subject: exchange: 2007

28 de dezembro de 2007

26 de dezembro de 2007

Nino Bilic escreveu recentemente no blog You Had Me At EHLO de 4 novos documentos técnicos da Microsoft IT. Eu já tive a oportunidade de referir 3 desses documentos em posts anteriores, pelo que o realmente novo é apenas este:

Operating a Global Messaging Environment by Using Exchange Server 2007 - Enterprise IT organizations, including the Microsoft Information Technology (Microsoft IT) group, deal with service level agreements (SLAs) and power users accustomed to high levels of performance, availability, and responsiveness. The 130,000-plus users at Microsoft send over 3 million internal e-mail messages a day from more than 150 offices worldwide, as well as from home and while on the road. At Microsoft, many business-critical communication processes depend on the availability of messaging services provided through Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007. [...]

Este whitepaper pode ser também descarregado como um Documento Word e está igualmente disponível a respectiva apresentação PowerPoint.

Mailbox Server Role Storage Requirements Calculator v13.0

A equipa de Exchange da Microsoft disponibilizou o Mailbox Server Role Storage Requirements Calculator v13.0. Esta folha de cálculo permite-me poupar imenso tempo no dimensionamento de servidores de mailbox, por isso o meu conselho é que a comecem também a utilizar.

Aqui fica uma lista das actualizações desta nova versão:

We have updated the log generation numbers per message profile to be in line with our updated guidance.
In v11.8, we decided to list the database cache per mailbox in the Storage Requirements results section. However this lead to confusion because it was named "Memory Profile / Mailbox" which implied that you would only utilize the associated amount of memory with the message profile (i.e. 5MB with Heavy profile), however that is not always the case. For example, 1200 2GB Light message profile mailboxes only requires 5GB of RAM (1200 * 2MB + 2GB), however the design requires 13 databases, which with SP1 requires 6GB of RAM. ESE will utilize 4GB of that RAM for the cache. As a result, 4096MB / 1200 ≈ 3.5MB per mailbox. So to make this clear, we have changed this text to be "Database Cache / Mailbox" which indicates how much cache is available per mailbox.
In the scenario where you override the IOPS prediction formula for your mailbox tiers, we have adjusted the "Read:Write Ratio" input to allow you to enter any read percentage you would like, rather than restricting you to a few key ratios.
We updated the "Database Reads / Mailbox" calculation description.
We updated the Log Replication Requirements worksheet, simplifying the data displayed in the results section.
We have included new functionality for log replication requirements. You now have the input options for entering your network link type and its associated latency. These options are then used to recommend TCP/IP optimization settings for Windows Server 2003 when utilizing geographically dispersed clustering and/or standby continuous replication. In addition, if the chosen network link cannot sustain the throughput requirements for log replication, we will recommend an appropriately sized network link and Windows Server 2003 TCP/IP optimization settings.

A ferramenta propriamente dita pode ser obtida neste link.

21 de dezembro de 2007

Leitura de fim-de-semana

Webcasts de messaging em Janeiro

TechNet Webcast: eDiscovery for E-Mail (Level 200)
Friday, January 11, 2008 - 11:30 AM Pacific Time
Diane Prescott, Technical Product Manager, Microsoft Corporation, Aimee Chaille, Lead Product Manager, Microsoft Corporation
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=7964822

TechNet Webcast: Exchange Server 2007 in Depth (Part 1 of 8): Overview (Level 200)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008 - 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Pacific Time
Chris Avis, TechNet Presenter, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032363557&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Exchange Server 2007 in Depth (Part 2 of 8): Deployment and Migration (Level 200)
Friday, January 18, 2008 - 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Pacific Time
Chris Avis, TechNet Presenter, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032363559&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Exchange Server 2007 in Depth (Part 3 of 8): Introduction to the New Management Console (Level 200)
Monday, January 21, 2008 - 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Pacific Time
Shawn Travers, TechNet Presenter, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032363568&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: How Microsoft IT Implemented New Storage Designs for Exchange Server 2007 (Level 300)
Tuesday, January 22, 2008 - 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Pacific Time
Kyryl Perederiy, Sr. Systems Engineer, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032362421&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Exchange Server 2007 in Depth (Part 4 of 8): Introduction to Windows PowerShell Scripting (Level 200)
Wednesday, January 23, 2008 - 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Pacific Time
John Baker, TechNet Presenter, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032363572&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Exchange Server 2007 in Depth (Part 5 of 8): Client Access and Web Services (Level 200)
Friday, January 25, 2008 - 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Pacific Time
John Weston, TechNet Presenter, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032363574&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Exchange Server 2007 in Depth (Part 6 of 8): Disaster Recovery (Level 200)
Wednesday, January 30, 2008 - 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Pacific Time
Harold Wong, Senior Technology Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032363577&Culture=en-US

Microsoft Office System Webcast: Top Tips for Managing E-Mail in Outlook 2007 (Level 100)
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Pacific Time
Andrew Reed, Senior Training Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032360819&Culture=en-US

TechNet Magazine - Janeiro 2008

Já está disponível a edição de Janeiro da TechNet Magazine (também disponível para download em formato HTML Help .chm).

