How to remove users from GFI MailEssentials user list

Answer

In GFI MailEssentials users can be removed from the configured user list in different ways depending on the user mode GFI MailEssentials is installed.

Note

It is important to enable the tracing option in order to verify the number of licensed users being counted by GFI MailEssentials. To enable tracing open the GFI MailEssentials switchboard > tracing and tick the check box tracing. 

GFI MailEssentials in Active Directory mode

When GFI MailEssentials is installed in Active Directory mode, the GFI MailEssentials user count can be reduced by either disabling or deleting users from Active Directly users and computers on the domain controller.

You can verify this by checking the content of the log file usercntad.log, if present in ..GFI\MailEssentials\Antispam\Debuglogs (in GFI MailEssentials 2014 R2: ..GFI\MailEssentials\Attendant\debuglogs)

GFI MailEssentials is installed on a Microsoft Exchange

When GFI MailEssentials is installed on a Microsoft Exchange server users are retrieved from the Microsoft Exchange Information Store. During the installation the administrator can select to retrieve users from Active Directory, and all Active Directory users that have their mailbox on the Microsoft Exchange Information Store on the same machine will be counted and used for licensing purposes. With this method user count can be reduced by removing Microsoft Exchange mailboxes. 

You can verify this by checking the content of the log file usercntvsapi.txt, if present in GFI\MailEssentials\Antispam\Debuglogs (in GFI MailEssentials 2014 R2: ..GFI\MailEssentials\Attendant\debuglogs)

GFI MailEssentials in SMTP mode

When GFI MailEssentials is installed in SMTP mode, users can be deleted as follows:

1. Open the GFI MailEssentials Configuration
2. Select General > Properties
3. Click on the User Manager tab
4. Select and Remove licensed users

The users are saved in a local database in ..GFI\MailEssentials\EmailSecurity\Data\Userlist.mdb

You can verify the content of the log file usercntado.txt, if present in ...GFI\MailEssentials\Antispam\Debuglogs (in MailEssentials 2014 R2: ..GFI\MailEssentials\Attendant\debuglogs)

Technical Information

GFI MailEssentials may list more users then it should, because:

1. GFI MailEssentials is installed on a machine in SMTP mode, the machine may be open for relay and extra addresses are being added to the GFI MailEssentials user list.
2. Users who left the company have not been disabled or deleted from Active Directory.
3. GFI MailEssentials is installed in SMTP mode and all SMTP email addresses are counted. If the same user makes use of multiple SMTP email addresses to send outbound emails, this will be seen as multiple users by GFI MailEssentials

Notes

1. Open the GFI MailEssentials configuration
2. Select General > Properties
3. If the User Manager tab is available, then GFI MailEssentials is installed in SMTP mode. Otherwise GFI MailEssentials is installed in Active Directory / Microsoft Exchange mode. After removing users from either Active Directory / Microsoft Exchange or the GFI MailEssentials User Manager, allow around an hour until the users are re-counted by GFI MailEssentials