All Tutorials: Interview Question for active directory and exchange

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Interview Question for active directory and exchange

<>1. <>What is Exchange 2003 Forestprep?

Exchange 2003 Forestprep extends the AD schema to include Exchange specific information.

When you use the /ForestPrep option, the Exchange Setup program extends the Active Directory schema to add Exchange-specific classes and attributes.

ForestPrep also creates the container object for the Exchange 2003 organization in the domain naming context of Active Directory, and it assigns, to the account that you specify, Exchange Full Administrative permissions to the organization object.

This account now has the authority to install and manage Exchange 2003 throughout the forest, along with the authority to assign other administrators Exchange Full Administrative permissions after the first Exchange server is installed.

<>2. <>What is Exchange 2003 Domain prep?

Domain Prep creates the groups and permissions necessary for Exchange servers to read and modify user attributes in Active Directory. You must run Domain Prep before installing your first Exchange server in a domain.

<>3. <>What is a DC?

A DC is a Windows 2000 or 2003 Domain Controller that holds active directory partitions for a domain (used for things like user authentication).

<>4. <>What is a GC?

A GC is a Global Catalog Server. A GC holds a full set of attribute for the domain in which it reside and a subset of attributes for all objects in the Active Directory Forest.

<>5. <>What is DDNS and why do I need it?

Dynamic DNS (described in RFC 2136) allows servers to dynamically update and create records in DNS. Dynamic DNS is used by the Exchange server to create server records and other entries used by the Exchange Servers for things like message routing. In a simple Exchange organization, DDNS is not strictly necessary, but makes administration much easier.

(DDNS is a service that maps Internet domain names to IP addresses. DDNS serves a similar purpose to DNS: DDNS allows anyone hosting a Web or FTP server to advertise a public name to prospective users. Unlike DNS that only works with static IP addresses, DDNS works with dynamic IP addresses, such as those assigned by an ISP or other DHCP server. DDNS is popular with home net workers, who typically receive dynamic, frequently-changing IP addresses from their service provider.)

<>6. <>What is a border server?

A border server is an Exchange server that communicates with external servers. In a single server organization, your server is by default a border server. In a multi-server configuration, you may have one or more dedicated servers that communicate directly or indirectly with foreign servers and then pass the mail to other internal Exchange servers.

<>7. <>What is a mixed mode Exchange environment?

An Exchange environment which contains Exchange 2003 or Exchange 2000 and Exchange 5.5 servers.

<>8. <>How does an Exchange 5.5 site compare to an Exchange 2003 Routing Group or Administrative Group?

In a mixed mode Exchange environment the Exchange 2003 Administrative Group and Routing Group correspond to the Exchange 5.5 site. In a native Exchange 2000 environment, the Administrative Group is a group of Exchange objects sharing a common set of permissions and routing groups define how those servers communicate with one another. A single Administrative Group can contain several Routing Groups. Example: Your North American Exchange servers might be grouped in a single Administrative Group, but subdivided into several Routing Groups to optimize interserver communication. An Administrative Group contains zero or more Routing Groups.

<>1. <>What happened to the M: drive?

The EXIFS (M: drive) feature has been disabled by default. If the feature is still needed, it can be assigned to an available drive letter with a registry setting.

<>2. <>Do I need Windows XP to use Outlook RPC over HTTP?

Yes. Windows XP with Service Pack 1 + KB331320

<>3. <>When will Exchange 2003 SP1 be available?

When it is ready

<>4. <>How do I configure the Recovery Storage Group?

In Exchange 2003, there is a new feature called the "Recovery Storage Group" (RSG). This is a special instance of ESE (a 5th instance) which can be spun up to provide:

a. Item/Folder/Mailbox level restore without the need for a spare server

b. "Dial tone" (blank mailbox) support if you lose a database and need to get the users quickly up and running for send/receive

To create the RSG, go into Exchange 2003 ESM, right-click on your server object and choose to create a new Recovery Storage Group.

Once the RSG exists, you can add a database to it (any MDB from any Storage Group from any server inside the same Admin Group). Then, use NTBackup or similar to restore a backup into the RSG. Now, you can use ExMerge to extract the data from the RSG and merge it into the production database (for scenario a.), or you can swap the RSG-restored database for the temporary production database (for scenario b).

One of the goals for the Recovery Storage Group

<>5. <>Under Exchange 5.5 I couldn't restore a single mailbox without 3rd party products. With Exchange 2003, is it any easier to restore a single mailbox or back up a single mailbox?

Yes and no. Under Exchange 2003, a mailbox is not deleted immediately when a Windows account is deleted. Although restores have been greatly improved with the new Recovery Storage Group (RSG) and the Volume Shadow Copy Service, there is no built in mechanism for backing up a single Exchange mailbox. This would still require a 3rd party brick level backup utility.

<>6. <>Can I back up the EXIFS drive using NT Backup or another backup application?

You can, but you will be sad. Do NOT back up the EXIFS drive of an Exchange 2003 server. It can result in messages and attachments being inaccessible via the Outlook client.

<>7. <>How can I prevent a user from sending and receiving Internet mail?

Follow the steps outlined below:

<>1. <>Create a group called InternalOnly.

<>2. <>Create a recipient policy that gives them a fake SMTP address. i.e. @fake.domain. Leave the X400 address alone so they can receive internal mail.

<>3. <>Drill down through Routing Groups > Group Name > Connectors > SMTP internet connector(s), choose its properties. Choose the Delivery Restrictions tab, and under "reject", add this group. Do this for each connector.

<>4. <>Follow the steps in KB277872, regarding Connector Restrictions.

[Now they can't use the SMTP connector(s) to send external mail]

<>8. <>What tools are used to administer Exchange 2003?

Active Directory Users & Computers - Used to create users, distribution groups and contacts.

Exchange System Manager - Used to manage the Exchange Server, create address lists, recipient policies, and now does some user level actions...

<>9. <>Can I use Exchange 2000 tools to manage Exchange 2003 Servers?

No, the property sheets of the 2003 servers will appear as read-only. You should avoid using Exchange 2000 ESM in environments where Exchange 2003 is installed. Not only will you not be able to access new Exchange 2003 features, but there is also the risk of damage to new objects that Exchange 2000 does not understand. If you must continue to use Exchange 2000 ESM, apply the latest Exchange 2000 SP3 roll-up to your Admin workstation(s) - http://microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=E247C80E-8AFA-4C2A-96B3-F46D1808C790&displaylang=en

The roll-up includes support for the msExchMinAdminVersion attribute (also known as ESM versioning). Essentially, each Exchange object in the AD is stamped with a minimum admin version. If ESM detects that the data value is greater than the version of ESM running, it will not allow edits to that object.

The following objects may become damag

<>10. <>Can I use Exchange 2003 tools to manage Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2000 Servers?

Yes, with the exception of the following Exchange 2000 components; Key Management Server, Exchange Instant Messaging, Chat, MS-Mail / Schedule+ / DirSync / cc:Mail Connectors

<>11. <>I created a user in AD Users and Computers, but in the Exchange system manager it doesn't appear under Mailbox Store | Mailboxes. What did I do wrong?

Probably nothing. A mailbox will not appear under Mailbox Store | Mailboxes until either someone has logged into the mailbox or the mailbox has received a mail message. Some administrators send a welcome message to a mailbox shortly after it has been created, which would cause it to appear.

<>12. <>I created a secondary Public Folder Hierarchy, but only the original public folder hierarchy appears in Outlook.

Current versions of Outlook only support a single public folder hierarchy. Secondary Public Folder hierarchies can be accessed with the web.

<>13. <>In Exchange 5.5, I could have multiple mailboxes associated with a single user account. How do I do that in Exchange 2003?

Exchange 2003 requires a user object for each mailbox. You can create a disabled user object, associate a mailbox with it, and then grant another user object 'receive as' and 'send as' permissions to that mailbox.

<>14. <>What is the difference between 'receive as' and 'send as'?

'Receive as' allows a user object to open a mailbox. 'Send as' allows a user to send out a mail message as the mailbox that has been opened.

<>15. <>How do I restrict a user or domain from sending mail to my users?

First, add the address or domain you wish to filter to the Filtering Tab of the Message Delivery Global Settings. Next, you need to apply the filter to the SMTP virtual server you wish to filter. (Administrative Group | Server | Protocols | SMTP | | Properties | Advanced |

<>16. <>I've created more than one address list. Which list will users see for their GAL?

The following criteria are used when determining what a client will see for the Global Address List.

<>o <>Which Address List do you have permissions to see?

<>o <>Which Address List contains your mailbox object as an entry?

If your mailbox appears as an object in more than one address list:

<>o <>Which of the remaining Address Lists contains more entries?

<>17. <>What do the event IDs mean in the message tracking log?

They are listed in Appendix A

<>18. <>Is Single Instance Storage maintained when moving users between servers | storage groups | databases?

Yes...

<>19. <>In my native E2K3 organization is there any requirement for RPC connectivity between servers?

In order to move users between servers, RPC connectivity is required.

<>20. <>How can I archive messages sent or received by my users?

<>0. <>Messages can be archived on a per store basis by enabling the option on the general properties tab of the Mailbox Store in the Exchange System Manager.

<>1. <>Use an event sink (either write your own or use the simple one provided by Microsoft and described in “Archive Sink Readme.txt”

<>2. <>Use a 3rd party message archival tool.

<>21. <>Why when I try to add an additional mailbox store do I receive the following error? This storage group already contains the maximum number of stores allowed. ID no: c1034a7a

You are running the standard version of Exchange 2003 which is limited to a single 16GB private information store.

<>22. <>How do I get the Exchange Advanced Tab in Active Directory Users and Computers?

Open Active Directory Users and Computers. Click on the View menu item at the top of the application. Select “Advanced Features” on the menu list. When you open a property page for an Active Directory object that has a mailbox associated with it, you will now see the “Exchange Advanced” tab at the top.

<>23. <>How do I control the format of the addresses before the @ sign in a recipient policy?

You can use the following variables: %g Given Name, %s Surname, %i initials in the recipient policy.

Examples:

User: Tommy Lee Jones

Domain: company.com

%g.%s@company.com = Tommy.Jones@company.com

%1g%s@company.com = TJones@company.com

%g%2s@comapny.com = TommyJo@company.com

Less commonly used variables include, %m (alias) and %d (display name).

<>24. <>How do I make Exchange automatically send a welcome message to all newly created users?

There is nothing in the product that will do this. You can create a WELCOME.MSG that you deploy with Outlook, but that only applies the first time Outlook is opened after creating a new profile. Otherwise, you could script mailbox creation and send a message at the end of the script.

<>25. <>How do I determine what version of Outlook applies to a build or version number?

http://www.cdolive.com/build.htm

<>26. <>Is there any way to append a text message to all out bound email for Exchange 2003?

On a single Exchange server deployment, there is no 100% reliable way to accomplish this with an SMTP Transport Event Sink; even though KB273233 suggests that creating a second SMTP Virtual Server works. However, at startup the Exchange Information Store binds to the SMTP Virtual Server that starts first and you can not rely on the routing of the mail from SMTP VS 1 to SMTP VS 2 as the KB273233 proposes. Also note that under special circumstances the database can become corrupted if you use an SMTP Transport Event Sink to manipulate outgoing (MAPI) message contents. This is currently under investigation by Microsoft and a QFE to prevent the store corruption is under development. ****

There are 3rd party products that will do this too.

<>27. <>How do I add a disclaimer to outgoing SMTP messages in Visual Basic/Visual Basic Script?

You can do it, however, see there are limitations. It reliably works only on a border server, which can be either a Windows 2000 or 2003 SMTP Server with or without Exchange 2000/2003 installed. For more information, see KB317327 and KB317680

<>28. <>How can you tell the exact version of Exchange you are running?

