TechMania

How to re-initialize the offline files cache and database.

2008-04-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

SUMMARY
The Offline Files (CSC or Client Side Caching) cache and database has a built-in capability to restart if its contents are suspected of being corrupted. If corruption is suspected, the Synchronization Wizard may return the following error message: Unable to merge offline changes on \\server_name\share_name. The parameter is incorrect.

SOLUTION:
The Offline Files cache is a folder structure located in the %SystemRoot%\CSC folder, which is hidden by default. The CSC folder, and any files and subfolders it contains, should not be modified directly; doing so can result in data loss and a complete breakdown of Offline Files functionality.If you suspect corruption in the database, then the files should be deleted using the Offline Files viewer. After the files are deleted out of the Offline Files viewer, a synchronization of files may then be forced using Synchronization Manager. If the cache still does not appear to function correctly, an Offline Files reset can be performed using the following procedure:
1.In Folder Options, on the Offline Files tab, press CTRL+SHIFT, and then click Delete Files. The following message appears:
The Offline Files cache on the local computer will be re-initialized. Any changes that have not been synchronized with computers on the network will be lost. Any files or folders made available offline will no longer be available offline. A computer restart is required.Do you wish to re-initialize the cache?
2.Click Yes two times to restart the computer.

The information store is dismounted, and an event ID 1159 message is logged in Exchange Server 2003 or in Exchange 2000 Server

2008-04-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

In Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 or in Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server, the information store is dismounted. Additionally, an event that is similar to the following event is logged in the Application log on a server that is running Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Server:

Symptoms
Event Type: Error Event Source: MSExchangeIS Event Category: General Event ID: 1159 Description: Database error 0xfffffd9a occurred in function JTAB_BASE::EcUpdate while accessing the database "".
Note The error code 0xfffffd9a translates to JET_errCheckpointDepthTooDeep.

CAUSE:

This issue occurs if the storage group that is related to the information store contains more than 1008 uncommitted Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) transaction log files. Each ESE storage group has a hard-coded limit of 1024 uncommitted ESE transaction log files. When the number of uncommitted ESE transaction log files in an ESE storage group reaches 1008, Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Server starts to dismount all the information stores in the storage group. Additionally, the event ID 1159 message is logged in the Application log.

RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, restart the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service. To do this, follow these steps on the server that is running Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Server:
1.Click Start, click Run, type services.msc, and then click OK.
2.Click Microsoft Exchange Information Store Service, and then click Restart Service.
3.Quit the Services tool.

After performing a complete backup of a Microsoft Exchange 2003 Server,additional backups may fail with an AOFO initialization error.

2008-04-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

aofo: initialization failure...0xe000fed1: an error occurred querying the writer status

Details:Backup Exec 11d for Windows Servers version uses Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to perform backups of Exchange data. These backups initialize and run the Microsoft VSS provider and Exchange VSS writer which may not properly terminate after the backup job is complete. Once VSS has gotten into this state, backup jobs will fail with:
AOFO: initialization failure...0xe000fed1: an error occurred querying the writer status.
Possible workarounds include dismounting then mounting the Exchange databases using the Exchange Management Console or stopping and restarting the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service. In addition, the option of using Windows Backup (NTBackup) may be used as an alternative as well as it does not rely on VSS for Exchange backups.

2008-04-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

Active Server Pages, ASP 0131 Disallowed Parent Path.
SYMPTOMS
When you use relative paths in include statements with Microsoft's Active Server Pages (ASP), browsing a Web page may return an error message similar to the following:
Active Server Pages, ASP 0131Disallowed Parent PathThe Include file '../' cannot contain '..' to indicate the parent directory.//, line

CAUSE
This is caused by disabling ASP's "parent paths" for a Web site or application while using relative parent paths in an include statement. Relative parent paths in include statements use the following form:

RESOLUTION
The best solution to the problem is to use absolute virtual paths from the root of the Web site instead of relative paths.For example, if you use an include file named "mycode.inc" at the root of your server, the virtual path would be "/mycode.inc." If you use the same include file in a virtual directory named "/includes" on your server, the virtual path would be "/includes/mycode.inc."The syntax example below illustrates how to implement virtual paths:

An alternative to using absolute virtual paths is to enable parent paths; however, this is not the preferred method.
This is accomplished for your default Web site by using the following steps:
1. Open the Internet Services Manager in the Microsoft Management Console (MMC).
2. Right-click on your Default Web Site and select Properties.
3. Click the Home Directory tab.
4. Click the Configuration button.
5. Click the App Options tab.
6. Click to select the Enable Parent Paths checkbox.
7. Click the OK button until you return to the MMC.

How to add/Prepare the tape for backup in veritas backup exec11d

2007-06-07T06:18:00.000-07:00

In backup exec 11d.

1) Inventory: Go to Devices in backup exec, right click the tape device which you are using on the left hand side and Click Inventory.
2) Labelling: By right clicking the tape device which you are using on the left hand side, click Label Media.
3) Add the tape to Media set: After doing the inventory you can see the tape in the devices on the right hand side. Right click it and click associate to media set and select which ever is your media set and click ok. To verify go to media in backup exec and it should be there in respective daily or weekly backup set in which you have added it in step3.
4) Test Run: Go to Job Monitor in backup exec and right click the job name which is created over there and click Test Run.

After this the tape is ready for backup.

