADC TOOL:

• ADC Tools: Simplify the process of testing prerequisites and installing Connection Agreements. It will synchronize the active directory forest with the Exchange 5.5 directory during the migration process. Schema changes will now be fully replicated so that every domain is properly updated to include the necessary Exchange objects for the migration.

• Tool Settings: This step is to specify the name of the Exchange 5.5 server to use for data collection and the location for the ADC logs.

• Data Collection: This step ultimately will run a suite of utilities that scans both Active Directory and the legacy Exchange directory service to find parameters that will be synchronized by the ADC.

• Connection Agreement Wizard: This step is used to create Connection Agreements that define the replication endpoints of the ADC and determine how attributes will be mapped between the endpoints.

• Final Checks: To check the Active Directory users to make sure the Exchange attributes appear in their properties using the Active Directory Users and Computers.

OBJECT DELETION WITH THE ADC:

1) If you delete a mailbox-enabled user in Active Directory, the ADC deletes the corresponding mailbox in legacy Exchange.

2) If you delete a mail-enabled group or contact in Active Directory, the ADC deletes the corresponding distribution list or custom recipient in legacy Exchange.

3) If you remove the e-mail attributes from users, groups, or contacts in Active Directory, the ADC deletes the corresponding mailbox, distribution list, or custom recipient in legacy Exchange.

4) If you delete a mailbox in legacy Exchange, the ADC strips the email attributes from the corresponding user object in Active Directory.

5) If you delete a distribution list or custom recipient in legacy Exchange, the ADC strips the e-mail attributes from the corresponding group or contact in Active Directory.

§ Active Directory Connector Object Replication Check

§ Active Directory Object Replication Scan

§ Active Directory Unmarked Resource Mailbox Scan

SCHEDULING REPLICATION WITH THE ADC:

• Ensure that the 5.5 replication connector is set directly between the remote site and the central site.

• The replication connector is using the same server in the central site as the replication bridgehead that the ADC is configured to replicate changes from the Active Directory.

• The 5.5 replication schedule set to Always or short intervals

• Configuration Connection Agreements: Exchange 5.5 stores server information in a configuration container in the legacy Exchange directory service. Each Exchange server in a site knows about the other servers in the site by looking in this Configuration container. The legacy servers in a site will not know that you installed an Exchange 2003 server until they see the server’s information in the legacy Configuration container. That’s the job of the Configuration Connection Agreement, (CA) which is created automatically by default when you install the first Exchange 2003 server in the site.

• Configuration CA Function: When you install an Exchange 2003 server, Setup creates objects under the Exchange organization container in Active Directory that represent the following functions:

ü Site addressing and routing capabilities

ü Site Connectors

ü MTA (Message Transfer Agent) and other transport protocols

ü Private and public mailbox storage parameters

ü Recipient Policies

ü Site (Administrative Group) configuration parameters

ü Encryption and secure messaging parameter

INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING THE CONNECTION AGREEMENTS:

Recommendations: To be installed after the ForestPrep

INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING THE CONNECTION AGREEMENTS:

Connection Agreement Properties:

• Recipient Connection Agreements: The wizard creates two-way connection agreements, meaning that changes made to either of the directory service will replicate to the other service (within Active Directory).

• Check Connection Settings: This tab allows you to select the endpoint server for each side of the Connection Agreement and the credentials used to access the directory service on that server. Exchange 2003 has a service called the Site Replication Service. But, SRS listens at TCP port 379 rather than TCP port 389, the standard LDAP port.

• If you delete a resource mailbox, the ADC deletes the corresponding disabled user object in Active Directory.

• If you delete a standard mailbox, the ADC strips the e-mail attributes from the corresponding Active Directory object and sets the LegacyExchangeDN attribute to ADCDisabledMailByADC.

RESOURCE MAILBOX WIZARD MANAGEMENT:

It is best practice to allow the ADC Tools to create the necessary Connection Agreements (CA) for the migration process.

The wizard helps in the creation of the Connection Agreements required to migrate from Exchange 5.5 properly.

