Setting up the Correct DNS Records for your Web or Mail Server
KB ID 0000567 Problem Simply purchasing a domain name is not enough to get email flowing in your direction, and people onto your website. you also need your DNS Records to point to your IP address(s) as well. For those people, that needs either an email or fax (on company headed note paper) to request that these records be set up correctly. You will need to send this request to your ISP (or whoever is hosting your public DNS...
Exchange – Slow Shutdown and Reboot on a Domain Controller
KB ID 0000565 Problem To be fair Microsoft recommend that you DO NOT install Exchange on a domain controller. Not only does it cause quite a performance hit on the server, but because of the way services are stopped on the server at shutdown time, the Exchange services take AGES to stop (In fact they end up timing out). Quite how this explains SBS (Which is a domain controller with Exchange on it) I’m not really sure,...
Allow a Server to “Relay” Through Microsoft Exchange
KB ID 0000542 Problem Back in the early days of email, just about all mail servers let you relay mail though them. That was fine until someone worked out you could then get someone else to send out your “spam”, and they would look like the guilty party. Even today people misconfigure their Exchange servers and make them an open relay. But what happens if you have a particular server or machine that you want to let use your...
Cisco ASA Disable ESMTP Inspection
Telnet to Exchange on Port 25 shows a row of Asterisks? KB ID 0000536 Problem Yesterday my colleague Ben called me over to the help-desk and asked “Have you ever seen this before?” This was what was on his screen. 220 *************************************************** Solution Usually when you Telnet to an Exchange server it gives you a 220 message followed by the “Banner” of the Exchange server, a little...
OWA (Outlook Web Access) “Red X” Error
KB ID 0000196 Problem Usually seen on IE7 and IE8, when you try and reply to an email you see a red X in the body of the Email window. Solution Option 1: The simplest fix (Exchange 2000/2003 only – Including SBS2003). 1. Go to http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=911829 and install that hot fix on the server. Note: This also fixes the error where OWA simply says “Loading”. Option 2 : Whilst In OWA 1. Click...
Copy Global Address List to Outlook Contacts
KB ID 0000019 Problem You need to copy a Global Address List address, or all the GAL to your Outlook contacts folder. Solution Copy Global Address List to Outlook Contacts 1. Open Outlook. 2. Tools > Address Book. 3. Ensure “Global Address List” is selected. 4. Select the contacts you require (Note CTRL+A will NOT work, to select ALL highlight the first one, scroll to the last one and hold down CTRL and select it). 5....
Publishing Exchange OWA using ISA
KB ID 0000090 Problem Those of you who know me will know that Cisco ASA is my weapon of choice in the firewall department. Now before the ISA brigade start emailing me telling me about “Application Layer Inspection” etc etc, that’s not because I think the ASA is better, cheaper or more effective, but because it’s “What I know”. To be honest I’ve not installed ISA since version 2000, where...
Exchange – New User(s) Not Showing Up On Global Address List
KB ID 0000775 Problem If you create a new user, give them a mailbox, and they seemingly fail to appear then don’t panic! Firstly and fore mostly: If you do anything in Exchange: Apply the “cup of coffee rule”, never make a change then go and prove that change works straight away! check it later. However most of us work in the real world and you have a user who needs to use this mailbox yesterday! Bear in mind, the process...
Exchange – Creating Dynamic Distribution Groups Based on Organizational Units
KB ID 0000820 Problem A Dynamic Distribution list, (as the name implies), maintains its membership for you. Unlike a normal static distribution list that you need to add/remove mailboxes manually. Solution Use PowerShell/Exchange Management Shell 1. I’m assuming you already have an OU populated with mail enabled users, in this example called Engineering. 2. Launch the Exchange Management Shell, Execute the following command, (change...
Exchange – Display/Export Users Mailbox Folder Sizes
KB ID 0000860 Problem A client asked this morning if there was a way he could see each users mailbox size, this is pretty simple to do see here. But he wanted to see each individual folder, and see a breakdown on the sizes of these folders. Solution Display Folder Sizes For an Individual User From the Exchange Management Shell, execute the following command; Get-MailboxFolderStatistics pete | Select...