MS Exchange server FAQ4

How can I send an automatic reply to a person posting to my distribution list?

Create a mailbox, add a rule to that mailbox with the reply you want and add that mailbox to the distribution list.

How can I block emails from a specific domain name?

Open the “Exchange Admin” program, click on “Connections”, go to “Internet Mail Server” and then click on the “Connections” tab. If you have server pack 3 installed you will see a “Message filtering” button, click the button and finally click on “new”, finally insert the particular domain name in this format “@domain.com”. For the change to take effect you must stop/start the IMS in “Services” (Found in Control Panel).

How can I block emails from a specific email address?

Open the “Exchange Admin” program, click on “Connections”, go to “Internet Mail Server” and then click on the “Connections” tab. If you have server pack 2 installed you will see a “Message filtering” button, click the button and finally click on “new”. Insert the particular email address and you are done. For the change to take effect you must stop/start the IMS in “Services” (Found in Control Panel).

What reporting tools are available that can measure Exchange 5.5 usage?

- Promodag Reports – http://www.promodag.com

- Mail Essentials – http://www.gfi.com/mesindex.htm

- MailWatch - http://www.mailwatchex.com

- Seagate Crystal Reports - http://www.seagatesoftware.com

Can an Information store be restored on another server?

The answer is yes (that is it can be restored on another other than the one it was backed up from) This is typically the last method or recovering a mailbox or a message. The server where the IS is restored has to be one that is not in use and it should not be connected to the same organization. Remember that this restores only the IS and not the Directory.

What is the hierarchy of permission on Public Folders?

Administrator can grant permissions to other users on specific public folders or allow them to create top level public folders. A owner of a public folder (even if he is not the administrator) can allow other users create sub-folders.

What is the difference between the ‘Send on Behalf" and "Send As" permissions on a mailbox?

Send on Behalf permission enables another user to send messages on behalf of the mailbox owner. Delegate’s name appears in the message. Send As permission is lot more serious as one user can send message and the recipient of that message would see as if the message has been sent by the original mailbox owner. Whereas the "Send on behalf" permission can be given from Client or the Administrator program, "Send As" permission can be given only be the administrator.

What is Address Space?

The connectors and the gateways create paths for sending messages outside. The path a connector uses to send a message outside is represented by an address space. A connector must have at least one address space.

What is Replication conflict in case of Public Folders?

A conflict occurs when a message is modified in two or more replicas of the public folder, where each of the modifications are made before the other can replicate.

Can I display the name of the public folder in the Global address list so that the users can post messages by selecting the name?

Every Public folder has an email address and the entry of the public folder is hidden in the Global address list. Double click on the public folder and select the Advanced tab. Uncheck the "Hide from address book" option.

What is ISINTEG Utility?

This utility checks the integrity of the IS. It locates and removes the errors from the Private and Public Information stores (PRIV.EDB and PUB.EDB). This is required to be used when the database is damaged and IS doesn’t start.

What is ESEUTIL Utility?

This utility defragments, repairs and checks the integrity of the Information store (IS) and Directory. This is used very often in case of disaster recovery processes. It should be used under experienced hand. Utility is available in the Windows NT ssytem32 directory.

Some of the users are complaining that their Auto forwards & Auto replies are not reaching

the Internet recipients but there is no problem with the local recipients. What’s wrong?

Most probably the options for Auto replies and auto forwards to Internet is disabled under the IMS properties. By default the settings are such that these are disabled. So the auto replies would not reach the Internet recipients but would work locally without any problem.

What is the use of Server Monitor?

Server Monitor can be used to monitor the Exchange server services viz Message transfer agent (MTA). It can be configured so that notifications are sent when the service has gone down.

What is the use of Link Monitor?

Link monitor can be used to verify the connections between various servers and other foreign systems. Link monitor is included in the administrator program.

What is Alerter Service?

This is a handy tool by which e computers / users can be alerted of some specific event in the Exchange server viz. low disk space. This can be set from Control Panel / Server. Click on the

Alerts button and type the computer or the user name to send the alerts.

Why should the IMS message size limits be set?

This could be required because the company has a policy on the message size for security reasons. Also when the bandwidth is scarce, it is a handy tool to ensure that most of the messages are delivered rather than a queue is formed due to one large message. Set the maximum message size limit in the General tab of the IMS property page. This limit is applicable for any message that IMS processes.

PRIV.EDB seems to grow all the time. Even when the mailboxes are deleted there is no change in the file size. What’s wrong?

