Hi Gabriele,
Regarding #1... In SmarterMail 17.x, we've updated the indexing format. On your initial upgrade to 17.x (from any earlier major release), ALL user accounts will be reindexed in order to utilize this new format. As the reindexing occurs, you will see a temporary spike in CPU. However, please note that a user's experience and the overall server performance should not be negatively impacted, as the indexing thread is prioritized lower than all other threads. In addition, users will still be able to search while this one-time bulk reindex occurs. This is because a user's account will use the old indexing format for searches if the reindexing has not yet been performed for their account. As soon as their account has finished reindexing, it will simply switch to the updated format.
This information should have been noted in our BETA threads previously, and I apologize that it was not. I've since added this information right next to the installer link for the BETA release announcement thread (since it doesn't impact just a singular build). The CPU spike is expected and will rectify itself once the reindexing is done.
I hope this helps!
Andrea Free
SmarterTools Inc.
877-357-6278
www.smartertools.com