The current version of EASi supports the import and processing of email collections for deposit to the DRS2. A curator uploads a packet of email content to a secure dropbox and triggers import of this content from inside of the EASi system. Once a packet is in EASi, a curator can review email messages and attachments, remove unwanted content, assign metadata as needed and then push the content to DRS for preservation archiving.

EASi is configured to import email content (messages and attachments) from these creator clients:   

• Eudora for Windows/6.2
• Eudora for Windows/version unknown
• Mac OS X Mail/2.x
• Mailman/2.0.5
• Mailman/2.1.15
• Outlook for Windows/version unknown
• Thunderbird/2.0.0.23
• Thunderbird/version unknown

To discuss uploading email content from other creator clients, contact the EAS Project Team in LTS.

Submit Packet Screen

Click the Packet menu choice to open this page. Options on this page allow you to upload a packet of email content to EASi. A packet is a group of messages and attachments that are submitted together.

Before content is uploaded to EASi, this page allows the curator to set metadata values that will be globally assigned to every message and attachment in the packet. This is the most efficient way to assign metadata that is applicable to all content in a packet.

For more information, see Submitting Content to EASi 

Packet Import Queue Screen

This page is available under the Packet menu choice. Options on this page allow you to check the status of packets submitted to EAS. Note that submitted packets for all accounts will be visible in the import queue.

The queue entry for a packet includes a bit of metadata (account, packet name and ID), when packet was submitted, its current status ("Ready to import" or "Importing"), and a timestamp for the current status.

A packet will appear in the import queue with the status "Ready to import" after it is submitted by the curator and picked up by the EAS loader. The EAS loader checks the dropbox for packets every 15 minutes and passes any packets to the EAS importer 3 minutes later.

A packet's status will change to "Importing" when it is picked up by the EAS importer for conversion processing. The importer will process packets in the order they are submitted; processing time will vary from minutes to an hour or more, depending on size of the packet. When import processing is complete, the packet disappears from the import queue and appears on the Packet Summary page. Once your packet is listed in the packet summary, its contents are fully available for processing in EASi.

For more information, see 3. Submitting Content to EASi

Packet Summary Screen

This page is available under the "Packet" menu choice.  The packet summary provides summary information about packets imported into EAS.  This summary view will be limited to packets associated with the user's account.

In general, this summary reflects content currently stored in EAS that has not yet been transferred to the DRS.  This means that the summary totals for "Emails", "Attachments" and "Orphaned attachments" will change when content is deleted or transferred to the DRS.

The number under "Files submitted" always reflects the number of files in the original packet and will not change.  The number under "Packet storage size" is the total size on disk of the originally-submitted packet plus all converted files still in EAS (not yet deleted or transferred to the DRS).  Packet storage size will therefore vary based on processing activity.

Once there is no more content in EAS associated with a packet, EAS will retain the original submitted files for three months (and corresponding packet summary data will continue to display).  After that, the original files (and corresponding packet summary) will be deleted.

Packet Process History Screen

The Process History tab records deletion events -- when email messages and attachments are deleted during EASi processing.  Select a packet name from the drop-down list to view deletion events of items in that packet.

By default, the process history table exposes only some of the metadata associated with a deletion event.  To expose more metadata, mouse over any column heading, click the down arrow that displays, and check or un-check columns.  Note that you cannot customize the insertion point when adding a column.  Columns will be added in a pre-determined order.

Search/Brief Display Screen

Once connected to EASi, you will be on the Email Brief Display page.  From here, you can:

• Search or filter for messages and attachments in your account.
• View/navigate/sort search results.
• Bulk edit the metadata for a selected group of items.
• Open the full display of a message or attachment.

There is always a results set in effect on the Brief Display page. By default, you get a list of items (messages and attachments) in your account -- 10 messages per results page, sorted by EASi ID. The number of hits displays in the footer below the results list.

From the Brief Display, you can use a search and/or filter to retrieve items, open the full display of an item, or perform bulk operations on selected items (add metadata, delete items and push items to DRS. 

Email Full Display Screen

To access the Email Full Item Display, click on the EASi ID of a message in the Brief Display. The full display will open in a separate browser window or tab. Using full display, you can:

• Access several views of the email message.View or update message metadata.
  
• View the process history of the message. 
  
• Navigate to the full display of any associated attachments.
  
• Push the message (and any associated attachments) to DRS.

The email full display opens by default to a summary view of the message that contains a plain-text message body and summary message headers (From, To, Subject, etc.).

If the summary display contains no message, the email probably came with an HTML message but no plain text component. Click View original message or View HTML to see the message.

Other message viewing options include:

• Click "View original message" to display the original raw contents of the message, including all mail headers and message components. Plain text and HTML versions of the message body (if included) are exposed in this view. This view shows raw un-rendered HTML markup (e.g., links are not clickable, images won't display). Attachments (if present) are referenced in this view but content is not included. Click "View message summary" to return to the default view.
• Click "View HTML" link to display a rendered HTML view of the message body (if available). The HTML view will render the HTML where it can, but there are limitations. Links will generally appear as links and embedded css will be applied, but if the HTML is not well formed (as is often the case), then it can look very messy. Click "View plain text" to return to the default view.
  

Attachment Full Display Screen

To access the Attachment Full Item Display, click on the EASi ID of an attachment in the Brief Display.  The full display will open in a separate browser window or tab.  Using full display, you can:

• Download/view the attachment (assuming you have the appropriate software).
• View/update metadata values for the attachment.
• View "Associated email" metadata, including the option to view the Full Display of the associated message.
• Push the attachment and related message to DRS.

Collections Screen

Click the Collections menu choice to open the Collections area in EASi. 

A collection in EASi identifies a group of related messages and attachments, usually organized around the personal or institutional creator/owner of the email.  In the Collections area, you can create a new collection, view/edit metadata for an existing collection, and view collection statistics.

Accounts Screen

Click the Accounts menu choice to open the Accounts area in EASi. 

An Account identifies the Harvard organizational owner of content processed in EASi.  Each EASi account corresponds to a DRS owner account and the DRS owner code is used to identify the account in EASi displays.

Account Summary

The Account Summary screen provides statistics about email content in EAS that is associated with that account. 

View/Edit Account

EASi users with the "manager" role (curators) are able to view and edit their own account.