Depois de ultrapassado o hype à volta do Service Pack 1 do Exchange Server 2007, o tema é agora o System Center, com um especial enfoque na virtualização. Lembrem-se que o Hiper-V está aí mesmo a chegar.

Mas revista que é revista tem que ter alguns artigos dedicados à temática do correio electrónico, por isso aqui ficam os links:

Exchange Queue & A - Adding Voice Prompts, Choosing a PBX , and More
Windows PowerShell - Heading Off Malicious Code

20 de dezembro de 2007

Documentação Forefront & Antigen SP1

Após a disponibilização do SP1 do Exchange Server 2007, assistiu-se ao lançamento quase de imediato do SP1 de produtos muito próximos do Exchange.

Entretanto a documentação desses mesmos produtos foi actualizada e está agora disponível para download:

Microsoft Antigen SP1 Documentation - The Messaging Security Suite includes Antigen for Exchange, Antigen for SMTP Gateways, and Antigen Spam Manager, and provides server-level protection against the latest e-mail threats.
Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server with SP1 Documentation - Forefront Security for Exchange Server SP1 integrates multiple scan engines from industry-leading security firms into a comprehensive, layered solution, helping protect your Microsoft Exchange Server messaging environments from viruses, worms, spam, and inappropriate content.
This new release provides support for Exchange Server 2007 SP1 and Windows Server 2008, as well as content filtering and manageability enhancements.

Chamo a vossa atenção para um dos documentos disponíveis no último link e que se prende com a instalação em cluster do Forefront. Apesar de poder ser instalado em ambientes cluster, a verdade é que a versão RTM do Forefront não é verdadeiramente cluster-aware, o que pode provocar alguns eventos aborrecidos no Application Event Log.

Existe um hotfix disponível e que está descrito no seguinte artigo da Knowledge Base:

Forefront Security for Exchange Server fails in a single copy cluster environment

Este hotfix é na realidade uma instalação completa do Forefront, tornando-o cluster-aware (vão notar um novo cluster resource).

Ainda não tive oportunidade de experimentar o Forefront SP1, mas espero que inclua o fix atrás descrito (de acordo com o ficheiro README, isso está garantido).

18 de dezembro de 2007

PowerShell commands for Active Directory

Ora aqui está um assunto que eu andava para blogar desde que o li no blogue do Evan Dodds.

A Quest disponibiliza o ActiveRoles Management Shell for Active Directory que mais não é que um conjunto de comandos PowerShell (CMDLETs) que podem ser descarregados de forma grátis da página da Quest e utilizados para realizar operações de administração na Active Directory.

The ActiveRoles Management Shell for Active Directory is an Active Directoryspecific automation and scripting shell that provides a command-line management interface for administering directory data either via Quest ActiveRoles Server or by directly accessing Active Directory domain controllers. The ActiveRoles Management Shell is built on Microsoft Windows PowerShell technology.

The ActiveRoles Management Shell is implemented as a Windows PowerShell snap-in, providing an extension to the Windows PowerShell environment.

As the commands provided by the ActiveRoles Management Shell conform to the Windows PowerShell standards, and are fully compatible with the default command-line tools that come with Windows PowerShell, the information found in the above documents of Microsoft’s is fully applicable to the ActiveRoles Management Shell for Active Directory.

Recentemente, necessitei de exportar todos os ProxyAddresses de vários utilizadores, pelo que estes cmdlets se revelaram bastante úteis. Aqui fica a linha de comando utilizada:

Get-QADUser -DontUseDefaultIncludedProperties -ObjectAttributes @{mail='*'} -IncludedProperties sAMAccountName,distinguishedName,mail, userPrincipalName,proxyAddresses -SerializeValues -SizeLimit 0 | Export-Csv 'C:\proxyAddresses.csv'

E esta é a lista de todos os cmdlets disponíveis:

CONNECT-QADSERVICE
DISCONNECT-QADSERVICE
GET-QADUSER
SET-QADUSER
NEW-QADUSER
DISABLE-QADUSER
ENABLE-QADUSER
UNLOCK-QADUSER
GET-QADGROUP
SET-QADGROUP
NEW-QADGROUP
GET-QADGROUPMEMBER
ADD-QADGROUPMEMBER
REMOVE-QADGROUPMEMBER
GET-QADCOMPUTER
GET-QADOBJECT
SET-QADOBJECT
NEW-QADOBJECT
MOVE-QADOBJECT
RENAME-QADOBJECT
REMOVE-QADOBJECT
NEW-QADPASSWORDSETTINGSOBJECT
GET-QADPASSWORDSETTINGSOBJECT
ADD-QADPASSWORDSETTINGSOBJECTAPPLIESTO
REMOVE-QADPASSWORDSETTINGSOBJECTAPPLIESTO
CONVERT-QADATTRIBUTEVALUE
GET-QADPSSNAPINSETTINGS
SET-QADPSSNAPINSETTINGS

Office 2007 SP1

Embora seja perfeitamente possível interagir com o Exchange Server sem o Outlook 2007 (ou qualquer outra versão), a verdade é que a utilização do cliente rico da Microsoft eleva a experiência de utilização para um nível bastante mais elevado.

