When working in an Exchange Server environment, the ability to search through the database is an important feature that should never be down. The ability to search has been around a long time and is nearly perfected by all corporations that use it, but every now and then things go wrong that render this function useless. In order to maintain a proper Exchange Server environment the search function should always be returning the desired results. In this article I’ll go into detail about an example of our search function, that isn’t performing as expected.

To get things started we’ll look at our exact configuration of the system. In our example the current system is running on Windows server 2008 R2, which is running Exchange Server 2010 on it. To ensure everything is running properly, make sure there isn’t a new service pack that you haven’t installed yet, as service packs generally fix issues like this. After inspecting your system we begin breaking down the problem. Continue reading Fix for Exchange Server search failures.

The ability to sync a mailbox with Microsoft Exchange Server is a key element in your systems design. If this ability is non-existent then your system may as well be broken.  It’s important to remember that users will be relying on getting their mail, and if they can’t, then you’re going to have a problem.  Companies and organizations rely on System Administrators to maintain business continuity; letting something like a synchronization error slip through is just not an option. In order to prepare for issues like this, be sure that your system is updated to the proper service pack as well as the latest updates being applied to your users’ devices.

An example of this particular issue is when a mailbox won’t Sync to an Exchange Server 2010 environment. The mailbox is using Exchange ActiveSync and receives an error message during the sync process. Based on my past posts it seems that ActiveSync has been a common problem with some devices trying to access the server. Although most operating systems have released a patch to fix this issue, you should know that not all are currently optimized for working with an Exchange Server. Continue reading InetOrgPerson object causing Sync issues in Exchange Server 2010

The Exchange Team at Microsoft has long maintained one of the best and most active blogs of any Microsoft product group. “You Had Me At Ehlo” is not only a regular read for me, it is often the inspiration for my posts here at TheEmailAdmin. Recently, Jeff Mealiffe, the Senior Program Manager Lead for the Exchange Customer Experience posted an article on sizing Exchange 2013 that should be a must read for anyone currently considering an Exchange 2013 upgrade or new deployment. Ask the Perf Guy: Sizing Exchange 2013 Deployments is one of the longer posts to make it onto the Exchange Team Blog, but it’s also one of the most informative and detail filled posts I’ve seen in a long time. Here’s some of the highlights for you to consider. Continue reading Inside Exchange 2013, Part 12 – Sizing Does Matter

While every mobile operating system is different from another, it’s important to make sure you know how to fix some common problems on iOS. Most of these problems revolve around one simple issue: syncing. iOS has been having problems with Exchange Server ever since it came out. To give its manufacturer credit, they are usually always on top of releasing software updates to correct problems as soon as they become known. And although most of these fixes are successful, there are always a couple fixes that still need workarounds.

Unfortunately these issues don’t become known until after an update has been applied and a particular condition occurs where the update was not tested against during beta testing. Not every condition or application can be tested so it’s understandable, though unfortunate, that customers often are the ones to complete the final debugging of patches and updates. That’s why workarounds are usually implemented after an official update has been released to the public. These workarounds are meant to be temporary but on rare occasions they can become de facto long term fixes.

One example of this is when users of iOS are prevented from accessing an Active Directory account. If you skim across the net you will not find an official fix for this problem. However the issue is known by the manufacturer and if you want an official fix then you will need to open a support case with them. The specific problem occurs when users have changed their Active directory password on their mobile device. When users enter their new password their account will get locked. Continue reading Common fixes for iOS and Exchange Server

The Exchange team at Microsoft must not sleep, because once again they have taken one of my favourite tools, and made it better. The Remote Connectivity Analyzer, which by now we all know and love, has a new feature added into it for analyzing SMTP headers called the Message Analyzer, and while it is branded as being in beta, and you might think it’s only useful for Exchange or Office 365, it’s a great tool you can use today whether or not you use Exchange or live in Microsoft’s cloud. Continue reading Troubleshooting Headers with the Remote Connectivity Analyzer

I work a lot with customers who are migrating from non-Microsoft mail platforms to Microsoft based ones, be that Exchange Online in Office 365 or on-prem. One of the interesting differences that comes up a lot for customers migrating is the difference between Exchange/Outlook and Domino/Notes and how shared mailboxes are handled. It’s a learning curve and big change for many companies that use shared mailboxes for customer service, sales inquiries, and other purposes, and interestingly enough, the default way that Domino/Notes handles sent and deleted items actually seems to be the more intuitive choice when compared to how Exchange/Outlook handles them. Continue reading Troubleshooting Shared Mailboxes and Sent Items

There’s a new tool out from the Exchange Team that you should know about. It’s a guided walkthrough for troubleshooting public folder replication in Exchange 2003. Yes, that’s right, a tool for a version of Exchange that is in extended support, and should be well on its way to retirement. Why should you care about something for a product that is near the end of its support lifecycle? There’s a couple of reasons actually. If you have any Exchange 2003 still in your environment, read on. Continue reading New Tool For Troubleshooting Exchange 2003 Public Folder Replication

Microsoft Exchange Server users will oftentimes check their email through their mobile devices such as Droid or iPhones. Unfortunately Microsoft considers these mobile devices to be third party devices that use the Exchange ActiveSync technology to synchronize their mailboxes with the Exchange Server. And since these smart phones are not intellectual property owned by Microsoft then they are also not licensed by Microsoft, which creates a support problem. Although Microsoft can help fix problems between Exchange Server and smart phones they are not contractually required to. And therein lays the problem.

