Month: April 2012

Increasing simultaneously number of Mailbox moves in Exchange 2010

Sometimes we want to minimize the time required to move all the current mailboxes available on Exchange 2003 / 2007 to Exchange 2010, and for configuring your Exchange 2010 to process high number of mailboxes move simultaneously, we need to change the default configuration, which described as follows:

1. Go to all Exchange 2010 CAS Servers, open the below file in notepad or any file editor:
X:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V1\Bin\MSExchangeMailboxReplication.exe.config

2. Change the below values:

MaxActiveMovesPerSourceMDB = “25″

MaxActiveMovesPerTargetMDB = “25″

MaxActiveMovesPerTargetServer = “25″

3. Save the file and restart the “Microsoft Exchange Replication” service.

DPM Migrate your protection data to a new disk

There are some cases you might need to migrate your protection data to a new disk. DPM is shipped with a Powershell script (MigrateDatasourceDataFromDPM.ps1) that allows you to migrate your protection data to new storage.

First get a list of disks attached to your DPM server:

Start the DPM Management Shell

PS> get-dpmdisk –dpmservername WARD-DPM01

Name Status NtDiskIdty Total Capaci Unallocated Space Type
—- —— ——– ———— ———— —-
VMware Vir… Healthy 1 150 GB 28 GB Basic #0
VMware Vir… Healthy 2 250 GB 100 GB Basic #1

Read the disk order in to a variable ($disk)

PS > $disk = Get-DPMDisk -DPMServername ward-dpm01

Now you can use the script MigrateDatasourceDataFromDPM.ps1. First find the disk number of the source disk, these numbers are not displayed when you use the get-dpmdisk command. Do not get fooled by the NTdiskID, you do not need those. You just need to count the disks listed starting with 0 (see red numbers in example). Now find the number for the destination disk using the same trick.
In the example below we like to migrate the data from disk 2 to disk 1

PS > ./MigrateDatasourceDataFromDPM.ps1 -DPMServerName ward-dpm01 -Source $disk[2] -Destination $disk[1]

More options and examples can be found on Technet

Rollup 7 for Exchange Server 2007 SP3

The Exchange CXP team released Update Rollup 7 for Exchange Server 2007 SP3

This update contains a number of customer-reported and internally found issues since the release of SP3 RU6. See KB2655203: Description of Update Rollup 7 for Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 3 for more details.

Note: Some of the following KB articles may not be available at the time of publishing this post.

The most important fixes:

  • KB2617514 Include updated version of Portuguese-Brazil speller.
  • KB2696649 Exchange 2007sp3/2010 OWA CSRF via Cookie Tossing.
  • KB2696628 Read Receipt is still duplicated when connecting IMAP.

Note that this fix will resolve the CAS to CAS OWA proxying incompatibility with Exchange 2010 SP2 RU1 as discussed here.

Support lifecycle statement: This is the final release under standard support for Exchange 2007, as the Exchange 2007 Mainstream Support has now ended. Extended Support for Exchange 2007 SP3 will end on 4/11/2017

Note for Forefront Protection for Exchange users:

Before installing the update, disable ForeFront by using this command: fscutility /disable. After installing the update, re-enable ForeFront by running fscutility /enable.

Update Rollup 2 for Exchange Server 2010 SP2

The Exchange CXP team released Update Rollup 2 for Exchange Server 2010 SP2.

This update contains a number of customer-reported and internally found issues since the release of SP2 RU1. See KB2661854: Description of Update Rollup 2 for Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 2 for more details.

Note: Some of the following KB articles may not be available at the time of publishing this post.

The most important fixes:

  • KB2696913 You cannot log on to Outlook Web App when a proxy is set up in an Exchange Server 2010 environment
  • KB2688667 High CPU in W3WP when processing recurrence items who fall on DST cutover
  • KB2592398 PR_INTERNET_MESSAGE_ID is the same on messages resent by Outlook
  • KB2630808 EwsAllowMacOutlook Setting Not Honored
  • KB2661277 Android/Iphones stuck with 451 during Cross forest proxy in datacenter
  • KB2678414 Contact name doesn’t display company if name fields are left blank

Note that this fix will not cause the CAS to CAS OWA proxying incompatibility with Exchange 2007 as discussed here. No additional updates are required on Exchange 2007 for proxying to work once Exchange 2010 SP2 RU2 is installed.

Note for Forefront Protection for Exchange users:

Before installing the update, disable ForeFront by using this command: fscutility /disable. After installing the update, re-enable ForeFront by running fscutility /enable.

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2012 – RTM

A couple of hours ago, Microsoft released MDT 2012

In contains numerous bug fixes as well as support for SCCM 2007 and SCCM 2012.

