Monthly Archives: January 2013

Exchange 2010 not receiving external mail | Step by step

One quite common problem that administrators might encounter is this:

Scenario: Exchange 2010 environment. The external mails are not being received, and if someone from the organization sends an e-mail to an external receipt it works with no problems.

Cause: Forced reboot / Power down

1. The first step that probably all administrators will do is to check what is happening to those e-mails that are received. Send a test mail from an external e-mail address ( like gmail / yahoo ) to your internal e-mail address, and then go to EMC ( Exchange Management Console ), then click on Toolbox in the right menu, and after that double-click on Message Tracking. A new ie window will appear, and you will be prompted for login. After that go to: search for messages i’ve received from / select user / and enter the address from were you made the test. Then click OK.

The search results will appear, and then double click on the test message for details. If the delivery report looks like this, go to step 2:

Delivery Report for Aurel Proorocu

Failed
6/27/2011 10:03
The message couldn’t be delivered.

2. Go to Start / services.msc / press enter:

3. After the Services window appears, search for Microsoft Exchange Transport, then right-click on it and select restart.

4. Then after the service is restarted repeat the external mail test and it should be ok.

ENJOY.

And if you encounter any problems feel free to comment / contact me.

How to Install Exchange 2010 in Virtual Environment | Step By Step Tutorial

Since the trend is to move more and more from the classical on-premises system to a VM environment, I am going to present today a step-by-step tutorial about how to install Exchange 2010 on a VMWARE Virtual machine ( you can also use this tutorial if you have a Hyper-V Environment ).
The tutorial goes from creating the virtual machine, to installing windows 2008, creating a domain and installing exchange 2010 + post-install setup / updates and test using an windows 7 with Outlook 2010 VM.

This tutorial will show you how to do:
A. Create a virtual machine using VMWARE ( Step 1 )
B. Install Windows Server 2008R2 Enterprise X64 / install WinRar  ( Steps 2-6 )
C. Creating a new domain  ( Steps 7-17 )
D. Installing Exchange 2010 (pre-install / install / post-install )  ( Steps 18-39 )
E. Create a new domain account + an e-mail address for it  ( Steps 40-50 )
F. Install a Windows7 Virtual Machine  ( Step 51 )
G. Join the new machine into the domain  ( Steps 51-53 )
H. Install Office 2010 on it  ( Steps 54-56 )
I. Log with the new user / Install and configure a new Exchange account in Outlook 2010  ( Steps 57-67 )
J. Send a Test e-mail  ( Step 68 )
K. Test the webmail ( OWA 2010 )  ( Step 69 )
*You can use this tutorial for any steps, ex. if you have to join a machine to a domain read the 40-50 Steps

STEPS:

1. Make a new virtual machine, in our example i am going to use 1 processor / 4Gb ram and 100GB HDD space:

2. The operating system i am going to use is Windows Server 2008R2 Enterprise x64. So I start the install:

3.After the install had finished log on:

4. We are going to use a NAT connection for this example, but if you use a Bridged Network Adapter you should configure the IPs ( or skip step if you have DHCP ):

5. Install WinRar, or any other archive software/image player to open the exchange .iso file with. Or skip this step if you have the DVD.

6. Now copy the Exchange 2010 ISO file on desktop, and then right click and extract here:

7. Then go to Server Manager ( Start / Administrative Tools / Server Manager ), and go to Roles, click on Add roles, and select: Active Directory Domain Services, and then NEXT:

8. Then click INSTALL:

9. The ADDS Wizard will start, after that click NEXT:

10. At the next step we will select: Create a new domain in a new forest, because we are installing a standalone server in a new domain. If you already have a domain or a forest select the option that fits you, then click NEXT:

11. Now we have to insert the FQDN, in our case aurelp.com, then we click NEXT:

12. At this step we set the FFL ( Forest Functional Level ), which in our case will be Windows Server 2008R2. But you have to know that the Forest Function Level must be at least “Windows Server 2003″ for Exchange 2010 to work, so if it`s not you have to raise it.

13. At this next step we configure the DC Options, we will select the DNS Server because we have only one server. Depending of your case, you select it or not, and then click NEXT:

14. Here you can configure the Location for the Database / Log / SYSVOL. We will keep the default values, then click NEXT:

15. At this step you configure the AD Services Restore Mode Administrator Password. Insert it, and then click NEXT:

16. We are at the final step of the ADDS Wizard, where we review the selections. Review it and then click NEXT:

17. Now the wizard is going to configure ADDS, select Reboot on completion and go drink a coffee ( in our case it will take 10-12min but in some existing scenarios it might take 1-2hours ).

18. After you rebooted go back to Server Manager ( Start / Administrative Tools / Server Manager ), and go to Roles, click on Add roles, and select: Web Server (IIS) and click NEXT:
*You can select this Role at step 7, i put them separately so we can see the steps.

