Lately I have come across lot of people who have been asking me interview questionnaire for Exchange 2007 and finally I created cube notes for them :-)), So if you are new to Exchange 2007 then I would say just follow the basics as first thing first:
Exchange 2007 different Roles, functions of those roles, Availability options in Exchange 2007, Mailflow etc. So Here I am sharing few of my cube notes:
The Mailflow:
Below are messaging components in Exchange 2007:
Submission Queue
Store Driver
Microsoft Exchange Mail Submission Service
Pickup Directory
Categorizer
Messages sent by a mailbox user enter the transport pipeline when they reach the sender’s outbox.
The store driver on the Hub Transport retrieves it from the user’s Outbox and then transfers it to the submission queue.
After the message has been successfully added to the submission queue, it is moved from the sender’s Outbox to the sender’s Sent Items.
MS Exchange Submission Service notifies the Hub Transport server role to pick up the message from the sender’s Outbox. If there are multiple Hub Transport server roles on one Active Directory site, the Message Exchange Mail Submission service attempts to evenly distribute notifications between each transport role using static load balancing.
Each message that is transferred to the pickup directory has been successfully submitted to the submission queue via the categorizer. Messages placed in the Pickup Directory must be in the appropriate format and have read/write permissions configured.
The categorizer always picks the oldest message from the Submission queue and checks whether this message has to be routed internally in the Exchange organization or externally alongwith the others tasks like DL Expansion, message format conversion etc.
External Message are routed to Edge Transport and internal are routed as per the information of the intended recipients.
Availability Options in Exchange 2007
Local Continuous Replication: Where the Database copy is maintained on the same server. No Server level redundancy.
Cluster Continuous Replication: Cluster is created for Active and Passive nodes. Copy of storage group and database happens through log shipping on second server in a failover cluster. Like
Database1 on Node1 will be copied over to Node2
Microsoft Exchange Replication Service will do the log shipping and replay.
Standby Continuous Replication: It is site-resilency solution for Exchange Servers and their databases.
Q. How does the OAB distribution happens in Exchange 2007?
Ans. The Exchange System Attendant service is responsible for the generation of oab. This service is available only on a server that has the mailbox role installed. The SA invokes a dll file called oabgen.dll.
The oab files are stored in C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\ExchangeOAB. This folder is shared so that it can be replicated to the CAS server for web distribution.
The oab generation server opens the oab folders and updates the file. The oabgen.dll file is responsible for connecting to the public folder.
CAS server runs a service named Microsoft Exchange File Distribution Service which copies the oab files from the mailbox server (ExchangeOAB folder) to the web distribution point in the CAS server.
The web distribution folder is a folder on CAS Server where the copied oab files are placed. The default location is C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\ClientAccess\OAB.
The web distribution point is updated once in 8 hours. If you want to force an oab update, restart the Exchange File Distribution Service.
Q. Is it recommended to install CAS server in perimeter network? Why?
Ans. No. Security and availability of AD attributes are two main reasons.
Q. How is the performance of Exchange 2007 better than Exchange 2003?
Ans. In Exchange 2003, the database read to write ratio was typically 2:1 or 66 percent reads. With Exchange 2007, the larger database cache decreases the number of reads to the database on disk causing the reads to shrink as a percentage of total I/O.
In Exchange 2003, a transaction log for a storage group requires roughly 10 percent as many I/Os as the databases in the storage group. For example, if the database LUN is using 1000 I/Os, the log LUN would use approximately 100 I/Os. With the reduction in database reads in Exchange 2007, combined with the smaller log file size and the ability to have more storage groups, the log-to-database write ratio is roughly 1:2. For example, if the database LUN is consuming 500 write I/Os, the log LUN will consume approximately 250 write I/Os.
Q. What is Transport Dumpster?
Ans. The transport dumpster submits recently delivered mail after an unscheduled outage MaxDumpsterSizePerStorageGroup: 1.5 times the size of the max msg that can be sent MaxDumpsterTime: How long the email can stay in the transport dumpster queue 7.00:00:00 means 7 days
Q. What is Back-Pressure?
Ans. The settings for back-pressure can be configure on Hub Transport and Edge Server. If utilization of a system resource exceeds the specified limit, the Exchange server stops accepting new connections and messages. This prevents the system resources from being completely overwhelmed and enables the Exchange server to deliver the existing messages.
