Confused? Actually Mark, what I wrote came straight from M.S. And yes the
MAPI is used to do "online" backups. How else would your backup software
system (i.e. Arcserve 2000) be able to see the Information Store?

As far as the difference of MAPI/API? MAPI's are sub-sets of API's. MAPI
just like a AVAPI (or VAPI). MAPI's are not old at all, they are still be=
ing
used (from 3rd party vendors) so I do not know what you meant by "older
Microsoft Mail client". Yes MAPI is the API call that is used to look at =
the
database in a "3 dimensional" sort of way, but it is not M.S.'s MAPI. It =
is
a 3rd party MAPI.

However, you do not have to restore "entire" information store in order t=
o
get back one or more mailboxes or folders with in a mailbox. You run
Exmerge, export to a PST file. That gets backed up as a regular file. You
then can go from there as to what you need from that PST file and how you
use it.

For example: (from personal experience) the mailbox was corrupted. I
re-created the mailbox exactly how it was before. Then logged in to
initialize the new mailbox, created a personal folder, and imported my
entire PST into that personal folder. Then I methodically copied up what =
I
needed. (i.e. inbox, calendar, etc...). Without mincing words, a PST is a
personal folder, yes, but you still need a place to import it to, and tha=
t
place is a "personal folder" in outlook.

However, the only problem was the public folders. We still needed an agen=
t
for those. As a matter of fact, I have not done  testing on how to
backup/restore Pub Folders "with-out" and agent. :-(