Here is a list of build numbers for Exchange 2000/2003:

Exchange 2000

<>o <>4417.5 = Exchange 2000 RTM

<>o <>4712.7 = Exchange 2000 SP1

<>o <>5762.4 = Exchange 2000 SP2

<>o <>6249.4 = Exchange 2000 SP3

<>o <>6396.1 = Exchange 2000 Post-SP3 Super Roll-up

<>o <>63xx/64xx = Exchange 2000 Post-SP3 Hotfixes

Exchange 2003

<>o <>6728.12 = Exchange 2003 Beta 1

<>o <>6803.8 = Exchange 2003 Beta 2

<>o <>6851.10 = Exchange 2003 Release Candidate 0

<>o <>6895.5 = Exchange 2003 Release Candidate 1 (Candidate)

<>29. <>How do I add a disclaimer to outgoing SMTP messages in Visual Basic?

How To: Add a Disclaimer to Outgoing SMTP Messages in Visual Basic – KB317327

<>30. <>Resource / Conference room scheduling

Outlook 2003 offers basic resource booking functionality through Direct Booking. For more information refer to “Direct Booking of Resource Without a Delegate Account”

There are 3rd party products such as Exchange Resource Manager and AutoAccept Sink for Exchange that will automatically accept/decline meeting requests for conference rooms and other resources.

<>31. <>How do I create users from an Excel table?

There is no built-in way to accomplish that. However, see http://www.cdolive.net/download/bulkaddfromexcel.zip for a Windows Scripting Host script that uses an Excel table to create users and mailbox enable them.

<>32. <>How do I find an SMTP mail address in Active Directory if Active Directory Users and Computers tells me it is in use when I try to create a new user?

Either open Outlook to create a new message with that SMTP address and hit “CTRL+K” to resolve it, or use a Windows Scripting Host script to find it. For the latter, see http://www.cdolive.net/download/adusermanagement.zip (look for FindUserWithADSI.wsf and FindUserWithCDO.wsf)

<>33. <>How do I disable the "Automatically update e-mail addresses based on recipient policy" on all users or contacts?

' Default setting for "msExchPoliciesExcluded" is empty

' Once disabling the automatic e-mail address update it is:

' "{26491CFC-9E50-4857-861B-0CB8DF22B5D7}"

' Default setting for "msExchPoliciesIncluded" is:

' "{26491CFC-9E50-4857-861B-0CB8DF22B5D7}" plus a unique GUID for each applied Recipient Policy separated by a comma

' And after turning off the automatic update "msExchPoliciesIncluded" is only:

' "{26491CFC-9E50-4857-861B-0CB8DF22B5D7}"

<>

<>34. <>How do I Enable the Security Tab for the Organization Object?

This tab is not enabled by default. For instructions on how to enable it see KB264733

<>35. <>How do I restrict users from Creating Top-Level Folders?

For Exchange 2000 public folders, you can follow the instructions in this article KB256131. But with Exchange 2000, however, any time a new server is added to the organization, these permissions will be reset.

In Exchange 2003 these permission are restricted by default so to install Exchange 2003, you will automatically restrict them.

“Allow create top-level public folder access control entry for everyone” permissions and “allow anonymous logon from the organization container” permissions are removed during the installation of Exchange 2003.*****

<>36. <>Why do the storage quota settings not take effect immediately?

This problem has been fixed in AN Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Post-Service Pack 3 MDB patch. For more information see KB327378

<>37. <>How do I limit which Outlook client versions can access my server?

You need to create the Disable MAPI Clients registry value to disable MAPI client access. For more information, see KB288894

Exchange 2003 > Setup/Upgrade

<>1. <>What happened to the M: drive?

The EXIFS (M: drive) feature has been disabled by default. If the feature is still needed, it can be assigned to an available drive letter with a registry setting.

<>2. <>Can Exchange 5.5 or Exchange 2000 run on Windows 2003?

NO. Windows 2003 uses IIS 6.0, which has been re-engineered to keep up with best practices and industry standards. Windows 2003 has an IIS 5.0 compatibility mode, however, it is not compatible with Exchange 5.5 or Exchange 2000. Therefore, neither Exchange Systems are compatible with Windows 2003.

<>3. <>Can I run Exchange 2000 with an AD infrastructure with Windows 2003 DC's?

YES, all exchange versions will run in an AD 2003 environment. Exchange 2000 will benefit from some of the new features in AD 2003 and Exchange 5.5 has an ADC specifically for an Exchange 5.5/ AD 2003 environment. If AD 2000 is upgraded to AD 2003, the ADC will need to be upgraded also.*

<>4. <>Can I upgrade Exchange 2003 Beta 2 to RTM?

NO. Microsoft will not support any deployment of Beta 2 into a production environment. Their official position is, “Exchange 2003 Beta 2 should not be deployed in a production environment. You can deploy Exchange 2003 Beta 2 in a test environment only.

<>5. <>Can I upgrade Exchange 5.5 in place to Exchange 2003?

NO. In place upgrades to Exchange 2003 must already be Exchange 2000 SP3 and Windows 2000 SP3 or later. The only upgrade paths from 5.5 to 2003 are; an in place upgrade to Exchange 2000 then an in place upgrade to Exchange 2003 or the leap frog migration which requires another server.

<>6. <>How should I upgrade from Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2003?

Since Exchange 5.5 can not be upgraded in place, The Active Directory should be upgraded to AD 2003, setup the new ADC and then install a new Exchange 2003 server. Then move users from 5.5 to 2003.

<>7. <>Where's the Instant Messaging Server?

The Exchange Instant Messaging Service is being replaced by the Microsoft Office Real–Time Communications (RTC) server. It is no longer a component of the Exchange Server. For more information, see http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview/rtcserver/.

<>8. <>What are the Supported FE/BE scenarios? (i.e. E2003 FE with E2k BE etc.)

It is not sufficient to simply upgrade front-end servers to Exchange 2003 for users to get the new interface.

You must upgrade back-end servers to Exchange 2003 as well

Interface matrix

Ex2000 FE + Ex2000 BE = Ex2000 OWA

Ex2003 FE + Ex2000 BE = Ex2000 OWA

Ex2000 FE + Ex2003 BE = Not supported (AG protected)

Ex2003 FE + Ex2003 BE = Ex2003 OWA

Ability to Reply and Forward to Messages and Posts in Public Folders is only enabled when the client is using a front-end server. Forms-based authentication (FBA) is functional for deployments where the FE is Exchange 2003, but the mailbox is still on Exchange 2000. However, session timeouts are handled much better if the BE are also Exchange 2003

<>9. <>What do I need to get RPC over HTTP working?

Client

<>o <>Outlook 2003, Windows XP with Service Pack 1 + Q331320

Server-side

<>o <>Exchange 2003 on Windows 2003 for FE (if FE is deployed)

<>o <>Exchange 2003 on Windows 2003 for BE

<>o <>Exchange 2003 on Windows 2003 for Public Folders

<>o <>Exchange 2003 on Windows 2003 for System Folders

<>o <>Windows 2003 for Global Catalog server

When used with the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 RPC Proxy Service and Exchange 2003, Outlook 2003 clients can connect simply using HTTP or HTTPS, thereby reducing the need for virtual private networks (VPNs) or dial-up remote access. If remote users only need to gain access to corporate messaging information, your IT department may not need to deploy VPN infrastructure. VPN-less access reduces costs and provides for increased security by ensuring that remote Outlook users don’t need access to the entire network.

<>10. <>What do I need in order to install Exchange 2003?

A partial list includes:

<>o <>DNS (preferably DDNS)

<>o <>Active Directory 2000 or 2003

<>o <>Permissions to update the Schema

<>o <>Hardware sufficient to run Exchange 2003

<>o <>Windows 2000 SP3 applied to all DCs, GC, and all (future) E2K2 servers, or Windows 2003.

<>11. <>I'm running Exchange 5.5 and would like to upgrade to Exchange 2003. Can I upgrade directly?

No. The only supported upgrade in place is from Exchange 2000 SP3 or later. You would need to first upgrade your Exchange 5.5 server to at least Exchange 2000 SP3 and then upgrade in place to Exchange 2003. Another option is to exmerge out your current users and exmerge them into an Exchange 2003 server. And the only other option is called the leap frog migration. You configure the Active Directory Connector (ADC) for Exchange 2003 between the Active Directory and Exchange 5.5 Directory Service. Install a new Exchange 2003 server into the enterprise and move the Exchange 5.5 users to Exchange 2003.

<>12. <>Can I install Exchange 2003 on Windows 2000 server?

Yes, but Windows 2000 must have SP3 loaded first.

<>13. <>Can I rename or move the default groups created by Exchange during domainprep and forestprep?

Only if you want to horribly break your Exchange installation.

<>14. <>What are the minimum hardware requirements for Exchange 2003?

The minimum practical hardware requirements in our experience are 1.25 times the disk space one would allocate under Exchange 2000, 1GB RAM (4GB minimum if the Exchange server also serves any other function) and the fastest processor(s) you can afford.

<>15. <>Am I better off with one really fast processor or two somewhat slower processors?

You're better off with two really fast processors. But, with all other things being equal, two processors are better than one with Exchange 2003. In most instances, a 2-processor machine would be preferable.

<>16. <>Can I have multiple Exchange 2003 organizations in a single forest?

No. Only a single E2K3 organization can exist within a single forest. Delegation of administration within the organization can be accomplished using OUs in AD and Administrative/ Routing Groups in the Exchange system manager.

<>17. <>Can an Exchange 2003 organization span multiple forests?

No. All domains in a forest share a common schema and the Exchange organization exists within this configuration naming context. The GC, which provides the Global Address List is populated only with items within the forest

<>18. <>How can I merge multiple directories to create a unified Exchange organization?

<>o <>Microsoft's Meta-Directory Services (MMS)

<>o <>HP's LDAP Directory Synchronization Utility

<>o <>CPS Systems' SimpleSync

<>o <>ADSI (code, code code)

<>19. <>Can I upgrade from the evaluation edition of Exchange 2003 Enterprise Server to the RTM standard version of Exchange 2003 Server?

No this is technically a downgrade from enterprise to standard. You can only upgrade the evaluation version of Exchange 2003 Enterprise to Exchange 2003 Enterprise RTM.

<>20. <>How can you tell how many days remain until the evaluation copy of Exchange 2000 Server expires?

The Exchange Server Setup Progress Log includes the date on which the Exchange server was installed. Take the difference between that date and today's date and subtract it from 120 to determine how many days remain in your evaluation.

<>21. <>My evaluation version has expired! Are my databases toast?

No. Install a full version of Exchange 2000 Enterprise and you can continue to use your existing databases.

<>22. <>I plan to run Exchange in a hosted environment, where can I find information on how to configure my Exchange server to host multiple companies

Microsoft Service Providers

<>23. <>What ports does Exchange use?

A partial list of the ports your Exchange server might use is included below

<>o <>25 SMTP

<>o <>53 DNS

<>o <>80 HTTP

<>o <>88 Kerberos

<>o <>102 X.400

<>o <>110 POP3

<>o <>119 NNTP

<>o <>135 RPC

<>o <>137 - NetBIOS Session Service

<>o <>139 - NetBIOS Name Service

<>o <>143 IMAP4

<>o <>379 LDAP (SRS)

<>o <>389 LDAP

<>o <>443 HTTP (SSL)

<>o <>445 - NetBIOS over TCP

<>o <>465 SMTP (SSL)

<>o <>563 NNTP (SSL)

<>o <>636 LDAP (SSL)

<>o <>691 LSA

<>o <>993 IMAP4 (SSL)

<>o <>994 IRC (SSL)

<>o <>995 POP3 (SSL)

<>o <>1503 T.120

<>o <>1720 H.323

<>o <>1731 Audio conferencing

<>o <>1863 - MSN IM

<>o <>3268 GC

<>o <>3269 GC (SSL)

<>o <>6001 Rpc/HTTP Exchange Store

<>o <>6002 HTTP Exchange Directory Referral service

<>o <>6004 Rpc/HTTP NSPI Exchange Directory Proxy service/Global Catalog

<>o <>6667 IRC/IRCX

<>o <>6891 - 6900 - MSN IM File transfer

<>o <>6901 - MSN IM Voice

<>o <>7801 - 7825 - MSN IM Voice

<>24. <>Exchange Group Policy Notes, what should I do?