19. For the IIS Role, select the Services:
– IIS 6 Management Compatibility, and all the services that are under it, then click Install:

20. After the roles are installed reboot the Server. Then go to:
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=20109
And download 2007 Office System Converter: Microsoft Filter Pack:

21. After the FilterPack64.exe is downloaded, run it. And the install wizard will appear, and we click NEXT:

22. We accept the terms, and click NEXT:

23. After the install we click Ok:

24. The next step is to open the Windows PowerShell ( Start / Administrative Tools / Windows PowerShell Modules ). After it loads we enter the following command:

Set-Service NetTcpPortSharing -StartupType Automatic

*This will change startup mode of “Net.Tcp Port Sharing Service” from Manual to Auto for Client Access Server installation

25. After that, we open the folder that contains the Exchange 2010 installation files, and we click onSetup.exe. After the installer starts, we click on Step3: Choose Exchange language options and then on Install only languages from the DVD.
*We select “Install only languages from the DVD” because we want English, if you want other language chose the other option: “Install all languages from the language bundle” 

26. Then we click on “Step 4: Install Microsoft Exchange” and start the installation:

27. This is the first step of the wizard, we read the introduction and then click NEXT:

28. Now we read & accept the terms and click NEXT:

29. Now we can choose either if we want, or not to send error reporting. I recommend to select Yesbecause this helps Microsoft find bugs and improve the product, and then click NEXT:

30. Here we choose the Installation Type. We will go for a Custom install. Click on it, and then NEXT:

31. Now we select the server roles. In our case we will go for the mailbox role / client access and Hub Transport. But this may vary from case to case. After this chose the folder in which Exchange 2010 will install ( we will keep the default location ). Then click NEXT:

32. At this step we specify the name for the Organization. In our case we put AurelP, and then click NEXT:

33. At this step you should be very careful. If you still have Outlook 2003 or Entourage in your organization select YES. In our case we will use Outlook 2010 so we select No, and then click NEXT:

34. Now we configure the Client Access Server external Domain. This will configure Internal URL and External URL for services of Client Access. In our case it will be: webmail.aurelp.com, and we hit NEXT:

35. Now you can select if you want to join the Customer Experience Improvement Program. We will select “I don`t wish to join the program at this time” and click NEXT:

36. The next step is Readiness Checks, where the installer will check if Exchange is ready to be installed. If you followed the tutorial so far it should like in the next image. However if error occur, they will have instructions of how to fix it. If everything is Ok, click INSTALL:

37. And the last step of the installation is Completion. Here you can see what was successfully installed. When they are all Completed, select Finalize this installation using the Exchange Management Console and click FINISH:

38.Now you will go back to the initial installer screen. Here you should select Step5: Get critical updates for Microsoft Exchange and then follow the update procedure.

39. After that the EMC ( Exachange Management Console ) will start and you will be prompted to license your software.

40. The next thing we are going to do in this tutorial is to create a new user and create an e-mail address for him. For that we go Start and type: dsa.msc and then press Enter. ( or go to Start / Administrative Tools / Active Directory Users and Computers )

41. Here we expand the domain ( in our case aurelp.com ) and then go to the Users OU. ( this may vary from case to case if you already have an AD structure ). Then we right click somewhere in the right side and select New / User.

42. And the User Wizard will start. Complete all the fields with the information of the new user, then click NEXT:

43. At the next step we set the password. Insert it and then select the password options, then click Next:

44. Now the user was created, and we click FINISH:

45. After that, we double click on the newly created user, and the proprieties window will appear. Here we go to Member Of / Click on ADD / Type domain in the “Enter the Object names to select” and then clickOK, and in the new list that appears double click on Domain Admins, and after that OK and OK.
*This will make the new user account an domain admin**. If you don`t want to do this skip this step. If you don`t know what a domain admin is:
**Domain Admins – a global group whose members are authorized to administer the domain. By default, the Domain Admins group is a member of the Administrators group on all computers that have joined a domain, including the domain controllers. Domain Admins is the default owner of any object that is created by any member of the group.

46. Now go back to EMC ( Exchange Management Console ), expand Microsoft Exchange ON-Premises, and then under Server Configuration click on Mailbox. Now in the right side menu click on New Mailbox. After that the wizard will appear, select User Mailbox and click NEXT:

47. At the next step select Existing users / ADD, and then search for the user you just created, select it and then press OK and NEXT:

48. At the next step you must select the Alias, that is usually the same as the username. Then you select the mailbox you want to put the new e-mail account in ( if you don`t select, it will auto set thedefault one ).
The next options are for Managed folder mailbox policy ( if you have more then one ), and the Active Sync mailbox policy ( if you also have more then one ).
Select the options that fits you best, then click NEXT:

49. Now the Configuration Summary will be displayed. Review it and click NEW:

50. The last step is the Completion. After you see the Completed status click FINISH:

51. For the next step of the Tutorial we will need a Windows 7 virtual machine that is connected in the same network with the Exchange Server Virtual Machine. We created this using VMWARE and a kit of Windows 7 x64. After the install is ready, log on to the machine and go to Start / right click on MY COMPUTER and select PROPERTIES:

52. Now the System window will appear. Here go to Computer name,domain, and workgroup settings and click on Change Settings. After the System properties appears, click on Change ( on the computer name tab ). Now select domain, and insert the name of your domain ( in our case aurelp.com ) and change the computer name ( if you want ), after that click OK. You will be prompted for credentials. Here insert user: Administrator, and the password you set at the domain wizard ( in our case we could use the aurel.proorocu account because it`s a domain admin, and if you already have a domain use an Domain admin account ).

