If you are looking to lower your cost maintaining and managing your company email here's a list of alternative email servers out there.

Recently I started to budget and plan on how I will transition our Exchange Server 2003 to 2007. The Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Mainstream Support retired this year and I have a year to transition my users to version 2007. No worries, no rush, I will take my time to prepare for this project. I still have 'till 2014 for extended support.

I was browsing one of my favorite Tech website eweek.com and read this article about the public beta release for Exchange Server 2010. I said great, the technology is always one step ahead.

"Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, the follow-up to Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, includes several new features designed to appeal to both the IT administrator and enterprise user, as Microsoft prepares for hard competition against Google, IBM, Cisco and others moving aggressively into the enterprise-solutions space." (2009, eweek.com)

The Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 includes welcome improvements and eweek.com provided a slideshow for you to enjoy. Visit eweek.com.

Well, reading this information might change my approach of upgrading. Now I have to gather information about the Exchange Server 2010 and see if I can jump to this implementation. I will share my experience when I across the bridge.

Cheers for now,
EM @ KING.NET

Managing Exchange Server is easy when you configure it correctly, you need to apply some patches to fix it and continuous monitoring of your server health. Most common issue from the default installation of Exchange Server 2007 is excessive memory, high CPU utilization or application pool resets in IIS.

Here's a simple guide to correct this problem.
- First visit http://support.microsoft.com for the updated release.
- Install the hotfix 942027 for Exchange Server 2007

Reminder, always backup your Exchange Server before your maintenance schedule.

If this help you, please don't forget to share it here.

A friend of mine is asking on how to use the /3GB parameters to fully utilize the memory management of your Windows Server 2003 to support Exchange Server 2003. It's been a while since my last setup and configuration of Exchange Server 2003 (maybe because I am managing Exchange Server 2007, by the way SP1 for Exchange Server 2007 is out).

When I need to get some information related to Microsoft Exchange Server, I always search it first through http://support.microsoft.com website. Yes not Google search. You will get 95% relevant information than searching to Google. Well it's a Microsoft product anyway.

Here's the information I've found on how you can configure your Windows Server 2003 to add the /3GB and /USERVA=3030 parameters.

"After you have installed Windows Server 2003, modify the Boot.ini file, and then add the /3GB and the /USERVA=3030 parameters to the startup line" (2009, Support.Microsoft.com)
For example:
[Boot Loader]
Timeout=30
Default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT

[Operating Systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows Server 2003" /fastdetect /3GB /USERVA=3030

There you go, reset your server and run TASKMGR to see improvement to your Exchange Server 2003. Read here for more information.

Other useful links:
- Troubleshooting High CPU Utilization by Store.exe
- Store stops responding with High CPU Usage
- Exchange memory use and the /3b switch
- How to optimize memory usage in Exchange Server 2003
- Large memory support is available in Windows Server 2003 and in Windows 2000

Here's the step-by-step procedure to forward your internal emails (user mailbox) to their external email address.

First create the contact information.

• In Exchange Management Console
• Click on Recipient Configuration
• Select Mail Contact, right-click on Mail Contact, select New Mail Contact.
• In New Mail Contact, click Next to continue.
• In Contact Information, type the user First name, Last name, Alias, then click Edit.
• In SMTP Address, type the external email address for ex. johnsmith@king.net OK
• Click Next.
• Click New.
• Completion notes should have 1 succeeded, 0 failed.
• Click Finish.

Now, let's use this new contact information to receive messages.

• In Recipient Configuration
• Click on Mailbox, select the user Mailbox to manage. For example, select Jane Santos mailbox.
• Go to Jane Santos mailbox properties.
• In Jane Santos Properties, click on Mail Flow Setting
• Select Delivery Option, then Properties
• In Forwarding Address, put check on Forward to:
• Click Browse and select mail contact.
• Click OK

That's all.

Ok you're the Network Administrator in your company and they had asked you to create a Mailing Distribution List. For example a mailing list for your HelpDesk support, let's call it as HelpDesk @ King.net. Well, as Network Administrator/Email Administrator you suppose to know it. This is just another technical how to references to guide other Network or Email Administrator out there.

Ok, you need to create a Conference Room calendar so your employees can use it and reserve using your Outlook email.

In your Active Directory, create a "user" named as "Test Conference Room" with email access. Share the calendar to everyone with Default as "Author".