Q. Exchange 2007 main Services:
Microsoft Exchange Active Directory Topology
Microsoft Exchange Monitoring
Microsoft Exchange IMAP4
Microsoft Exchange POP3
Microsoft Exchange Transport Log Search
Microsoft Exchange Transport: On Hub and Edge
Microsoft Exchange Service Host
Microsoft Exchange Search Indexer
Microsoft Exchange Replication Service
Microsoft Exchange Mail Submission
Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Assistants
Microsoft Exchange File Distribution: On CAS Server
Microsoft Exchange Information Store
Microsoft Exchange System Attendant
Microsoft Exchange EdgeSync: on Hub Transport Server
Microsoft Exchange Anti-spam Update
And then heading towards troubleshooting can include any sort of questions like:
Q. Reasons for slow delivery of emails?
Q. Troubleshooting steps when emails are stuck into the queue?
Q. Logs are not getting shipped on the other node
Q. OWA/OMA/Activesync is not working
Q. OOF is not getting published
Q. OAB is not getting generated on clustered mailboxes
And these questions have no end !! :))
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Exchange 2007 Setup
setup /PrepareAD
Creates MS Exchange Security Group in the Root Domain...and the OU contains below USGs:
Exchange Organization Administrators
Exchange Recipient Administrators
Exchange View-Only Administrators
Exchange Servers
Exchange Public Folder Administrators (new in Exchange 2007 Service Pack 1)
ExchangeLegacyInterop
This command configures global Exchange objects in Active Directory, creates the Exchange Universal Security Groups (USGs) in the root domain, sets permissions on the Exchange configuration objects, and prepares the current domain. The global objects reside under the Exchange organization container. If no Exchange organization container exists, you must specify an organization name by using the /OrganizationName parameter. The organization container will be created with the name that you specify.
This command creates the Unified Messaging Voice Originator contact in the Microsoft Exchange System Objects container of the root domain.
This command prepares the local domain for Exchange 2007.
To run this command, you must be a member of the Enterprise Admins group.
If you have Exchange Server 2003 servers in your organization, you must be an Exchange Full Administrator to run this command.
To verify that this step completed successfully, make sure that there is a new organizational unit (OU) in the root domain called Microsoft Exchange Security Groups. This OU should contain the following new Exchange USGs:
Exchange Organization Administrators
Exchange Recipient Administrators
Exchange View-Only Administrators
Exchange Servers
ExchangeLegacyInterop
PREPAREDOMAIN:
Sets permissions on the Domain container for the Exchange Servers, Exchange Organization Administrators, Authenticated Users, and Exchange Mailbox Administrators.
Creates the Microsoft Exchange System Objects container if it does not exist, and sets permissions on this container for the Exchange Servers, Exchange Organization Administrators, and Authenticated Users.
Creates a new domain global group in the current domain called Exchange Install Domain Servers. It also adds the Exchange Install Domain Servers group to the Exchange Servers USG in the root domain.
To verify that this step completed successfully, confirm that You have a new global group in the Microsoft Exchange System Objects container called Exchange Install Domain Servers.
Where to run prepareLegacy Again??
You have a domain that contains Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Server servers, and you have not run DomainPrep
You add a new domain to your forest and you want to install Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Server in this domain
In a new or existing domain, you mailbox-enable users who will log on to mailboxes on Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Server servers in domains in which you have not run DomainPrep.
=========================
Provisioning a server allows Exchange to be installed later by using delegated setup. This procedure allows a delegated account to install single Exchange servers in your domain, without being a member of the Exchange Organization Administrators group.
You can use Setup.com /NewProvisionedServer
Creates MS Exchange Security Group in the Root Domain...and the OU contains below USGs:
Exchange Organization Administrators
Exchange Recipient Administrators
Exchange View-Only Administrators
Exchange Servers
Exchange Public Folder Administrators (new in Exchange 2007 Service Pack 1)
ExchangeLegacyInterop
This command configures global Exchange objects in Active Directory, creates the Exchange Universal Security Groups (USGs) in the root domain, sets permissions on the Exchange configuration objects, and prepares the current domain. The global objects reside under the Exchange organization container. If no Exchange organization container exists, you must specify an organization name by using the /OrganizationName parameter. The organization container will be created with the name that you specify.