53. After it completes the following window will pop-up. Click OK:

54. For the next step we will need an Office KIT ( we will use Office 2010 Plus x64 ). Double click on thesetup and the wizard will appear. Enter the Product Key, and click CONTINUE:

55. At the next Step we select what to install. We will go for the typical and click Install now. If you want to customize it click on Customize:

56. After the setup had finished click CLOSE:

57. Now go to START / click on the button next to Shut down and select LOG OFF:

58. Now click on SWITCH USER:
59. Click on Other USER:

60. And insert the credentials of the user you created, then press ENTER:

61. After the windows user loads, go to Start / All Programs / Office / Outlook 2010 :

62. Then the Outlook wizard will appear. Click NEXT:

63. Select YES, and then click NEXT:

64. The Exchange Account should be auto completed, then click NEXT:

65. At the last step click FINISH:

66. Now Outlook will begin to load and will prompt for full name and initials. Insert them and click OK:

67. Select the Use Recommended Settings, and press OK. And you are now Connected to Microsoft Exchange ( right-down ).

68. You can make an e-mail test, and enjoy your new Exchange 2010 Server.

69. You can also check the OWA, using this link: https://nameofserver/owa , where name of server is the computer name of the Exchange 2010 Server ( in our case WIN-9a156e4dejn ).
You will also get an Certificate Error. I will later explain the Certificates and make an tutorial.

ENJOY.

And if you encounter any problems feel free to comment / contact me.

How to add a mail server to whitelist, on exchange 2010 ? Step-By-Step

This is a very common problem…
The client cannot send e-mails to someone in your organization because his e-mail server is on a blacklist, and the mail gets blocked and he receives this message:

host mail.aurelp.com [90.150.150.90] said: 550 5.7.1 :127.0.0.3:Client host 90.180.140.10 blocked using 88.blocklist.zap; Mail from IP banned. To request removal from this list please forward this message to delist.forefront@messaging.microsoft.com (in reply to RCPT TO command)

* Where mail.aurelp.com is your mail server, 90.150.150.90 is your mail server ip address, and 90.180.140.10 is his mail server ip address

Solution:

1. You need to find all the IP Addresses of the mail servers of the user that has the problem. This step is recommended even if he gives you the ip you should enter on the whitelist, because they may havemultiple mail servers.
To check the domain for mail servers, go to www.mxtoolbox.com and enter the domain ( for example: aurelp.com ) in the MX Lookup, then click on the button:

2. Now open the Exchange server and go to the EMC ( Exchange Management Console ). Here expand the Server Configuration menu ( in the left ), and click on Hub Transport. Now click on Anti-Spam tab ( center-middle ), and then double click on IP ALLOW LIST.


3. A new window will appear. Here click on the Allowed Addresses tab, and then click ADD.


4. Here you enter the IP ADDRESS of the mail server that is blacklisted. If they have multiple servers, repeat step 3 and 4 for all of them. After that they should be able to send mails to users in your organization.

upload6

ENJOY.

And if you encounter any problems feel free to comment / contact me.

HowTo set mailtips in Exchange 2010 ? Step-by-Step & Advanced

Exchange 2010 brings a new feature that displays an info message when the user wants to send an e-mail. This is very useful for restricted e-mail addresses / unmonitored mailboxes / slow-response users or to alert the user that the message size exceeds senders send list / when sending e-mail to  large number of recipients / sending e-mails to invalid domains / and more.

upload4

You can set a mailtip for:
– mailbox
– distribution group
– dynamic distribution group
– mail contact
– mail enabled folder

In our first example I am going to show you how to set an mailtip for a single mailbox:

1. First Way:
Open Exchange Management Shell and run this command:
Set-Mailbox -identity “aurel.proorocu” -MailTip “Specialist IT”
*Here you replace aurel.proorocu with the alias you want to set the mailtip to, and you replace the Specialist IT with your message.