It will automatically create a recipient (CA) Connection Agreement and a public folder (CA) Connection Agreement.

This Wizard will identify users with multiple mailboxes and fix them in advance for the migration.

This step will determine if the same user owns multiple mailboxes. It gives you the possibility to identify the user’s primary mailbox so that other mailboxes can be designated as resource mailboxes. Click Run to query the Exchange 5.5 server and collect information about the Exchange organization. ADC Tools performs a series of four tests that will check for objects and attributes in legacy Exchange and Active Directory. This will help build XML database files to use later for resource mailbox marking. It looks for mailboxes that have a similar owner. After, the ADC Tool identifies and marks resource mailboxes using the Resource Mailbox Wizard. You can use the bulk edit capabilities to create .csv files for doing the mailbox marking.

HOW CONNECTION AGREEMENTS ARE CONFIGURED:

Connection agreements are configured by an Administrator who controls the type of objects that are replicated between Active Directory and Exchange 5.5. It contains information on how to handle the deletion and what to do when there is no matching account for the mailbox in the destination directory. Notice: To ensure that objects are created, the ADC marks all connection agreements as primary by default.

a) A primary connection agreement has the capability to create objects in the directory.

b) A secondary connection agreement can only update the attributes of existing objects.

Can configure: • One way from Windows or from Exchange

Can configure: • Two ways replication of the information this is synchronized in both directions.
This is generally the preferred method for it keeps the configuration simple

Types of Connection Agreements to be found during the Migration:

Exchange System Manager Program: Default

It will be created by default by the system when the first Exchange Server 2003 system has been installed. After the replication of the configuration information, Exchange 5.5 sites will be visible in the Exchange System Manager program and they are represented as Administrative Groups. Exchange Server 2003 systems are also visible in the Exchange 5.5 Administrator program.

Configuration Connection Agreements cannot be created manually)

This CA maps some of the objects in the legacy configuration container with objects in the Exchange 2003 Organization container in Active Directory. This CA cannot be created manually. Exchange Setup configures the CA as part of installation of the very first server in each legacy site. It is used for coexistence between the Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2003 servers environments. To transfer information such as site addressing and routing information between the various Exchange platforms.

Recipient Connection Agreements:

It is responsible for replicating mailbox, distribution list, and custom recipient information from the Exchange 5.5 directory to the Active Directory. This CA maps the attributes of Users, Groups, and Contact objects in Active Directory with Recipient, Distribution Lists, and Custom Recipient objects in the legacy Exchange directory service environment.

It is also used to send users, groups, and contacts from Active Directory to Exchange 5.5. Recipient Connection Agreements it maybe configured as one-way or two-way connection agreements. It is important to remember that each connection agreement has its own schedule

Public Folder Connection Agreements:

This CA maps legacy public folders with Public Folder objects in Active Directory to allow Exchange 2003 to accept e-mail on behalf of the public folders. It is responsible for replicating mail-enabled public folder information from and to Exchange 5.5 and the Active Directory. This connection agreement can only be configured as a two-way connection agreement. It is best to create the connection agreement for each Exchange 5.5 site in regards to this connection agreement. Pfmigrate utility automates replication to allow Exchange mailboxes on the new Exchange Server 2003 systems to be able to access system and public folders.

PFMigrate /S: (Source Server) /T: (Target Server) /A /N: (Number) /SC

How to Manually Configure Additional Connection Agreements?

To configure a Manual Configuration Agreement:

Open the ADC MMC snap-in on the domain controller running the ADC.

The following tabs must be populated:

• General

• Connections

• Schedule

• From Exchange

• From Windows

• Deletion

• Advanced

To configure manually a public folder connection agreement:

It is best practise to right-click the Active Directory Connector service icon for the server and select New, Public Folder Connection Agreement.

The following tabs must be populated:

• General

• Connections

• Schedule

• From Exchange

• From Windows

After its creation, the Administrator must force replication immediately; right-click the connection agreement and select Replicate Now. Verify the Application Event Log in Event Viewer for errors during the replication process.

