System and method for disaster recovery and management of an email system

• US 7,353,257 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2004
• Issued: 04/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: McColgan, Charles, Pettigrew, Nancy
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone; Jason D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duong; Thomas
• Application Number:
  US10/994,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20060112166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

The present invention provides an improved system and method for disaster recovery and management of an email system. The system includes a deferral monitor that detects when a failure occurs in a client'"'"'s email system, and a mailbox creation process and automatically creates mailbox accounts for the affected domains that queue incoming mail while the failure is repaired. This ensures no email is bounced because of the unavailable mail servers. Once the email servers are reconnected, the system forwards queued email to the client in a “flow-controlled” manner until all email is delivered. The system may further include a web mail interface that allows the client to maintain email functionality until the failure is repaired. The system may also include a message switch that filters all email for policy and content rules, spam and viruses before passing the email to the client.

Claims

1. A system for disaster recovery of a client email system having a one or more user accounts, the system comprising:

one or more servers that receive and transfer email for the client email system;

a deferral monitor that detects failure of the client email system; and

a mailbox creation process that, in response to a failure of the client email system, automatically creates one or more temporary mailboxes corresponding to the one or more user accounts, respectively, on the one or more servers, wherein email directed to the client email system is routed to the one or more mailboxes,

wherein the created one or more mailboxes are accessible by the user accounts, respectively, during the failure of the client email system.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the deferral monitor resides on the one or more servers.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the one or more servers selectively queue email prior to transferring the email to the client email system, and wherein the deferral monitor detects failure of the client email system by determining when queuing of email in the servers exceeds a threshold value.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the threshold value comprises a time value, a quantity value or a rate value, and wherein the threshold value is dynamically set and modified by each client email system.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the deferral monitor detects failure of the client email system by receiving notification from the client email system.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the deferral monitor is further adapted to detect when the client email system is repaired, and in response, to activate a transfer process that forwards any email in the one or more mailboxes to the client email system.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a web mail interface that allows users to access the one or more mailboxes.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the web mail interface is configurable to prevent users from deleting messages in the one or more mailboxes.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the web mail interface is configurable to store messages sent by users by use of the interface.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a message switch that is adapted to filter email messages according to one or more rules prior to transferring the email messages to the client email system or to the one or more mailboxes.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the one or more rules include policy rules, content rules, spam rules or virus filtering rules.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a storage module for storing the one or more mailboxes.

13. A system for disaster recovery and management of a client email system having a plurality of user accounts, the system comprising:

a plurality of distributed servers that receive and process email messages transferred to the client email system, the servers including one or more queues for temporarily storing email prior to transferring the email to the client email system;

a deferral monitor that detects failure of the client email system by determining when queuing of email in the servers exceeds a threshold value; and

a mailbox creation process that, in response to a failure, automatically creates a plurality of mailboxes corresponding to the plurality of user accounts, respectively, wherein email directed to the client email system is routed to the plurality of mailboxes, wherein the created plurality of mailboxes are accessible by plurality of user accounts, respectively, during the failure of the client email system.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising:

a web mail interface for allowing users to selectively access the plurality of mailboxes.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the web mail interface is configurable to prevent users from deleting messages in the one or more mailboxes.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the web mail interface is configurable to store messages sent by users by use of the interface.

17. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

one or more filters for processing email messages prior to transferring the email messages to the client email system or to the one or more mailboxes.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the one or more filters comprise a spam filter.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the one or more filters comprise a content or policy filter.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the one or more filters comprise a virus filter.

21. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

a storage facility for storing the one or more mailboxes.

22. A method for disaster recovery and management of a client email system having a plurality of user accounts, comprising:

routing email messages to one or more servers that receive, process and transfer email messages directed to the client email system;

detecting a failure of the client email system;

automatically creating a plurality of mailboxes corresponding to the plurality of user accounts, respectively, in response to detecting a failure in the client email system; and

routing email messages directed to the client email system to the one or more mailboxes until the failure is repaired, wherein the created plurality of mailboxes are accessible by the respective user accounts, respectively, during the failure of the client email system.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

detecting when the client email system is repaired; and

forwarding any email in the one or more mailboxes to the client email system.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the one or more servers include one or more queues for temporarily storing email messages prior to transferring the email messages to the client email system;

and wherein detecting a failure of the client email system comprises determining when queuing of email in the servers exceeds a threshold value.

25. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

providing an interface for allowing users to selectively access the plurality of mailboxes.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the interface is a web mail interface.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the interface is configured such that the users cannot delete messages in the one or more mailboxes.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the interface is configured to store messages sent by users by use of the interface.

29. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

filtering the email messages prior to transferring the email messages to the client email system or to the one or more mailboxes.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the filtering comprises content or policy filtering.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the filtering comprises spam filtering.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein the filtering comprises virus filtering.