Por isso, para quem está a utilizar o Outlook 2007, vai gostar de saber que já está disponível o 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 1.

Aqui estão algumas das melhorias do Outlook 2007 SP1:

General performance and responsiveness improvements
POP3 mail download improvements
Improved support for RSS feeds
Meeting reliability improvements

Overview
The 2007 Microsoft Office suite Service Pack 1 delivers important customer-requested stability and performance improvements, while incorporating further enhancements to user security. This service pack also includes all of the updates released for the 2007 Office suite prior to December of 2007. You can get a more complete description of SP1, including a list of issues that were fixed, in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 936982: Description of the 2007 Microsoft Office suite Service Pack 1.
Service Pack 1 will install even if a publicly available update has already been installed on your computer.
SP1 also includes stability improvements developed as a result of user input from the Microsoft Online Crash Analysis and from Microsoft Product Support feedback.

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems: Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1; Windows Vista; Windows XP Service Pack 2

This update applies to the following programs:

Microsoft® Office Basic 2007
Microsoft® Office Enterprise 2007
Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007
Microsoft® Office Professional 2007
Microsoft® Office Professional Plus 2007
Microsoft® Office Small Business 2007
Microsoft® Office Small Business Management 2007
Microsoft® Office Standard 2007
Microsoft® Office Ultimate 2007
Microsoft® Office Access® 2007
Microsoft® Office Excel® 2007
Microsoft® Office InfoPath® 2007
Microsoft® Office Outlook® 2007
Microsoft® Office PowerPoint® 2007
Microsoft® Office Publisher® 2007
Microsoft® Office Word 2007
Microsoft® Office OneNote® 2007
Microsoft® Office Groove® 2007

Additional requirements:

To successfully install SP1, you must have Microsoft Installer 3.1 (MSI 3.1) or higher. For more information, including instructions for downloading MSI 3.1, please see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 942101.
To successfully install SP1, you will need more free hard disk space than the size of the patch itself. For more specific information about the space requirements, please see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 943589.

Instructions
There are several scenarios that may require you to reboot your computer after SP1 is installed. For more information, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 942995.
To install this update, do one of the following:

Use Microsoft Update (recommended). Microsoft Update consolidates updates provided by Windows Update and Office Update into one location and enables you to choose automatic delivery and installation of high-priority updates.
Use Office Update on the Office Online Web site. After running the automatic detection, Office Update prompts you to install updates and service packs that bring your Office products up to the best quality available. Office Update is not supported on Windows Vista.
Install the 2007 Microsoft Office suite SP1 manually. To do this, follow these steps:
- Download the file by clicking the Download button at the top of this page. Save the file to your hard disk drive. Note: The 2007 Office suite SP1 is available on CD-ROM through the Office Online page Order Office Service Packs on CD-ROM.
- It is recommended that you quit any programs you are running.
- In Windows Explorer, double-click the .exe file that you saved to your hard disk drive, and follow the instructions on the screen.

When using other Microsoft Office products
If you are using the following Microsoft Office products, we recommend that you get the latest service packs:

Microsoft® Office Language Pack 2007: Office Language Pack 2007 SP1
Microsoft® Office Project 2007: Office Project 2007 SP1
Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Designer 2007: Office SharePoint Designer 2007 SP1
Microsoft® Office Visio® 2007: Office Visio 2007 SP1

To remove this download
There is no uninstall feature for this download. For more information, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 873125.

Administrator resources
Administrators working in managed environments can find complete resources for deploying Office updates in an organization on the 2007 Office Resource Kit site.
For further information about this update, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 936982: Description of the 2007 Microsoft Office suite Service Pack 1.

16 de dezembro de 2007

Leitura de fim-de-semana

10 de dezembro de 2007

Exchange Server 2007 Updating Support Skills

Exchange Server 2007 Updating Support Skills on Setup and System Management was written by Microsoft Customer Service and Support to prepare Support Engineers who are assisting customers installing Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1). We hope that you find the step-by-step approach useful and appreciate any feedback.

