Because SMBAGENT uses the MAPI folder hierarchy, a separate database is not built to save postings for discussion topics. Instead, when a user requests a new topic, SMBAGENT creates a new subfolder for the topic within the specified message store. The folder hierarchy of the SMBAGENT information store is shown in the following figure.
The information store folder structure used by SMBAGENT
As this illustration shows, folders in this hierarchy contain either documents or other folders, as described in the following table.
| Folder | Contents |
|---|---|
| Mailbox Root Folder | Inbox, Outbox, and Topics Folder |
| Inbox | Messages addressed to SMBAGENT |
| Outbox | Messages submitted by SMBAGENT |
| Topics Folder | Mailbox agent topic subfolders |
| Topic Subfolder | Topic-specific information and articles |
| Undelivered Messages | Messages that cannot be delivered |
Every SMBAGENT installation contains a mailbox. Some also contain public folders. If the option is chosen to create a public folder, this folder will serve as a public list of all the topics and postings. The public folder points to the mailbox. The actual information resides at the mailbox.
Each topic subfolder contains one or more messages. The topic's creator, subscriber list, and an introductory message are stored in the associated message area. Thereafter, articles submitted to each topic are saved as messages in the appropriate topic subfolder, along with their associated information, such as author, date, and attachments.
The introductory messages contain information about each topic and how to use it. When a user joins a topic, SMBAGENT locates the introductory message for that topic, changes its recipient list, and transmits it to the user who just joined.
SMBAGENT uses the introductory message to maintain a list of members for each topic. As new members join a topic, their names are added to the recipient list of the introductory message. SMBAGENT stores recipient names in a message's recipient list instead of a distribution list. SMBAGENT uses this method because standard MAPI does not provide table modification functions, and a distribution list is a table.