Login to your Outlook using "Test Conference Room".

- Click on Tools, Options

- In Options, click on Calendar Options

- In Calendar Options, click on Resource Scheduling, then put check on Automatically accept meeting requests and process cancellations and Automatically decline conflicting meeting requests.

How to make a reservation? Here’s a quick guide.

• In your Outlook, create a New Appointment
• Type your Subject, Date and Time
• Click on Scheduling tab
• Click Add Others, then Add from Address Book
• Select Test Conference Room, then click on Resources
• Select participants, then click on Required.

Review your schedule, participants and resources. Then click on send, to send your appointment.

If the date and time is available, you will see your appointments added to Test Conference Room calendar. If you need assistance, please let me know or visit PCLiveSupport.com community.

Whaddya know what to do when you receive this error "Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook. MAPI32.DLL is corrupt or the wrong version. This could have been caused by installing other messaging software. Please install Outlook." after uninstalling Office 2007 and install Office 2003?

Just a review, the correct Mapi32.dll file should be in c:\windows\system32\Mapi32.dll directory.

If you search your computer and you see another Mapi32.dll file, simply rename it and reinstall your MS Office 2003 and it should correct this issue.

Alternative solution:

• Go to C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033 directory, rename the Mapi32.dll to Mapi32.old.dll file.
• Open command prompt
• Go to C:\windows\system32 directory.
• Run fixmapi.exe

When you open Outlook for the first time, it will try to reinstall the missing file(s) and correct any issues from previous install. This should fix your Outlook issue.

Please share your thought.

To start you can read this PDF file basic overview of e-mail flow provided by Apple on how to prepare your Exchange to support iPhone 2.0.

For Exchange 2003 documentation:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb123755(EXCHG.65).aspx

For Exchange 2007 documentation:
technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124234(EXCHG.80).aspx

iPhone in the Enterprise:
http://support.apple.com/manuals/en_US/Enterprise_Deployment_Guide.pdf

Share your knowledge.

The iPhone has arrived and the corporate world is now starting to configure their existing messaging infrastructure allowing employees to sync up their iPhone’s.I want to stress that IMAP4 should not be enabled without using SSL! Sending information in clear text is not recommended. I will be referencing the IMAP4 port 993 later in this article. I will step through the different actions taken for a non-clustered Exchange 2003 system. Enabling IMAP:

I don't know what I'm doing wrong not able to work my iPhone to our Exchange Server 2003. I've used the server for Pocket PDA and it working ok. I was able to successfully authenticate when I configured my iPhone for Exchange Server 2003 but no message and can't send e-mail. Though I test the same approach for Exchange Server 2007, it work just fine.

I guess there is something wrong with my Exchange Server 2003 so I have to wait to upgrade this to Exchange Server 2007. For the mean time, I need to use my iPhone to read and send email using my Exchange Server 2003 account. So I configured my iPhone using secured IMAP protocol, fast and secured as well.

This is the most comprehensive documents I've found in the Internet. Configuring Exchange Server using IMAP SSL http://www.azaleos.com/blog/index.php?q=node/43

Share your experience configuring iPhone with us.

Sincerely,
KING.NET

I've search the Internet to find the solution with my user running Outlook 2007 connecting to Exchange Server 2007 and no success, untill this article. Here's the summary of my tasks.

SYMPTOMS
When you start Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 and then connect to a mailbox that is hosted on a mailbox server that is running Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, you receive the following security warning message:

The name of the security certificate is invalid or does not match the name of the site.

CAUSE
You replace the default self-signed Exchange 2007 certificate with a different certificate.

By default, the URL that is stored in these objects references the NetBIOS name of the server. For example, a URL that resembles the following URL is stored:

https://NetBIOS_name.contoso.com/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml

This may differ from the host name that is used in the FQDN of the replacement certificate. For example, the replacement certificate may have an FQDN that resembles the following FQDN:

mail.contoso.com

This issue causes a name mismatch error to occur. Therefore, you receive the security warning message when you try to connect Outlook 2007 to the mailbox.

RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, modify the URLs for the appropriate Exchange 2007 components. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Start the Exchange Management Shell.
2. Modify the Autodiscover URL in the Service Connection Point. The Service Connection Point is stored in the Active Directory directory service. To modify this URL, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

Set-ClientAccessServer -Identity CAS_Server_Name -AutodiscoverServiceInternalUri https://mail.contoso.com/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml

3. Modify the InternalUrl attribute of the EWS. To do this, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

Set-WebServicesVirtualDirectory -Identity "CAS_Server_Name\EWS (Default Web Site)" -InternalUrl https://mail.contoso.com/ews/exchange.asmx

4. Modify the InternalUrl attribute for Web-based Offline Address Book distribution. To do this, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

Set-OABVirtualDirectory -Identity "CAS_Server_name\oab (Default Web Site)" -InternalUrl https://mail.contoso.com/oab

5. Modify the InternalUrl attribute of the UM Web service. To do this, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

Set-UMVirtualDirectory -Identity "CAS_Server_Name\unifiedmessaging (Default Web Site)" -InternalUrl https://mail.contoso.com/unifiedmessaging/service.asmx

6. Open IIS Manager.
7. Expand the local computer, and then expand Application Pools.
8. Right-click MSExchangeAutodiscoverAppPool, and then click Recycle.

Source: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940726

How to transfer outlook cache to a new computer?

I always forget this information so I blog it here and share to the world.

You just need to copy one file e.g. outlook.nk2 to your new computer and you will have your outlook cache file again.

Where to find the outlook.nk2 file?
The default location should be in your profile Outlook folder, here's the example path.
c:\Documents and Settings\loginname\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

where; the loginname is your user information when you login to your workstation.

How to transfer outlook.nk2 file to your new workstation?
You can use the following information on how to transfer file(s).

• The easiest approach, use USB drive to copy and tranfer file from one computer to another.
• Send the outlook.nk2 file as attachment using your email. Read this email to your new workstation and save the file to the outlook folder.
• Shared folder to copy file
• Call your local computer geek to help you.
• Send me e-mail. I normally reply within 2-8 hours.

And to delete the e-mail address in your outlook cache, follow this procedure:

1. Start by creating a "new mail message"
2. Type the e-mail address, use the Down arrow key to select, then use Delete key to remove the e-mail address.
3. Repeat the process to remove other e-mail address that you want out of your cache.

That's for now, post your comments.

Cheers.

I'm searching a tool replacement of exmerge for Exchange Server 2007 SP1 and I stumbled to this article. I thought it would be useful to spread out this article. Post back if you have any question. Enjoy.

• Export/Import to PST must be run from a 32 bit client machine with Exchange Management Tools installed (Version Exchange 2007 SP1 or later). The 32bit requirement comes from a dependency with the Outlook client.


• Either Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2007 must be installed on the client machine.
  The user running the task must be an Exchange Organization Admin or an Exchange Server Admin on the server where the mailbox to export/import lives.

Exporting mailboxes to PST files

The most basic cmdlet to export a mailbox to a PST file is as follows:
Export-Mailbox –Identity -PSTFolderPath

PSTFolderPath must be a full path pointing either to a directory or to a (.pst) file. If a directory is specified a PST file named after the mailbox alias will be used as the target of the export. Note that if the PST file already exists the contents of the mailbox will be merged into it.

Managing Exchange Server 2007 is easy but sometimes you still encounter new problem. I've got one today so I'm sharing this to everyone.

Creating a new mailbox in Exchange 2007. I got this error: "An Exchange 2007 server on which an address list service is active cannot be found"

Resolution:
Go to Control Panel, Services.
Check your Exchange Server System Attendant service.
Check the status, this should be Started. If not, just double click then start the service.

This should fix this issue.

I have one customers that stop sending email (delivery) to their intended recipients, but not all. For example, they can successfully send email to @gmail.com, @msn.com, and other company email addresses, but not to dsa.mil, cisa.mil and other companies that use public spam databases e.g. abuse.net, http://www.spamhaus.org/, messagelabs.com (e-mail service), etc.

My first impression is their email server public IP address is listed in one of these public spam database. So I head out to visit http://www.mxtoolbox.com/ website and use their Blacklists tool. This is a army swiss box tool for any IT Consultant out there, all you have to do is check your client e-mail server public IP address and wait for the result.

If you're in their website, try the Email Header Analyzer tool as well. You will be surprise how easy to troubleshoot an email flow.

I thought this is a useful tool for everyone in information technology.