Second Way:

a. Open and login into ECP ( Exchange Control Panel ) with an account with admin rights, then select“My organization” and after that select Users & Groups from the right menu. Then go on the Mailboxesand search for the account you want to set the mailtip to. After you find it double click on it and move to the next step.

b. In the new window that will appear, click on the Mailtip, and on the box that enlarges enter the mailtipfor that account. After you finish click SAVE:

2. After you had set the mailtip the message will appear in OWA or Outlook, like this:

OWA:

Outlook:
upload5

3. Enjoy your new Mailtip, and read the advanced examples:

ADVANCED EXAMPLES:

1.The command to see the current mailtip configuration on your server:
Get-OrganizationConfig | fl *mailtips*

2. If you want to enable / disable mailtips you can use this command:
ENABLE: Set-OrganizationConfig -MailTipsAllTipsEnabled $true
DISABLE: Set-OrganizationConfig -MailTipsAllTipsEnabled $false 
( *Mailtips are by default enabled )

3. If you want to set the mailtip for large audience ( it would display to the sender if he added more then X recipients in the TO box ), you have to use the following command:
Set-OrganizationConfig -MailTipsLargeAudienceThreshold 10 
( *By default it is 25, you can check your own server using the cmdlet from point 1 )


4. You can alert the user that an address is an external one using mailtips. The command is:
ENABLE: Set-OrganizationConfig –MailTipsExternalRecipientsTipsEnabled $True

DISABLE: Set-OrganizationConfig –MailTipsExternalRecipientsTipsEnabled $False

5. You can enable the Mailtips for mailbox data ( Out Of Office and Mailbox FULL Alert ) with the following command:
ENABLE: Set-OrganizationConfig -MailTipsMailboxSourcedTipsEnabled $true
DISABLE: Set-OrganizationConfig -MailTipsMailboxSourcedTipsEnabled $false



6. You can configure the Group Metrics ( Group metrics data provides information on the size of distribution groups and dynamic distribution groups. The exchange query many LDAP requests to ActiveDirectory to get group membership information.This could affect the the performance, and ti eliminate this issue Exchange 2010 uses the Group Metric Data which can be set to run during low-activity hours. ).
ENABLE: Set-MailboxServer AURELSERVER -GroupMetricsGenerationEnabled $true
DISABLE: Set-MailboxServer YOURSERVER -GroupMetricsGenerationEnabled $false

ENJOY.

And if you encounter any problems feel free to comment / contact me.

Exchange 2010 Network Ports | Complete list

This is very useful to any Administrator, so here it is:

( The credits for the great picture goes to EighTwOne.com )

And the complete PORT LIST:

Transport Servers 
Hub Transport server to Hub Transport server: 25/TCP (SMTP)
Hub Transport server to Edge Transport server: 25/TCP (SMTP)
Edge Transport server to Hub Transport server: 25/TCP (SMTP)
Edge Transport server to Edge Transport server: 25/TCP SMTP
Mailbox server to Hub Transport server via the Microsoft Exchange Mail Submission Service:135/TCP (RPC)
Hub Transport to Mailbox server via MAPI: 135/TCP (RPC)
Unified Messaging server to Hub Transport server: 25/TCP (SMTP)
Microsoft Exchange EdgeSync service from Hub Transport server to Edge Transport server:50636/TCP (SSL)
Active Directory access from Hub Transport server: 389/TCP/UDP (LDAP), 3268/TCP (LDAP GC), 88/TCP/UDP (Kerberos), 53/TCP/UDP (DNS), 135/TCP (RPC netlogon)
Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS) access from Hub Transport server:443/TCP (HTTPS)
SMTP clients to Hub Transport server: 587 (SMTP) / 25/TCP (SMTP)

Mailbox Servers

Active Directory access: 389/TCP/UDP (LDAP), 3268/TCP (LDAP GC), 88/TCP/UDP (Kerberos), 53/TCP/UDP (DNS), 135/TCP (RPC netlogon)
Admin remote access (Remote Registry): 135/TCP (RPC)
Admin remote access (SMB/File): 445/TCP (SMB)
Availability Web service (Client Access to Mailbox): 135/TCP (RPC)
Clustering: 135/TCP (RPC)
Content indexing: 135/TCP (RPC)
Log shipping: 64327 (customizable)
Seeding: 64327 (customizable)
Volume shadow copy service (VSS) backup: Local Message Block (SMB)
Mailbox Assistants: 135/TCP (RPC)
MAPI access: 135/TCP (RPC)
Microsoft Exchange Active Directory Topology service access: 135/TCP (RPC)
Microsoft Exchange System Attendant service legacy access (Listen to requests): 135/TCP (RPC)
Microsoft Exchange System Attendant service legacy access to Active Directory: 389/TCP/UDP (LDAP), 3268/TCP (LDAP GC), 88/TCP/UDP (Kerberos), 53/TCP/UDP (DNS), 135/TCP (RPC netlogon)
Microsoft Exchange System Attendant service legacy access (As MAPI client) 135/TCP (RPC)
Offline address book (OAB) accessing Active Directory: 135/TCP (RPC)
Recipient update to Active Directory: 389/TCP/UDP (LDAP), 3268/TCP (LDAP GC), 88/TCP/UDP (Kerberos), 53/TCP/UDP (DNS), 135/TCP (RPC netlogon)