A: Do Not delete the Default Domain Policy or Default Domain Controller Policy in your Active Directory.

The Exchange domain prep operation targets a policy with GUID 6AC1786C-016F-11D2-945F-00C04fB984F9 for its operations. If it doesn't find it, domain prep will fail.

<>1. <>What are the Supported FE/BE scenarios? (i.e. E2003 FE with E2k BE etc.)

It is not sufficient to simply upgrade front-end servers to Exchange 2003 for users to get the new interface.

You must upgrade back-end servers to Exchange 2003 as well

Interface matrix

Ex2000 FE + Ex2000 BE = Ex2000 OWA

Ex2003 FE + Ex2000 BE = Ex2000 OWA

Ex2000 FE + Ex2003 BE = Not supported (AG protected)

Ex2003 FE + Ex2003 BE = Ex2003 OWA

<>2. <>Can I use Exchange 2003's OWA to access a mailbox on an Exchange 5.5 or Exchange 2000 server?

Yes and No. Exchange 2003 can access a 2000 back-end server however, it will remain the same as Exchange 2000 OWA. As for Exchange 5.5, the enhanced OWA is built directly into the store technology and only a mailbox residing on an Exchange 2003 server can be accessed using the enhanced OWA interface. Nice try, though.

<>3. <>Can I use Exchange 5.5's OWA to access a mailbox on an Exchange 2003 server?

Yes. But you will not get the look and feel or the added features from the 2003 servers.

<>4. <>How do I remove the ADC after moving all of my users to an Exchange 2003 server?

First, you need to use the Exchange 5.5 Admin program to delete the directory replication connectors (Org | Site | Configuration | Connections). Once you have deleted the connections, you need to be logged on with an account with Schema Admin privileges to delete the ADC connector.

<>5. <>How many Global Catalog servers should I deploy?

There is no hard and fast rule in this regard. Some potential guidelines include:

<>1. <>At least 1 per routing group

<>2. <>One for every 4 Exchange servers in a routing group

<>3. <>One (or more) for each physical location

<>1. <>Is there any way to append a text message to all out bound email for Exchange 2003?

There are 3rd party products that will do this too.

<>2. <>How do I add a disclaimer to outgoing SMTP messages in Visual Basic/Visual Basic Script?

<>3. <>What additional queues have been exposed?

All the system queues like the failed message retry queue, DNS messages pending submission, and messages queued for deferred delivery are now exposed to enhance trouble shooting.

<>4. <>What do the various queue names mean?

DNS messages pending submission - Contains delivery status notifications (DSN), also known as non-delivery reports that are ready to be delivered by Exchange. The Delete All Messages (no NDR) and Delete All Messages (NDR) functions are unavailable for this queue.

Messages queued for deferred delivery – Contains the messages marked by the client for deferred delivery or messages simply awaiting delivery at a different time.

Failed message retry - Contains messages that have been marked as retry due to a delivery failure. This queue also does not have the NDR functions mention in the DNS messages pending submission queue.

<>5. <>How do you restrict Distribution Lists?

Submissions can be restricted to a limited number of security principles though the standard Windows Discretionary Access Control List (DACL). This feature prevents non-trusted senders, such as unauthorized Internet users, from sending mail to an internal only distribution list. An example of this would be an “All Employees” distribution list which should not be available to anyone outside the company (by spoofing or otherwise). Note Restricted distribution lists will only work on the bridgehead servers or SMTP gateway servers running Exchange 2003.

To set restrictions on a distribution list

<>1. <>Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Exchange, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers.

<>2. <>Expand your organizational unit container, and double-click Users.

<>3. <>Right-click the distribution list for which you want to restrict submissions, and then click Properties.

<>4. <>Click the Exchange General tab.

<>5. <>Under Message Restrictions, under Accept messages, select one of the following options:

<>o <>Click From everyone to allow anyone to send to this distribution list. This includes anonymous users from the Internet.

<>o <>Click From authenticated users only to allow only authenticated users to send mail to this distribution list.

<>o <>Click Only from to specify a select set of users or groups that can send to this group and then click Add to specify the users or groups that you want to permit to send mail to this distribution list.

<>o <>Click From everyone except to allow everyone but a select set of users or groups to send to this distribution group and then click Add to specify the list of users or groups that you want to restrict from sending to this distribution list.

<>6. <>Can I view the queues on a per server basis?

Yes, in the new Queue Viewer in the Exchange 2003 System Manager.

<>7. <>How do I activate the real time safe block list?

Enabling connection filter involves two steps:

<>0. <>Create the recipient filter using the Connection Filtering tab on the Message Delivery Properties under Global Settings.

<>1. <>Apply the filter at the SMTP virtual server level.

The Directions are in the document entitled “Exchange Titanium Getting Started Guide”

<>8. <>How do I move SMTP queues and badmail directories?

Exchange 2003 allows you to change the location of queue directories for SMTP virtual servers and X.400.

The Directions are in the document entitled “Exchange Titanium Getting Started Guide”

<>9. <>How do I filter incoming mail by subject or attachment?

Exchange 2003 does not have any built-in function to accomplish that. Either look for a third party tool or develop your own Windows SMTP Transport Event Sink.

See http://www.cdolive.net/download/SMTPTransportEvent-AttachmentFilter.zip and http://www.cdolive.net/download/SMTPTransportEvent-SenderFilter.zip for two samples to get you started. More information about Windows SMTP Transport Event Sinks can be found at http://msdn.microsoft.com

<>10. <>How do I limit the maximum amount of messages the SMTP queue can hold?

You have to use the MaxMessageObjects registry key. For more information, see KB258748

<>11. <>How do I strip the attachment from an NDR?

You can do this through a registry entry. But there are two drawbacks. Once this is done, the details that are necessary to display the notification in the preview pane are stripped, and the originator of the message cannot use the Send Again option. For more information, see KB308303

<>1. <>What happened to the M: drive?

The EXIFS (M: drive) feature has been disabled by default. If the feature is still needed, it can be assigned to an available drive letter with a registry setting.

<>2. <>What is the STM file?

the .stm file is part of the information store database that contains the native internet formatted items. It is used to improve the performance of the database.

<>3. <>Why does the size of the EDB file not change when I move users out of that store?

The .edb file will only decrease in size once a database defrag is performed.

<>4. <>How do I move the log files?

The new ESM allows the administrator to move the log files through the GUI.

<>5. <>Is there an easier way to move mailboxes grouped by mailbox.store?

Yes, you can now move mailboxes through ESM grouped by mailbox store.

<>6. <>Will an in place upgrade from Exchange 2000 remove the M: drive?

Yes, In both the clean install and upgrade from Exchange 2000 scenarios, Exchange 2003 does not present EXIFS as drive letter M:

<>7. <>If there is still an M: drive mapped, why does the free space number look funny?

The free space number shown on the M: drive is based on the main install drive for Exchange. It is not related to the drive space on the drives where the stores actually exist.

<>1. <>Which cluster configuration is preferred?

Microsoft recommends Active/Passive clustering because it:

<>o <>Scales better

<>o <>sizes the same way as a stand alone Exchange server

<>o <>can have up to 8 nodes in the cluster

<>o <>always fails over to a fresh node

<>2. <>What happened to Active/Active Clustering?

Active/Active clustering is only supported with a 2-node cluster limited to 1900 concurrent connections.

<>3. <>Do I still have to cycle the services on fail back like in 2000 Active/Passive mode?

The Exchange services are automatically shutdown on failover so when fail back happens the services are automatically brought back online for a clean address space.

<>4. <>How many cluster nodes are supported by each version of Exchange?

Exchange 2003 and Windows 2003, Standard Edition will run up to a 4-node cluster. Exchange 2003 and Windows 2003 Enterprise will run an 8-node cluster with at least one passive node.

<>5. <>Are there any other differences between Win2k and Win2k3 clustering?

Win2k3 Enterprise and Datacenter both support 8-node clusters. MSCS (Microsoft Clustering Services) is now available for high availability. NLB Manager allows the administrator to configure the NLB service in a central location thus avoiding mistakes from repetitive actions. For more information see the “Technical Overview of Clustering in Windows Server 2003” and “Windows Server 2003 Server Cluster Architecture” documents.

<>6. <>Why am I getting the 9582’s and what is VM Fragmentation?

VM fragmentation is when the virtual memory becomes fragmented and can prevent stores form mounting. The 9582 event is the event that warns about this condition. For more information refer to “The Extensible Storage Engine Database Engine Contributes to Virtual Memory Fragmentation (324118)”

<>1. <>Can I use the Windows 2003 Active Directory connector with Exchange 2003?

No, you need to install the Exchange 2003 ADC.

<>2. <>How can I get a list of connection agreements in Exchange 2003 ADC?

Run the ExchDump utility with the /CA switch.

<>3. <>What are the new ADC Tools?

The Active Directory Connector management console now contains an ADC Tools option. ADC Tools is a collection of wizards and tools that help you set up connection agreements by scanning your current Active Directory and Exchange 5.5 Directory and organization, and automatically creating the recommended connection agreements. The following wizards are included in the ADC Tools:

Resource Mailbox Wizard This wizard identifies Active Directory accounts that match more than one Exchange 5.5 mailbox. Using this wizard, you can match the appropriate primary mailbox to the Active Directory account and stamp other mailboxes with the NTDSNoMatch attribute, which designates the mailboxes as resource mailboxes. You can either make these changes online or export a commaseparated value (.csv) file that you can update and import into the Exchange 5.5 directory.

Connection Agreement Wizard This wizard recommends connection agreements based on your Exchange 5.5 directory and Active Directory configuration. You can review the list of recommended connection agreements and select those you want the wizard to create.

The Exchange Server Deployment Tools lead you through the process of installing Active Directory Connector and running ADC Tools.

<>1. <>What are the Supported FE/BE scenarios? (i.e. E2003 FE with E2k BE etc.)

It is not sufficient to simply upgrade front-end servers to Exchange 2003 for users to get the new interface.

You must upgrade back-end servers to Exchange 2003 as well

Interface matrix

Ex2000 FE + Ex2000 BE = Ex2000 OWA

Ex2003 FE + Ex2000 BE = Ex2000 OWA

Ex2000 FE + Ex2003 BE = Not supported (AG protected)

Ex2003 FE + Ex2003 BE = Ex2003 OWA

<>2. <>How do I disable OWA for a single user in Exchange 2000/2003?

In Active Directory Users and Computers (Advanced Features view) open the properties for the user object and choose Exchange Advanced | Protocol Settings | HTTP | Settings | and uncheck the 'Enable for mailbox' check box.

<>3. <>How do I stop users from going to a bookmarked /LOGON.ASP page after conversion to 2003 OWA?

After converting from Exchange 5.5 OWA to 2000 OWA, all the users had book marked the URL of mail.company.com/exchange/logon.asp, since in 5.5 OWA it automatically would pull the user from the root URL into a logon page (since it used ASP) but now the user only sees the same base URL of mail.company.com/exchange. So once the users used the book mark or in some cases the "autocomplete" feature in IE they would be pulled to a dead address.

Go into the front-end server that is hosting your OWA.

<>o <>Start up IIS admin and locate the /Exchange virtual directory

<>o <>Right click on the /Exchange directory and using the "wizard" create a new virtual directory called logon.asp. When it prompts where the content is located just put something like c:\inetpub\wwwroot

<>o <>Once the virtual root has been created, right click it, select properties then select the tab labeled "Virtual Directory"

<>o <>Select the "A redirection to a URL" and then in the "Redirect to" URL enter /exchange/

What happens is when the user hits the virtual root of /exchange/logon.asp it pulls the user back to only /exchange*

<>4. <>How do I activate session timeouts for OWA users?

