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27Sep/100

Pausing PowerShell

Ever wondered how to use the pause function of DOS in PowerShell. Look no more. Here's the script to do this: 

Write-Host "Press any key to continue ..."

$x = $host.UI.RawUI.ReadKey("NoEcho,IncludeKeyDown")

More info here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff730957.aspx

Filed under: Powershell, Scripting No Comments
24Sep/107

Event 1007 – MSExchange Mailbox Replication

The Mailbox Replication service was unable to determine the set of active mailbox databases on a mailbox server.
Mailbox server: Exchangeserver.spil.local
Error: MapiExceptionNetworkError: Unable to make admin interface connection to server. (hr=0x80040115, ec=-2147221227)
Diagnostic context:
......
Lid: 15000 dwParam: 0x6BA Msg: EEInfo: prm[1]: Pointer val: 0x0000000000000000
Lid: 15000 dwParam: 0x6BA Msg: EEInfo: prm[2]: Pointer val: 0x985CA8C000000000
Lid: 16280 dwParam: 0x6BA Msg: EEInfo: ComputerName: n/a
Lid: 8600 dwParam: 0x6BA Msg: EEInfo: ProcessID: 2256
Lid: 12696 dwParam: 0x6BA Msg: EEInfo: Generation Time: 2010-09-24 11:32:34:750
Lid: 10648 dwParam: 0x6BA Msg: EEInfo: Generating component: 18
Lid: 14744 dwParam: 0x6BA Msg: EEInfo: Status: 10060
Lid: 9624 dwParam: 0x6BA Msg: EEInfo: Detection location: 318
Lid: 13720 dwParam: 0x6BA Msg: EEInfo: Flags: 0
Lid: 11672 dwParam: 0x6BA Msg: EEInfo: NumberOfParameters: 0
Lid: 24060 StoreEc: 0x80040115
Lid: 23746
Lid: 31938 StoreEc: 0x80040115
Lid: 19650
Lid: 27842 StoreEc: 0x80040115
Lid: 20866
Lid: 29058 StoreEc: 0x80040115

This seems to be related to the configuration of the NIC(s) in your Exchange server. I've seen a couple of causes for this problem. Confirm all of them are correct and the issue should be resolved.

  • Using DHCP for one or more NICs. Setting this NIC to static might solve the problem.
  • Setting multiple IP addresses on one NIC. Editing the DNS to only refer to 1 IP instead of both might solve the problem.
  • Having a disabled NIC set to DHCP. Editing the disabled NIC to use static IP might solve the problem.
  • Information Store service is not running. Start the Information Store service.
  • IPv6 is enabled and you're not using it. Disable IPv6.

There are a couple of other possible solutions, but those have not been confirmed to work yet. If you found another possible solution, please comment below!

Interesting read:

Tagged as: 7 Comments
24Sep/108

Event 2937 – HomeMTA pointing to the Deleted Objects container

Recently I came across the following warning.

Log Name: Application
Source: MSExchange ADAccess
Date: 23-9-2010 17:06:55
Event ID: 2937
Task Category: Validation
Level: Warning
Keywords: Classic
User: N/A
Computer: exchangeserver.domain.local
Description:
Process powershell.exe (PID=8552). Object [CN=FederatedEmail.4c1f4d8b-8179-4148-93bf-00a95fa1e042,CN=OU,DC=domain,DC=local]. Property [HomeMTA] is set to value [domain.local/Configuration/Deleted Objects/Microsoft MTA DEL:ceb6fb78-f913-4907-9522-3f2f20e20d1a], it is pointing to the Deleted Objects container in Active Directory. This property should be fixed as soon as possible.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="MSExchange ADAccess" />
<EventID Qualifiers="32768">2937</EventID>
<Level>3</Level>
<Task>6</Task>
<Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2010-09-23T15:06:55.000000000Z" />
<EventRecordID>49552</EventRecordID>
<Channel>Application</Channel>
<Computer>exchangeserver.domain.local</Computer>
<Security />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data>powershell.exe</Data>
<Data>8552</Data>
<Data>CN=FederatedEmail.4c1f4d8b-8179-4148-93bf-00a95fa1e042,CN=OU,DC=domain,DC=local</Data>
<Data>HomeMTA</Data>
<Data>domain.local/Configuration/Deleted Objects/Microsoft MTADEL:ceb6fb78-f913-4907-9522-3f2f20e20d1a</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>

The process can be anything related to Exchange. I've seen:

  • MSExchangeMailboxAssistants.exe
  • w3wp.exe
  • Microsoft.Exchange.RpcClientAccess.Service.exe
  • Microsoft.Exchange.ServiceHost.exe
  • ExSetupUI.exe
  • powershell.exe

The object can also change. I've seen:

  • Administrator
  • SystemMailbox.<GUID>
  • FederatedEmail.<GUID>

This probably started because I upgraded Exchange 2010 to SP1. Thanks to Kevin Ca I now know how to correct the issue.