Client Access Servers

Active Directory access: 389/TCP/UDP (LDAP), 3268/TCP (LDAP GC), 88/TCP/UDP (Kerberos), 53/TCP/UDP (DNS), 135/TCP (RPC netlogon)
Autodiscover service: 80/TCP, 443/TCP (SSL)
Availability service: 80/TCP, 443/TCP (SSL)
Outlook accessing OAB: 80/TCP, 443/TCP (SSL)
Outlook Web App: 80/TCP, 443/TCP (SSL)
POP3: 110/TCP (TLS), 995/TCP (SSL)
IMAP4: 143/TCP (TLS), 993/TCP (SSL)
Outlook Anywhere (formerly known as RPC over HTTP ): 80/TCP, 443/TCP (SSL)
Exchange ActiveSync application: 80/TCP, 443/TCP (SSL)
Client Access server to Unified Messaging server: 5060/TCP, 5061/TCP, 5062/TCP, a dynamic port
Client Access server to a Mailbox server that is running an earlier version of Exchange Server:80/TCP, 443/TCP (SSL)
Client Access server to Exchange 2010 Mailbox server: RPC
Client Access server to Client Access server (Exchange ActiveSync): 80/TCP, 443/TCP (SSL)
Client Access server to Client Access server (Outlook Web Access): 80/TCP, 443/TCP (HTTPS)
Client Access server to Client Access server (Exchange Web Services): 443/TCP (HTTPS)
Client Access server to Client Access server (POP3): 995 (SSL)
Client Access server to Client Access server (IMAP4): 993 (SSL)
Office Communications Server access to Client Access server: 5075-5077/TCP

Unified Messaging server data paths

Active Directory access: 389/TCP/UDP (LDAP), 3268/TCP (LDAP GC), 88/TCP/UDP (Kerberos), 53/TCP/UDP (DNS), 135/TCP (RPC netlogon)
Unified Messaging Phone interaction (IP PBX/VoIP Gateway): 5060/TCP , 5065/TCP, 5067/TCP (unsecured), 5061/TCP, 5066/TCP, 5068/TCP (secured), a dynamic port from the range 16000-17000/TCP (control), dynamic UDP ports from the range 1024-65535/UDP (RTP)
Unified Messaging Web Service: 80/TCP, 443/TCP (SSL)
Unified Messaging server to Client Access server: 5075, 5076, 5077 (TCP)
Unified Messaging server to Client Access server (Play on Phone): Dynamic RPC
Unified Messaging server to Hub Transport server: 25/TCP (TLS)
Unified Messaging server to Mailbox server: 135/TCP (RPC)

If you encounter any problems feel free to comment / contact me

How to automatically add e-mail signature ? Exchange 2010 Step-by-Step

Exchange 2010 offers the option to set an automatic e-mail signature to all users, customized with theinformation from Active Directory.

This is very useful in large environments such as enterprises because:
1. The users doesn`t have to set his own signature, so everybody has the same unique brand signature. And they cannot modify it.
2. If you are using an image in the signature that has 5-20KB it will generate a lot of volume ( for 100.000 mails each day it generates an extra space of approx. 2000MB / day ).
3. You have the centralized control of the signatures, so you can easily modify the template and/or content.

So here is the Step-by-Step tutorial to do that:

1. Go to the Exchange Server, and open the Exchange Management Console.
Then go to Organization Configuration, then on the Hub Transport, and then to the Transport Rules Tab:

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2. Then click on the New Transport Rule, in the Actions Menu ( right ):

3. Then the New Transport Rule Window will appear. Here you set a name for the new Rule, and a comment for later identification, then click NEXT:

4. Select the Conditions for the rule ( by default i will check those ):
From users that are inside or outside the organization
Sent to users that are inside or outside the organization, or partners
If you need to check any other conditions, check the ones that apply to your case, then click NEXT:

5. In the next window we select the actions.
By default i will check: Append disclaimer text and fallback to action if unable to apply.
Then click on the Disclaimer Text to set the Signature code.

6. In the little window that appears you must enter the code for the signature.

Here are a two templates:
Template 1
%%Firstname%% %%Lastname%%<br>
%%Title%%<br>
%%Company%%<br>
Phone: %%Phonenumber%%<br>
Mobile: %%Mobilenumber%%<br>
Faxnumber: %%Faxnumber%%<br>

Template 2
Regards,<br>
%%displayName%%<br>
%%Title%% | %%Department%%
Phone: %%Phone%%

But you can compose your own using HTML, and the commands to import data from ActiveDirectory:
Department -> %%Department%%
Display Name -> %%displayName%%
First Name -> %%FirstName%%
Last Name -> %%LastName%%
Business Phone -> %%Phone%%
Title -> %%Title%%
Fax -> %%Fax%%
Manager -> %%Manager%%

To import an image you can use the HTML code:
<img src=”http://domain.com/image_test.jpg”>

After you are finished click OK, then NEXT:

7. Here you can add some exceptions if you want, if not click NEXT:

8. And now the final Step were you can review your Summary, and click NEW:

9. After the NEW Transport Rule is made you can test your new Enterprise Signature:

10. Don`t forget to do an GPO to disable the Outlook Signatures, or to instruct the users to not use the Signatures to avoid double ones   .