Cell phone manufacturers routinely issue updates at various times throughout the year to fix certain problems.  Of course it is up to the users and administrators to make sure their software and their devices are up to date. Sometimes we miss an update, discover we have a problem, log a call into support and then find out that an update released months ago would have easily avoided our current problem. That’s why it is important to maintain an updated device.

Updates should never be viewed in a negative way.  Updates are what help improve the user experience, which is the ultimate goal. One of the first questions good support people will ask is “what release or version are you running on your Exchange Server Software”. Continue reading ActiveSync and Mobile device issues.

Exchange Server has many features, many of which are extremely valuable to users. In order to utilize these features, it’s important to understand what the users are going to be using most often and what they will not.  As some features are useful to users, they will be used the most, while others not as much. Understanding this will help System Administrators to improve system performance as well as user experience for the most frequently used features.

In almost all business environments that have an Exchange server, the creation and scheduling of meeting requests will be one of the most often used features. Meeting requests are a key part of the infrastructure of any business that utilizes this form of communication. As a System Administrator it is your responsibility to ensure that these features are always working correctly.  And when an issue arises within the scope of the Exchange Server environment it is your responsibility to fix it as efficiently as possible. Most recipients of a meeting request will also receive a reminder; but that may not be a part of the original meeting request configuration setting.

Consider the following scenario:

• You create a meeting request in Microsoft Outlook.
• You configure Outlook not to send reminders. For example, you set the Reminder status to None in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007.
• You send the meeting request to a recipient.
• The mailbox for the recipient is hosted on Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 or Microsoft Exchange Server 2010.

In this scenario, a reminder is set to the default value of 15 minutes when the recipient receives the message.

Although this isn’t a critical error and doesn’t involve any system downtime, it is still an error because we have not initiated this action to occur. Good System Admins have complete control over their system and will usually want to correct this as soon as possible. Even simple problems such as unwanted reminder notices can become issues when users begin to complain. This is another reason to correct these problems as soon as they occur.

To resolve this particular issue we are going to set up a simple file containing code that will allow us to change the default settings on our Exchange Server. This code will completely turn off reminders on appointments made through the system. To undo this fix simply change the values of the following code from “false” to “true”.

The following steps will provide you with a resolution to this issue within Exchange 2007, 2010, and 2013. You will need a word editor such as notepad to save the code as a “.config” file.

Exchange Server 2013

1. Start Notepad.
2. Type the following in the Notepad file:

• <?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”utf-8″ ?> <configuration>  <storeDriver>   <parameters>    <add key=”AlwaysSetReminderONAppointment” value=”false” />   </parameters>  </storeDriver> </configuration>

1. Click File, and then click Save.
2. In the File name box, type StoreDriver.config.
3. In the Save as type box, click All Files.
4. Save the file in the %ExchInstallFolder%\bin folder.
5. Restart the Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Transport Delivery service.
6. Repeat steps 1 through 6 on all Exchange 2013 servers that have the Hub Transport role.

Exchange Server 2010

1. Start Notepad.
2. Type the following in the Notepad file:

• <?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”utf-8″ ?> <configuration>  <storeDriver>   <parameters>    <add key=”AlwaysSetReminderONAppointment” value=”false” />   </parameters>  </storeDriver> </configuration>

1. Click File, and then click Save.
2. In the File name box, type StoreDriver.config.
3. In the Save as type box, click All Files.
4. Save the file in the %ExchInstallFolder%\bin folder.
5. Restart the Transport service.
6. Repeat steps 1 through 6 on all Exchange 2010 servers that have the Hub Transport role.

Exchange Server 2007

1. Install the latest Exchange Server 2007 service pack on the Hub Transport servers. For more information about how to install the latest Exchange service pack or update rollup
2. Start Notepad.
3. Type the following in the Notepad file:

• <?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”utf-8″ ?> <configuration>  <storeDriver>   <parameters>    <add key=”AlwaysSetReminderONAppointment” value=”false” />   </parameters>  </storeDriver> </configuration>

1. Click File, and then click Save.
2. In the File name box, type StoreDriver.config.
3. In the Save as type box, click All Files.
4. Save the file in the %ExchInstallFolder%\bin folder.
5. Restart the Transport service.
6. Repeat steps 1 through 7 on all Exchange 2007 servers that have the Hub Transport role.

These steps are taken from Microsoft’s support page right here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/945854

The reason why this condition occurs is because of an internal bug with the HUB Transport service. This happens because the transport service was configured for AlwaysSetReminderONAppointment and on all HUB transport role servers this attribute is set by default.

I’ve worked with a lot of Exchange admins over the years, from small shops to international conglomerates, and I’ve seen a lot of different approaches to the provisioning of mailbox databases. Smaller shops, or larger shops who would rather provision more small Exchange servers than few large, tend to go with Exchange Standard edition, and it’s five mailbox database limit. That seems to suit them well, and when asked about what happens when they hit a limit, the answer invariably is “spin up another server.” Since most use virtualization, this isn’t that big a deal to them. Larger Exchange 2010 shops go with Exchange Enterprise Edition, and might provision a dozen or more databases on their servers. I’ve even seen cases where really large servers (CPU and RAM) attached to SAN storage might have 25 or more databases per Exchange server, but what I have not seen in production is customers deploying 50+ databases on a single Exchange server. Continue reading Inside Exchange 2013, Part 11 – Got Databases?