Configuring Multiple Outlook Profile for Exchange Server 2013 User Mailboxes

In this blog we will learn on how to configure multiple outlook profiles for Exchange Server 2013 User Mailboxes. In the previous versions of Exchange Server it was pretty simple to configure multiple profiles. In Exchange Server 2013 it is little different. Lets see how to do that.

Lets ExploreTo understand the steps to configure single profile please click here.

After configuring the first profile. Go to Control Panel and Select mail (32-bit) as shown below.

Figure 1: Mail

Figure 2: Show Profiles

Figure 3: Options
In figure 3 select the radio button “Prompt for a profile to be user” and select Add…

Figure 4: New Profile

Figure 5: Account Setup
Select the option as shown above and click Next>

Figure 6: Choose Service
Select Microsoft Exchange or compatible service and click Next >

Figure 7: Server Settings
In figure 7 type any Cas server name and in the User Name box type the mailbox name. Select More settings ….

Figure 8: Connection
In figure 8 Select connection and go to Outlook Anywhere. By default for second profile this option is not selected. Select Connect to Microsoft Exchange using HTTP and select Exchange Proxy Settings …

Figure 9: Microsoft Exchange Proxy Settings
In figure 9 I have entered the server FQDN name. In real world scenario this will change as per the configuration. Select OK. Click on Apply and OK.

Figure 10: Check Name
In figure 10 click Check Name after confirming Proxy Settings for Exchange>

Figure 11: Name Resolved
In figure 11 the name resolved and the Server name has changed to users MailboxGuid@domain.in. To understand this changes please click here. Click Next> And enter the credentials as shown below.

Figure 12: Credentials

Figure: 13: Finish

Open Outlook and choose profiles as shown below.

Figure 14: Choose Profile

Figure 15: Logged in to Additional Profile

Happy Learning

DiscoverySearchMailbox has been corrupted and it is in an inconsistent state

DiscoverSearchMailbox {Guid} has been corrupted and it is in an inconsistent state. The following validation errors have occurred:

Warning:
The value of the property ‘RecipientTypeDetails’,536870912, is not defined in the Enum type ‘RecipientTypeDetails’.

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We will see the above two warnings while we plan for Migration from Exchange Server 2007 SP3 RU10 to Exchange Server 2013. This is a Common warning and it appears while opening EMC as shown  below.

Figure 1: Warning Message
Warning while opening EMC in 2007 server.

Figure 2: Warnings
No action is required since the mailbox is of higher version and the warning can be safely ignored.

Figure 3: Mailbox Details in 2013 EMS

In figure 3 the Mailbox is accessible and it is able to perform Discovery Search from Exchange Server 2013 for 2013 Mailboxes.

Conclusion : The above warnings can be safely ignored.

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Note:-

In my experience , I have seen that this issue occurs a clobber reinstallation where the administrator has manually removed the mail databases and the binary files. post which a ndw mbx server is clobbered on . This error happens because the homemdb attribute is not set on the mailbox.
This issue can be resolved by adding a DN of a mailbox on the homeMdb attribute. restart the msexchangeis service on the homemdb filed in adsiedit > domain> users > discovertsearchXXX.XXXX…..rt click on it . on the home mdb tab , you might get anSID value instead of the new mailboxes.
Change the homeMdb attribute to the DN of any active mailbox. restart the IS service.

Worst case scenario you might or reboot the server . ideally this should resolve the issue .

RCA tool .This generally happens when ,lets say 2ek10 is installed on top of the legacy mailbox server , in the org and the customer has done a manual uninstall all of exchange and has forgotten to mention the DN of the discoverysearchmailbox > please try to check the homeMDB attribute.If its a points to a SID, for the database.

Ideally it should show the DN of the any of the mailbox database..

restart the msexchangeIS svc and try to check if the discovery search mailbox shows up or not.