ENJOY.

And if you encounter any problems feel free to comment / contact me

How to configure a shared mailbox in Exchange 2010 ? Step-by-Step

This is probably one of the most-wanted tutorial for junior administrators of Exchange 2010 all-around the world… So here it is: How to configure a shared mailbox in Exchange 2010 the Step-by-step version:

1. Open the Exchange Server Management Console, then go to Recipient Configuration, and click beneath that on the Mailbox Section, after the section loads, click on New Mailbox ( from the right side panel ).

2. At this step you select the type of mailbox you want to create. Usually it is User Mailbox, so this is the option that we will use in this tutorial, then click Next.

If you are new to this, here is a little wiki about what each option is used for:
User mailbox: This is a traditional mailbox.

Room mailbox: This is a mailbox specifically assigned to Meeting Rooms. Its associated user account will be disabled in Active Directory.

Equipment mailbox: This is a mailbox specific to resources, (i.e. TV, Projector and so on). As with a Resource mailbox, this kind of mailbox will disable a user in Active Directory.

Linked Mailbox: This kind of mailbox will be used in environments with multiple forests.

3. Here you can select a New User mailbox, or if the user is already created select Existing users, then click next:

4. If the user is new, you will be prompted to complete the user-details, insert them and then click next:

5. At the next step you must select the Alias, that is usually the same as the username. Then you select the mailbox you want to put the new e-mail account in ( if you don`t select, it will auto set the default one ).
The next options are for Managed folder mailbox policy ( if you have more then one ), and the Active Sync mailbox policy ( if you also have more then one ).
Select the options that fits you best, then click next:


6. This is the final step of creating a new mailbox. After you see the Completed status you can clickFinish.


7. After you created the mailbox, go back to Recipient Configuration / Mailbox and find the newly created one and right click on it, and select the Manage Full Access Permission option.

8. A new window will appear, and here you add the users that you grant permissions to this newmailbox. You can add users and/or groups.  When you finished setting the permissions, clickManage.

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9. After this, you can close the Exchange Server and go to the users that will use the shared mailbox. Here you open Outlook ( our tutorial will be based on Outlook 2010 ), go to File tab / Info / Account Settings, and click on the Account Settings Section.

10. Here go to the E-mail tab, select the Exchange account, and then click on the Change button:

11. A new window will appear, and here click on More Settings:

12. In the new window that appears, select the Advanced Tab, then click Add, and insert theSharedMailbox Alias, then click Ok :

13. After that, click Ok again:

14. And now you can view the newly configured SharedMailbox in Outlook:

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Enjoy your new SharedMailbox.

If you encounter any problems feel free to comment / contact me

 

How to Deploy / Upgrade from 2003/2007 to Exchange 2010 Step-by-Step

I remember a few years ago.. when Exchange 2003 was the high end solution for mail servers.. that the step-by-step deployment tutorials were pure gold…

But here we are in 2011, when Microsoft evolved… and they now offer the Step-By-Step deployment for Exchange 2010 in different scenarios:

1. ON-Premises Only Exchange 2010 Deployment
2. Coexistance ( On-Premises + Cloud ) Exchange 2010 Deployment
3. Cloud ( http://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/gg475841.aspx ) Exchange 2010 Deployment

1. ON-Premises Only

Ugrade from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2010
Upgrade from Exchange 2007 to Exchange 2010
Upgrade from Exchange 2003 & 2007 to Exchange 2010
New Installation of Exchange 2010

After you select your scenario they give you the Step-By-Step deployment guide, including the prerequisite steps.

2. Coexistance ( On-Premises + Cloud )

Here you select the current enviorment and then they give you the Step-by-Step installation guide.

Have fun with this interactive tutorial by Microsoft:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/exdeploy2010/default.aspx 

If you encounter any problems feel free to comment / contact me, and I will help you.

How to import PST files in Exchange 2010 ? Step-By-Step

1. Download and install Outlook 2010 x64 on the Exchange 2010 Server that has the Mailbox role.
( you can download it from here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/ )

2. You need to create / or to use an existing Universal Security Group. After you have the group, open the Exchange Management Shell and run this command:
New-ManagementRoleAssignment –Name “MailboxImportExport” –SecurityGroup “name_of_group”


3. Add the user you will use to import PST files to the group used at Step 2. After that log off / and log in back on the Exchange Server.