2007-03-23T06:43:00.000-07:00

How to change the Database size limit in Exchange 2003 with Service Pack 2

One of the really interesting changes that comes with Exchange 2003 SP2 is the new database size limit increase in the Exchange 2003 Standard Edition. As most of you know the Standard edition of previous Exchange versions has a hard-coded limit of 16GB, finally this has changed with Exchange 2003 SP2; the default limit per database is now 18GB but can be set as high as to 75GB! Yes you heard me right. Finally Microsoft reacts to years of yielding from frustrated Exchange Administrators (if you ask me this was something that should have been changed back when Exchange 5.5 SP4 was released). Come on, when you think about it 16GB is the limit on our MP3 player’s these days, and should definitely not be a limit to fight against on our Exchange Server(s).
So if Exchange 2003 Standard Edition with SP2 applied can be configured as high as to 75GB, why is the default limit 18GB? Well try to think about it! Most organizations running Exchange 2003 Standard Edition have provisioned their server’s current database partition(s) for 16GB databases, so configuring the database with, for example, a 50 GB limit could make a server run out of disk space.
Let me be honest and say it’s a bit cumbersome to manipulate the database size limit, as you’ll need to do so via registry keys (nope as some of you might have hoped for this cannot be done via the Exchange System Manager).
You can configure a logical database size (logical size means the physical size of the .EDB and .STM files minus the logical free space aka white space in each) limit for each Exchange database by creating a DWORD registry key named “Database Size Limit in GB”. This key should be created under the following location for the mailbox database and public folder database respectively:
* HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeIS\\Private-GUID * HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeIS\\Public-GUID
GUID is short for Globally Unique Identifier which is a unique 128 bit number generated by Windows or a Windows application, in this case Exchange.
In Figure 1 below I’ve configured the “Database Size Limit in GB” for the Mailbox Store on an Exchange 2003 SP2 Standard Edition to a decimal value of 50, which means the database has a limit of 50GB.

Figure 1: “Database Size Limit in GB” registry key

After the Mailbox/Public Folder Store has been configured with a new logical database limit, you will have to dismount/mount the given store (or simply restart the Information Store service) in order for the changes to take effect. When doing so Event ID 1216 will be logged in the Application log as shown in Figure 2 below.

Figure 2: Mailbox Store Limit set to 50GB

How to enable the Database Size Buffer in Percentage

Another improvement in Exchange 2003 SP2 is that when an Exchange server database has grown to within 10% of the configured database size limit a warning event is logged in the Application log. But you can change the threshold at which you want to be notified by creating a registry DWORD key called “Database Size Buffer in Percentage” under the following locations (depending on whether we're talking about mailbox or public folder stores):
* HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeIS\\Private-GUID * HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeIS\\Public-GUID
You have to specify a value of 1–100 (where 1 equals 1% and so on) in the Value data field of the “Database Size Buffer in Percentage”.

Figure 3: Database Size Buffer Warning threshold
If or when an Exchange server grows to within 15%, an event Warning (Event ID 9688) will be logged in the Application log.

The first time the size of a given database is above the configured limit an Error event (Event ID 9690) will be logged in the Application log, second time an additional Error event will be logged in the Application log and the database will be dismounted. When this happens you can still re-mount the database but it will be dismounted again during the next check (specified time value in the “Database Size Check Start Time in Hours From Midnight” registry key which I'll explain in the next section). So re-mounting the database should only be a temporary solution, and you should immediately take the appropriate actions necessary in order to resolve the issue.

Out of Office Assistant Disabled

2007-03-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

When you receive this error " The command is not available. See the program documentation about how to use this extension. "

"You receive an error message when you try to start the Out of Office Assistant in Outlook 2003". That article recommends ensuring that no Outlook process is running and then checking the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook registry key for a Resiliency subkey and, if it exists renaming it to Resiliency.old. A similar Knowledge Base article, Article ID 327353 recommends the same procedure if the problem occurs under Outlook 2002, though the registry key references 10.0 rather than 11.0 as the Outlook version. I don't know why Microsoft recommends renaming the Resiliency key rather than deleting it. There is no statement about restoring the orginal name afterwards. Perhaps Microsoft is suggesting renaming it in case deleting it doesn't resolve the problem or creates some other problem. There doesn't seem to be any reason for retaining the renamed subkey if renaming it removes the problem and Outlook works fine afterwards.

did see a Resiliency subkey in the registry on the user's system. But in trying to understand the function of that subkey, I found another solution based on comments at Outlook / Disabled Items / Resiliency. The solution I employed was based on the information provided at that webpage. Since the solution doesn't involve editing the registry it is a procedure that can be employed by a user without risk of inadvertent damage to the registry.
To resolve the problem, you can take the following steps:

1. Open Outlook. 2. Click on Tools. 3. Click on About Microsoft Outlook. 4. Click on the Disabled Items entry. 5. You will see a Disabled Items window open, with the following information within it:
The items below were disabled because they prevented Outlook from functioning correctly.
Please note that you may have to restart Outlook for these changes to take place.
Select the ones you wish to re-enable.
If you see "Addin: outex.dll (outex.dll)" listed, click on it to highlight it and then click on the Enable button. Then click on the Close button. Then click on the OK button to close the About Microsoft Office Outlook window.
You should then be able to click on Tools and then Out of Office Assistant to modify the out of office setting.

Create a new .ost file and synchronize the offline folders again

2006-10-27T04:44:00.000-07:00

If all folders except the Inbox folder are synchronized, or if you cannot synchronize the folders, you may have a damaged .ost file.

How to create a new .ost file and synchronize the folders
To create a new .ost file, rename the old .ost file, and then synchronize the new .ost file with the computer that is running Microsoft Exchange Server. When you rename the old .ost file, Outlook creates a new file. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Quit all programs.
2. Click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
3. In the search dialog box, click All files and folders.
4. In the All or part of the file name tab, type *.ost .
5. Do not type anything in the A word or phrase in the file box.
6. Click the hard disk in the Look in list. Then, under the More advanced options option, click to select the Include subfolders check box, and then click Search

In the Name column, you see the .ost file. The default location for the .ost file is as follows.

For Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Windows 98
C:\Windows\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

For Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows NT and Microsoft Windows XP
C:\Documents and Settings\user name\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

7. Right-click the .ost file, and then click Rename. Rename the file by using a different file name extension, such as an .old file name extension instead of the .ost file name extension.
8. On the File menu, click Close.
9. Start Outlook, point to Send/receive on the Tools menu, and then click Send/Receive All.

How to clean up printer drivers

2006-10-09T12:07:00.000-07:00

If the Print Spooler service fails when printing, when Windows starts or it can not be restarted, the usual reason is that one or more printer drivers is defective. If the Print Spooler service is not running, the Printers and Faxes folder will be empty and you can not use it to remove (or add) printers or printer drivers.
It's important to only install printer drivers that are designed and built specifically for the Windows version you have. This is particularly important for Windows XP; many of the CDs and floppy disks distributed with printers (particularly older models) do not have Windows XP drivers - check the printer manufacturer's web site for printer drivers for the version of Windows you have.
A common cause of printer driver problems is to upgrade to Windows XP from Windows 95, 98 or ME without first removing the printer and the printer drivers.