In the Exchange Management Shell do a Get-Mailbox to get the mailbox. Use the -Arbitration switch to get the system mailboxes. Then pipe that to Update-Recipient. 

Get-Mailbox Administrator | Update-Recipient

If you're using the -Arbitration switch you might have to further specify the mailbox. An easy way is: 

Get-Mailbox -Arbitration | Where {$_.Name -like "SystemMailbox{E3*" } | Update-Recipient

Running the Update-Recipient cmdlet on a mailbox reinitializes the HomeMTA value and solves the warning message.

Tagged as: 8 Comments
23Sep/100

Backup or copy Outlook signatures

Don't you just hate recreating your signatures after a reinstall or workstation switch? So do I, that's why after my recent workstation switch I decided to figure out how to do this the easy way.

Open Outlook and go to File > Options > Mail

Now click on the Signatures button while holding the CTRL key on your keyboard. This opens your Signatures folder in your profile (C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Signatures in windows 7)

Copy all the files in that folder. These files contain all versions of your signature. Do the same on your new workstation and place the copied files from your old workstation there. You now have copied your signature to your new workstation. All you need to do now is assign the signature(s) to the different message types and you should be done.

Tagged as: , No Comments
21Sep/100

Installing SP1 for Exchange 2010

Just like all the new Microsoft Server installations we start off with the readiness check. During this phase it told me to install several hotfixes. All but one of the hotfixes were downloadable through http://code.msdn.microsoft.com, but you can use the link in the error message of the readiness check.

Error:
Install hotfix Microsoft Knowledge Base article 982867 from http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/KB982867.
Click here for help... http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/library/ms.exch.err.default(EXCHG.141).aspx?v=14.1.218.11&e=ms.exch.err.Ex28883C&l=0&cl=cp

Error:
This computer requires the update described in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 979744 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=3052&kbid=979744). Please install the required update to proceed.
Click here for help... http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/library/ms.exch.err.default(EXCHG.141).aspx?v=14.1.218.11&e=ms.exch.err.Ex28883C&l=0&cl=cp

Error:
Install hotfix Microsoft Knowledge Base article 983440 from http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/KB983440.
Click here for help... http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/library/ms.exch.err.default(EXCHG.141).aspx?v=14.1.218.11&e=ms.exch.err.Ex28883C&l=0&cl=cp

Error:
This computer requires the update described in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 977020 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977020). Please install the required update to proceed.
Click here for help... http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/library/ms.exch.err.default(EXCHG.141).aspx?v=14.1.218.11&e=ms.exch.err.Ex28883C&l=0&cl=cp

Warning:
This computer requires the Microsoft Office 2010 Filter Packs. Please install the software from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=191548

After installing these hotfixes and the filter pack I rebooted the server. The readiness check was successful and I was able to start the upgrade.

Depending on the number of languages that need to be installed and the overall system speed your upgrade time might be similar to mine; a whopping 24 minutes (second server took 33 minutes).

I actually had no problems what so ever with the upgrade, although I've read about problem when upgrading to SP1 with Exchange 2010 and TMG installed (this has been patched as of 1 Sep 2010, see interesting reads).

Interesting reads:

Upgrade from Exchange 2010 RTM to Exchange 2010 SP1 - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb629560.aspx
Exchange 2010 Prerequisites (SP1) - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb691354.aspx
Exchange 2010 SP1 FAQ and Known Issues - http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2010/09/01/456094.aspx
Problems when installing Exchange 2010 Service Pack 1 on a TMG configured for Mail protection - http://blogs.technet.com/b/isablog/archive/2010/09/01/problems-when-installing-exchange-2010-service-pack-1-on-a-tmg-configured-for-mail-protection.aspx

Tagged as: No Comments
3Sep/100

Menus drop to the left

One of the weirdest issues I've come across in a while was that the menus were appearing on the wrong side as shown in the images below.

After some googling I found out that this had to do with the Tablet PC Settings being set to right-handed use. This seems to be the most logical setting for a right-handed person, but since I'm not using a touchscreen it only causes the menus to appear on the wrong (different) side. Therefore it's smarter to set the handedness to left-handed. This will not change any other settings on the system.

Accessing the Tablet PC Settings is another story as this options is not shown on the control panel of a non-tablet PC. Ronnie Vernon on the Microsoft Answers forum had a really elegant solution to this problem.