Rehoming and Distribution List Replication:

All Contacts, Distribution Lists (DLs) and Mail-enabled Public Folder Objects are represented in the Exchange 5.5 Directory and are associated with a specific site. When consolidating a 5.5 site, these objects must be moved (re-homed) to a new site prior to removing the old site or they will be lost. Re-homing these objects will ensure that they are not lost when an old site is removed and that mail flow to them can continue.

INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING THE FIRST EXCHANGE 2003 SERVER:

Run the program: Run SetupPrep it will be use to validate that all prerequisites are now in place for the installation of the first Exchange Server 2003 in the site.

Routing table issues: This Exchange server will hold many critical Exchange organizational management and routing master tables.

Installation path: Choose the installation path and ensure that Typical Installation is chosen.

The new Exchange site: Enter the name of an Exchange 5.5 Server of the site the Exchange Server 2003 system will be joining.

Permissions: During Exchange setup, the Exchange server’s machine account is added to a Global Security group called Exchange Domain Servers. This group is granted permissions on all Exchange objects to allow the Exchange Server 2003 services to access and update the Active Directory.

Two Global Security Groups:

a) Exchange Domain Servers

b) Exchange Enterprise Servers group

The Exchange Enterprise Servers group contains the Exchange Domain Servers groups from all domains in the forest and provides cross-domain access between all Exchange Server 2003 systems.

What has been installed during the setup of the Exchange 2003server?

1) Exchange Server 2003 binaries and services installed

2) Changes to Active Directory Configuration container

3) Exchange Server added to Exchange Domain Servers security group

4) Configuration connection agreement created (for routing)

5) Recipient Update Service (RUS) created

6) Site Replication Service (SRS) installed

Configuration connection agreements (ConfigCA) and site replication service (SRS):

ConfigCA:

The ConfigCA will be responsible for replicating the configuration information between the Exchange platforms. The ConfigCA replicates items such as the Site Addressing Policies and the routing information in the Gateway Address Routing Table (GWART). Also a new (ADC) connection agreement is added to the Active Directory Connector.

SITE REPLICATION SERVICES (SRS)

Interoperability: It will provide provides directory interoperability between the Exchange 5.5 and the Exchange 2003 servers.

LDAP: SRS service runs using LDAP and is needed only during the migration period.

Synchronization: SRS service runs in conjunction with the Active Directory Connector for directory synchronization.

SRS services: One SRS is allowed per Exchange Server 2003 system.

Replication Connectors: The SRS are created on all servers that house Exchange 5.5 Directory Replication Connectors. The Directory Replication Connector is replaced by the SRS to perform Inter-site replication with the remote Exchange 5.5 sites.

SRS Default: SRS is automatically installed and configured at the time of the installation of the Exchange Server 2003 installation.

Recipient Update Service: It is responsible for updating address lists and email addresses in Active Directory. The Recipient Update Service is responsible for updating the Enterprise configuration information in Active Directory (administrative and routing information).

Recipient Policies: The address list and email addresses are configured under this policy.

NB*: Recipients are Active Directory objects that have messaging capabilities. The object itself does not receive messages. The messages are not stored in Active Directory. Instead, they can reside in a mailbox on an Exchange server, in a public folder, or in another messaging system.
When the proper credentials are sent to the domain controller for the user object, the contents of the mailbox become available to the e-mail client like Outlook (in the inbox of the user).

EXAMPLES OF TWO METHODS TO MIGRATE THE MAILBOXES:

The Move Mailbox Tool:

The Move Mailbox tool allows the organization to migrate users in sizable numbers. The Outlook profiles automatically are updated on the Desktop. Upon log on the users are redirected to the new Exchange Server 2003 systems within the same administrative group. During the installation process the Administrator can choose to either create a failure report if corruption is detected or to skip corrupted items and continue the mailbox move.

a) Swing Mailbox Server Migration

b) Cross-site Mailbox Migrations

NB* If the move is unsuccessful, the user’s mailbox will still be available on the source Exchange 5.5 server. It is important to have a failed over design plan at this point to avoid errors.