If you have drivers for several printer models installed (e.g. on a Print Server computer) it may only be necessary to remove the defective printer drivers. At steps 2, and 7, just delete the entries for the printers or printer drivers you suspect are defective. Unfortunately, the files that comprise the drivers are all in the same folder. Also, the same files may be used by the drivers for several printer models. So, selectively deleting the driver files at step 12 may be difficult or impossible. With Windows 2000 and XP, in most cases, deleting the registry entries for the drivers (step 7) will be sufficient, so you may want to skip steps 10 through 12 if you have multiple printer models and don't want to re-install all of them.
Check in Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs; if there is an entry relating to one of the printers, select it, then click Change/Remove. Follow the dialog and "uninstall all" or "remove all" as appropriate. Some "printer software" have programs that show up here and it will be a good idea to remove those before going any further.

If the Print Spooler service is operational:
1 Open the Printers (Printers and Faxes on Windows XP) folder
2 Delete all of the printers
3 Click File, Server Properties
4 Select the Drivers tab
5 For each entry:
a. Select the entry
b. Click Remove

Usually, this will do a pretty good job of cleaning out drivers with Windows 2000 and later (not so with Windows NT 4).

If the Print Spooler service is not operational, or you want to make certain there are no printer driver remnants, either follow the instructions below or use cleanspl.exe from the Windows 2000, XP or 2003 Resource Kit

Some information about cleanspl.exe:
cleanspl.exe does a very thorough job of cleaning up the print spooler stuff, but it does not remove the spooler service dependency on the printer service
You can use it to clean up the spooler stuff on another computer (i.e. remotely).
When you run it, it asks you if you want to remove some things that are actually delivered (and installed by default) with Windows. In most cases, you should answer No to the corresponding prompts (you don't want to remove the Standard TCP/IP Port or the BJ Language Monitor).
Here's how to clean up the print spooler stuff if cleanspl.exe is not available or you prefer to do things manually.

Warning! be very careful using regedit - if you delete the wrong things, you may render your computer inoperative!

open regedit (e.g. click Start, key regedit and press Enter)
navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers
under this key, there will be the keys Version-2 and Version-3 (one or the other of these may be absent - not a problem)
the sub-keys under these contain the printer driver configuration information
delete all the sub-keys inside Version-2 and Version-3, but not these keys themselves
open a Command Prompt window
9 key the commands
net stop spooler
net start spooler
10 Open Windows Explorer
11 Navigate to %systemroot%\system32\spool\printers\ and delete any files there. By default, this is where the print spooler stores print files.
12 Navigate to %systemroot%\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86 (%systemroot% is usually Windows, but it might be winnt or something else; this is set when the OS is installed).
13 Inside w32x86, there will be folders with the names 2 and 3 (one or more of these may be absent - not a problem)
delete all of the files and sub-folders in each of the 2 and 3 folders, but not the folders themselves
inside w32x86, there may be other folders with names starting with "hewlett_packard", "hphp" or something else; delete these folders also
14 Restart the print spooler (see steps 8 and 9 above)

At this point, the system should be pretty well back to the way it was before any printers were installed.
Some would suggest restarting Windows at this point, but with Windows 2000 and later, this does not seem to be required.

The steps below make the print spooler service only dependent on the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service (RPCSS), which is normal. The print spooler service dependencies are stored in the registry at
HKEY_LOCAL_MACINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Spooler\DependOnService
The sc config command at step 16 resets the value of that entry.
15 Open a Command Prompt window
16 key the command
sc config spooler depend= RPCSS
(note the space after the = but not before)
17 Restart the print spooler (see steps 8 and 9 above)

HOW TO GET ANY WINDOWS PASSWORD

2006-10-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

Get the command prompt and go to C:\winnt\sytem32\config\ and do
the following commands:
>attrib -a -r -h
>copy sam.* a:>del Sam.*

>reboot the computer. There should be no administrator password.
just put in administrator and hit enter. replace the sam files to
restore the password to hide intrusion.

This works whether its windows 2000 or windows xp or windows xp SP1 or SP2
or windows server 2003....

this works even if syskey encryption is enabled.

If it is NTFS....

u have to download a program called NTFSPro.... it allows u to read from
ntfs drives... the demo version allows read only. the full version is
read-write.... you use the program to create an unbootable disk (so u will
still need another bootable disk and an empty disk) that has the required
files to access NTFS.

use the boot disk to get into dos, then use the disks created with ntfspro
to be able to access the filesystem, then copy the SAM and SYSTEM files to
another empty disk to take home....

AT HOME: u have to get a program called SAMInside. it doesn't matter if it
is demo version. SAMInside will open the SAM file and extract all the user
account information and their passwords, including administrator. SAMInside
will ask for the SYSTEM file too if the computer you took the SAM file from
has syskey enabled. syskey encrypts the SAM file. SAMInside uses SYSTEM file
to decrypt the SAM file. After SAMInside finishes, u still see user accounts
and hashes beside them. the hashes are the encoded passwords. Use SAMInside
to export the accounts and their hashes as a pwdump file into another
program, called Lophtaddon. it is currently in version 5, it is named LC5.
the previous version, LC4 is just as good. u need the full or addoned
version of the program. LC5 uses a brute force method by trying all possible
combinations of letters numbers, and unprintable characters to find the
correct password from the hashes in the pwdump file imported into it from
SAMInside. This process of trying all passwords might take 5 minutes if the
password is easy, up to a year if the password is long and hard (really
really hard). LC5 howver, unlike LC4, is almost 100 times faster. both can
be configured to try dictionary and common words before using all possible
combinations of everything. Once the correct password is found, it will
display the passwords in clear beside each account, including administrator.