Improvements for All MDT Technologies

The MDT improvements that affect all MDT technologies, which are discussed in a subsequent section, are as follows:

  • Support for upgrading from previous versions of MDT
  • Integration with security and compliance templates generated by Microsoft Security Compliance Manager (SCM) version 2.0
  • Run Windows PowerShell™ scripts within an MDT task sequence
  • Create partitions to support best practice recommendations for deployment of BitLocker® Drive Encryption
  • Automatically configure participation in the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) and Windows Error Reporting (WER)
  • Guidance that describes how to use Microsoft SQL Server® 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) for all database needs within MDT
Improvements for LTI Deployments

MDT includes the following improvements for LTI deployments:

  • Support for Windows 8 Consumer Preview and Windows Server 8 Beta. Note: The deployment of Windows Server 8 Beta roles and features using the Install Roles and Features task sequence action is not supported.
  • Support for the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK). Note: Currently, the Windows ADK is only supported for deploying Windows 8 Consumer Preview or Windows 7 in lab environments, not in production environments.

Windows ADK requires the Microsoft .NET Framework version 4.0. If not already installed, the Windows ADK installation installs the Microsoft .NET Framework version 4.0. For more information, see Introduction to the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit.

  • Monitoring of LTI deployment process. MDT includes the new LTI monitoring feature that allows you to perform centralized monitoring of LTI deployments in the Monitoring node in the Deployment Workbench.
  • Deployment of Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE). Windows RE helps users troubleshoot and recover from startup-related problems on their computers.
  • Deployment of Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolkit (DaRT).
  • Deployment to computers that use the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI).
  • Deployment to computers that require the new globally unique identifier (GUID) Partition Table (GPT) format.
  • Deployment to virtual hard disks (VHDs) for native boot.
  • Support for Windows Thin PC.
  • Support for Windows Embedded POSReady 7.
  • Add local administrator accounts.
  • Deployment Wizard user experience improvements.
Improvements for Configuration Manager Deployments

MDT includes the following improvements for MDT deployments with Configuration Manager 2012 or Configuration Manager 2007 R3:

  • Support for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager. MDT includes support for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager for ZTI and UDI deployments
  • Support for new application model in Configuration Manager 2012.
  • Support for the user device affinity feature in Configuration Manager 2012.
  • Support for prestart command files.
  • Support for automatically starting a specific task sequence.
  • UDI Wizard user experience improvements.
  • The UDI Wizard has been completely revised to improve user experience.
  • UDI Wizard Designer user experience improvements.
  • The UDI Wizard Designer UI has been improved to make configuring the UDI Wizard even easier than previous versions.
  • Support for enabling BitLocker in UDI.
  • Support for MDT Replace Computer deployment scenario.
  • Localization of UDI Wizard.
  • Guidance for customizing UDI.
  • Upgrade tasks sequences created in Configuration Manager 2007 to Configuration Manager 2012.
  • Guidance for Configuration Manager 2007 R3.

Read more and download it from here 

Special thanks to Mikael Nystrom

What is the best way to migrate PDA’s or Tablets from a legacy version of Exchange to Exchange 2010.

Microsoft released November 2010 a great document: Publishing Exchange Server 2010 with Forefront Unified Access Gateway 2010 and Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2010.

One thing that I misted in that document: What is the best way to migrate PDA’s or Tablets from a legacy version of Exchange to Exchange 2010.

In most cases you wil use TMG als a firewall. Between the Internet and your internal Network.

Some weeks ago I did a Exchange 2010 migration en I don’t wanted a big bang scenario.

But I had the all the sort of phone’s that are on the marked today (Iphone, Android, Windows Phone 7.5 and some Windows Mobile phones and all so Ipad’s)

The First thing what is asked my self when design the new infrastructure.

Domain Joining Forefront TMG or Leaving in a Workgroup

In most organizations, the decision whether to domain join the server hosting Forefront TMG your production domain may be one of the most important parts of the deployment.

Forefront TMG deployments are more complex to discuss because Forefront TMG is considered a firewall and can protect the network edge. Domain joining Forefront TMG offers many advantages: it allows certificate based authentication to be used at Forefront TMG, using Kerberos Constrained Delegation to communicate to Exchange; it allows easy use of Active Directory groups and user objects in publishing rules to restrict access; and it provides other benefits. If your are not sure to domain join Forefront TMG, see Debunking the Myth that the ISA Firewall Should Not be a Domain Member.

I thinks that the best practice is to domain join TMG. Because is makes your live a lot easier.

First I created a Exchange 2010 group in the Active Directory.

Second you make the Exchange 2010 group available in TMG

Third you make four rules 2 for Exchange 2010 (OWA & ActiveSync) and 2 for your legacy server of servers (OWA & ActiveSync)

Fourth makes sure that the Exchange 2010 rules are above the legacy rules.

Fith: You change on the Exchange 2010 rules the all authenticated users to Exchange 2010. (After the migration you delete the legacy rules and change on the 2010 rules the Exchange 2010 back to all authenticated users).

pdasync2010pic2

Sixth: When you do a mailbox move you puth the user in de Exchange 2010 group.
Why you thing. When the user is in the Exchange 2010 group the PDA wil use the Exchange 2010 rule. When there user is not in the Exchange 2010 group the legacy rule will do the trick.

I migrated at this way about 300 users with random pda’s and tablets with no downtime at all Knipogende emoticon

Screenshot from the TMG rules.
 pdasync2010pic1

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