It should ideally work , but as an extreme alternative , delete the existing discoverysearchmailbox and run a setup.com /ps && setup.com /p ,

Changes in msExchCurrentServerRoles in Exchange 2013 and its impact on a disaster recovery scenario

Hello All , and welcome to another topic , where we are going to discuss the architectural changes in Exchange 2013 in comparison to exchange 2007 or 2010 .

We are going to focus on the disaster recovery scenario, which obviously is quiet simple, if everything goes well.

Caution : The steps listed below requires complete understanding of ADSIEDIT and registry. Incorrectly modifying them can cause severe issues to the operating system. Please follow them at your own risk

Now consider a scenario, where the disaster recovery has failed at the first stages of the operation (say the HT role) ,where , the options left with the Exchange Admins are to go through the setup logs , to find that some folder in the exchange server registry location was missing , in which case, we generally create the needed folder in the registry and start from scratch , or we modify the msExchangeCurrentServerRoles , to trick the server into believing that it is hosting lesser roles , than it actually is , by modifying the attribute from the object , and skip on to the next phase of DR installation , which generally is the CAS role .

Now by known conventions, we have come to know that the server role integer value associated with each role for e2k7 /e2k10 are as follows;

Mailbox: 2

CAS: 4

Hub: 16

UM: 32

Thus the sum-up of all the roles are: MBX+CAS+UM+HUB = 2+4+16+32=54

Thus modifying the msExchangeCurrentServerRoles current server role, can actually make the server believe that the role is not installed, and as Disaster recovery reads this particular attribute, to determine, the state of server roles, the DR installation proceeds accordingly.

Now the change that I have noticed in 2013 is, if all the roles (MBX+CAS+UM+HUB), as UM is required for the installation process, the value changes to 16439.

This was pretty new to me, as not much documentation was done regarding the same in TechNet.

So I decided to install an Exchange 2013 CAS, and the value for the msExchangeCurrentServerRoles was 16385.

I went ahead and installed a separate mailbox server, and found the value of msExchangeCurrentServerRoles to be 54

Point to be noted: if we add up the values, we get a cumulative value of 16439 (16385 + 54 = 16439).

This got me thinking, as the mailbox server in 2013 is an integrated service of the roles MBX+CAS+UM+HUB, which adds up to 2+4+16+32=54.

Thus I came to the conclusion that, on a standalone CAS server, the msExchangeCurrentServerRoles is 16385,whereas on a box with all the 4 roles installed (MBX+CAS+UM+HUB) has a msExchangeCurrentServerRoles as16385 + 54 = 16439

Thus to prove my point, I tried to simulate DISASTER RECOVERY on a 2013, with the /donotstarttransport switch OFF.

Please find the screenshots of the attribute before DR attempt

Figure 1: Attribute and its value

As we can see that the current server role is set to 16439.

Next I initiated a DR, which failed at the transport service start (see screenshot below)

Figure 2: Recover Server failed

Here I went ahead and changed the watermark key for the hub transport server in the registry from watermark to configured version, as the binaries are in place. The failure was due to a hard coded timeout period and removed the action key and renamed the key as .old.

Figure 3: Registry Path

Next phase of action was to calculate the weightage of the HT role, as HT in e15 is an integrated service.

This can be done easily by taking into consideration the following values:

• Exchange 2013 CAS role number is: 16385
• Exchange 2013 MBX role number is: 54
• Added, we get 16385 + 54 = 16439
• As hub is installed the value can be NEGATED AS : Hub installed : -32 (MINUS 32)
• Thus (MBX+UM+HUB)-HUB =22 i.e. 54 -32 =22
• Thus the value of the hub , without the integrated mailbox services is 22
• Thus , to make the server believe that the hub role(individual) has been installed , we have to add the CAS SERVERROLE VALUE + THE INDIVIDUAL HUB ROLE VALUE : 16385 + 22 = 16407 (without the hub component) {i.e. hub component has already been installed}

Thus the value to install the other components would be 16407.

Figure 4: Attribute Value

After altering the currentserverrole, I initiated a DR again and it completed successfully.