This command creates the Unified Messaging Voice Originator contact in the Microsoft Exchange System Objects container of the root domain.
This command prepares the local domain for Exchange 2007.
To run this command, you must be a member of the Enterprise Admins group.
If you have Exchange Server 2003 servers in your organization, you must be an Exchange Full Administrator to run this command.
To verify that this step completed successfully, make sure that there is a new organizational unit (OU) in the root domain called Microsoft Exchange Security Groups. This OU should contain the following new Exchange USGs:
Exchange Organization Administrators
Exchange Recipient Administrators
Exchange View-Only Administrators
Exchange Servers
ExchangeLegacyInterop
PREPAREDOMAIN:
Sets permissions on the Domain container for the Exchange Servers, Exchange Organization Administrators, Authenticated Users, and Exchange Mailbox Administrators.
Creates the Microsoft Exchange System Objects container if it does not exist, and sets permissions on this container for the Exchange Servers, Exchange Organization Administrators, and Authenticated Users.
Creates a new domain global group in the current domain called Exchange Install Domain Servers. It also adds the Exchange Install Domain Servers group to the Exchange Servers USG in the root domain.
To verify that this step completed successfully, confirm that You have a new global group in the Microsoft Exchange System Objects container called Exchange Install Domain Servers.
Where to run prepareLegacy Again??
You have a domain that contains Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Server servers, and you have not run DomainPrep
You add a new domain to your forest and you want to install Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Server in this domain
In a new or existing domain, you mailbox-enable users who will log on to mailboxes on Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Server servers in domains in which you have not run DomainPrep.
=========================
Provisioning a server allows Exchange to be installed later by using delegated setup. This procedure allows a delegated account to install single Exchange servers in your domain, without being a member of the Exchange Organization Administrators group.
You can use Setup.com /NewProvisionedServer
Mailflow & Queues Troubleshooting
Submissions: Used by the categorizer to gather all messages that have to be resolved, routed, and processed by Transport agents.
Poison Message: The poison message queue is a special queue that is used to isolate messages that are detected to be potentially harmful to the Exchange 2007 system after a server failure.
Remote Delivery: Remote delivery queues hold messages that are being delivered to a remote server by using SMTP.
Mailbox Delivery: The mailbox delivery queues hold messages that are being delivered to a mailbox server by using encrypted Exchange RPC.
Unreachable Destination: Each transport server can have only one Unreachable queue. The Unreachable queue contains messages that cannot be routed to their destinations.
==============================
Troubleshooting Mail Flow Issues due to Mailbox Logon Failure:
Event ID 1009:The Microsoft Exchange Mail Submission service is currently unable to contact any Hub Transport servers in the local Active Directory site. The servers may be too busy to accept new connections at this time.
Reason: This issue occurs when the Microsoft Exchange Transport service is configured to log on using another account, instead of the Network Service account. For example, the Microsoft Exchange Transport service is configured to log on using the Administrator account.
=======================================================
Incoming Messages to Edge Server Fail with 550 5.7.1 NDR
This issue commonly occurs when the Edge Transport server role is deployed in a perimeter network configuration and the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the internal firewall is blocked by the Edge Transport server. This issue can also occur in a non-perimeter network scenario if one or more Hub Transport server IP addresses are blocked by the Edge Transport server.
Get-IPBlockListEntry
Start-EdgeSynchronization
Remove-IPBlockListEntry
=====================================================
You Cannot Send or Receive E-Mail Messages Behind a Cisco PIX Firewall:
The Exchange server is located behind a Cisco PIX firewall device that has the Mailguard feature enabled.
The Auth and Auth login Extended Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (ESMTP) commands are removed by the firewall.
=======================================================
NDR when sending email to Public Folders:
The access rights for the Anonymous account for that public folder have been set to None. To ensure that users can send e-mail to a mail-enabled public folder, the public folder must have at least the CreateItems access right granted to the Anonymous account.
=====================================================
Enable Pipeline Tracing in E2k7 for troubleshooting Transport Agent Problems
C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\TransportRoles\Logs\PipelineTracing is created.
Set-TransportServer -PipelineTracingSenderAddress
Pipeline tracing is a diagnostic feature in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 that enables you to capture diagnostic information about e-mail messages as they encounter transport agents registered on Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) events in the transport pipeline. Exchange captures verbose information about the changes that each transport agent applies to messages in the transport pipeline in message snapshot files. If transport rules are configured, Exchange Server also records any actions that each transport rule takes on these messages.
