Testbed XMail
What is the best way in which to preserve emails for the long term? The Digital Preservation Testbed research project has designed and developed an application specifically for this purpose: Testbed XMail.
This application shows how email messages can be created in a sustainable manner and preserved for the long term using XML. Sustainable preservation means that the authenticity, accessibility, and readability of the digital record is secured for the duration of a given preservation period.
The Testbed XMail application is freely available as open source software. The source code is publicly available. Any organisation can download and use Testbed XMail; however, it is not immediately ready for use. Everyone that wishes to use it must tailor it to their own organisation. Furthermore, it is not intended to replace a DMS/RMA system, although the National Archives wishes to encourage support for software such as the Testbed XMail in DMS/RMA systems in the future.
The Testbed XMail prototype clearly demonstrates the requirements with which an email preservation system must comply.