How to activate windows xp without registation for service pack1

2006-10-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

1. Type Regedit on the Run Menu

2. Go to Hkey-Local_Machine/Software/ Microsoft/WindowsNT/CurrentVersion/
WPAEvents

3. Select OOBETimer (Reg-Binary) and Press Enter. Now You will See a Set of
12 Keys.

4. FF D5 71 D6 8B 6A 8D 6F D5 33 93 FD
{just delete D6 (4th entry) and replace it with C4}

5. Exit Regedit.

6. Type "%systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a" on the Run Menu (without
quotes)

7. Select "Yes I want to telephone a customer service representative to
activate windows".

8. Click Next

9. Select "Change Product Key"

10. Put these keys
QMDGV-QRC2B-XF6JB-GRGHK-W9DRC

11. Select Update

Don�t worry about asking again to register.

Restart the system and repeat steps 6 to 11, now the process will tell you
that Windows XP is already activated.

How to correct a tape drive that is 'offline' in Backup Exec 7.x, 8.x, and 9.x

2006-09-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

The device is displayed as offline if:
The device was turned off after VERITAS Backup Exec (tm) was started
The device was being used by another application (such as a Windows NT backup utility) when Backup Exec was started
The device is disconnected from the computer
The device is turned on after the computer is booted up. (If the operating system does not detect the device during boot process it will not recognize the device as no SCSI device is found, therefore we need to turn the device on first and then reboot the system).

1. Check to make sure the device has power and that cables are properly attached. Turn the device on and stop and restart the Backup Exec services from Settings Control Panel Services (for Windows NT) or Settings Control Panel Administrative Tools Services (for Windows 2000). For Backup Exec 9.x, you can stop and restart the services with the help of the Service Manager utility found under the following directory: C:\program files\Veritas\Backupexec\Nt, or reboot the server.

2. Stop any application that is using the device, and then stop and restart the Backup Exec services from Settings Control Panel Services (for Windows NT) or Settings Control Panel Administrative Tools Services (for Windows 2000), or Backup Exec 9.x you can stop and restart the services with the help of the Service Manager utility, or reboot the server.

3. After the above steps have been performed, attempt to change the status of the device with Backup Exec. To place the device online, perform the following:

a. Click on the Devices tab (Figure 1)

Image from Veritas.com

b. Right-click on the tape drive
c. Select Properties
d. Select the Configuration tab
e. Clear the Enable Device for Backup Exec option if it is selected

Image from Veritas.com

f. Click the OK button
g. Repeat steps "a" through "e" again, but check the Enable Device for Backup Exec option

The device should now report that it is online.

How to configure Backup Exec to automatically respond to media alerts, including when a backup hangs at 99%, until the user responds to a tape eject

2006-09-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

The backup fails to complete because the option Eject Media After Job Completes is selected when performing a backup operation on a tape drive (such as Digital Linear Tape (DLT), Linear Tape-Open (LTO), Travan, and Onstream drives) that requires the user to manually remove the tape after the backup completes or any tape drive (supporting either automatic or manual tape eject) controlled by RAIDirector.

This issue can be resolved by following these steps:

To automatically respond to the media alerts generated during backup or restore operations, one can use BEUtility. Using BEUtility, the following media alerts can be configured to use automatic responses:
a. Media Overwrite
b. Media Remove
c. Media Insert
d. Library Insert
To configure the automated response, follow the steps given below:
1. Browse to \Program files\Veritas\Backup Exec\NT
2. Run BEUtility.exe
3. Add the media server from File | New | New Media Server
4. In BEUtility, select the media server, and from the left pane, click Edit
configuration and set the response for the alerts.
5. Open the Backup Exec interface. Click Alerts | Configure alert
categories
6. Within the Alert Categories dialog window, select the alert category,
and then within the Automatically clear alert after option, specify the
time interval.

How to change the port that Network Data Management Protocol uses in Backup Exec for Windows Servers

2006-09-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

In Backup Exec (tm) 9.x for Windows Servers, Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP) is used by Backup Exec to communicate with the remote servers. The Backup Exec Job Engine first communicates with the Remote Agent for Windows Servers through a control session using port 10000. This port can be changed, as it might conflict with existing applications in the environment

The following Event ID 2021 may occur in the application log when installing Backup Exec to a server that is already utilizing port 10000 for another application:

Server was unable to allocate a work item n times in the last seconds second

Caution: When changing the port for NDMP, the changes must take place on every server in the environment that needs to be protected by Backup Exec. Failing to do so will result in servers not being selectable inside Backup Exec or not able to be backed up at all.

To change the port, do the following:

On the Backup Exec media server:
1. Open BEUtility (by default, located in C:\Program Files\VERITAS\Backup Exec\NT)

2. From the right pane, select the Backup Exec media server
Note: If it is not listed, then right-click All Media Servers and select New Media Server.

3. Under Services Tasks, select Stop services

4. Click Start | Run, and type NOTEPAD.EXE to start Notepad

5. Click File | Open. Browse to the C:\WINNT\System32\Drivers\ETC directory, and select the Services file.

6. At the end of the document, type NDMP, and then press and type the port that NDMP will use, and then add /tcp. Press to go to the next line (Figure 1).

7. Click File | Save

8. Click File | Exit

9. From BEUtility, under Services Tasks, select Start services

On each remote server:
1. Open Services (from the Control Panel on Windows NT 4.0 or Start | Programs | Administrative Tools for Windows 2000 and Windows 2003)

2. Stop the Backup Exec Remote Agent for Windows Servers service

3. Click Start | Run, and type NOTEPAD.EXE to start Notepad

4. Go to File | Open. Browse to the C:\WINNT\System32\Drivers\ETC directory, and select the Services file.

5. At the end of the document, type NDMP, and then press and type the port that NDMP will use, and then add /tcp. Press to go to the next line.

6. Click File | Save

7. Click File | Exit

8. Start the Backup Exec Remote Agent for Windows Servers service

Backups fail to get double the amount of the native capacity recorded to a media, even when hardware compression is being utilized.

2006-09-25T09:26:00.000-07:00

Twice the native capacity of a media is usually given as the maximum possible amount of data that could be written to a tape. It should be noted that this figure is rarely achieved. This is due to the varied types of data that are found in most environments. Each data type has its own compression ratio, and, therefore, there is no standard achievable for the total compression ratio that results. For example, database data, executables, and graphics files generally compress the least, and regular text and data files will compress the most.

If hardware data compression is used, then the compression is done by the tape drive. VERITAS Backup Exec (tm) only sends instruction to the tape drive to do compression. If data is not compressing (either because hardware compression on the tape drive is disabled or because the tape drive does not support it), software compression may be used. Software compression, however, consumes additional system resources and media can only be cataloged and restored from with the Backup Exec software.