Poison Message: The poison message queue is a special queue that is used to isolate messages that are detected to be potentially harmful to the Exchange 2007 system after a server failure.
Remote Delivery: Remote delivery queues hold messages that are being delivered to a remote server by using SMTP.
Mailbox Delivery: The mailbox delivery queues hold messages that are being delivered to a mailbox server by using encrypted Exchange RPC.
Unreachable Destination: Each transport server can have only one Unreachable queue. The Unreachable queue contains messages that cannot be routed to their destinations.
==============================
Troubleshooting Mail Flow Issues due to Mailbox Logon Failure:
Event ID 1009:The Microsoft Exchange Mail Submission service is currently unable to contact any Hub Transport servers in the local Active Directory site. The servers may be too busy to accept new connections at this time.
Reason: This issue occurs when the Microsoft Exchange Transport service is configured to log on using another account, instead of the Network Service account. For example, the Microsoft Exchange Transport service is configured to log on using the Administrator account.
=======================================================
Incoming Messages to Edge Server Fail with 550 5.7.1 NDR
This issue commonly occurs when the Edge Transport server role is deployed in a perimeter network configuration and the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the internal firewall is blocked by the Edge Transport server. This issue can also occur in a non-perimeter network scenario if one or more Hub Transport server IP addresses are blocked by the Edge Transport server.
Get-IPBlockListEntry
Start-EdgeSynchronization
Remove-IPBlockListEntry
=====================================================
You Cannot Send or Receive E-Mail Messages Behind a Cisco PIX Firewall:
The Exchange server is located behind a Cisco PIX firewall device that has the Mailguard feature enabled.
The Auth and Auth login Extended Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (ESMTP) commands are removed by the firewall.
=======================================================
NDR when sending email to Public Folders:
The access rights for the Anonymous account for that public folder have been set to None. To ensure that users can send e-mail to a mail-enabled public folder, the public folder must have at least the CreateItems access right granted to the Anonymous account.
=====================================================
Enable Pipeline Tracing in E2k7 for troubleshooting Transport Agent Problems
C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\TransportRoles\Logs\PipelineTracing is created.
Set-TransportServer
Pipeline tracing is a diagnostic feature in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 that enables you to capture diagnostic information about e-mail messages as they encounter transport agents registered on Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) events in the transport pipeline. Exchange captures verbose information about the changes that each transport agent applies to messages in the transport pipeline in message snapshot files. If transport rules are configured, Exchange Server also records any actions that each transport rule takes on these messages.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Exchange 2003 16 GB Database
Mailbox Dismounts :
http://support.microsoft.com//kb/828070
How to increase 1 GB Size
http://support.microsoft.com//kb/813051
http://support.microsoft.com//kb/828070
How to increase 1 GB Size
http://support.microsoft.com//kb/813051
Password Change Functionality in OWA
Outlook Web Access change password feature is installed, but it is disabled by default.The password configuration consists of two changes:
1. Adding/editing the registry value to the back end server. Location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeWeb\OWAValue: DisablePasswordType: REG_DWORDValue Data: 0 or 1Enter the value 0 if you want to enable the change password feature. (The Change Password button is available.)Enter the value 1 if you want to disable the change password feature. (The Change Password button is unavailable.)
2. Adding Iisadmpwd virtual directory to the front-end server.Right-click the Default Web Site, click New, and then select Virtual Directory.Create the virtual directory with the alias IISADMPWDPoint the new virtual directory to Winnt\System32\Inetsrv\Iisadmpwd directory, and make sure that both Read and Execute permissions are selected.
1. Adding/editing the registry value to the back end server. Location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeWeb\OWAValue: DisablePasswordType: REG_DWORDValue Data: 0 or 1Enter the value 0 if you want to enable the change password feature. (The Change Password button is available.)Enter the value 1 if you want to disable the change password feature. (The Change Password button is unavailable.)
2. Adding Iisadmpwd virtual directory to the front-end server.Right-click the Default Web Site, click New, and then select Virtual Directory.Create the virtual directory with the alias IISADMPWDPoint the new virtual directory to Winnt\System32\Inetsrv\Iisadmpwd directory, and make sure that both Read and Execute permissions are selected.
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