Outlook Web Access user credentials are now stored in a cookie. When the user logs out of Outlook Web Access, the cookie is cleared and is no longer valid for authentication. Additionally, by default the cookie is set to expire automatically after 20 minutes of user inactivity. See Logon Modifications for OWA Users for the instructions.

<>5. <>How do I disable potions of the OWA interface?

Exchange 2000 SP2 introduced the concept of OWA segmentation. This is where you can selectively enable/disable certain features in the web client. Exchange 2003 extends the segmentation options found in Exchange 2000. You can either set global (per server) segmentation via a registry parameter, or set the msExchMailboxFolderSet attribute on user objects. A bit mask determines the functionality available to the user. For a list of fields, see OWA Segmentation .

<>6. <>What are the new OWA Hot Keys?

<>o <>Ctrl+N: New Mail (or Post, if in public folders)

<>o <>Ctrl+R: Reply to currently selected mail in view

<>o <>Ctrl+Shift+R: Reply all to currently selected mail in view

<>o <>Ctrl+Shift+F: Forward currently selected mail

<>o <>Ctrl+U: Mark currently selected message(s) as unread

<>o <>Ctrl+Q: Mark currently selected message(s) as read

Note: You need al least IE 5.0 or better for these to work.

<>7. <>How do I make OWA work properly with Extended Characters?

Beginning in Exchange 2000, messages with extended characters are encoded with UTF-8, by default. For more information see KB273615 and KB281745

<>1. <>What is OMA?

Outlook Mobile Access and Exchange Server ActiveSync features, formerly found in Microsoft Mobile Information Server 2002, are now built-in with all Exchange Server 2003 Standard installations.

Complementing the Outlook 2003 and Outlook Web Access mobile improvements, Outlook Mobile Access and Exchange Server ActiveSync help enable secure corporate e-mail on a range of mobile devices including browser-based mobile phones, Microsoft Windows Powered Pocket PC, and Microsoft Windows Powered Smartphone devices.

Adding this functionality to the core Exchange Server 2003 product reduces the need to deploy additional mobile server products in the corporate environment, thus lowering the total cost of ownership.

<>2. <>Can I deploy OMA in a mixed environment?

In a mixed Exchange environment, you must use Exchange 2003 for both the front-end and back-end servers to gain access to mailboxes through Outlook Mobile Access (OMA) and Exchange ActiveSync. For mailboxes on Exchange 5.5 and 2000, you need to deploy Microsoft Mobile Information Server.

<>3. <>Which devices are supported by Microsoft to be used with OMA?

Device support for Outlook Mobile Access (OMA) Browse is dictated by the Device Update package installed on the Exchange 2003 server. When you run Exchange 2003 Setup today, the DU2 package is silently installed as part of the installation.

Approximately, every 6 months, new Device Update packages are released. This will add support for more devices to your Exchange server.

The current Device Update package is DU4. The full list of devices and which DU package they are included in is available here.

<>4. <>How do I verify OMA is functioning?

You can verify Outlook Mobile Access (OMA) is functioning from a desktop machine running IE 6.0 Assuming that SERVER1 is running Exchange 2003:

<>1. <>From a desktop PC running IE6.0, navigate to http://server1/oma

<>2. <>Enter the logon credentials for an existing mailbox which resides on server1

<>3. <>Click the OK hyperlink when you receive the warning about your device being unsupported

<>4. <>Welcome to OMA!

<>5. <>I have just upgraded and I can’t use OMA, why?

The setting to enable/disable OMA Browse is actually set during ForestPrep. Exchange 2003 ForestPrep will no longer enable OMA Browse by default. Exchange 2003 ForestPrep/Reinstall will keep it enabled if it was already enabled. This means that OMA Browse WON’T be enabled when running ForestPrep to upgrade from Exchange 2000. You can find OMA Browse settings in ESM, under Global Settings -> Mobile Services -> Properties

Note: ActiveSync and AUTD remain unchanged.

<>6. <>I have an Exchange 2003 server on a member server that I promoted to a DC, what happened to my OMA, it no longer works?

Amongst other problems, the ASP.NET account changes which causes OMA to cease functioning.

<>1. <>What do I need to get RPC over HTTP working?

Client

<>o <>Outlook 2003, Windows XP with Service Pack 1 + Q331320

Server-side

<>o <>Exchange 2003 on Windows 2003 for FE (if FE is deployed)

<>o <>Exchange 2003 on Windows 2003 for BE

<>o <>Exchange 2003 on Windows 2003 for Public Folders

<>o <>Exchange 2003 on Windows 2003 for System Folders

<>o <>Windows 2003 for Global Catalog server

<>2. <>Do I need Windows XP to use Outlook RPC over HTTP?

Yes. Windows XP with Service Pack 1 + Q331320

<>3. <>How can I enable/disable an attribute used by the Outlook client for ambiguous name resolution

<>o <>"Registry Modification Required to Allow Write Operations to Schema" - KB216060

<>o <>"Setting an Attribute's searchFlags Property to Be Indexed for ANR" - KB243311.

<>4. <>What are the differences in compression between Outlook 2002/2003 and Exchange 2002/2003?

The following tables illustrate how RPC compression and buffer packing works on the wire between the Outlook client and Exchange Server.

Outlook 2002 against Exchange 2000 / 2003

Mode	Data Flow	Network Client	Buffer Size	Data Buffer Size	Size on Wire	Compressed
Online	Download/Upload	LAN	32Kb	32Kb	32Kb	No
Online	Download/Upload	WAN	4Kb/8Kb	4Kb/8Kb	4Kb/8Kb	No
Offline	Download/Upload	All	32Kb	32Kb	32Kb	No

Outlook 2003 against Exchange 2003

Mode	Data Flow	Network Client	Buffer Size	Data Buffer Size	Size on Wire	Compressed
Online	Download	All	32Kb	32Kb	<32kb	Yes
Online	Upload	All	32Kb	32Kb	<32kb	Yes
Cached	Download	All	96Kb	>96Kb	96Kb	Yes
Cached	Upload	All	32Kb	32Kb	<32kb	Yes
Offline	Download	All	32Kb	>32Kb	32Kb	Yes
Offline	Upload	All	32Kb	32Kb	<32kb	Yes

The compression technology used between Outlook 2003 and Exchange 2003 is called XPRESS(tm) and is based on the Lempel-Ziv (LZ-77) algorithm. This is the same technology that Active Directory uses to perform compression of its’ RPC data when replicating between servers. All data over the size of 1 KB is compressed, and the technology is built into both client and server; therefore the compression is full duplex.

The compression gain is dictated by the message format and attachment(s) type. Because the compression is performed at the RPC level, all message data is compressed.

<>o <>Plain text and HTML messages usually compress between 60% and 80% (on the wire saving)

<>o <>Rich-text (RTF) messages usually compress up to 20% (on the wire saving)

<>o <>Word documents compress down better than PowerPoint files

OWA Segmentation

Exchange 2000 SP2 introduced the concept of OWA segmentation. This is where you can selectively enable/disable certain features in the web client.

Exchange 2003 extends the segmentation options found in Exchange 2000. You can either set global (per server) segmentation via a registry parameter, or set the msExchMailboxFolderSet attribute on user objects. A bit mask determines the functionality available to the user:

2000

<>1. <>What is a GC?

A GC is a Global Catalog Server. A GC holds a full set of attributes for the domain in which it resides and a subset of attributes for all objects in the Active Directory Forest.

<>2. <>What is DDNS and why do I need it?

<>3. <>What is a border server?

<>4. <>What is a mixed mode Exchange environment?

An Exchange environment which contains Exchange 2003 or Exchange 2000 and Exchange 5.5 servers.

<>5. <>What is forestprep?

Forestprep extends the AD schema to include Exchange specific information. Additional information can be found on the Microsoft Exchange Server Site

<>6. <>What is domainprep?

Domainprep creates the groups and permissions necessary for Exchange servers to read and modify user attributes. Additional information can be found on the Microsoft Exchange Server Site.

<>7. <>What is a DC?

A DC is a Windows 2000 Domain Controller that holds active directory for a domain (used for things like user authentication).

<>8. <>How does an Exchange 5.5 site compare to an Exchange 2000 Routing Group or Administrative Group?

In a mixed mode Exchange environment the Exchange 2000 Administrative Group and Routing Group correspond to the Exchange 5.5 site. In a native Exchange 2000 environment, the Administrative Group is a group of Exchange objects sharing a common set of permissions and routing groups define how those servers communicate with one another. A single Administrative Group can contain several Routing Groups.

Example: Your north American Exchange servers might be grouped in a single Administrative Group, but subdivided into several Routing Groups to optimize interserver communication.

An Administrative Group contains zero or more Routing Groups.

<>1. <>What's changed in Exchange 2000 compared to previous versions of Exchange?

Lots of things have changed with Exchange 2000. Microsoft has written quite a bit about the new features which can be found on the Microsoft Exchange 2000 - Server Features Overview Site. The following are a few articles from this site:

<>o <>Enhanced Platform for Messaging and Collaboration

<>o <>Microsoft Web Storage System Collaboration and Applications

<>o <>Anytime, Anywhere Communication

Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Datasheet. Some highlights include:

<>o <>SMTP is now the primary method for intra-server communication in a pure Exchange 2000 environment.

<>o <>Integration with Active Directory.

<>o <>Support for multiple information stores.

<>o <>Enhanced Outlook Web Access

<>2. <>What do I need in order to install Exchange 2000?

A partial list includes:

<>o <>DNS (preferably DDNS)

<>o <>Active Directory

<>o <>Permissions to update the Schema

<>o <>Hardware sufficient to run Exchange 2000

<>o <>Windows 2000 SP1 applied to all DCs, GC, and all (future) E2K servers.

<>3. <>I'm running Exchange 4.0 and would like to upgrade to Exchange 2000. Can I upgrade directly?

No. The only supported upgrade path is from Exchange 5.5 SP3 or later. You would need to first upgrade your Exchange 4.0 server to at least Exchange 5.5 SP3 and then upgrade to Exchange 2000. Another option is to exmerge out your current users, and exmerge them into an Exchange 2000 server.

<>4. <>Can I install Exchange 2000 on Windows NT 4.0 or without using Active Directory?

<>5. <>Can I rename or move the default groups created by Exchange during domainprep and forestprep?

Only if you want to horribly break your Exchange installation.

<>6. <>How do I configure a Front End/ Back End topology?

There is an excellent white paper on the subject available from Microsoft "Exchange 2000 Front-end and Back-end Topology".

<>7. <>What are the minimum hardware requirements for Exchange 2000?

The minimum practical hardware requirements in our experience are 1.25 times the disk space one would allocate under Exchange 5.5, 256MB RAM (512MB minimum if the Exchange server also serves any other function) and the fastest processor(s) you can afford.

<>8. <>Am I better off with one really fast processor or two somewhat slower processors?

You're better off with two really fast processors. But, with all other things being equal, two processors are better than one with Exchange 2000. In most instances, a 2-processor machine would be preferable.

<>9. <>Can I have multiple Exchange 2000 organizations in a single forest?

No. Only a single E2K organization can exist within a single forest. Delegation of administration within the organization can be accomplished using OUs in AD and Administrative/ Routing Groups in the Exchange system manager.

<>10. <>Can an Exchange 2000 organization span multiple forests?

<>11. <>How can I merge multiple directories to create a unified Exchange organization?

<>o <>Microsoft's Meta-Directory Services (MMS)

<>o <>Compaq's LDAP Directory Synchronization Utility

<>o <>CPS Systems' SimpleSync

<>o <>ADSI (code, code code)

<>12. <>Can I upgrade from the evaluation edition of Exchange 2000 Enterprise Server to the RTM standard version of Exchange 2000 Server?

No This is technically a downgrade from enterprise to standard. You can only upgrade the evaluation version of Exchange 2000 Enterprise to Exchange 2000 Enterprise RTM.

