Exchange – Slow Shutdown and Reboot on a Domain Controller
Nov17

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,...

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Allow a Server to “Relay” Through Microsoft Exchange
Nov17

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...

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Exchange – New User(s) Not Showing Up On Global Address List
Nov17

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...

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Exchange – Creating Dynamic Distribution Groups Based on Organizational Units
Nov17

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...

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Error When Trying to Set Out of Office ‘Your automatic reply settings cannot be displayed because the server is currently unavailable. Try again later’
Nov17

Error When Trying to Set Out of Office ‘Your automatic reply settings cannot be displayed because the server is currently unavailable. Try again later’

KB ID 0000897  Problem When attempting to set my Out of Office automatic replies within Outlook, I was greeted with this. Your automatic reply settings cannot be displayed because the server is currently unavailable. Try again later. If I logged into Outlook Web Access, (Options > Set Automatic Replies) I could set it up and it worked fine. It’s never really bothered me, but my colleagues were complaining about it, and when...

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