There is nothing wrong, except that the physical storage space is not released by this database when the objects are deleted viz. a mailbox. This is required to be defragmented before it is too large and a lot of space is wasted. ESEUTIL utility can do this job. Read more about this utility before attempting defragmentation.

What are the PRIV.EDB & PUB.EDB files?

These are the Exchange server databases for the Private Information Store and the Public Information Store respectively.

Can I change the Exchange Organization name?

It can not be done easily and must be avoided. If the need for change is properly evaluated and understood then most probably it would be sufficient to alter the Display name. To do so, select the organization object and use the properties dialog box.

How does the Antivirus API Scan Attachments?

This article is intended to help Exchange Server administrators understand the architecture of the new antivirus application programming interface (API) that is introduced in Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack 3 (SP3), and possible effects that any third-party software that uses the antivirus API may have. http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q263949&ID=kb;en-us;Q263949

Is it possible to connect exchange servers through a VPN connection?

Yes, it is possible.

What components of Exchange can I move off the exchange server machine?

Start with the IMS. Set up a workstation-class machine as an Exchange server, create an IMS, follow the relevant steps to move the SMTP service to another server, then remove the one from your mailbox server. It's a good place to start, and it's a good thing to do because the IMS has been known to stop mailbox servers from time to time.

Start with the IMS. Set up a workstation-class machine as an Exchange server, create an IMS, follow the relevant steps to move the SMTP service to another server, then remove the one from your mailbox server. It's a good place to start, and it's a good thing to do because the IMS has been known to stop mailbox servers from time to time.

How do I move a single Exchange server to a machine with the same name?

Check the following document available in the Microsoft Knowledge Base about the recommended way this should be done:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q155/2/16.asp

Is there a way to encrypt information being passed between two sites using the Exchange site connector?

The RPC connection between Site Connectors (as opposed to x.400 or SMTP connectors) is already encrypted via RPC API calls. However, it's not industrial-strength encryption; more security through obscurity. If this is not sufficient, setup a VPN. VPN in this case is recommended at firewall level so the servers have nothing to do with the actual VPN itself.

The X400 Connector for Exchange 5.5 is discontinued. Is there anyway how we connect multiple exchange servers over the Internet without this connector?

Either you can utilise the IMS aka the internet mail connector. You would need to configure a directory replication connector at each end for directory replication in this case. Otherwise the other option is to upgrade to the Exchange 5.5 Enterprise edition

I check against all the files on my exchange server 5.5 regularly. The only file that changes everday is the Mapisvc.inf in c:\winnt\systems32

Mapisvc.inf is the file that holds the various services that you can install and how they are configured. In Outlook, when you click Tools>Services>Add, that list of available services comes from the mapisvc.inf file. You can manually edit it if you want, to remove services you don't want the users to install (MS Mail, etc for example)

How do I convert an .ost file into a .pst file for recovery?

There are several third party products that can help with this. One of them is detailed at the following link: http://www.officerecovery.com/exchange/index.htm

I have a Windows 2000 server running exchange 5.5 sp3 and deleted some files I shouldn't (log files) and the information store won't start

Download the Exchange 5.5 Disaster Recovery white paper at the following link: http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/techinfo/BackupRestore.htm

Is it possible to configure Exchange to put in a 'reply-to' address for a Distribution List? So if someone hits 'reply' to a DL post, that reply goes to the list and not to the sender?

You can add send-as permissions to the DL for the originating user, and that will allow the named people to send as (therefore have the Return Address) the DL.

When a user logs in Outlook Web Access, it says that the password will expire in 0 days, and to change it under options. This error does not go away, even after the password changes, nor when the password is set to expire.

The are the following documents available in the Microsoft Knowledge Base about this issue:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q190/4/33.ASP

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q238/4/44.ASP

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q236/9/09.ASP

I am using Outlook 2000 and when my .pst file reaches the 2Gb size limit the .pst file becomes unusable

Microsoft advise you to look out for third party software that can get your data back. However a quick and efficient method is to install Outlook 98, and open the .pst file using Outlook 98. This way you can split the .pst file in smaller .pst files that can be read by Outlook 2000.

When I set up the 'Out of Office assistant' in Outlook, the auto reply is only generated once. After the first reply I do not get anymore replies.

The Out of Office reply is generated once per sender per out of office period. So if you get the message once, you won't get it again until the user turns off Out of Office, and then turns it back on again.

How do I import a local 'Contacts' list to a Public folder?

Use the File/Import option of Outlook to import all contacts into a folder locally. Then manually copy all the created entries from the local folder to the public folder.