In moving selected mailboxes to a different server, the duration of the task will depend upon the size of each of the selected mailbox. Specify the current mailbox store, the server, and the destination mailbox store. Decide on the action that you want the utility to take if corrupted messages are found.

MoveMailbox Features:

The Mailbox Wizard lets you decide, how it should react if one or more corrupted messages are detected. If you select Create a failure report, the mailbox containing corrupted messages will be left untouched, which basically means it won’t be moved. But if you select Skip corrupted items and create a failure report the mailbox will be moved, but any corrupted items detected will be deleted from the mailbox, not only on the destination server, but on the source server as well. It is very important to think about failover methods always backup your stores to media previous to the moves.

Option 1:

The utility can create a failure report (the report can be found in systemdriveDocuments and Settingsprofile nameMy DocumentsExchange Task Wizard Logs). This first option will not allow the move of the mailbox.

Option 2:

The second option is to skip corrupted items and create a failure report. With this option corrupted items will be permanently deleted from the mailbox. These items maybe recuperated from backup storage media.

This option gives Advanced Properties such as the possibility to specify the maximum number of corrupted items to skip; when the maximum number of corrupted items is exceeded the mailbox will not be move. It is possible to set a Task Schedule period within which to streamline the move.

It is possible to make use of the bulk mailbox move tool in addition to the Active Directory Users and Computers MMC snap-in to move Mailboxes. If the user has a corrupted item the option Skip Corrupted Items can be use. The mailbox can later be move manually even if it contains corrupted items with Exmerge. It is possible to plan and schedule to move 100 to 200 mailboxes per day.

The Move Mailbox process can be scheduled to execute right away, 4 mailboxes are processed at the same time, and this is the Multithreading feature.

Once the Mailboxes move has been completed, you can choose to view a detailed log file of the Move Mailbox operation, this log is saved in XML format and can be found under:
SystemdriveDocuments and SettingsprofilenameMy DocumentsExchange Task Wizard Logs

Curbside post mounted mailboxes are the first impression of your lifestyle. Everyone driving down your street looks at the mailbox for your house address. It is important to have your address clearly marked on the mailbox not only for your friends but the mailman as well.

Installing your mailbox is not a difficult task. Select a location that allows you to safely retrieve your mail. Postal regulations require that the mailbox door be located between 6 to 8 inches from the curb. Measure from the center point where the mailbox is attached to the post out to the front door then add 6 to 8 inches to that figure. Using that figure measure from the curb to find the center of your hole.

Postal regulations require the bottom of the door be located between 40 to 44 inches from the ground. When digging your hole it is recommended to dig a 12 inches diameter hole and the depth of around 20”. Cover the bottom of the hole with about 2 inches of gravel then place the post on the gravel. Check with your local post office for requirements some localities do not allow a mailbox post to be cemented in the ground. Using a level make sure the post is straight on all four sides and secure it with wood strips above the ground. Next either back fill the hole with dirt or cement keeping the post level.

Many mailboxes have decorative posts that slide over the 4X4 post. Finally attach the mailbox to the post (if using cement you will want to wait till the cement has cured. Now you can start receiving your junk mail and bills!

Have you ever wondered how stereotypes get started and which ones are true? Stereotypes about Mexico abound with most being silly to stupid. However, if I had to point to just one that was 100% totally and absolutely accurate, it would be that everything you have ever heard about The Mexican Mail Service is true!

My God in heaven, never has there been such a hideously inefficient and unreliable mail service than in Mexico. Certainly, nowhere else on earth can have anything approximating the horror you encounter when trying to send and receive mail in Mexico! Can there?

Here is what you are up against when sending mail to the United States from Mexico:

1) Never send a package of any sort containing anything and expect it to reach its destination.

2) Never send a contract, a check, a money order, or anything of value to the U.S. via first class mail. NEVER!

3) Expect that a regular first class mail letter will reach the U.S. in about 2-3 weeks (but only if it is predestined by God to get there).

To be honest, you have a better chance of success in sending a harmless and innocuous letter via first class from Mexico to the U.S. than from the U.S. to Mexico.

Here is what you are up against when sending mail to Mexico from America: hahahahahaha! Mail? What’s that?