Figure 5: Recovery Completed

Post installation completion, change the registry value of hubtransport.old to HubTransportrole and change the current server value back to 16439.

Figure 6: Registry Changes

Post this, reboot the server and ensure that the services are up and running.

Hope this was helpful.

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Exchange Server 2010 Disaster Recovery using Active Directory System State Backup

In this blog we will be learning the steps on how to recover Exchange Server 2010 if the Server Object is missing from Active Directory.

The steps described in this article would benefit small business customers with 50-100 user mailboxes. Single Exchange Server and Single Active Directory Domain.

Pre-requisites
Valid Active Directory System State Backup
Working knowledge on Active Directory and Its Backup
Directory Service Restore Mode Password
Good Understanding of Authoritative and Non-Authoritative Restore Terminology

ScenarioSingle Exchange Server 2010 SP3
Single Active Directory Domain
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Recovery will succeed only if the following conditions are met
1) Valid Active Directory Backup Exists and it was fully tested.
2) Configuration Objects for Exchange Server has been deleted accidently using ADSIEDIT.
2) Exchange Server is intact without any changes (Member Server).
3) Exchange Services are up.
4) Valid Exchange Database Copy as a precautionary step.

Lets ExploreBefore Deletion

Figure 1: Clients Connected

Figure 2: Exchange Server 2010 is Online
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After Deletions

Figure 3: Disconnected
In figure 3 the symptoms will show as Disconnected. As a first steps in troubleshooting we can start by looking at Exchange Services.

Figure 4: Services
In figure 4 one of the key important service for client connectivity “Microsoft Exchange Address Book” Service is stopped. When you try to start it will fail. Although other services are up and running. Some serious issues from Active Directory end.

Figure 5: EMC Error

Figure 6: EMS Error
In figure 6 EMS error clearly states that the server is missing and it says “Enter the server FQDN where you want to connect”.

Looking at the above error. It is obvious that some deletions has took place from Active Directory End. Lets see how to get the server back.

Please Note : The scenario is for Single Site with Single Exchange Server and Active Directory.====================================
Recovery
For restoring the backup I have used Windows Server Backup Feature.

Permission RequiredThe account must be a member of Domain Admins and Enterprise Admin

Login in to the Domain Controller and go to Start > Run > and type Msconfig as shown below.

Figure 7: msconfig

Figure 8: System Configuration
We have to boot the DC in Safe Boot “Active Directory Repair” mode.

Figure 9: Restart

Figure 10: DSRM Login
In figure 10 we are logging in with DSRM logging. Since it is a DC. Once recovery is completed we have to revert it to normal logging.

Figure 11: Windows Server Backup
In figure 11 we have two backups. We can select the latest one for minimal impact on end users as well as on server. Select Recover.

Figure 12: Getting Started

Figure 13: Available Backups

Figure 14: Recovery Type

Figure 15: Select Location
In figure 15 Original Location was selected since it’s a single DC. Also Non-Authoritative Restore option was selected.

Figure 16: Warning Alert

Figure 17: Select Automatically Reboot

Figure 18: Warning

Figure 19: Recovery Progress

The server will reboot automatically. Please follow instructions for logging in as shown in figure 10 above.

Figure 20: Successfully Completed

Now that the restore is completed time to login to the DC in normal mode. Please follow instructions to disable Safe Boot mode as shown in figure 7 and 8. The system will be rebooted. Post which login with Domain Admin Credentials.
Post logging in. Open ADSI Edit.msc tool as shown below.

Figure 21: ADSI Edit
Now that we are able to see Exchange Server Object. Its time to reboot the Exchange Server Box.

Figure 22: Exchange Services are up

Figure 23: EMC Opened

Figure 24: EMS Opened

And Finally Clients are Connected

Figure 25: Clients Showing Connected

Conclusion: System State backup plays an Important role. It is very important to perform a thorough check on System State Backup of a DC on a regular interval.

I hope it was helpful. Do share your thoughts or any comments and we will be more than glad to respond.