<>13. <>How can you tell how many days remain until the evaluation copy of Exchange 2000 Server expires?

<>14. <>My evaluation version has expired! Are my databases toast?

No. Install a full version of Exchange 2000 Enterprise and you can continue to use your existing databases.

<>15. <>I plan to run Exchange in a hosted environment, where can I find information on how to configure my Exchange server to host multiple companies?

Microsoft Service Providers

<>16. <>What ports does Exchange use?

A partial list of the ports your Exchange server might use is included below. If you're asking this question because you'd like to configure your firewall to allow users to connect using Outlook from the internet, we HIGHLY recommend you consider using VPN instead. (Do you really want to expose your GC to the possibility of attack from a 16 year old script kiddie?)

<>o <>25 SMTP

<>o <>53 DNS

<>o <>80 HTTP

<>o <>88 Kerberos

<>o <>102 X.400

<>o <>110 POP3

<>o <>119 NNTP

<>o <>135 RPC

<>o <>137 - Netbios Session Service

<>o <>139 - Netbios Name Service

<>o <>143 IMAP4

<>o <>379 LDAP (SRS)

<>o <>389 LDAP

<>o <>443 HTTP (SSL)

<>o <>445 - Netbios over TCP

<>o <>465 SMTP (SSL)

<>o <>563 NNTP (SSL)

<>o <>636 LDAP (SSL)

<>o <>691 LSA

<>o <>993 IMAP4 (SSL)

<>o <>994 IRC (SSL)

<>o <>995 POP3 (SSL)

<>o <>1503 T.120

<>o <>1720 H.323

<>o <>1731 Audio conferencing

<>o <>1863 - MSN IM

<>o <>3268 GC

<>o <>3269 GC (SSL)

<>o <>6667 IRC/IRCX

<>o <>689 - 6900 - MSN IM File transfer

<>o <>6901 - MSN IM Voice

<>o <>7801 - 7825 - MSN IM Voice

Additional information on Exchange ports and connecting through a firewall is included below. Remember, VPN is your friend.

<>o <>Q280132 XCCC: Exchange 2000 Windows 2000 Connectivity Through Firewalls

<>o <>Q270836 XCLN: Exchange 2000 Static Port Mappings

<>o <>Q278339 XGEN: TCP/UDP Ports Used By Exchange 2000 Server

<>17. <>How do I add additional SMTP domains?

<>o <>Setting Up SMTP Domains for Inbound and Relay E-Mail in Exchange 2000 Server - Q260973

<>o <>How to Receive Messages for Two SMTP Domains Using Exchange 2000 - Q289833

<>18. <>How do I uninstall Exchange 2000?

MS Knowledge Base Articles:

<>o <>Q260378

<>o <>Q273478

<>o <>Q264309

<>19. <>Exchange Group Policy Notes, what should I do?

A: Do Not delete the Default Domain Policy or Default Domain Controller Policy in your Active Directory.

The Exchange domain prep operation targets a policy with GUID 6AC1786C-016F-11D2-945F-00C04fB984F9 for its operations. If it doesn't find it, domain prep will fail.

<>1. <>Can I use Exchange 2000's OWA to access a mailbox on an Exchange 5.5 server?

No. The enhanced OWA is built directly into the store technology and only a mailbox residing on an Exchange 2000 server can be accessed using the enhanced OWA interface. Nice try, though.

<>2. <>Can I use Exchange 5.5's OWA to access a mailbox on an Exchange 2000 server?

Yes.

<>3. <>How do I remove the ADC after moving all of my users to an Exchange 2000 server?

<>4. <>How many Global Catalog servers should I deploy?

There is no hard and fast rule in this regard. Some potential guidelines include:

<>1. <>At least 1 per routing group

<>2. <>One for every 4 Exchange servers in a routing group

<>3. <>One (or more) for each physical location

<>5. <>How do I stop users from going to booked marked /LOGON.ASP page after conversion to 2000 OWA?

<>o <>Go into the front-end server that is hosting your OWA.

<>o <>Start up IIS admin and locate the /Exchange virtual directory

<>o <>Once the virtual root has been created, right click it, select properties then select the tab labeled "Virtual Directory"

<>o <>Select the "A redirection to a URL" and then in the "Redirect to" URL enter /exchange/

What happens is when the user hits the virtual root of /exchange/logon.asp it pulls the user back to only /exchange

<>1. <>How can I prevent a user from sending and receiving Internet mail?

Follow the steps outlined below:

<>1. <>Create a group called InternalOnly.

<>2. <>Create a recipient policy that gives them a fake SMTP address. i.e. @fake.domain. Leave the X400 address alone so they can receive internal mail.

<>4. <>Follow the steps in KB277872, regarding Connector Restrictions.

[Now they can't use the SMTP connector(s) to send external mail]

<>2. <>I created a user in AD Users and Computers, but in the Exchange system manager it doesn't appear under Mailbox Store | Mailboxes. What did I do wrong?

<>3. <>I created a secondary Public Folder Hierarchy, but only the original public folder hierarchy appears in Outlook.

Current versions of Outlook only support a single public folder hierarchy. Secondary Public Folder hierarchies can be accessed with the web.

<>4. <>What is the difference between 'receive as' and 'send as'?

'Receive as' allows a user object to open a mailbox. 'Send as' allows a user to send out a mail message as the mailbox that has been opened.

<>5. <>How do I restrict a user or domain from sending mail to my users?

<>6. <>I've created more than one address list. Which list will users see for their GAL?

The following criteria are used when determining what a client will see for the Global Address List.

<>o <>Which Address List do you have permissions to see?

<>o <>Which Address List contains your mailbox object as an entry?

If your mailbox appears as an object in more than one address list:

<>o <>Which of the remaining Address Lists contains more entries?

<>7. <>How do I control the format of the addresses before the @ sign in a recipient policy?

You can use the following variables: %g Given Name, %s Surname, %i initials in the recipient policy.

Examples:

User: Tommy Lee Jones

Domain: company.com

%g.%s@company.com = Tommy.Jones@company.com

%1g%s@company.com = TJones@company.com

%g%2s@comapny.com = TommyJo@company.com

Less commonly used variables include, %m (alias) and %d (display name).

<>8. <>How do I make Exchange automatically send a welcome message to all newly created users?

<>9. <>How do I determine what version of Outlook applies to a build or version number?

http://www.cdolive.com/build.htm

<>10. <>How do I add a disclaimer to outgoing SMTP messages in Visual Basic/Visual Basic Script?

<>11. <>How can you tell the exact version of Exchange you are running?

Here is a list of build numbers for Exchange 2000/2003:

Exchange 2000

<>o <>4417.5 = Exchange 2000 RTM

<>o <>4712.7 = Exchange 2000 SP1

<>o <>5762.4 = Exchange 2000 SP2

<>o <>6249.4 = Exchange 2000 SP3

<>o <>6396.1 = Exchange 2000 Post-SP3 Super Roll-up

<>o <>63xx/64xx = Exchange 2000 Post-SP3 Hotfixes

Exchange 2003

<>o <>6728.12 = Exchange 2003 Beta 1

<>o <>6803.8 = Exchange 2003 Beta 2

<>o <>6851.10 = Exchange 2003 Release Candidate 0

<>o <>6895.5 = Exchange 2003 Release Candidate 1 (Candidate)

<>12. <>How do I add a disclaimer to outgoing SMTP messages in Visual Basic?

How To: Add a Disclaimer to Outgoing SMTP Messages in Visual Basic – KB317327

<>13. <>Resource / Conference room scheduling

Outlook 2003 offers basic resource booking functionality through Direct Booking. For more information refer to “Direct Booking of Resource Without a Delegate Account”

There are 3rd party products such as Exchange Resource Manager and AutoAccept Sink for Exchange that will automatically accept/decline meeting requests for conference rooms and other resources.

<>14. <>Why do the storage quota settings not take effect immediately?

This problem has been fixed in AN Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Post-Service Pack 3 MDB patch. For more information see KB327378

<>15. <>How do I limit which Outlook client versions can access my server?

You need to create the Disable MAPI Clients registry value to disable MAPI client access. For more information, see KB288894

<>16. <>How do I limit the maximum amount of messages the SMTP queue can hold?

You have to use the MaxMessageObjects registry key. For more information, see KB258748

<>17. <>How do I strip the attachment from an NDR?

<>18. <>How do I disable OWA for a single user in Exchange 2000/2003?

<>19. <>How do I make OWA work properly with Extended Characters?

Beginning in Exchange 2000, messages with extended characters are encoded with UTF-8, by default. For more information see KB273615 and KB281745

<>20. <>Under Exchange 5.5 I couldn't restore a single mailbox without 3rd party products. With Exchange 2000, is it any easier to restore a single mailbox or back up a single mailbox?

Yes and no. Under Exchange 2000, a mailbox is not deleted immediately when an NT account is deleted. It can be reattached to a new user object following the steps described in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article "XADM: How to Recover a Deleted Mailbox in Exchange 2000" - Q274343. There is no built in mechanism for backing up a single Exchange mailbox. This would still require a 3rd party brick level backup utility.

<>21. <>Can I back up the M: drive using NT Backup or another backup application?

You can, but you will be sad. Do NOT back up the M: drive of an Exchange 2000 server. It can result in messages and attachments being inaccessible via the Outlook client.

<>22. <>What tools are used to administer Exchange 2000?

<>0. <>Active Directory Users & Computers - Used to create users, distribution groups and contacts.

<>1. <>Exchange System Manager - Used to manage the Exchange Server, create address lists, recipient policies, etc...

<>23. <>In Exchange 5.5 I could have multiple mailboxes associated with a single user account. How do I do that in Exchange 2000?

Exchange 2000 requires a user object for each mailbox. You can create a disabled user object, associate a mailbox with it, and then grant another user object 'receive as' and 'send as' permissions to that mailbox.

<>24. <>Can I administer an Exchange 5.5 server using the Exchange 2000 administration program? Can I administer an Exchange 2000 server using the Exchange 5.5 Admin program? Can I manage an Exchange 2000 server using AD Sites and Servers?

Unless you are following specific steps in a Microsoft KB article which specifies using a specific tool to perform a specific task you should NOT use anything other than the standard tool shipped with a product to administer it. So, you should NOT use the Exchange 5.5 Administrator program to administer Exchange 2000 servers, you should NOT use the Exchange 2000 System Manager to administer Exchange 5.5 servers and you should NOT use the AD Sites and Servers tool to Administer Exchange 2000 servers.

<>25. <>What do the event IDs mean in the message tracking log?

They are listed in Table 3. "Exchange 2000 message events" in the MSDN article titled "Building Management Components for Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server".

<>26. <>How can I enable/disable an attribute used by the Outlook client for ambiguous name resolution?

<>0. <>"Registry Modification Required to Allow Write Operations to Schema" - Q216060

<>1. <>"Setting an Attribute's searchFlags Property to Be Indexed for ANR" - Q243311.

<>27. <>Is Single Instance Storage maintained when moving users between servers | storage groups | databases?

Yes…

<>28. <>In my native E2K organization are there any requirement for RPC connectivity between servers?

In order to move users between servers, RPC connectivity is required.

<>29. <>How can I archive messages sent or received by my users?

<>0. <>Messages can be archived on a per store basis by enabling the option on the general properties tab of the Mailbox Store in the Exchange System Manager.

<>1. <>Use an event sink (either write your own or use the simple one provided by Microsoft and described in "XGEN: How to Install and Use the Exchange Server Archive Sink" - Q254767

<>2. <>Use a 3rd party message archival tool.

<>30. <>Why when I try to add an additional mailbox store do I receive the following error? This storage group already contains the maximum number of stores allowed. ID no: c1034a7a

You are running the standard version of Exchange 2000 which is limited to a single 16GB private information store.

<>31. <>Is there any way to append a text message to all out bound email for Exchange 2000?

