CEA - Uploading Email Archives to CEA via AWS S3

Updated 8 hours ago by admin

Uploading Email Archives to CEA via AWS S3

This guide explains how to upload .eml or .pst files to the CEA import bucket using the AWS CLI. Once uploaded, the CEA team will process the files and make them available in the archive.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have the following in place:

  • The AWS CLI is installed on your machine. If not, download it from https://aws.amazon.com/cli/
  • You have the AWS credentials provided by Support (Access Key ID and Secret Access Key)
  • Your .eml or .pst files are collected into a single folder on your machine

Step 1 — Open a Command Prompt

  • Windows: Press Win + R, type cmd, and press Enter
  • macOS / Linux: Open Terminal

Step 2 — Configure the AWS CLI

Run the following command:

aws configure

When prompted, enter the details provided by Support:

The below is an example. Please ensure you follow the details provided by Support.

Prompt

Value

AWS Access Key ID

Provided by Support

AWS Secret Access Key

Provided by Support

Default Region Name

eu-west-2

Default Output Format

Leave blank — press Enter

Step 3 — Upload Your Files

Run the following command, replacing <full path to your email folder> with the actual path to your folder, and <your-organisation-name> with the name provided by Support:

aws s3 sync <full path to your email folder> s3://fcscensornet-eu-west-2-archive-spool/add_import/<your-organisation-name>/

Example (Windows):

aws s3 sync "C:\Users\John\Desktop\EmailExport" s3://fcscensornet-eu-west-2-archive-spool/add_import/examplecorp/

Progress will be shown in the command prompt. If the upload is interrupted for any reason, re-run the same command — files already uploaded will be skipped automatically.

Step 4 — Notify the CEA team

Once the upload is complete, let your Support know. We will retrieve the files, perform any necessary format conversions, and begin processing.

Note: Please allow a few days for conversion and ingestion to complete. We will update you once everything is ready. In the meantime, you can start archiving new mail immediately — there is no need to wait for the import to finish.

Troubleshooting

Issue

Resolution

"aws" is not recognised as a command

The AWS CLI is not installed or not on your system PATH. Install it from aws.amazon.com/cli and restart your command prompt.

Invalid credentials / Access Denied

Double-check the Access Key ID and Secret Access Key entered during aws configure. Re-run aws configure to correct them.

Upload stalls or disconnects

Re-run the same aws s3 sync command — it will resume and skip already-uploaded files.

Unsure of your organisation folder name

Contact Support to confirm the correct destination path before uploading.

How did we do?