Press the Windows logo key+R to bring up the Run dialog box. In the Open line, copy/paste the following text.

shell:::{80F3F1D5-FECA-45F3-BC32-752C152E456E}

Press OK

Thanks Ronnie!

Filed under: Microsoft, Windows Vista/7 No Comments
2Sep/100

The specified service does not exist as an installed service

I had a user today that had some problems with downloading data from the internet. He could browse most internet sites, but some of the content would generate errors like "Unable to download". The network icon in the task bar had a red cross through it.

This was a hint that something with the network was wrong, so I started the Network and Sharing Center. This showed me the error below.

Something was definitely wrong. I compared the services to another PC and this soon showed a couple of services missing. Amongst the missing services were: Backgroup Intelligent Transfer Service and Network List Service which probably caused the aforementioned problems. I decided to reinstall the PC, because it would probably have more issues than these visible ones and I didn't have the time to investigate. I suspect that something went wrong during the WDS rollout or the updates because the user didn't work on the PC for that long.

I guess it'll have to remain a mystery…

Filed under: Microsoft, Windows Vista/7 No Comments
2Sep/101

Calendar sharing is not available

I had a user coming up to me saying that she couldn't send calendar requests anymore. The error was: "Calendar sharing is not available with the following entries because of permission settings on your network". As all mailboxes had just migrated to the Exchange 2010 server this could be anything. However a blog post from Nubby Admin saved me a lot of work.

The error was caused by an outdated entry in the user's autocomplete list. After using the GAL to select the recipient all went well. I also instructed her to clear her autocomplete list.

Tagged as: , , 1 Comment
1Sep/101

Customizing the quota e-mails

Some of you might get comments from users about the Exchange quota e-mails. Not just that the mailbox quota limit is ridiculously low in comparison to Google or any other free e-mail provider, but also about the message being unclear. To solve that Microsoft enabled us admins to set custom text for the quota e-mails. It's not possible to change the sender, quota bar (Exchange 2010) or subject.

To change the message you'll have to create them with the New-SystemMessage cmdlet. The default texts are not accessible with the Get-SystemMessage, but if you want to reset the message back to the default you can use the Set-SystemMessage cmdlet with the -Original switch set to $True. You can use HTML in the text, however I'm not sure if there are any limits as to what HTML tags are allowed. 

New-SystemMessage -QuotaMessageType ProhibitSendMailbox -Language EN -Text "Your mailbox can no longer send messages. Please reduce your mailbox size. Use AutoArchive to archive old messages from your mailbox and empty your Deleted Items folder. Contact Office IT if you need help with this."

The QuotaMessageTypes available are:

  • WarningMailboxUnlimitedSize
  • WarningPublicFolderUnlimitedSize
  • WarningMailbox
  • WarningPublicFolder
  • ProhibitSendMailbox
  • ProhibitPostPublicFolder
  • ProhibitSendReceiveMailBox

Also make sure that you're using the correct Language (EN for english) switch.

Changing a system message can be done by using the Set-SystemMessage. You'll have to use the identity switch to select the system message to change. For the quota messages this is done by putting the language first followed by a backslash and the quota message type (EN\ProhibitSendMailbox).

If you want to get rid of the custom system message you can use the Remove-SystemMessage cmdlet.

Here are some links to help you along with any other questions:

Tagged as: 1 Comment
1Sep/100

Error sending e-mail to migrated mailbox

During our migration I ran into an error while sending e-mail to a mailbox that was just migrated.

#550 5.2.0 STOREDRV.Deliver: The Microsoft Exchange Information Store service reported an error. The following information should help identify the cause of this error: "MapiExceptionUnconfigured:16.18969:C4000000, 17.27161:0000000094000000000000000000000000000000, 255.23226:00000000, 255.27962:FE000000, 255.17082:1C010480, 0.26937:00000000, 4.21921:1C010480, 255.27962:FA000000, 255.1494:00000000, 255.26426:FE000000, 4.7588:0F010480, 4.6564:0F010480, 0.56333:0B004A66, 4.6372:05000780, 4.6276:05000780, 0.18684:02010480, 4.2199:78040000, 4.2770:05400080, 4.29385:1C010480, 4.8620:1C010480, 255.1750:0F010480, 0.26849:0F010480, 255.21817:1C010480, 0.26297:0F010480, 4.16585:1C010480, 0.32441:0F010480, 4.1706:1C010480, 0.24761:71040000, 4.20665:1C010480, 0.25785:0F010480, 4.29881:1C010480". ##

If the account hasn't properly replicated to all domain controllers, you might get this error. Forcing a replication using the Active Directory Sites and Services fixes the problem. This should trigger automatically, however replication issues might stop or slow this. Running a DCDiag and NETDiag will probably show you some problems.

Tagged as: , , , No Comments
   

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