There are 5 lessons in this course:

Lesson 1: Setup Concepts
Lesson 2: Preparing for Exchange Server 2007 Installation
Lesson 3: Installing Exchange Server 2007
Lesson 4: Deployment Considerations
Lesson 5: Troubleshooting Exchange Server 2007 Setup

8 de dezembro de 2007

Webcasts de Exchange em Dezembro

TechNet Webcast: Disaster Recovery in Exchange Server 2007 (Level 200)
Wednesday, December 05, 2007 - 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM Pacific Time
Chris Avis, IT Pro Evangelist, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032359939&Culture=en-US

TechNet Webcast: Microsoft Exchange Troubleshooting Assistant (Level 200)
Friday, December 14, 2007 - 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Pacific Time
Chris Gregson, Support Escalation Engineer, Microsoft Corporation
Mike Hendrickson, Support Escalation Engineer, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032359204&Culture=en-US

Momentum Webcast: How Microsoft Can Provide E-mail Security, Compliance, and Availability (Level 100)
Thursday, December 06, 2007 - 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Pacific Time
Eric Trimble, Unified Communications Services Partner Account Manager, Microsoft Corporation
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032355609&Culture=en-US

Fonte: Eileen Brown's weblog

Q&A com MVPs

Ainda vão a tempo de se registarem para a próxima sessão de Q&A com MVPs:

Q&A With the Exchange Server MVP Experts
We invite you to attend a Q&A with the Microsoft Exchange Server MVPs. In this chat Exchange MVPs will be on hand to answer your questions about Exchange Server, Outlook and Exchange for Small Business Server. So if you are thinking of upgrading to Exchange Server 2007 or have questions about Exchange Server 2003 we hope you can join us for this informative online chat!

Add to Calendar

December 12, 2007
5:00 P.M. Pacific Time
Additional Time Zones

EnterChatRoom

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 SP1 VHD

Boas notícias para quem quiser testar o Service Pack 1 do Exchange Server 2007 sem ter o trabalho de o instalar: já está disponível para download uma imagem virtual com o SP1 já instalado.

Overview
The Microsoft VHD Test Drive Program provides customers with an enhanced server-based software evaluation experience that’s faster, better supported and more flexible. You can now access the entire catalog of pre-configured Microsoft and partner products and solutions in the VHD format and start evaluating and testing today from www.microsoft.com/vhd.
This download enables you to evaluate Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 SP1. Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 is designed to reduce the growing cost and complexity of managing a corporate messaging system by providing more control for IT administrators, more value and expanded inbox access for end users, and increased security and compliance for the organization as a whole.
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 SP1 provides built-in protection technologies to help keep the e-mail system up and running and better protected from outside threats while allowing employees to work from wherever they are using a variety of clients including Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Web Access, and mobile devices. Exchange Server 2007 SP1 makes it easier for IT to deliver these new capabilities to their organizations by making the messaging environment easier to manage and more cost efficient.
This fully functional pre-configured VHD provides you with a trial software that will automatically expire after 30 days.
This is a preconfigured virtual machine contained within the Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) format. A virtualization product that supports the VHD format is required to use this virtual machine. Microsoft Virtual PC or Microsoft Virtual Server are provided for free and can be used with these VHD based virtual machines. Please refer to the system requirements section for more details.

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems: Windows Server 2003; Windows Vista; Windows XP

A virtualization product that supports the VHD format is required to use this virtual machine. Microsoft Virtual PC or Microsoft Virtual Server are provided for free and can be used with these VHD based virtual machines. Please refer to the Virtual Server 2005 R2 System requirements page here.
In addition to the System Requirements for the virtualization product, you will need additional disk and memory resources for running the virtual machine. This VHD is pre-configured to use approximately 10GB of hard disk space and approximately 1024MB of memory.

Instructions
In order to use this evaluation package you will need to have Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 installed on a physical machine. If you do not have Virtual Server installed you can get this product free of charge from www.microsoft.com/virtualserver. Details of how to install Virtual Server 2005 R2 are included in the download and documentation that accompanies the product.
You will also find a readme document as a part of the download. Please refer to this for additional details on how to extract and use the VHD as a part of the download.

7 de dezembro de 2007

Leitura de fim-de-semana

1 de dezembro de 2007

TechNet Magazine - Dezembro 2007

Mesmo que ainda não tenham terminado a Leitura de fim-de-semana, aqui ficam mais umas sugestões literárias. A edição de Dezembro da TechNet Magazine já disponível online ou, como é habitual, via download do ficheiro de HTML Help (.CHM).

Não foi surpresa nenhuma verificar que o tema central deste número é o Exchange Server, dado que o SP1 acaba de ser lançado.

"Not your typical update, Service Pack 1 for Exchange Server 2007 provides a number of features and additions that include support for IPv6, standby continuous replication, better mailbox management, and lots more. Here we count down 16 enhancements, show you how to deploy Unified Messaging, clarify replication options, and even get you ready to deploy Exchange 2007 on Windows Server 2008."