When adding a new mailbox, this error appears: "The object xxx with the directory name 'xx' already exits. Enter a unique alias name on the General property page for this mail recipient"

Check for mailboxes with the same directory name. This is how exchange makes associations to mailboxes. You may have changed the alias but a duplicate directory name still exists. The directory name can be found under the "advanced" tab of the users' mailbox properties check this for duplicates. You can also specify a specific directory name instead of taking the default alias name as the directory name in your mailbox creation.

How do I export an Exchange/Outlook address book to a CSV file?

In Exchange Administrator: Tools &gr; Directory Export

Deleting a group of emails from Outlook 2000 hangs the system, how can this be fixed?

This is a problem brought about by SP3, therefore SP2 and below should not have this problem. Solution; Run Optimizer.

How can I search the Excahgne DS and find which Exchange mailbox has a particular STMP alias assigned to it?

1) Run Microsoft Exchange Administrator

2) Click on Global Address List

3) Make sure View/All is checked.

4) Make sure View/Hidden Recipients is checked.

5) Make sure "E-Mail Address (Internet) is a displayed column. If not, add it by choosing View/Columns

6) Highlight all rows in the display

7) Choose File/Save Window Contents and save file as "c:\ex1.csv" for example

8) Make sure View/Hidden Recipients is unchecked.

9) Highlight all rows in the display

10) Choose File/Save Window Contents and save file as "c:\ex2.csv" for example

11) Use a tool like Notepad to search the resulting .CSV files for the address you are looking for.

When message pass through the MTA, is there any cache for storing the message?

Yes, the cache is \exchsrvr\metadata

Contents of the .stm File Are Not Scanned When Using Antivirus API, is there a workaround for this?

The antivirus API that is present in Exchange 2000 Server does not contain the capability to properly scan the contents of the streaming media (.stm) file. Because Internet-based clients store the message content in the .stm file in native MIME format, the content is not scanned when the message is accessed by any other client, including MAPI-based clients. For more information about the conditions that must be present for the antivirus API to properly scan message attachments, see the "More Information" section later in this article. More info: http://support.microsoft.com/search/preview.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q286638

MAPI-Based Tasks Do Not Work with Virus API Anti-Virus Software Running on the Exchange Server Computer, is there a workaround for this?

This issue can occur if these MAPI operations gain access to a large number of attachments that have not been scanned by using the current virus signatures. The MAPI operations do not determine that the attachments are waiting to be scanned; therefore a timeout error message is displayed if the scans are not completed to make the attachments available to the MAPI request in a sufficient amount of time. More information at: http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q264731

What enhancements have been made to the virus scanning application programming interface (API), which Exchange 2000 Server Service Pack 1 (SP1) contains for Exchange administrators and independent software vendors (ISVs)?

This article describes the enhancements to the virus scanning application programming interface (API) that Exchange 2000 Server Service Pack 1 (SP1) contains for Exchange administrators and independent software vendors (ISVs). This article describes new features,

behavior changes, and troubleshooting suggestions. http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q285667

What are the new Performance Monitor counters to assist in troubleshooting virus scanning application programming interface (API)?

Exchange 2000 Server Service Pack 1 (SP1) provides Exchange administrators with Performance Monitor counters to assist in troubleshooting virus scanning application programming interface (API) issues. This article contains a list of the counters and a description of each counter. http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=kb;en-us;Q285696

What new events have been introduced with Exchange 2000 Server SP1 which relate to the new Virus Scanning API 2.0?

Exchange 2000 Server Service Pack 1 (SP1) introduces many new enhancements to the virus scanning application programming interface (API). One of these enhancements is new virus scanning API-specific event logging. This article contains a list of the new events that are introduced with Exchange 2000 Server SP1 and describes how to enable those events. http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=kb;en-us;Q294336

Is there any software to interface a Palm device with Exchange?

Please check the following link: http://www.palm.com/support/faq/csemailfaq.html

I am trying to put all the contacts under a Public Folder to be accessable using the LDAP protocol. I checked the DS Configuration and the protocol, both were enabled and the port 389 is also correct. Still I am only able to do an LDAP on only the domain Windows 2000 users information but if I try to search a public record then its not accessable.

LDAP can only be used to access directory information, contacts in a Public Folder are not part of a directory, so they aren't accessible.

Where does the time stamp come from in an OWA (Outlook Web Access) 2000 originated message?

In the OWA 2000 options, the user can specify a time zone which is the source of the time stamp.

In Exchange 5.5 you could route domains to another domain through the internet mail connector. For instance, suppose I have "company.com" and I have all my email addresses set up for "company.com". Then I buy the domain "mycompany.com." I used to be able to route all email that went to "mycompany.com" to "company.com" without adding the additional emails to my users. Is this still possible in Exchange 2000? If so,where?