To enable hardware compression, follow the instructions given below:

1. Right-click on a tape device

2. Select Properties

3. Select the Configuration tab

The method is similar for Backup Exec 9.0 for Windows Servers

If Enable compression appears grayed, the tape drive may not support compression, or the drivers/firmware for the device may need to be updated. Contact the manufacturer of the device for more information.

Backup Exec offers the choice of either hardware or software compression. Software compression may be a viable alternative if poor results are achieved with the use of hardware compression. The use of hardware or software compression can be configured through the Advanced tab within the Backup Job Properties

The following can also affect hardware compression:

1. The tape drive may be trying to compress data that is already compressed. If the data cannot be compressed any further than it already is, the attempt may cause the data to expand. Run a test backup with no compression to compare how much data can be written to the tape media without compression. When using hardware compression, software compression should be turned off, and vice-versa.

2. The system may not be able to keep up with the tape drive. If data is sent to the tape drive at a rate that is either slower or faster than the rate at which the tape drive can write the data to the tape, then the tape device must stop and wait for the computer. Each time the tape drive stops, it writes tracks of undefined data (gap tracks), repositioning the read/write heads for the time when more data becomes available. This causes the tape drive to stop and restart frequently, affecting tape capacity.

3. The tape media may be ready for retirement. When tapes are written to for longer than what the manufacturer recommends, an excessive number of rewrites can occur, causing a reduction in performance and tape capacity. Use a new tape to test compression and confirm that the media is the correct type for the tape drive.

4. The tape drive may need to be cleaned. A buildup of oxidation and debris on the tape heads can cause soft/hard write errors and eventually could cause damage to the tape media and tape drive. Clean the device as per the manufacturer's recommendation and replace the cleaning tape when necessary.

If in doubt about whether the software or the environment is the cause of a reduced media capacity with hardware compression enabled, it is suggested that the services for Backup Exec be stopped in the control panel, and a backup should be performed with the native Windows NT Backup. In most cases, the results should be identical between the two applications.

Backup jobs fail with the error "The directory or file was not found, or could not be accessed." when backing up DFS folders with replication turnedon

2006-09-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

When Backing up DFS folders with replication turned on, backup jobs will fail. The reason for the failure is that Backup Exec is trying to backup a folder that it should not backup. The problem folder is called "DO_NOT_REMOVE_NtFrs_PreInstall_Directory"

In the Job Completion Status box the final error will be:
0xe00084af - The directory or file was not found, or could not be accessed.
In the Errors box and in the Backup Set Detail Information box the error will be similar to:
"Directory D:\folder1\DO_NOT_REMOVE_NtFrs_PreInstall_Directory was not found, or could not be accessed. None of the files or subdirectories contained within will be backed up."

There are two possible solutions to this problem.

1. If there are a few problem folders:
The "DO_NOT_REMOVE_NtFrs_PreInstall_Directory" does not need to be backed up. Backup Exec should be excluding this folder by default. If there are only a few folders reporting this error simply modify the backup job(s) and deselect all of the "DO_NOT_REMOVE_NtFrs_PreInstall_Directory" folders referenced in the error(s).

2. If there are too many folders to deselect:
A Global Exclude can be created in Backup Exec to exclude the problem folders. To create a Global Exclude in Backup Exec 10.0:
1. Open Backup Exec.
2. Click on Edit | Edit Selection List...
3. Select the default selection list called Excludes and click Edit
4. On the Excludes Properties box click on Insert
5. On the Advanced file selection screen, under the heading of File selection enter the path in the path field and click ok
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 if more than one path is required

Need to put the email forwarding from one domain to another

2006-09-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

1 Go to Active directory
2 Create one contact from new contact > contact
3 Select the option for create exchange email
4 In modify option > select smtp address
5 Give the new forwarding email address, click ok
6 Right-click the new created contact > property
7 Go to exchange advanced > check the option: Hide from exchange address lists
8 Now go to the user properties from where you want to forward the email to another
email address
9 Exchange general tab > delivery option > click forward to and select the new email
address (contact) & check the option deliver message to both forwarding address and
mailbox
10 Click ok.

Group policies are not applied the way you expect; "Event ID 1058" and "Event ID 1030" errors in the application log

2006-09-21T06:06:00.000-07:00

On your Microsoft Windows XP-based computer, group policies may not be applied as you expect. When you view the application log of the event viewer, you see error data that is similar to the following:

Description: Windows cannot access the file gpt.ini for GPO
CN={31B2F340-016D-11D2-945F-00C04FB984F9},CN=Policies,CN=System,DC=lcds,DC=lab
The file must be present at the location \\lcds.lab\Policies\{31B2F340-016D-11D2-945F-00C04FB984F9}
(Access is denied) Group Policy processing aborted.

CAUSE
This issue may occur if both of the following conditions are true:
• Your Windows XP-based computer is a member of a domain.
• The Microsoft Distributed File System (DFS) client is turned off.
Note The \\Active Directory Domain Name\Sysvol share is a special share that requires the DFS client to make a connection.

Note This issue may also occur if "Everyone" has been removed from the root drive NTFS file system permissions. If "Everyone" has been removed from the root drive NTFS permissions, restore the "Everyone" group's NTFS permissions on the root folder by granting "Everyone" the special Read and Execute NTFS permissions on the root folder only.

RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, turn on the DFS client. To do this, follow these steps.

Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type regedt32, and then click OK.
3. In the Registry Editor window, locate the following registry key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Mup
4. In the right details pane, double-click DisableDFS. The DFS client is turned off if the value in the Value data box is 1.The DFS client is turned on if the value in the Value data box is 0.
5. In the Edit DWORD Value dialog box that appears, type 0 in the Value data box, and then click OK.
6. On the File menu, click Exit to quit Registry Editor.
Additionally, turn on File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks on the interface. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, point to Connect To, and then click Show all connections.
2. Right-click the appropriate connection, and then click Properties.
3. Click the General tab.
4. Under This connection uses the following items, verify that the check box next to File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks is selected, and then click OK.