Aqui fica uma lista dos artigos mais relevantes:

16 New Features in Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 - Unlike the typical service pack, Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 provides a lot more than just hotfixes and security updates. Here's an overview of some of the most important new features and capabilities SP1 has to offer. Tony Smith
Standby Continuous Replication in Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 - One of the most exciting features offered by Service Pack 1 is Standby Continuous Replication. Find out how this can help you improve uptime, limit data loss, and simplify e-mail maintenance and retention. Scott Schnoll
Running Exchange with Windows Server 2008 - Getting ready to run Exchange on Windows Server 2008? The Microsoft Exchange Development team has been doing this for a while now, and Paul Bowden shares some advice and lessons they've learned to help you get ready. Paul Bowden
Deploying Unified Messaging with Exchange Server 2007 - Combining voicemail, fax capabilities, and e-mail messaging into a single mailbox may seem like a daunting task. But it's easier than you think. Here's a guide to deploying unified messaging in your organization. Jeff Goodwin

Leitura de fim-de-semana

29 de novembro de 2007

Preparem-se para o Exchange Server 2007 SP1

Finalmente acabou o suspense. Segundo a newsletter TechNet Flash, o SP1 é disponibilizado amanhã:

On November 30, you will be able to download Exchange Server 2007 with Service Pack 1. The list of new features in SP1 is long, including new deployment options, new features and improvements for each server role, improved integration with other applications, and even a new, third type of continuous replication. There are also general updates to almost all of the high availability topics for SP1, as well as significant updates in other content areas, such as those related to the Mailbox, Client Access, Hub Transport and Edge Transport, and the Unified Messaging server roles. You can find documentation on the new features by browsing or searching the Exchange Server TechCenter Library. If you're in evaluation mode, you can now download the Exchange Server 2007 with Service Pack 1 trial software and see how secure, anywhere access can enhance operational efficiency.

27 de novembro de 2007

Exchange 2003 MSIT Configuration Packs for ConfigMgr 2007

A Microsoft disponibilizou Configuration Packs para o System Center Configuration Manager 2007 que contêm os configuration items necessários para gerir os server roles de Exchange Server 2003, e que foram desenvolvidos com base nas definições utilizadas pela equipa de Microsoft IT na configuração destes server roles.

Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 MSIT Basic Configuration Pack for Configuration Manager 2007 - The Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 MSIT Basic Configuration Pack is designed to be used for managing the configuration of Exchange 2003 servers. This configuration pack defines recommended configurations based on a limited number of settings affecting the configuration of Exchange 2003 servers in the Microsoft IT environment. More extensive configuration items and settings can be obtained by downloading the Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 MSIT Intermediate and Comprehensive Configuration Packs. It is recommended that users begin by evaluating their configuration against the Basic configuration pack, and then progress to the Intermediate and Comprehensive configuration packs as desired configurations are verified.
Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 MSIT Intermediate Configuration Pack for Configuration Manager 2007 - The Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 MSIT Intermediate Configuration Pack is designed to be used for managing the configuration of Exchange 2003 servers. This configuration pack defines recommended configurations based on a substantial number of settings affecting the configuration of Exchange 2003 servers in the Microsoft IT environment. A partial list of the included configuration items and settings can be obtained by downloading the Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 MSIT Basic Configuration Pack; more extensive configuration items and settings can be obtained by downloading the Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 MSIT Comprehensive Configuration Pack. It is recommended that users begin by evaluating their configuration against the Basic configuration pack, and then progress to the Intermediate and Comprehensive configuration packs as desired configurations are verified.

Exchange 2007 e certificados

Depois de instalada uma nova infra-estrutura de Exchange Server 2007, é preciso garantir que todos os clientes, tais como Outlook Web Access e Outlook 2007, conseguem aceder aos serviços de maneira segura e encriptada sem receber um aviso que o certificado não é válido.

É preciso não esquecer que podem ser utilizados vários nomes para aceder aos serviços, como por exemplo:

https://CAS01/owa
https://CAS01.FQDN.name/owa
https://CASIntranetName/owa
https://autodiscover.emaildomain.com

Todos estes nomes podem ser incluídos num único certificado, através da propriedade Subject Alternative Name (SAN).

Para gerar este Certificate Signing Request (CSR) com múltiplos domínios, será necessário utilizar o Exchange Management Shell, correndo o seguinte comando:

New-ExchangeCertificate -generaterequest -subjectname 
"dc=com,dc=contoso,o=Contoso Corporation,
cn=exchange.contoso.com" -domainname exchange.contoso.com,
 CAS01,CAS01.exchange.corp.constoso.com, 
autodiscover.contoso.com -PrivateKeyExportable $true 
-path c:\certrequest_cas01.txt

Este comando irá gerar um ficheiro no formato PKCS#10 com o pedido de certificado.

Se acaha que isto é muito complicado e prefere uma maneira mais gráfica, a digicert disponibilizou este New-ExchangeCertificate Command Generator.

Links relacionados:

24 de novembro de 2007

Windows Essential Business Server

Lembram-se do Centro? Pois bem, o produto foi recentemente baptizado com o que será o seu nome definitivo: Windows Essentials Business Server.