Since there is no longer an IMC/IMS in Exchange 2000, the IMCEXT.DLL no longer applies. To prepend or append text to email messages you will need to write an Event Sink. Basic documentation can be found in the Exchange SDK or on MSDN.

<>1. <>Exchange 2000 Move Server Method

Like the Ed Crowley Move Server Method for Exchange 5.5, this method should create less potential for grief and downtime in your organization than other methods of moving to a new server. Many of the changes (especially changes to Active Directory) can take quite some time to replicate, so completing this process over the course of several days might be appropriate in many organizations. Like the 5.5 version of the ECMSM, this is probably not the easiest method for moving servers, but we believe it to be the least risky.

Remember that Exchange 2000 offers multiple databases and storage groups, so you may have to repeat some of the steps listed below on multiple databases. You can also configure multiple connectors and virtual servers, so you may have to recreate multiple instances of those as well.

Exchange 2000 no longer has its own directory. For the purposes of this document we’ve made the assumption that this move is of a single monolithic server in an organization (meaning that it handles both AD and Exchange). If this is not the Active Directory server in in your organization, you can probably skip all of the steps listed in italics.

<>1. <>Take a good backup of your existing server and save a copy of any custom forms or applications in use to a PST file.

<>2. <>Bring up a new Windows 2000 server in the same AD domain as the existing server. Make sure the following are installed on the server:

<>1. <>SMTP service

<>2. <>NNTP Service

<>3. <>Terminal Services (Not required but highly recommended)

<>4. <>DNS

<>3. <>Bring the box up to the same Windows 2000 service pack and hotfix level as the existing Exchange 2000 server.

<>4. Run DCPROMO to promote the new server to a domain controller. Choose to create an additional domain controller in an existing domain. <>

<>5. <>Wait for replication to complete. A tool such as ADcheck from NetIQ might help in this regard.

<>6. <>Install Exchange 2000 and bring it up to the same service pack and hotfix level as the existing server.

<>7. <>Create new mailbox stores and public folder stores on the new server to match the old server (This is not a requirement per se, you might instead choose a different configuration to take advantage of new and improved hardware).

<>8. <>Apply any Server, Mailbox Store or Public Store policies to the new server as needed.

<>9. <>Change the default Public Store for the existing Exchange server to the new Exchange Server. This is done on the General tab of the Mailbox Store in the

<>10. <>Exchange System Manager. Once this change is completed all new public folders created by users on this mailbox store will be created on the new server. (Repeat this for each mailbox store defined).

<>11. <>Create a replica of each public folder on the new server. Be sure to create a replica for the following system folders (and all their subfolders) as well: EFORMS Registry, Offline Address Book and Schedule+ Free Busy. To access the system folders, right-click on Folders | Public Folders in the Exchange System Manager and choose View System Folders.

<>12. <>Promote the new server to a Global Catalog server. This is done by going to Active Directory Sites and Services and double-clicking on the server you wish to promote to be a GC. Then right-click on NTDS settings and choose properties. On the properties tab, check the box labeled Global Catalog. Allow plenty of time for the changes to replicate.

<>13. <>Modify the Recipient Update Service in the Exchange System Manager to point to the new server.

<>14. <>In the Exchange System Manager | Tools | Monitoring and Status recreate any monitoring or status monitors needed for the new server.

<>15. <>Transfer the 5 FSMO roles to the new server. If you don’t know what a FSMO is and have no idea why anyone would want 5 of the suckers, we’d like to recommend this book to you for future reading: Windows 2000 Essential Reference. The RID, Infrastructure and PDC FSMO roles are changed in Active Directory Users and Computers. The Domain Naming Master is changed in Active Directory Domains and Trusts and the Schema FSMO is changed in Active Directory Schema. If Active Directory Schema is not available, you must install the Windows 2000 Administration Tools from the Windows 2000 Server compact disc and add it to an MMC console.

<>16. <>Recreate any virtual servers or connectors on the new server.

<>17. <>Apply any existing SMTP filters against the new SMTP virtual servers as needed.

<>18. <>Move mailboxes from the existing server to the new server using Active Directory Users and Computers. (If you are running AV software on the Exchange server, you may want to stop it during the process of moving users).

<>19. <>Verify that the AD Changes have replicated successfully.

<>20. <>Run DCPROMO on the old server to demote it to a member server.

<>21. <>Leave the old Exchange server up and running for a while so that MAPI clients can be redirected to the new server. Yes, it happens automagically as long as the client can connect to the old server at least once before you shut it down.

<>22. <>Notify POP3 and IMAP 4 users that the server address has changed (this step may not be necessary if your users were connecting to an Exchange Front End Server.).

<>23. <>Create MX records pointing to the new server as necessary. (For those using port forwarding via NAT, you may only need to change the internal IP address that packets are forwarded to, or you might choose to change the IP address of the new server after everything else is running smoothly… lots of possibilities here and we can’t cover them all).

<>24. <>Uninstall Exchange 2000 from the original server.

<>25. <>Additional Resources:

<>§ <>Q252117 Some Files Not Deleted When Exchange 2000 Server is Removed

<>§ <>Q260378 How To Manually Remove an Exchange 2000 Installation

<>§ <>Q251825 Uninstalling Last Server in Routing Group Does Not Clean Up the RG Connectors from Other RGs.

<>§ <>Q307917 Removing the First Exchange 2000 Server from the Site

<>§ <>Q266686 How to Configure the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol Service, Part 1

<>§ <>Q268163 How to Configure the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol Service, Part 2

What is the M: Drive?

The M drive is merely a manifestation [1] of mail messages.

You can read quite a bit more on Windows Installable File System drivers on MSDN. A file system is really just a collection of APIs that allow you to navigate a set of data in a logical fashion - containers (folders) and items (files). It shouldn't be too hard to see how one might view mail data as containers (folders) and items (messages) [3].

So, the ExIFS driver, which is installed with Exchange 2000 is the "Exchange Installable File System driver." It allows a certain set of well known APIs [2] to view the containers and items. It just so happens that if you give a file system supporting those APIs a drive letter, you can see it through Explorer or a CMD window, or any of the other standard Windows file dialog boxes...because they use the file system APIs to access data. It's no different than a network drive or a RAM drive or a flash memory card or a zip drive or ... It is merely a manifestation of data in the form of folders and files. The thing to remember is that since it is just a view of the mail messages presented by the file system APIs, it's not necessarily the most feature rich way to manipulate that data. The manipulation via the ExIFS (M: drive) is limited by the set of file system APIs [2]. On the other hand, the ability to manipulate the data through a mail client like Outlook has a very rich set of APIs for dealing with mail data - much beyond the simple functions for finding and displaying files. The messaging APIs that are native to the Exchange store allow things like getrecipients, addattachment, resolvenames, etc.

So, the M: drive can be seen as an (abbreviated) acronym for "Merely a Marginally Manipulatable Manifestation of Mail Messages."

To make evident or certain by showing or displaying.
readfile, writefile, movefile, deletefile, renamefile, openfile, closefile, findfile, etc.
It's slightly more complex than this because a mail message is actually a container as well. it contains a header and a body and perhaps one or more attachments, which themselves can be messages (containers). It also can contain multiple bodies (e.g mime multipart alternative content) that display based on the best capabilities of the client.

<>1. <>To block Internet send & receive in Exchange 2000:

<>1. <>Create and mail-enable a group called InternalOnly.

<>2. <>Create a recipient policy that gives them a fake SMTP address. i.e. @fake.domain. Leave the X400 address alone so they can receive internal mail. [Now they cannot receive mail from the outside] [1]

<>4. <>Follow the steps in Q277872, regarding Connector Restrictions. [Now they can't use the SMTP connector(s) to send external mail]

<>5. <>Restart the SMTP service.

<>6. State that they cannot receive mail from the outside. That is MOSTLY true, although they can still receive if you encapsulate their email address. i.e. Joe.User@FAKE.DOMAIN instead of DOMAIN.COM can be encapsulated as IMCEASMTP-Joe+2eUser+40FAKE+2eDOMAIN@domain.com. (use +40 for an @, +2e for a period) That gets the mail there, despite the fake domain. <>

<>7. If you don't have a connector, make one. You need this to enable the restrictions.<>

Why should I go to Exchange 2003 now?

There are several reasons. A few are:

<>1. <>Opportunity for Server Consolidation From Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2000 because you can get more mailboxes on an Exchange 2003 Server.

<>2. <>Better security features. The server is secure by default and has added things like automatic logoff for an inactive OWA session, Connection filtering, and has more junk mail features like real-time blacklists.

<>3. <>Availability enhancements such as End-to-End Outlook Monitoring, Improvements in ESM, Mailbox Recovery Center, and a Recovery Storage Group.

<>4. <>Increase in Mobile device support for Pocket PC’s, Pocket PC Phones and Microsoft Windows®–powered Smartphones.

What are the differences between Exchange 2000 and Exchange 2003?

Some features that are new in Exchange 2003 are:

<> <>Volume Shadow Copy Service for Database Backups/Recovery

<> <>Mailbox Recovery Center

<> <>Recovery Storage Group

<> <>Front-end and back-end Kerberos authentication

<> <>Distribution lists are restricted to authenticated users

<> <>Real-time Safe and Block lists

<> <>Inbound recipient filtering

<> <>Attachment blocking in Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access

<> <>HTTP access from Outlook 2003

<> <>cHTML browser support (i-Mode phones)

<> <>xHTML (Wireless Application Protocol [WAP] 2.0) browser support

<> <>Queues are centralized on a per-server basis

<> <>Move log files and queue data using Exchange System Manager

<> <>Multiple Mailbox Move tool

<> <>Dynamic distribution lists

<> <>1,700 Exchange-specific events using Microsoft Operations Manager (requires Microsoft Operations Manager)

<> <>Deployment and migration tools

What is the difference between Exchange 2003 Standard and Exchange 2003 Enterprise editions?

Standard Edition

<> <>16 GB database limit

<> <>One mailbox store

<> <>One public folder store

<> <>NEW: Server can act as a front-end (post-Beta 2)

Enterprise Edition

<> <>Clustering

<> <>Up to 20 databases per server

<> <>X.400 Connectors

Both Editions support features such as:

<> <>Database snapshot

<> <>OMA and ActiveSync

<> <>AirMAPI

<> <>Recovery Storage Group

<> <>Exchange Management Pack for MOM

<> <>Note: It is not possible to in-place upgrade Exchange 2000 Enterprise Edition to Exchange 2003 Standard Edition.

What’s the difference between Exchange 2003 and Windows 2003?

Windows Server 2003 provides significant enhanced functionality that Exchange 2003 takes advantage of:

Outlook HTTP access

IIS 6.0 and Windows RPC Proxy service in Windows Server 2003 enable communication between Outlook 2003 and Exchange Server 2003 by means of HTTP. Outlook 2003 users can synchronize directly with the server running Exchange Server 2003 over a HTTP or HTTPS connection.

Internet protocol support

IIS 6.0 provides Exchange with its support for many common Internet access protocols that increase the flexibility of the operating system, such as HTTP, Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3), Internet Message Access Protocol version 4 (IMAP4), and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).

Active Directory

Windows provides Active Directory, upon which Exchange depends for user information, mail routing information, user authentication, and LDAP read and write functions.

Support for clustering

Exchange Server 2003 provides better support for clustering, which enables high availability of a company’s infrastructure. Customers can choose to run up to 8-node clusters, with at least one passive node, when running Exchange 2003 on Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. (In Windows 2000 Advanced Server, clustering was limited to two nodes, one active and one passive; if a company chose to run Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, clustering was limited to four nodes.)

Volume Shadow Copy service

This and Virtual Disk Service are part of a storage framework that provides heterogeneous interoperation of storage hardware, storage software, and applications. Exchange 2003 writes to the Volume Shadow Copy service on Windows Server 2003, reducing dramatically the backup and restore times for Exchange messaging environments. This enables IT departments to support greater numbers of users per server and reduces the total number of servers running Exchange in their environment.

What is OMA?