That is what I was told when I tried to send some books from America to Mexico before we moved here. I was trying to send myself some books I thought I would need and the U.S. Postal guy laughed and told me there was a less than 50% chance of success in sending a package from the U.S. to Mexico.

He was right!

If you have anything of value to receive from the U.S., do not send it via regular mail. The chances of it arriving are low to non-existent! For some reason, surely known only to God, mail coming into Mexico from America rarely-if ever-gets here.

My experience has been that I am still waiting on four letters from my bank that were mailed more than 4 months ago. See what I mean?

The mail is so horrible that American businesses have sprung up to combat this problem. It used to be that expats got their mail “muled” to them by others coming and going from America. If you had a letter or package to send, then someone going to America would carry it with them and mail it inside the United States. The same was true if you were going to receive something from America. Someone coming back to Mexico would transport it for you-terribly slow and inefficient.

Now, there are services that work like this:

“Some people use the services of MailBoxes, Etc. and for approximately $40. US per month, people are given an address in the US to which their mail is delivered and it is then sent by the company to the lakeside area. This usually takes and extra day or two than regular US mail. For those who have magazine subscriptions, foreign delivery is often much more costly, so Mail Boxes, Etc. does work well for this. However, it has been noted that MailBoxes Etc. has a limit on the number of items that can be received without extra charge so that has to be checked if a person is interested in this service.”

Another great site is Access USA at myus.com. This one looks first-class and my wife and I are considering using it for our needs.

Don’t try to figure this all out. You cannot–your head will explode–and you will never get an answer as to why mail is so bad in Mexico. It is one of those things you just have to accept.

Give up and adapt. Resistance is futile!

Mailboxes are almost an essential accessory for homes and offices. Therefore it is important to choose the one that suits your needs. The main thing with mail boxes is that they must keep your mail safe from the weather whether it is summer or winter. In addition to this, they must be easy to open and close. Also they must be able to accommodate all the mail that you receive, particular if you often receive a lot of it. Mailboxes must be weatherproof since they are exposed to the outdoors. They are most preferably made out of material that does not rust. Most of the mailboxes we come across are made of steel, metal like brass, aluminum that does not weather. Wood mailboxes are also available and these are mostly of cedar since it does not rot with moisture.

Deciding on the type of mailbox you should buy depends on how much mail you receive and where. Mailboxes can be mounted on an ordinary post, or a decorative post. Some people prefer to have wall mounted mailboxes. People tend to buy mailboxes that are similar to the other ones in their area, since the mailman is likely to be accustomed to a particular type. In some areas residents prefer to refer to their local post office and homeowner association before they go ahead and purchase their mailbox.

It is always better to go in for mailboxes that are approved by the USPS. Just in case you see a decorative mailbox that is not approved by them, it is better to get in touch with your area post master before you buy it and get information on the mandatory rules that are effective in your area. Even though there are general rules laid out by the USPS, this can have small variations from area to area which is why you should be careful to stick with them. The USPS residential mailbox regulations is quite clear about the requirements.

There is also the worry of whether your local mail carrier will deliver mail to your decorative mailbox that is not USPS approved. In such instances, you can always request them to deliver.

One you do get your residential mailbox, it is very easy to install as mailboxes come with instructions about how to mount them and do not require special expertise. If you buy the kind of mailbox that fixes to a post that is bolted to a concrete slab, the use of concrete is involved, and you might only have to wait until it sets dry. The other type is a post that goes into the ground where you must make a hole in the ground and fix the post in it.

Generally mailboxes do not require any maintenance, except perhaps giving them a coat of lacquer so that they do not rust before their time. It is better to get a locking mailbox to prevent your mail being accessed by unauthorized persons in your absence especially when you are away on holiday. This will help keep your mail safe as well prevent the theft of personal information.

Decorative mailboxes for your home come in copper, fiberglass, etc. If you are worried that the surface might tarnish, most decorative mailboxes come with adequate finish coated on them. Copper polish can also be applied. With fiberglass decorative mailboxes, it is easier to maintain them since you can just use soap and water to clean them and they are as good as new.