Este produto destina-se a empresas que tenham até 300 utilizadores (encaixa que nem uma luva no mercado Português) e é composto pelo seguinte software da Microsoft:

Windows Server 2008
Exchange Server 2007
System Center Essentials
Forefront Security for Exchange
A próxima versão do ISA
SQL Server 2008

Links relacionados:

23 de novembro de 2007

Leitura de fim-de-semana

22 de novembro de 2007

Exchange Server 2007 Design and Architecture at Microsoft

Mais 2 grandes documentos da colecção "How Microsoft Does IT": Exchange Server 2007 Design and Architecture at Microsoft.

Overview
Ever wondered how a large enterprise plans and implements design and architecture of its next generation of messaging system? View this content to find out how engineers from the Microsoft IT messaging team will uncover the details on how Exchange 2007 infrastructure was introduced and fully deployed in a 120,000+ mailbox production environment. Topics will include: messaging topology design, hardware planning for various Exchange server roles, Client Access Server and Mobility scenarios, Transport architecture, Mailbox server and storage designs, backup, restore and high availability strategies.

17 de novembro de 2007

Leitura de fim-de-semana

10 de novembro de 2007

Documentos de Exchange Server: novos & actualizados

Nas últimas semanas foram disponibilizados alguns novos documentos de Exchange Server que eu gostaria de mencionar:

Going 64-Bit with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 - This topic illustrates how Microsoft met evolving business needs with the deployment of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, such as reducing risks associated with spam, improving business agility, and lowering TCO. The 64-bit platform enables Microsoft IT to keep pace with ever-increasing performance expectations, raise mailbox quotas, lower storage costs, and eliminate tape backups to save additional costs.
Business Continuity with Exchange Server 2007 SP1 and Data Protection Manager - E-mail is the lifeblood of business, and enterprises rely on IT teams to keep their communication arteries secure, protected, and compliant. Learn how to ensure business continuity through the new developments in Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 as well as complementing with Data Protection Manager.

Directamente do Microsoft Exchange Team Blog, ficamos a conhecer mais alguns novos conteúdos técnicos:

The Exchange Server documentation team is pleased to announce the following new Exchange Server 2007 content.

Service Pack 1 Highlights
History Is Made by Those Who Show Up
Poster: Exchange Server 2007 Component Architecture
Planning, Deploying, and Managing Unified Messaging with Exchange Server 2007
What's New in Exchange Server 2007 SP1
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 Help
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 Shell Help

BTW, if you haven't noticed, all our topics in the Exchange Library now have a "Topic Last Modified" date at the top of the topic. And, if you wonder which topics apply to Exchange Server 2007 with Service Pack 1, we now have an "Applies to" tag for Exchange 2007 content.

E finalmente, como já vem sendo habitual, o Paul Flaherty (aka Flaphead) condensa todos os downloads, documentos e webcasts que foram disponibilizados no último mês: A Month in Exchange: November 2007.

ILM 2007 Feature Pack 1 suporta Exchange 2007

Sabiam que até há pouco tempo o ILM 2007 (ex-MIIS 2003) não suportava cenários de sincronização entre ambientes puramente Exchange 2007?

Felizmente, com o lançamento do Identity Lifecycle Manager 2007 Feature Pack 1, a Microsoft adicionou um Management Agent para sincronização da GAL entre infra-estruturas de Exchange 2007.

New features in this release:

Active Directory and GAL synchronization Management Agent support for pure Exchange 2007 environments
Certificate and smart card management client support for Vista
Offline Vista-integrated smart card PIN unblock
Smart card PIN unblock for Windows XP
Certificate and smart card management in 8 additional languages:
- Chinese (Traditional)
- Dutch
- French
- German
- Italian
- Japanese
- Portuguese
- Spanish

9 de novembro de 2007

Leitura de fim-de-semana

8 de novembro de 2007

Exchange Component Architecture Poster

Ora aqui está um grande, grande documento (e não é só devido à sua dimensão). Se uma imagem vale mais que mil palavras, o Exchange Server 2007 Component Architecture Poster é a prova viva disso mesmo.

Este poster ilustra a arquitectura e as funcionalidades do Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, é óptimo para consolidar ideias.

Overview
Aside from showing the high-level architecture, this poster highlights the feature set of Exchange Server 2007. Sections include:

Management and Monitoring
High Availability
Client Access, Edge Transport, Hub Transport, Mailbox, and Unified Messaging server roles
When printed, this poster measures 30.5 inches by 20.5 inches (77,5 cm x 52 cm).

7 de novembro de 2007

Como obter um endereço @live.com

Com o lançamento oficial do Windows Live, já é possível obter endereços @live.com. Para quem está em Portugal, pode ser um bocadinho difícil e frustrante (eu já passei por isso), por isso aqui ficam as instruções:

Abrir o browser e fazer sign-out de todos os serviços Live
Alterar as Regional Settings no Control Panel para English (United States)
Mudar a lingua do browser para Inglês (no Internet Explorer ir ao menu Tools | Internet Options | Languages | Add e seleccionar English (United States) [en-us] e colocá-la em primeiro lugar)
Ir a http://www.windowslive.com/ e carregar no botão "Get Windows Live - Free"
Na janela que se abre, não seleccionar nenhum dos proidutos/serviços e carregar no botão "Install"
Vai ser lançado o Installer. Nas janelas seguintes carregar em Run
Clicar em Close depois de terminada a instalação. Abre-se então uma nova janela onde deverão carregar em "Sign in" (canto superior direito)
Na nova janela, carregar em "Sign up" para subscrever um Live ID @live.com.

