SBS Exchange Certificate Expired
KB ID 0000535 Problem When you setup SBS2008 (and Exchange 2007) it creates and uses a self signed certificate, which is fine. But by default it only lasts two years. The best option is to buy a proper certificate, but if you simply want to generate a new one here’s how to do it. Solution 1. Here you can see your certificate has expired. 2. Normally you need to access your certificate services web enrolment console to carry this...
Windows SBS – Moving the Windows Software Update Services Database (SUSDB.mdf)
KB ID 0000609 Problem Last week a client rang in to say their servers system drive was running out of room. A quick scan showed me the biggest thing on there was a 12 GB database called SUSDB.mdf. A few searches told me what I’d already guessed from the name, WSUS was the offender, so I set about moving it to their data drive that had lots of free space. Solution 1. Launch the Windows SBS Console > Backup and Server Storage...
SBS – Alert – ‘The following disk has low idle time’
KB ID 0000583 Problem I got this alert forwarded to me, from a client that I’d put in new hard drives for a few week ago. Alert: The following disk has low idle time, which may cause slow response time when reading or writing files to the disk. Disk: {Number} {Drive Letter}: Review the Disk Transfers/sec and % Idle Time counters for the PhysicalDisk performance object. If the Disk Transfers/sec counter is consistently below 150...
Microsoft Exchange RPC Client Access Service Does Not Start
KB ID 0000802 Problem I build a new SBS 2011 environment last week, and I had just put on the new digital certificate, and as no one was using it, I simply rebooted the SBS Server and went for a coffee. From that point forward all the new Outlook 2013 clients give me this error, Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook window. The set of folders cannot be opened. You must connect to Microsoft Exchange with the current...
SBS – No Incoming Mail ‘421 4.3.2 Service not available’
KB ID 0000803 Problem While testing mail flow on a new SBS 2011 Server, outbound mail worked fine, but no mail would flow in. When I attempted to Telnet in from a remote host this was what I saw; 421 4.3.2 Service not available Connection to host lost. Solution Normally I’d expect to see an error like this if the Exchange ‘Receive Connector’ was misconfigured, (if you’re not using SBS 2011 create a new default...
SBS 2011 Missing Netlogon Share (Post Migration)
KB ID 0000809 Problem Whilst performing an upgrade from SBS 2003 to SBS 2011, I went on-site this morning to be told, “The new server does not have a NETLOGON share!”. As a result the clients who had authenticated to the old server had successfully ran their logon scripts. But the clients who had authenticated to the new server had not. Solution 1. On the original (SBS 2003) server > Start > Run > cmd {Enter}...
PowerShell Web Access
KB ID 0001036 Problem One of my goals for this year is to become more proficient with PowerShell. During my studies I came across PowerShell Web access and thought it was so cool, I’d have a play with it. What is PowerShell Web Access? It’s a web service that runs on a Server 2012 IIS web server. It lets you remote connect to that host (via https) and then launch a PowerShell secure connection to any machine in your...
PowerShell – Update All Domain Users Email Address From UPN
KB ID 0001072 Problem Update: Here is an easier Solution Earlier in the year, I had a problem with Certificate Services, every time it tried to issue a ‘user’ certificate it gave me an error because the user did not have an email address specified on their user object in AD. At the time I thought “I wish I know enough PowerShell, to just put an email address in all the users e-mail attribute”. So while...
Microsoft Outlook Working With Shared Calendars
KB ID 0000186 Problem You either want to share your own calendar, or get access to another users calendar. Solution Outlook 2010 – Shared Calendars Topics covered in the video below, Outlook 2010 – How to grant a user rights to your calendar (Delegate Access). Outlook 2010 – How to grant a user Read rights to your calendar (Via Email). Outlook 2010 – How to grant a user rights to your calendar (Direct...
Outlook – The {name} Column is Missing from my Inbox
KB ID 0000198 Problem I don’t know why, but the From column disappeared from the Outlook (2007) Inbox this morning. Should this happen to you, and you need to restore (or add/remove) a column to/from your inbox. Solution 1. Within Outlook > Click View > Current View > Customize Current View. 2. Click Fields > Select From (Or the one you are missing/want). > Add > You can then move it up and down the list. >...