How it worked in 5.5

In Exchange 5.5, if you wanted to route messages for abc.com and xyz.com to one Exchange org, you could: - add the additional domain name to the Routing tab of the IMS - tell it to treat mail for xyz.com as ; then any messages delivered to your Exchange users that had an SMTP domain of xyz.com would be delivered.

How it works in Exchange 2000

You cannot add a local domain. There is Domains node in the UI. The only way to end up creating domains is to: 1. Add recipient policies 2. Put the domains as an address space on an SMTP connector.

In Exchange 2000 where can you set an administrative email address, such that if an email is sent to a recipient that does not exist or is misspelled, the email message will be forwarded to the exchange administrator.

Go to the properties of your virtual server and go to the 'Messages' tab. Add an entry to "Send a copy of NDR's to".

I have installed Exchange 2000 on my server and setup the SMTP connector. I send a test message from another system to administrator@mydomain.com and it bounces back with an error claiming the system cannot "relay" for administrator@mydomin.com".

The SMTP Connector has nothing to do with inbound mail. Inbound mail is handled by the SMTP Virtual Server.

1. The domain needs to exist as an SMTP rule in one of the Recipient Policies.

2. The address needs to be valid for the user.

3. The SMTP Virtual Server needs to be configured to accept inbound mail from Anonymous senders. This should be the default in RTM, but was not the default earlier. There were also issues with this when Win2K SP1 is not installed.

After that, you need to check the event logs/turn up logging to figure out what's happening.

How can I check if my Anti Virus product is protecting against all threats?

Unfortunately, you can rarely be completely secure. However, the least you can do is check for known threats. A free test zone can be found at: http://www.gfi.com/emailsecuritytest . If your anti virus product catches all the tests you are secure - at least from the known ones.

Do Exchange Anti Virus products protect against Email exploits?

Some do, some don't. Most anti virus products protected against known viruses only - therefore if an e-mail virus/attack uses an existing exploit in a new way, it could very well be that your anti virus product will not detect it. Mail security for Exchange 2000 has an exploit engine built in.

Do Anti virus products based on VS API scan e-mail at gateway level?

No, anti virus products using VS API will only scan the information store. Therefore, mail will not be scanned at the perimter of your network, but rather when it reaches the stores. If you wish to have gateway level scanning you need to invest in a separate gateway anti virus product.

What is the recommended way to do Anti Virus on Exchange 2000?

It is recommended that Exchange 2000 you use a product that supports the new Virus API. The virus api has been specifically designed for Anti Virus products to integrate into. Some of the products that integrate via VS API are Mail security (www.gfi.com/mailsecurity), Panda software (www.pandasoftware.com) and Trend Micro Scanmail (www.antivirus.com)

Tell me a bit about the capabilities of Exchange Server.
Microsoft Exchange Server is a messaging and collaborative software product developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Servers line of server products and is widely used by enterprises using Microsoft infrastructure solutions. Exchange's major features consist of electronic mail, calendaring, contacts and tasks, and support for the mobile and web-based access to information, as well as supporting data storage.

What are the different Exchange 2003 versions?
Exchange Server 2003 is available in two versions, Standard Edition and Enterprise Edition.

What are the main differences between Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2000/2003?
Exchange 5.5 does not integrate with the NT4 domain or the Windows 2000/2003 Active Directory in a meaningful way. A single user could be associated with several different mailboxes. Exchange 2000/2003/2007 integrates tightly with Active Directory, and there is a 1:1 relationship between mailboxes and AD user accounts. There are other differences, depending on whether you have a standard or enterprise version as it relates to maximum database size, but the directory integration is probably the biggest difference.

To which group does the account that runs the initial ForestPrep in the domain with the Schema Master need to belong so that the AD schema can be extended properly?
Enterprise Administrator
Schema Administrator

To run a DomainPrep on a domain for the first time, a user account needs to be a member of which group?
Domain Administrator

Which of the servers does the system that will host the first Exchange Server 2003 server in a forest need to be able to contact during installation?
DNS Server
Schema Master
Domain Controller
DNS server is required so that the system on which the Exchange Server is being installed can locate the Schema Master and a domain controller.

What are the benefits of running Exchange Server 2003 in native, rather than mixed mode?
User mailboxes can moved between administrative groups.
LDAP query-based distribution groups can be used.
The default routing protocol is SMTP
You can move Exchange Server 2003 computers from one routing group to another.