MSExchangeAL events 8026 and 8260: Cannot access Address List configuration information

2006-09-21T04:49:00.000-07:00

CAUSE

The Recipient Update Service is configured to use a Windows domain controller that was demoted. When the Recipient Update Service tries to query the Windows domain controller for an update, it cannot contact it.

Note This event can also be logged under normal conditions, when the Kerberos ticket for the server temporarily expires. This is especially likely when only one Windows global catalog server is available. Recovery from Kerberos ticket expiration typically occurs very quickly. In this case, the event is not a cause for alarm.

RESOLUTION

If you determine that the issue was caused by the demotion of a Windows domain controller, you can resolve this issue by following these steps:
1. Open Exchange System Manager.
2. Expand the Recipients container, and then click Recipient Update Services.
3. Double-click each Recipient Update Service, and then change the Windows domain controller setting to the new Windows domain controller in the domain.

Event id 2102 & 9154. Process MAD.EXE (PID=). All Domain Controller Servers in use are not responding:

2006-09-21T04:29:00.000-07:00

Msexchange dsaccess components on the exchange server were unable to find the domain controllers suitable for the ldap queries.
This can result in halting the mail flow.

CAUSE:

This issue may occur if the Manage Auditing and Security Log right (SeSecurityPrivilege) was removed for the Exchange Enterprise Servers domain local group on some or all of the domain controllers.

When the first Exchange computer is installed in a domain, or when Exchange Setup is run with the /domainprep switch, the Exchange Enterprise Servers group is given the SeSecurityPrivilege right.

If the SeSecurityPrivilege right is later removed, Exchange computers that use domain controllers in the domain stop working, but not immediately. When Kerberos security refresh intervals expire or Exchange services are restarted on particular servers, the issues become evident.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, use the Policytest.exe utility to check the status of the SeSecurityPrivilege right on all of the domain controllers in a single domain. The Policytest.exe utility is included on the Exchange 2000 installation CD-ROM.

To determine whether or not Exchange 2000 Enterprise server has the SeSecurityPrivilege right on a domain controller:
1. Log on to the domain controller as a domain administrator, and then start the Domain Controller Security Policy console. (By default, the Domain Controller Security Policy console is located on the Start menu in the Administrative Tools group.)
2. Expand Security Settings, and then expand Local Policies. Expand User Rights Assignment, and then open the properties of Manage Auditing and Security Log.
You can grant the SeSecurityPrivilege right directly to Exchange 2000 Enterprise servers, or you can run Exchange 2000 Setup again with the /domainprep switch to grant the SeSecurityPrivilege right automatically.

If you run Setup.exe with the /domainprep switch, you do not interrupt service on existing Exchange computers. Another advantage of this method is that it checks and resets other default rights and group memberships that may also have been changed.

If the Exchange Enterprise Servers group was recently granted the SeSecurityPrivilege right, that change does not take effect until the security policy is refreshed on the domain controller. The time that it takes to refresh the security policy depends on domain topology and configuration. By default, policy replication to other domain controllers occurs within five minutes, and application of the policy change within another five minutes.

Even if a particular domain does not contain any Exchange computers, Exchange computers in other domains may use that domain’s domain controllers. If you want Exchange 2000 to be able to perform global catalog lookups and make Configuration container changes when Exchange uses these domain controllers, the follow these steps for the domain:
1. From the Exchange 2000 installation CD-ROM, run the Setup program with the /domainprep switch (Setup.exe /domainprep). This configures the appropriate groups and rights for cross-domain Exchange communication.
2. In Exchange System Administrator, create a Recipient Update Service for the domain. The Recipient Update Service for each domain is responsible for populating the Exchange Enterprise Servers domain local group with Exchange Domain Servers global groups from other domains. The Recipient Update Service is also responsible for other tasks.

How to Determine if Exchange or IIS Causes the Error

2006-09-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

Outlook Web Access is tightly integrated with IIS. As a result, problems in IIS can propagate into problems in Outlook Web Access. This section contains a series of procedures designed to help you determine if IIS is the cause of an Outlook Web Access error in your organization. The following procedures describe how to:
· Create a new virtual directory in IIS.
· Enable basic authentication and disable anonymous access on your new virtual directory.
· Add a sample HTML document to the directory.
· Verify that you can access the document from a Web browser.
If you can access your sample HTML document, you know the problem is not related to IIS. If you follow these procedures and cannot access the document, the problem is probably external to Exchange and Outlook Web Access, and you should investigate permissions or other configurations you may have made in IIS.

How to create a new virtual directory in IIS

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Internet Services Manager.
2. In Internet Information Services, click to expand the local computer object, and then click to expand Web Sites.
3. Right-click Default Web Site, point to New, and then click Virtual Directory. Virtual Directory Creation Wizard opens. Click Next.
4. In Virtual Directory Alias, type a name for the virtual directory, such as test, and then click Next.
5. In Web Site Content Directory, type the path on the local hard disk that will be accessible through this virtual directory. For example, create a directory named test on your hard disk, and point to this directory in the wizard.
6. In Access Permissions, leave Read selected, and clear all other check boxes. Click Next to complete the wizard.

How to enable Basic access and disable Anonymous access

1. In Internet Information Services, right-click your new virtual directory, and then click Properties.
2. On the Directory Security tab, under Anonymous access and authentication control, click Edit.
3. In Authentication Methods, under Authenticated access, click to select Basic authentication and click to clear all other options. Only Basic authentication should be selected.
How to create a file in this virtual directory
1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In Run, type notepad.exe, and then click OK.
3. In Notepad, type some simple HTML text, such as “This is a test” (with or without the quotation marks).
4. Save the file with an .htm extension (not the default extension of .txt) in your virtual directory.
How to access this file with a web browser
1. Open your web browser.
2. Type the following URL: http:////. If your server name is myserver, and you named your virtual directory test and your document test.htm, you would type http://myserver/test/test.htm.
Note In place of above, you may need to enter the host header or the fully qualified domain name (such as server.fabrikam.com). You can also use the IP address of the server.

Important: To access files in a virtual directory created in the Internet Services Manager MMC snap-in, the account you use must have Log on Locally permissions (Outlook Web Access does not require these permissions).