Comigo funcionou. Espero que consigam também. Boa sorte!

[UPDATE]

Se não funcionar, experimentem utilizar este link.

Windows Live Mail 2008

O Windows Live Mail acaba se sair de Beta, a versão final foi disponibilizada ontem e pode ser obtida aqui.

Além do Live Mail, a Microsoft fez também o lançamento oficial de outros produtos Live, tal como o Writer e o Messenger.

Links relacionados:

6 de novembro de 2007

DPM 2007 Storage Requirements Calculator

Mais uma grande ferramenta disponibilizada: Data Protection Manager 2007 Storage Calculator.

In order to assist customers in designing their storage layout for Data Protection Manager 2007, we have put together a calculator that focuses on outlining the storage capacity requirements based on a set of input factors.

For the first release, the calculator focuses on Exchange 2007 backup scenarios only. Future releases may include other technologies.

The calculator uses all the recommendations outlined in

Protecting Exchange Server with DPM 2007 White Paper - http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=92497
Exchange 2007 Planning Storage Configurations - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124518.aspx
Exchange 2007 Mailbox Storage Calculator - http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2007/01/15/432207.aspx
DPM Blog - http://blogs.technet.com/dpm/

Leiam mais no DPM Blog.

5 de novembro de 2007

Documentos técnicos da IT Showcase

Exchange Server 2007 Deployment Checklist é um grande, grande documento que contém checklists de instalação de todos os server roles do Exchange Server 2007.

Overview
To drive excellence in server deployments, the Exchange Messaging team within the Microsoft Information Technology (Microsoft IT) group relies on checklists to ensure consistency and completeness in carrying out deployment tasks, minimize deployment risks, and save time.

Managing the Calendaring and Collaboration Process By Using Exchange Server 2007 Web Services descreve como a Microsoft utilizou os Exchange Server 2007 Web Services para criar uma solução integrada e automatizada de colaboração e comunicação.

Overview
Two distinct groups at Microsoft have the challenging task of scheduling thousands of people for speaking engagements or for job interviews each year. Understand how Microsoft used Exchange Server 2007 Web Services to automate a near real-time solution to create integrated communication and collaboration; one that can display multiple meetings and multiple presenters per meeting; within its own enterprise using an improved development toolset that offers better functionality than previously available from Microsoft.

Ferramentas para manusear os logs de Exchange

Aqui fica uma lista de ferramentas bastante úteis (e grátis) para manusear os logs criados pelo Exchange Server:

Exchange Log Search Tool - If you have ever administered Microsoft Exchange server then you have had to look through the message tracking logs...arg!!!!! They can be ridiculously large and it's painfully monotonous to scan through them (if not down right impossible).
Performance Analysis of Logs (PAL) Tool - Ever have a performance problem, but don't know what performance counters to collect or how to analyze them? The PAL (Performance Analysis of Logs) tool is a new and powerful tool that reads in a performance monitor counter log (any known format) and analyzes it using complex, but known thresholds (provided). The tool generates an HTML based report which graphically charts important performance counters and throws alerts when thresholds are exceeded. The thresholds are originally based on thresholds defined by the Microsoft product teams and members of Microsoft support, but continue to be expanded by this ongoing project. This tool is not a replacement of traditional performance analysis, but it automates the analysis of performance counter logs enough to save you time. This is a VBScript and requires Microsoft LogParser (free download).

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26 de outubro de 2007

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Update Rollup 5 for Exchange Server 2007 (KB941421)

Está disponível uma nova actualização para o Exchange: Update Rollup 5 for Exchange Server 2007 (KB941421).

Overview
Update Rollup 5 for Exchange Server 2007 resolves issues that were found in Exchange Server 2007 since the software was released. This update rollup is highly recommended for all Exchange Server 2007 customers.
For a list of changes included in this update rollup see KB941421.

This is a cumulative update rollup and replaces the following:

KB930809 Update Rollup 1 for Exchange Server 2007 (KB930809)
KB935490 Update Rollup 2 for Exchange Server 2007 (KB935490)
KB935999 Update Rollup 3 for Exchange Server 2007 (KB935999)
KB940006 Update Rollup 4 for Exchange Server 2007 (KB940006)

Issues that the update rollup fixes
Update Rollup 5 for Exchange 2007 fixes the issues that are described in the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

940051 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/ 940051 /) The recipient information in an e-mail message incorrectly contains the character string "%40" in the address instead of the at sign (@) in Exchange Server 2007
940058 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/ 940058 /) Non-English characters in the meeting description field are replaced by question marks when an Exchange Server 2007 user opens a meeting invitation that was sent by a Lotus Notes user

24 de outubro de 2007

TechNet Magazine - Novembro 2007

A edição de Novembro de 2007 da TechNet Magazine já está disponível online ou por download de um ficheiro de HTML Help (.CHM).