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How to Move Exchange Server 2007 from Windows Server 2008 SP2 to Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1

In this Blog post we will be exploring on how to move Exchange Server 2007 from Windows Server 2008 SP2 to Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1.

Note : This scenario may or may not work for you. Please perform a thorough test before implementing it into production environment.

Below are some of the few points which will help us to understand when and why this scenario will help us.

• Windows Server 2008 SP2 had some performance issues.
• Company had planned to Upgrade from Windows Server 2008 to 2008 R2.
• Existing Server had a blue screen of death. Non reliable.
• Server is completely compromised due to Virus.
• Server crashed due to power outage..etc. etc..

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Permission Prerequisites

The account should be a member of Domain Admins and Enterprise Admins Groups. Full Exchange Administrators permission.

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Data Prerequisites

Full Exchange Database Backup is mandatory. If not, then blank database can be mounted, however no old emails will be accessible.

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Scenario

Exchange Server : Exchange Server 2007 SP3 (MBX)

Windows Server 2008 SP2 which will be replaced with Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1

Domain Name : MSEXCHANGETEAM.IN

DC Name : DC1

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How to check the previous version and SP using Active Directory Users and Computers.

Figure 1.1 : Server Properties

Using ADUC we can easily understand what operating system the server was running before crashing or replacing. This will help us to plan whether we will bring the same operating system or different.

Figure 1.2 ; Using ADSIEDIT.msc. Connecting to Domain Partition and the properties of server object.

Figure 1.3 : Exchange Server Version.

In figure 1.3 the Exchange Server version will remain same.

Figure 1.4 : Number of Test Users.

Figure 1.5 : Test Emails Before moving to 2008 R2

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So far we have checked basic requirements. We also have proper exchange database for recovery. Now its time to recover the server as follows.

Login to domain controller and open Active Directory Users and Computers > Navigate to the Computer Object and right click > Select Reset Account as shown below.

Figure 1.6 : Reset Account

Figure 1.7 : Account Reset successfully

Now join the server to Domain. The server is now Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1.

Figure 1.8 : Post joining the Server the Properties have changed.

In figure 1.8  we can now see that the operating system has changed.

Install Exchange Server 2007 Prerequisites by running the following command.

ServerManagerCmd -i Web-Server
ServerManagerCmd -i Web-ISAPI-Ext
ServerManagerCmd -i Web-Metabase
ServerManagerCmd -i Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console
ServerManagerCmd -i Web-Basic-Auth
ServerManagerCmd -i Web-Digest-Auth
ServerManagerCmd -i Web-Windows-Auth
ServerManagerCmd -i Web-Dyn-Compression
ServerManagerCmd -i RPC-Over-HTTP-Proxy

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Reboot the server post installing the above features.

Its time to run Recover Server with Exchange Server 2007 SP3 media as follows.

Figure 1.9 : Recover Server Completed

In figure 1.9 we have used /DoNotStarTransport. This is to avoid failure of recovery process. Once recovery is finished start the service manually.

Figure 1.10 : This database can be overwritten by a restore

In figure 1.10 post recover server go to the properties of database and select the above option to restore the database.

Figure 1.11 : Database path

By looking at figure 1.11 ensure that Exact set of folders are created and the database is restored to its location. By default recover server would not create this folders.

Figure 1.12 : Database Health check

Post restoring the database health check is mandatory before bringing the database into production.

Figure 1.13 : Mount database

Now since we have confirmed database location and database health. Its safe to go ahead and “Mount Database”

Figure 1.14 : Mounted

Figure 1.15 : Mailboxes as seen before recovery

Figure 1.16 : Same Exchange Server Recovered

Figure 1.17 : OWA Test

Figure 1.18 : User able to login

Figure 1.19 : I am Back….

Exchange Server is back on a brand new operating system Windows Server 2008 R2. No settings have been modified.

This article illustrates as to what “Recover Server” can do. There are many scenario under which recover server can be performed.

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H