Outlook Mobile Access and Exchange Server ActiveSync features, formerly found in Microsoft Mobile Information Server 2002, are now built-in with all Exchange Server 2003 Standard installations.

Main differences between Exchange Server 2003 and 2000

<> <>Improved security, including all those of IIS v 6.0.

<> <>HTTP over RPC means you do not need to configure a VPN for OWA.

<> <>Up to 8 node Active / Passive clustering.

<> <>Volume Shadow Copy for backup.

<> <>Super upgrade tools like ExDeploy.

<> <>pfMigrate utility to move public folders from legacy systems.

<> <>An attempt to control Junk email both on the client and the server.

Differences Between Exchange 2003 and 2000

The following Microsoft® Exchange 2000 Server application development-related technologies and features were changed in Exchange Server 2003. Some technologies were enhanced, while others were removed, or are not supported in specific scenarios.

Exchange WMI Provider Changes

The Exchange Server 2003 includes new Microsoft Windows® Management Instrumentation (WMI) classes for managing Exchange Server 2003. You can read about the changes in the WMI Changes for Exchange Server 2003 section.

Active Directory Schema Changes

During installation, Exchange Server 2003 changes some class and attribute definitions in Microsoft Active Directory®. For information about the schema changes that Exchange Server 2003 makes, read the Active Directory Schema section.

Managed Wrappers for SMTP Server Event Sinks

Published in June, 2003, the technical article Writing Managed Sinks for SMTP and Transport Events <><> provides sample code and information for both Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 2003.

Anti-spam Infrastructure

Exchange Server 2003 includes a new property that can be used as a standard mechanism by message filtering applications. The property indicates how confident the filter is that a message is unsolicited commercial e-mail. For more information about how to create message filtering applications, see the Anti-Spam section.

CDO Component Names Did Not Change

In Exchange Server 2003 the CDOEX library is still named "CDO for Exchange 2000". Similarly, the CDO library that ships with Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003 is still named "CDO for Windows 2000".

Note The CDO for Exchange Management (CDOEXM) version that ships with Exchange Server 2003 must be used when accessing Exchange Server 2003. The Exchange Server 2003 CDOEXM can also be used to access Exchange 2000 Server. The CDOEXM library that ships with Exchange 2000 Server is not supported for accessing Exchange Server 2003.

Exchange 2000 Technologies not Included with Exchange 2003

The following technologies that were included in Exchange 2000 Server are not available in Exchange Server 2003.

M: Drive Mapping Removed

The mapped M: drive is not supported in Exchange Server 2003 and is not added in either the upgrade or fresh install of Exchange Server 2003. Microsoft FrontPage® Server Extensions are also not be supported in Exchange Server 2003 because the mapped M: drive is required to upload some data to Exchange. Existing applications can no longer use the mapped M: drive functionality.

FrontPage Server Extensions Removed

FrontPage Server Extensions are not supported on Exchange Server 2003 because the mapped M: drive is required to upload some data to Exchange. Existing applications can no longer use this functionality.

Exchange Instant Messaging Removed

The Exchange 2000 Server Instant Messaging Service (IM) is no longer included in the Exchange Server 2003. Microsoft recommends migrating any applications that use Exchange 2000 Server IM to other Microsoft real-time collaboration technologies.

SQL Create Index Function Removed

The Structured Query Language (SQL) Create Index function is not supported in Exchange Server 2003 and has been removed. Applications should not attempt to use the function.

Versioning Schema Properties Removed

Versioning will not be supported in Exchange Server 2003, and the following schema properties will not be available to applications:

<>· <>dav:autoversion

<>· <>dav:checkintime

<>· <>dav:childautoversioning

<>· <>dav:childversioning

<>· <>http://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/defaultrevision

<>· <>dav:isversioned

<>· <>dav:mergedfrom

<>· <>dav:revisioncomment

<>· <>dav:revisionid

<>· <>dav:revisionlabel

<>· <>dav:revisionuri

<>· <>dav:vresourceid

MAPI Technology Changes

While Extended MAPI is still used and supported with Exchange Server 2003, the following parts of Exchange MAPI are not installed, and are not supported by Exchange Server 2003. These changes affect only the MAPI system that is installed by Exchange.

<>· <>Common Messaging Calls (CMC)

<>· <>Simple MAPI

<>· <>CDOHTML

Client applications build using Simple MAPI or CMC will continue to function and be supported, provided the necessary libraries are installed on the computer where the application is running. Extended MAPI and Collaboration Data Objects (CDO) version 1.2.1 are supported with Exchange Server 2003

Visual Studio .NET Technology Support Policy

Not all Exchange technologies are supported for use in managed code applications. The Microsoft Knowledge Base article 813349 <><> provides information about which Exchange development APIs are supported in applications using Microsoft Visual Studio® .NET and the Microsoft .NET Framework.

Anonymous Access to IIS Metabase Disabled

When you send a message using cdoSendUsingPickup without specifying a pickup directory, CDO for Exchange 2000 Server (CDOEX) searches the Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) metabase and determines the pickup directory for the first active SMTP service instance. However, because anonymous access to the IIS metabase has been disabled, you need to either specify which SMTP service pickup directory you want CDOEX to use by setting the smtpserverpickupdirectory Field, or ensure that your application runs under an account that has read access to the IIS metabase. Note that if you set the pickup directory in your application explicitly, subsequently changing the location of the pickup directory may cause your application to fail.

Public Folders Mail-Disabled by Default

By default, all folders under PUBLIC/NON_IPM_SUBTREE are mail-disabled. You can, however, mail enable any of these folders as necessary. Please see the Exchange SDK for instructions about how to mail enable a public folder.

savesentitems Field is ignored

The savesentitems Field has no effect when you send messages using CDOEX. A copy of the message is saved to the Sent Items folder regardless of the parameter setting. This is because the Exchange OLE DB (ExOLEDB) provider provider is hard-coded to save a copy of all sent messages to the Sent Items folder.

Exchange 5.5 Event Agent Disabled by Default

The Exchange Server 5.5 event agent continues to be shipped with, and supported on Exchange Server 2003. However, by default the agent is disabled during installation.

MSDAIPP Cannot be Run on the Exchange Server

The Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Internet Publishing (MSDAIPP) is not supported on the Exchange computer. Running MSDAIPP is supported on a computer where Exchange is not installed.

What is MX RECORD?

Short for mail exchange record, an entry in a domain name database that identifies the mail server that is responsible for handling e-mails for that domain name.

When more than one MX record is entered for any single domain name that is using more than one mail server, the MX record can be prioritized with a preference number that indicates the order in which the mail servers should be used. This enables the use of primary and backup mail servers.

MX (Mail eXchange) FAQ

What is a mail exchange?

"Mail exchange" is just another name for the machine whose primary function is receiving and sending email. Also known as mailhost, mailhub, or even postoffice, this machine usually has a mail server (software written specifically for distributing files) listening on port 25 to receive incoming email.

What is a Mail Delivery Agent? (How is email delivered?)

A Mail Delivery Agent (MDA) is the "postal worker" software that looks at the address and either drops it into the local user's mailbox or tosses it back on the "truck" for delivery elsewhere. In other words, the MDA reads the header and decides whether it needs to be put in a mailbox on its own machine or sent back out over the Internet to a remote machine.

What is an MX record?

An MX (Mail eXchange) record will redirect email sent to any user's machine (joe@norbert.dept1.cornell.edu, for example) to a designated mailhost. It tells the MDA where to route email.

The MX record uses preference values to specify the routing order--low value = high priority. In the example below, when mail is sent to norbert.dept1.cornell.edu the MDA (see Mail Delivery Agent above) tries to reroute the mail to mailhost.dept1.cornell.edu which has the lowest value, and therefore the highest priority. If that fails, it tries mailhost2.dept1.cornell.edu and finally mailhost3.dept1.cornell.edu.

norbert.dept1.cornell.edu	86400	A		128.253.180.254
norbert.dept1.cornell.edu	86400	MX	10	mailhost.dept1.cornell.edu
norbert.dept1.cornell.edu	86400	MX	20	mailhost2.dept1.cornell.edu
norbert.dept1.cornell.edu	86400	MX	30	mailhost3.dept1.cornell.edu

These records can be added on the host page for norbert.dept1.cornell.edu.

What is a "dangling" MX record?

An MX record can exist for a host that is not registered or no longer registered. For example, if people have become used to sending email to Joe at joe@norbert.dept1.cornell.edu, and the host norbert dies or is decommissioned, Joe can still receive mail at his old address if you retain an MX record for norbert that redirects the mail to a new address. We recommend this option be used sparingly because it may cause confusion in users who don't have understand how mail to a non-existant host can still be delivered.

What is a domain MX record?

A domain MX record will redirect mail sent to joe@dept1.cornell.edu to a designated mailhost. The MX record is attached only to the domain name (dept1.cornell.edu). If a host exists with the same name as the domain, a "dangling" MX record is created which is not attached to any existing host. In either case, mail directed to the domain name is redirected to the mail exchange defined in the MX record. This does not effect mail sent directly to individual hosts in the domain.

For example, if a domain MX exists for dept1.cornell.edu, with a mail exchange of mailhost.dept1.cornell.edu, then mail to joe@dept1.cornell.edu will be delivered to joe@mailhost.dept1.cornell.edu

.

What is a domain-wide MX record?

A domain-wide MX record gets attached to every registered host in the domain. This function allows mail to be delivered to a central mailhost when incorrectly configured hosts may direct the reply mail back to the local machine. Some administrators discourage the use of incoming sendmail service on individual machines as this has been historically a method for system compromise. Frequently, sendmail is turned off on individual machines and mail is redirected back to a more secure central mailhost. Since users may have published a local version of their email address, it is important to redirect the email to prevent a break in mail service.

For example, if a domain-wide MX record exists for dept1.cornell.edu, with a mail exchange of mailhost.dept1.cornell.edu, then mail to joe@norbert.dept1.cornell.edu will be delivered to joe@mailhost.dept1.cornell.edu.

generic windows questions ? how to check mini dump file ....steps

3. why universal group is faded when in windows 2000 or 2003 server ?

4. what is one of the feature which is availabe in windows 2003 server ?

5. authoritatve & non-authoruitative restore ?

6. in which scenario we can use ?

7. what is diff between exchange 2003 std & 2003 Ent server ?

8. /3 gb switch & HeapDecomitt ?

9. smtp diag and how it work?

10. what is win route tool in exchage ?

11.how will you troubleshoot if one of your website is process hunger ?

12. what is the step you will do when you server crash..

1 To Speed up the Exchange Server Reboot.

Rebooting a server running Exchange Server, whether on Microsoft Windows NT 4, Windows 2000 Server, or Windows Server 2003, can take much longer than normal. Exchange Server 2003 is no different, and if it is installed on a Windows Server 2003 that functions as Global Catalog server, the server can take as long as 10 minutes to reboot.

2 What is Exchange 2003 Forestprep? What kind of permissions required to run Forestprep command?

Exchange 2003 Forestprep extends the Active Directory schema to include Exchange specific information.

If you run Forestprep for the first time in a Forest, the required permissions or role is to be Member of the Schema Admins and Enterprise Admins groups. Other than the first time, the Exchange Full Administrator permissions at the Exchange organization level will do

3Is there information I should review before installing SP2 in Exchange 2003 Server?

Yes. Before installation, you should review the Exchange Server 2003 SP2 Release Notes as well as the Exchange Server 2003 system requirements.

4What is AD (Active Directory) Schema?

The schema is a definition of the types of objects that are allowed within a directory and the attributes that are associated with those objects. These definitions must be consistent across domains in order for the security policies and access rights to function correctly.

5What does RUS do in Exchange?

RUS (Recipient Update Service) is responsible for making updates to e-mail addresses, and it does this based on recipient policy changes. These updates are made at a specific interval that is defined for the service. You can view the update interval and modify it as necessary by completing the following steps:

6What is the difference between a .STM file and a .EDB file?