4. Now you are ready to import the PST Files. First open the Exchange Management Shell. After that use the command that fits you best:

a. BULK Import:
Get-Mailbox | Import-Mailbox –PSTFolderPath Y:\PATH_OF_PST FILES

b. SINGLE Import:
Import-Mailbox –Identity “Display_Name” – PSTFolderPath Y:\PATH_OF_PST_FILE.PST
( You have to replace “Display_name” with the e-mail adress/display name/Exchange Alias )


If you encounter any problems feel free to comment / contact me, and I will help you.

Enjoy !

Lesson 1 | Exchange 2010 Introduction

To respect the typology of the first lesson we will begin with a short history of the Exchange Server… The E-mail service began the great development in the 90s`, when some really smart people figured that this will be the next critical business tool, and it will probably save some trees too… and so the Exchange Server was born…

The first Exchange Server ( 4.0 ) was released in 1996 and was positioned as an upgrade to Microsoft Mail 3.5. Exchange Server was however an entirely new X.400-based client–server mail system with a single database store that also supported X.500 directory services. The directory used by Exchange Server eventually became Microsoft’s Active Directory service, an LDAP-compliant directory server. Active Directory was integrated into Windows 2000 as the foundation of Windows Server domains.

In 1997 Microsoft released Exchange 5.0 and Exchange 5.5 that was sold in two editions: Standard and Enterprise. They differ in database store size, mail transport connectors and clustering capabilities. The Standard Edition had the same 16 GB database size limitation as earlier versions of Exchange Server, while the Enterprise Edition had an increased limit of 16 TB.
Exchange Server 5.5 introduced a number of other new features including a new version of Outlook Web Access with Calendar support, support for IMAP4 and LDAP v3 clients and the Deleted Item Recovery feature. Exchange Server 5.5 was the last version of Exchange Server to have separate directory, SMTP and NNTP services.

The next version was Exchange 2000 Server (v6.0, code name Platinum), released on November 29, 2000, overcame many of the limitations of its predecessors. For example, it raised the maximum sizes of databases and increased the number of servers in a cluster from two to four. However, many customers were deterred from upgrading by the requirement for a full Microsoft Active Directory infrastructure to be in place, as unlike Exchange Server 5.5, Exchange 2000 Server had no built-in Directory Service, and had a dependency upon Active Directory.

The June 2, 2003, release of Exchange Server 2003 made the migration from pre-2000 versions of Exchange significantly easier (although still involved the same basic steps), and many users of Exchange Server 5.5 waited for the release of Exchange Server 2003 to upgrade. The upgrade process also required upgrading a company’s servers to Windows 2000. Some customers opted to stay on a combination of Exchange Server 5.5 and Windows NT 4.0, both of which are no longer supported by Microsoft.
One of the new features in Exchange Server 2003 is enhanced disaster recovery which allows administrators to bring the server online more quickly. This is done by allowing the server to send and receive mail while the message stores are being recovered from backup. Some features previously available in the Microsoft Mobile Information Server 2001/2002 products have been added to the core Exchange Server product, like Outlook Mobile Access and server-side Exchange ActiveSync, while the Mobile Information Server product itself has been dropped. Better anti-virus and anti-spam protection have also been added, both by providing built-in APIs that facilitate filtering software and built-in support for the basic methods of originating IP address, SPF (“Sender ID”), and DNSBL filtering which were standard on other open source and *nix-based mail servers.

Exchange Server 2007 was released on November 30, 2006, to business customers as part of Microsoft’s roll-out wave of new products. It includes new clustering options, 64-bit support for greater scalability, voice mail integration, better search and support for Web services, better filtering options, and a new Outlook Web Access interface. Exchange 2007 also dropped support for Exchange 5.50 migrations, routing groups, admin groups, Outlook Mobile Access, X.400, and some API interfaces, amongst other features.
The principal enhancements, as outlined by Microsoft, are:
– Protection: anti-spam, antivirus, compliance, clustering with data replication, improved security and encryption
– Improved Information Worker Access: improved calendaring, unified messaging, improved mobility, improved web access
– Improved IT Experience: 64-bit performance & scalability, command-line shell & simplified GUI, improved deployment, role separation, simplified routing
– Exchange Management Shell: a new command-line shell and scripting language for system administration (based on Windows Power Shell). Shell users can perform every task that can be performed in the Exchange Server graphical user interface plus additional tasks, and can program often-used or complex tasks into scripts that can be saved, shared, and re-used. The Exchange Management Shell has over 375 unique commands to manage features of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.
– ”Unified Messaging” that lets users receive voice mail, e-mail, and faxes in their mailboxes, and lets them access their mailboxes from cell phones and other wireless devices. Voice commands can be given to control and listen to e-mail over the phone (and also send some basic messages, like “I’ll be late”)
– Increased the database maximum size limit. Database size is now limited to 16TB per database
– Increased the maximum number of storage groups and mail databases per server, to 5 each for Standard Edition (from 1 each in Exchange Server 2003 Standard), and to 50 each for Enterprise Edition (from 4 groups and 20 databases in Exchange Server 2003 Enterprise).
– You can configure Outlook Anywhere (formerly known as RPC over HTTP) to provide external access to Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 for your clients. If you want Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 user profiles to be automatically configured to connect to Exchange 2007, configure the Autodiscover service. This also provides external URLs for Exchange services such as the Availability service and offline address book.