E aqui fica a lista dos artigos mais interessantes, no que diz respeito ao Exchange Server:

20 de outubro de 2007

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18 de outubro de 2007

Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices Analyzer

Há um novo elemento na família dos Microsoft Analyzers: Windows Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices Analyzer. Esta ferramenta analisa os principais componentes do Windows Small Business Server 2003, incluindo:

Exchange Server 2003
Update Service
Configuração de rede
Windows SharePoint Services
SQL Server (se presente)

Brief Description
The Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices Analyzer examines a server that is running Windows Small Business Server 2003 (Windows SBS) and presents a list of information and errors that administrators should review.

Overview
The Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices Analyzer examines a server that is running Windows Small Business Server 2003 (Windows SBS) and presents a list of information and errors that administrators should review.
The Windows SBS Best Practices Analyzer examines the server and collects configuration information from many sources including:
• Active Directory Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)
• Registry
• Metabase
After collecting information about server configuration, the Windows SBS Best Practices Analyzer verifies that the information is correct and then presents administrators with a list of issues sorted by severity. The list describes each issue and provides a recommendation or possible solution.

Knowledge Base Article
Description of the Windows Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices Analyzer tool

13 de outubro de 2007

Mailbox Server Role Storage Requirements Calculator - v 11.8

A equipa de Exchange da Microsoft efectuou uma actualização significativa na ferramenta Mailbox Server Role Storage Requirements Calculator - v 11.8.

Já agora, eu tinha mencionado num post anterior que a folha de cálculo não se conseguia converter para Excel 2003. Aparentemente esse problema foi ultrapassado, mas nem todas as funcionalidades estarão disponíveis, devido a limitações do Office 2003.

Para uma lista das últimas actualizações: Updates to the Mailbox Server Role Storage Requirements Calculator.

Para uma descrição detalhada da ferramenta: Exchange 2007 Mailbox Server Role Storage Requirements Calculator.

12 de outubro de 2007

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Finalmente!!! Exchange Server 2007 Management Pack for Operations Manager 2007

O tão aguardado Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Management Pack for Operations Manager 2007 está finalmente disponível!

Brief Description
This management pack includes scripts and rules to effectively monitor Exchange 2007 and report on performance, availability, and reliability of its server roles.

Overview
The Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 management pack is designed to be used for monitoring Exchange 2007 events, collecting Exchange component-specific performance counters in one central location, and for raising alerts for operator intervention as necessary. By detecting, sending alerts, and automatically responding to critical events, this management pack helps indicate, correct, and prevent possible service outages or configuration problems, allowing you to proactively manage Exchange servers and identify issues before they become critical. The management pack monitors and provides alerts for automatic notification of events indicating service outages, performance degradation, health monitoring, and centralized management.
This MP requires the Backward Compatibility Version 6.0.5000.16 (or above).

E não se esqueçam de ler as Release Notes.

Brief Description
This download contains a standalone version of the Exchange Server 2007 Management Pack for System Center Operations Manager 2007 Release Notes. This release notes document includes information about how to install and configure this management pack. It also describes known issues about the product and suggested resolutions.

10 de outubro de 2007

Exchange Server 2007 SP1 Overview

A Microsoft disponibilizou uma nova apresentação em PowerPoint que explica o valor do Service Pack 1 do Exchange Server 2007.

Apesar do lançamento do SP1 estar agendado para o último trimestre deste ano, este será apresentado oficialmente com o lançamento da segunda vaga dos produtos de Unified Communications a 16 de Outubro.

A apresentação está disponível em 2 formatos:

.NET Framework 2.0 Update para Exchange 2007

A Microsoft disponibilizou uma actualização da .NET Framework 2.0 que deve ser instalada em todos os servidores Exchange 2007. Embora seja prioritária a sua instalação em servidores Client Access com múltiplos protocolos, a recomendação é que seja igualmente aplicada nos restantes servidores Exchange 2007.

Este fix será integrado num futuro SP1 da .NET Framework, mas que não tem ainda previsto a data de lançamento.

Mais informações estão disponíveis no seguinte artigo da Knowledge Base:

KB942027 - FIX: You may notice that the memory load is very high when you run an application that is built on the .NET Framework 2.0

Fonte: Scott Schnoll's Blog

Actualização do filtro Junk Email do Outlook (Outubro 2007)

Está disponível uma nova actualização para o filtro Junk E-mail do Outlook 2003/2007.

"This update provides the Junk E-mail Filter in Microsoft Office Outlook with a more current definition of which e-mail messages should be considered junk e-mail."

O download está disponível para as versões Outlook 2003 e Outlook 2007, ou através do Microsoft Update. Como é habitual, está acompanhado pelo respectivo artigo da Knowledge Base:

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