On the surface, storage groups and databases seem to be the most fundamental Exchange Server components. You use storage groups as containers for mailbox and public folder stores. You create mailbox and public folder stores within storage groups, and each storage group can have multiple data stores.

An Exchange database is associated with each data store. You use Exchange databases to ease the administration burden that comes with managing large installations. For example, instead of having a single 100-GB database for the entire organization, you can create five 20-GB databases that you can manage more easily.

7)What is the difference between a Storage Group and Mailbox Store?

What is the difference between a Storage Group and Mailbox Store?

Storage Group:

Managing Information store is one of your most important tasks as a Microsoft Exchange Server 2000/2003 administrator. The information store can contain storage groups, data stores, and databases.

Storage groups allow you to group databases logically, giving you the option of managing an entire storage group (with all its database) or managing databases individually. When Exchange server is installed, the information store has a single storage group called First Storage Group. You can create additional storage groups as needed. Exchange Server 2003 Enterprise Edition is the most flexible. With the enterprise edition, you can create up to four additional storage groups as needed for a maximum of five storage groups per server (with one of the storage groups, called the recovery storage group, being reserved for database recovery operations).

8How does move mailbox really work?

Move mailbox is the best, supported way to move mailbox data between Exchange servers and update the directory object. It's been around for ages and has been improved with each version. In Exchange 2003, for instance, the mailbox moves can now be scheduled and are multi-threaded to dramatically improve performance. Exchange 2003 SP1 added the ability to move mailboxes cross-site while still in mixed mode.

There are a number of resources on how to do move mailbox between Exchange servers (KB.224975 KB.328810 are two good examples), but what's missing is a good high-level description of what goes on behind the scenes to make it all happen. This post focuses on Exchange 2003, but much of this applies to earlier versions as well. There's a bunch of additional steps required for cross-site moves, but those are covered in other places. and

Q.1 What does the .edb and .stm file contain in Exchange 2000?

Answer:The .Edb File Contains All The Folders, Tables And Indexes

For Messaging Data And Mapi Messages And Attachments

The .Stm File (New To Exchange 2000) Contains Internet Content In Its

Native Format.

Note:- (*.Edb + *.Stm) + (*.Log) = Database

Q.2 Where is the Directory Service database stored in Exchange 5.5?

Answer: Dir.edb

Q.4 What are the features of Active Directory in Windows 2000?

ANSWER: Features of Active Directory in Windows 2000 Can be Categorised as

Manageability :-Centralized Management,Group Policy,Global Catalog,IntelliMirror Desktop Management,

Automated Software Distribution,Active Directory Service Interfaces,Backward Compatibility,

Delegated Administration,Multi-Master Replication

Security :-Kerberos Authentication,Smart Card Support,Transitive Domain Trust,PKI/x.509,LDAP over SSL,

Required Authentication Mechanism ,Attribute-Level Security,Spanning Security Groups,LDAP ACL Support

Interoperability:-DirSync Support,Active Directory Connectors,Open APIs,Native LDAP,DNS Naming,Open Change History,

DEA Platform,DEN Platform,Extensible Schema

Q.5 What are the features of Exchange 2003 over Exchange 2000?

Answer:-Better Anti-spam tools - comprehensive set of filters

Improved Queue management

Smoother integration with IIS

Enhanced OWA. Now includes a spell checker and X509 certificates

Outlook Mobile Access (OMA), which functions like OWA for devices

Cached replication of Outlook 2003. Cached mode creates a local data file

that Outlook uses for all foreground activity. It then contacts the

Exchange server in the background.

Volume Shadow Copy Service for Database Backups/Recovery

Mailbox Recovery Center

Recovery Storage Group

Front-end and back-end Kerberos authentication

Distribution lists are restricted to authenticated users

Queues are centralized on a per-server basis

Move log files and queue data using Exchange System Manager

Multiple Mailbox Move tool

Dynamic distribution lists

1,700 Exchange-specific events using Microsoft Operations Manager (requires Microsoft Operations Manager)

Deployment and migration tools

Q.5 How will you upgrade from Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2003?

Answer:-http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/exchange/2003/upgrade.mspx

Q.6 What are the precautions to be taken before a disaster recovery in exchnage 2000?

Answer:-http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=6E55DD49-8A6...

Q.8 what is the function of NNTP service in Exchange 2000?

Answer:-While installing Exchange 2000, the system creates a default Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) virtual

server. You can use this virtual server to house a feed from other newsgroups

This Default NNTP virtual server can be used to create feeds to a Public Folder for storage (Internet Newsgroups).

For other storage media (either a file system or remote share), you must create a new virtual server.

Q.9.What is Recepient Update Service in Exchange 2000?

Answer:- Recipient Update Service (RUS) is a very important component in your Exchange installation, it is RUS that is

responsible for updating address lists and email addresses in your Active Directory

Default Exchange organization will have two RUS objects

(a) Enterprise Configuration RUS :-responsible for the updating of the email addresses for the

system objects such as the MTA & System Attendant.

(b) Domain RUS :-responsible for the updating of the address information for recipient objects

in the domain that it is responsible for

Q.10 The function of the Default SMTP Virtual Server in Exchange 2000?

Answer:-SMTP virtual server plays a critical role in mail delivery.

SMTP virtual servers provide the Exchange mechanisms for managing SMTP.

the default SMTP virtual server sends messages within a routing group.

Additionally, if the server is a domain controller, Active Directory uses

this virtual server for SMTP directory replication . An SMTP virtual server is defined by a

unique combination of an IP address and port number.

The default SMTP virtual server uses all available IP addresses on the server and

uses port 25 for inbound connections.

A single physical server can host many virtual servers

What is an Mx record.

What are valid values for an Mx record? (IP, Glue, Cname?)

What happens if two mx records have the same preference? Different

preference?

What is a TTL value? And why should I care?

What is the difference between EHLO and HELO?

Describe the IIS SMTP service.

What are the FSMO Roles in Active Directory?

To prevent conflicting updates in Windows 2000/2003, the Active Directory performs updates to certain objects in a single-master fashion.

In a single-master model, only one DC in the entire directory is allowed to process updates. This is similar to the role given to a primary domain controller (PDC) in earlier versions of Windows (such as Microsoft Windows NT 4.0), in which the PDC is responsible for processing all updates in a given domain.

In a forest, there are five FSMO roles that are assigned to one or more domain controllers. The five FSMO roles are:

Schema Master:

The schema master domain controller controls all updates and modifications to the schema. Once the Schema update is complete, it is replicated from the schema master to all other DCs in the directory. To update the schema of a forest, you must have access to the schema master. There can be only one schema master in the whole forest.

Domain naming master:

The domain naming master domain controller controls the addition or removal of domains in the forest. This DC is the only one that can add or remove a domain from the directory. It can also add or remove cross references to domains in external directories. There can be only one domain naming master in the whole forest.

Infrastructure master

At any time, there can be only one domain controller acting as the infrastructure master in each domain. The infrastructure master is responsible for updating references from objects in its domain to objects in other domains. The infrastructure master compares its data with that of a global catalog. Global catalogs receive regular updates for objects in all domains through replication, so the global catalog data will always be up to date. If the infrastructure master finds data that is out of date, it requests the updated data from a global catalog. The infrastructure master then replicates that updated data to the other domain controllers in the domain.

Important

•

Unless there is only one domain controller in the domain, the infrastructure master role should not be assigned to the domain controller that is hosting the global catalog. If the infrastructure master and global catalog are on the same domain controller, the infrastructure master will not function. The infrastructure master will never find data that is out of date, so it will never replicate any changes to the other domain controllers in the domain.

In the case where all of the domain controllers in a domain are also hosting the global catalog, all of the domain controllers will have the current data and it does not matter which domain controller holds the infrastructure master role.

The infrastructure master is also responsible for updating the group-to-user references whenever the members of groups are renamed or changed. When you rename or move a member of a group (and that member resides in a different domain from the group), the group may temporarily appear not to contain that member. The infrastructure master of the group's domain is responsible for updating the group so it knows the new name or location of the member. This prevents the loss of group memberships associated with a user account when the user account is renamed or moved. The infrastructure master distributes the update via multimaster replication.

There is no compromise to security during the time between the member rename and the group update. Only an administrator looking at that particular group membership would notice the temporary inconsistency.

RID master

The RID master allocates sequences of relative IDs (RIDs) to each of the various domain controllers in its domain. At any time, there can be only one domain controller acting as the RID master in each domain in the forest.

Whenever a domain controller creates a user, group, or computer object, it assigns the object a unique security ID (SID). The SID consists of a domain SID, which is the same for all SIDs created in the domain, and a RID, which is unique for each SID created in the domain.

To move an object between domains (using Movetree.exe), you must initiate the move on the domain controller acting as the RID master of the domain that currently contains the object.

PDC Emulator:

The PDC emulator is necessary to synchronize time in an enterprise. Windows 2000/2003 includes the W32Time (Windows Time) time service that is required by the Kerberos authentication protocol. All Windows 2000/2003-based computers within an enterprise use a common time. The purpose of the time service is to ensure that the Windows Time service uses a hierarchical relationship that controls authority and does not permit loops to ensure appropriate common time usage.

The PDC emulator of a domain is authoritative for the domain. The PDC emulator at the root of the forest becomes authoritative for the enterprise, and should be configured to gather the time from an external source. All PDC FSMO role holders follow the hierarchy of domains in the selection of their in-bound time partner.

In a Windows 2000/2003 domain, the PDC emulator role holder retains the following functions:

Password changes performed by other DCs in the domain are replicated preferentially to the PDC emulator.
Authentication failures that occur at a given DC in a domain because of an incorrect password are forwarded to the PDC emulator before a bad password failure message is reported to the user.
Account lockout is processed on the PDC emulator.
Editing or creation of Group Policy Objects (GPO) is always done from the GPO copy found in the PDC Emulator's SYSVOL share, unless configured not to do so by the administrator.
The PDC emulator performs all of the functionality that a Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Server-based PDC or earlier PDC performs for Windows NT 4.0-based or earlier clients.

This part of the PDC emulator role becomes unnecessary when all workstations, member servers, and domain controllers that are running Windows NT 4.0 or earlier are all upgraded to Windows 2000/2003. The PDC emulator still performs the other functions as described in a Windows 2000/2003 environment.

At any one time, there can be only one domain controller acting as the PDC emulator master in each domain in the forest

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Interview Question for active directory and exchange

Interview Question for active directory and exchange

Outlook 2002 against Exchange 2000 / 2003

Mode

Data Flow

Network Client

Buffer Size

Data Buffer Size

Size on Wire

Compressed

Outlook 2003 against Exchange 2003

Mode

Data Flow

Network Client

Buffer Size

Data Buffer Size

Size on Wire

Compressed

Exchange WMI Provider Changes

Active Directory Schema Changes

Managed Wrappers for SMTP Server Event Sinks

Anti-spam Infrastructure

CDO Component Names Did Not Change

Exchange 2000 Technologies not Included with Exchange 2003

M: Drive Mapping Removed

FrontPage Server Extensions Removed

Exchange Instant Messaging Removed

SQL Create Index Function Removed

Versioning Schema Properties Removed

MAPI Technology Changes

Visual Studio .NET Technology Support Policy

Anonymous Access to IIS Metabase Disabled

Public Folders Mail-Disabled by Default

savesentitems Field is ignored

Exchange 5.5 Event Agent Disabled by Default

MSDAIPP Cannot be Run on the Exchange Server

1 To Speed up the Exchange Server Reboot.

2 What is Exchange 2003 Forestprep? What kind of permissions required to run Forestprep command?

3Is there information I should review before installing SP2 in Exchange 2003 Server?

4What is AD (Active Directory) Schema?

5What does RUS do in Exchange?

6What is the difference between a .STM file and a .EDB file?

7)What is the difference between a Storage Group and Mailbox Store?

8How does move mailbox really work?

Infrastructure master

RID master

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