How can I configure Exchange Server 2003 to block spam

2006-09-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 now has built-in Open Relay Filter (ORFilter) or DNS Blacklist and Realtime Blackhole List (DNSBL, RBL) capabilities, which releases us from the need to rely on 3rd party software for the spam filtering.
Microsoft Exchange Intelligent Message Filter is a product developed by Microsoft to help companies reduce the amount of unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE), or spam, received by users.

Intelligent Message Filter is based on Microsoft SmartScreen Technology from Microsoft Research. By using e-mail characteristics tracked by SmartScreen technology, Intelligent Message Filter can help determine whether each incoming e-mail message is likely to be spam. Based on this likelihood, you can choose to block e-mail messages at the gateway or at the mailbox store.

Using 3rd party software
The anti-spam features in Exchange 2003 are far from complete, and using software like Policy Patrol and others is still recommended, but for small businesses or companies that cannot afford these products - Exchange Server 2003 can now handle most the job, especially with IMF around.

However, there are still many problematic "features" (as Microsoft likes to call them) in the built-in anti-spam support in Exchange 2003. One bad thing about the Exchange Server 2003 Spam protection options is the fact that there is no GUI-easy way to import or export blocked e-mail addresses or sending domains.
Another bad thing is that there is no default way to see if the filters are working, and how much spam is blocked.

To configure e-mail blocking do the following:

1 Go to Exchange system manager > properties of the Message Delivery settings.

2. Click new to add a connection filter.

3. Add the desired RBL service and click OK.

4. You can also configure exceptions for these rules. Click the Exceptions button
and enter your settings.

5 A warning shows that you have to enable the filtering at the SMTP virtual
Servers.

6. Go to the properties of your SMTP Virtual Server.

7. On the General tab, click the Advanced Button.

8. Click the Edit button.

9. Check the 'Apply Connection Filter' checkbox.

10. Click Ok.

The Exchange database store may not mount in Exchange Server 2003 or in Exchange 2000 Server, and event IDs 9175, 486, 455, 413, and 5 may be logged

2006-09-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

When you try to mount a database on a server that is running Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server or on a server that is running Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, you may receive the following error message:
An internal processing error has occurred. Try restarting the Exchange System Manager or the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service, or both.
ID no: c1041724
Exchange System Manager
Additionally, the following events may be logged in the Application log:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: MSExchangeSA
Event Category: (14)
Event ID: 9175
Description: The MAPI call 'OpenMsgStore' failed with the following error: The Microsoft Exchange Server computer is not available. Either there are network problems or the Microsoft Exchange Server computer is down for maintenance. The MAPI provider failed. Microsoft Exchange Server Information Store ID no: 8004011d-0526-00000000

Cause 1
Error 1811 corresponds to JET_errFileNotFound. This issue may occur in an Exchange log file that has a mismatching signature and LGeneration. Typically, the Exchange log file is the E00.log file. If the E00.log file has a mismatching signature, the information store might not mount even if the database is consistent. To resolve this issue, see the "Resolution 1" section.

Cause 2
This issue may occur if an antivirus program quarantines or deletes the current Exchange log file. To resolve this issue, see the "Resolution 2" section.

Cause 3
This issue may occur if the eseutil /p command was run on the affected databases and if the log files were not removed. To resolve this issue, see the "Resolution 3" section.

Cause 4
This issue may occur if you run the following command with an incorrect logfile base name, as in the following example:
eseutil /r three-character logfile base name
To resolve this issue, see the "Resolution 4" section.

Resolution 1
To resolve this issue, run the eseutil /mh command on all available databases in the corresponding storage group. If all databases are consistent, run the eseutil /ml command on the E00.log file. If there is a signature mismatch between the E00.log file and the recorded log signature in the database (eseutil /mh output), follow these steps:
1. Save your current log files.
2. Delete the E00.log file. When you mount the information store, a new E00.log file that has the correct signature and LGeneration is generated.
3. If you still cannot mount the information store, delete all transaction logs. These files include the Exx.log files and the Exxnnnnn.log files.

Resolution 2
1. Examine the configuration of the antivirus program. a. Make sure that the antivirus program is not configured to scan the Exchange Server directories.
b. By default, some antivirus programs are set to scan drives and directories weekly in a manual mode or in an automatic mode. This setting may be easily overlooked. Make sure that you add the Exchange Server directories to the excluded locations for the antivirus program. For more information about how to configure antivirus programs to work together with Exchange, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 823166 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/823166/) Overview of Exchange Server 2003 and antivirus software

2. Review the log files of the antivirus program to verify whether the Exchange log file was quarantined or deleted.
3. Use one of the following methods to recover the Exchange log file.

Method 1: If the Exchange log file was quarantined
If the Exchange log file was quarantined, follow these steps:
a. Recover the Exchange log to the folder that contains your production log files.
b. Start the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service. If no other log files are missing, the database mounts. If other log files are missing, see if the missing log files are located in the quarantine folder of the antivirus program. If the log files are not located in the quarantine folder, follow the steps that are described in the "Method 2: If the Exchange log file was deleted" section.

Method 2: If the Exchange log file was deleted
If the Exchange log file was deleted, you must restore the Storage Group database from a backup. Then, you must play through the log files. If you cannot restore the database from a backup, see the "Method 3: If you cannot restore the database from a backup" section. To restore an available database, follow these steps:
a. Move all inconsistent databases to a backup folder.
b. If a new E00.log file was created, move the new E00.log file to the backup folder. Additionally, move the E00.chk file to the backup folder.
c. Copy all existing log files to the backup folder.Note You must copy the log files. Do not move the log files.
d. Rename the last E00*.log file to E00.log.
e. Restore the database from a backup. Then, replay the log files. This brings the database to a consistent state. However, the database does not include the E00.log file that was copied to the backup folder. Although there is some data loss, you now have a database that can be mounted.
f. Start the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service.

Method 3: If you cannot restore the database from a backup
If you cannot restore the database from a backup, you must run repair utilities against the database to bring the database to a consistent state. Then, follow the steps that are described in the "Method 2: If the Exchange log file was deleted" section.