And now that you can see Exchange brought innovation with every new version released it`s time to make a short presentation of Exchange 2010.

Microsoft reached the RTM (Release To Manufacturing) milestone for Exchange Server 2010 on October 8, 2009, and was officially launched on November 9, 2009.Exchange Server 2010 is available in two server editions; Standard edition and Enterprise edition.

Major changes from previous versions of Exchange Server include:

  • The high availability options for Mailbox Databases (SCC: Single Copy Clustering, CCR: Clustered Continuous Replication and LCR: Local Continuous Replication) and site resiliency functionality (SCR: Standby Continuous Replication) have been replaced by Database Availability Groups (DAGs) in Exchange Server 2010. Major DAG benefits include providing database level high availability (as opposed to server level), support for up to sixteen (16) copies of each database, and flexible configuration (databases copies may be added / removed at will without requiring major server reconfiguration). Each server that runs the Enterprise edition of Exchange Server 2010 can host up to 100 database copies.
  • High availability for the Client Access Server role in Exchange Server 2010 is provided by using Client Access Server (CAS) arrays. A CAS array can contain multiple Client Access Servers in an Active Directory site and provide a single name endpoint for client connections. CAS arrays cannot span multiple Active Directory sites.
  • In Exchange Server 2007, a clustered mailbox server could not be combined with any other roles. In Exchange Server 2010, the Mailbox Server Role may be combined with the Client Access Server and/or Hub Transport roles, regardless of whether or not the mailbox server participates in a Database Availability Group. (However, since Database Availability Groups use Windows Failover Clustering, and Microsoft does not support the combination of Windows Failover Clustering and Windows Network Load Balancing on the same server, a multi-role deployment will require the use of a 3rd party load balancer to provide load balancing and fault tolerance for the Client Access Server role).
  • With the introduction of the RPC Client Access service, all Outlook clients access their mailbox database through the Client Access Server role. This abstraction layer allows for improved load balancing and redundancy and minimal client impact in the event of a database level *-over (“switchover” or “failover”) event.
  • Exchange Server 2010 provides cost savings in required hardware. Storage performance requirements (measured in IOPS: Input/Output operations Per Second) have been reduced by approximately 70% over Exchange Server 2007, and by approximately 90% over Exchange Server 2003. According to a case study, Microsoft IT was able to reduce hardware costs by 75% during the migration from Exchange Server 2007 to Exchange Server 2010.
  • Exchange Server 2010 extends the large mailbox support introduced in Exchange Server 2007, and also introduces a Personal Archive feature to allow messages to be retained longer without the need for a 3rd party archival system. The Personal Archive is implemented as a secondary mailbox for archive-enabled users, and in Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1, the Personal Archive may be located on a different database than the primary mailbox, which may reside on a different disk if desired.
  • The compliance and legal search features have been enhanced. What was formerly known as the “Dumpster” in previous versions of Exchange (a special storage area for messages which have been deleted from the Deleted Items folder or “permanently deleted” from a regular folder, such as the Inbox) has been evolved into the Recoverable Items folder in Exchange Server 2010. If configured appropriately, the Recoverable Items folder allows for a “tamper proof” storage area (users cannot circumvent the Recoverable Items folder to bypass legal discovery), which also provides a revision history of any modified items.
  • Administration delegation can now be performed at a granular level due to Exchange Server 2010′s implementation of Role Based Access Control (RBAC). Users and administrators can be given extremely fine grained abilities for functions provided both within the Exchange Management Console or Exchange Management Shell and in Outlook Web App. For example, a compliance officer may be given the ability to perform cross mailbox discovery searches within Outlook Web App; a help desk technician may be granted the ability to set an Out Of Office message for other employees within the company, or a branch administrator in a remote office may be granted the permission to perform specific Exchange Management Shell commands that pertain only to the Exchange server in their branch office.
  • Outlook Web App includes improvements (including, for example, the ability for users to track their sent messages and printable calendar views) and the “Premium” experience is now available across multiple browsers (including Safari and Firefox).
  • Distribution groups can now be “moderated”, meaning that distribution groups can now be configured to allow users to join at will or only with a group moderator’s permission, and individual messages sent to distribution groups can now be approved or denied by a moderator.
  • Exchange Server 2010 introduces a transport concept called “Shadow Redundancy” which protects e-mail messages while they are in transit. If a Hub Transport server or an Edge Transport server fails after it has received a message for processing, but before it was able to deliver it to the next “hop” server, the server which sent the message to that transport server is now able to detect the failure and redeliver the message to a different Hub Transport or Edge Transport server for processing.

In January 2011, Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 won InfoWorld’s 2011 Technology of the Year Award for Best Mail Server.