Resolution 3
To determine whether the eseutil /p command was run, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. Type the following at the command prompt: c:\program files\exchsrvr\bin\eseutil /mh "c:\program files\exchsrvr\mdbdata\name of Exchange database.edb"Note This example assumes the following: • The Exchange Server program files were installed in the c:\program files\exchsrvr folder.
• Your database is in the c:\program files\exchsrvr\mdbdata folder.

3. Read the repair count attribute. If the repair count attribute is 0 (zero), the eseutil /p command was not run. If the repair count attribute is a number other than 0, the eseutil /p command was run on the database.
If the public and private databases are in a consistent or clean shutdown state, you can move the transaction log files to another folder. To determine whether the databases are in a consistent or clean shutdown state, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. To examine the private information store, type the following: c:\program files\exchsrvr\bin>eseutil /mh "drive:\program files\exchsrvr\mdbdata\priv1.edb"
3. To examine the public information store, type the following: c:\program files\exchsrvr\bin>eseutil /mh "drive:\program files\exchsrvr\mdbdata\pub1.edb"Note These examples assumes the following: • The Exchange Server program files were installed in the c:\program files\exchsrvr folder.
• Your database is in the c:\program files\exchsrvr\mdbdata folder.

4. Review the results of the consistency check. If a database is consistent (state = clean shutdown), all the log files have been committed to the information store. If the database is not consistent (state = dirty shutdown), the database may not be corrupted. The log files may not have been committed to the database yet.
5. If the state reports clean shutdown, move all the log files from all the mdbdata directories to a backup folder.
6. Mount the databases.

How to move Exchange databases and logs in Exchange Server 2003

2006-09-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

If you want to move log files or database files to another drive, use the following procedures.

To move log files
1. Start Exchange System Manager.
2. Click Administrative Groups. Note If Administrative Groups does not appear, it may not be turned on. To turn on Administrative Groups, right-click Exchange Organization in Exchange System Manager, and then click Properties. Click to select the Display Administrative Groups check box.
3. Locate the storage group where you want to change log file paths, right-click the storage group, and then click Properties.
4. Click the General tab, click the Browse button next to the Transaction log location box, and then specify the new drive or folder location for the log files.

To move databases
1. Start Exchange System Manager.
2. Open the administrative group that contains the database that you want to change.
3. Under Storage Group, right-click the mailbox store or the public folder store that you want to change, and then click Properties.
4. Click the Database tab.
5. Next to the database that you want to change, click Browse, and then specify a new drive or folder location for the files. Notes • With the databases, you can decide to move the Exchange Database (.edb file), the Exchange Streaming Database (.stm file), or both.
• If the databases are still mounted, you receive the following message: You are about to perform the following operation(s): - change Exchange database locationTo perform the requested operation(s), the store must be temporarily dismounted which will make it inaccessible to any user.Do you want to continue? Click Yes to dismount the database automatically and move the location.

6. When you finish moving the databases, remount the databases manually.
You can move the log files and database files to any folder that you want to create. When you move logs and database files, you may want to create the Exchsrvr\Mdbdata file structure for consistency reasons, but you are not obligated to do so.

You must grant the following default permissions to the new Mdbdata folder that contains the log files and database files:
• Administrators: Full Control
• Authenticated Users: Read and Execute, List Folder Contents, Read
• Creator Owner: None
• Server Operators: Modify, Read and Execute, List Folder Contents, Read, Write
• System: Full Control

Note Only assign permissions to the Server Operators group if the Exchange server is a domain controller. Otherwise, assign permissions to the Power Users group. Only domain controllers should have permissions to the built-in Server Operators group. Stand-alone and member servers should have permissions to the built-in Power Users group.

You may also have to grant the following permissions to the root drive that contains the new Mdbdata folder:
• System: Full Control

During the process of moving log files and database files, your store is temporarily dismounted. Because the store is temporarily dismounted, it is inaccessible to your users until the process is completed. Moving log files or database files invalidates all existing incremental and differential backups; therefore, make a full backup after these changes.

How to do the offline defragmentation of Exchange database with the Eseutil utility

2006-09-19T05:38:00.000-07:00

You can use the Eseutil utility to defragment the information store and directory in Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 and to defragment the information store in Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server and in Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. Eseutil examines the structure of the database tables and records (which can include reading, scanning, repairing, and defragmenting) the low level of the database (Ese.dll).

The defragmentation option makes used storage contiguous, eliminates unused storage, and compacts the database, which reduces the database's size. Eseutil copies database records to a new database. When defragmentation is complete, the original database is deleted or saved to a user-specified location, and the new version is renamed as the original. If the utility encounters a bad record, the utility stops and displays an error message.

Defragmenting an Exchange Server 5.5 database

Note Defragmenting a database requires free disk space equal to 110 percent of the size of the database that you want to process.
1. Stop the service of the database you wish to defragment by using the Services tool in Control Panel. • For the Exchange Directory database, stop the Microsoft Exchange Directory service.
• For the Exchange Mailbox or Public Folder databases, stop the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service.

2. At the command prompt, change to the Winnt\System32 folder, and then type the eseutil /d command, a database switch, and any options that you want to use.
For example, the following command runs the standard defragmentation utility on the directory and saves the copy in the user-defined file:
C:\winnt\system32> eseutil /d /ds /tc:\dbback\tempdfrg.edb /p
Use one of the following database switches to run Eseutil on a specific database.
Option Description
----------------------------------------
/ds Directory

/ispriv Private information store

/ispub Public information store

Use one or more of the following options to specify the operations that you want to perform on the database.
Option Description
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
/b Makes a backup copy of the original uncompacted database
at the specified location.

/p Retains and preserves the original uncompacted database
in its original location and stores the new compacted
database in the default file Exchsrvr\Bin\Tempdfrg.edb.

/t Creates and renames the new compacted database in the
specified path.

/o Does not display the Microsoft Exchange Server banner.

Defragmenting an Exchange 2000 or Exchange 2003 database

Note Defragmenting a database requires free disk space equal to 110 percent of the size of the database being processed.
1. In Exchange System Manager, right-click the information store that you want to defragment, and then click Dismount Store.
2. At the command prompt, change to the Exchsrvr\Bin folder, and then type the eseutil /d command, a database switch, and any options that you want to use.
For example, the following command runs the standard defragmentation utility on a mailbox store database:
C:\program files\exchsrvr\bin> eseutil /d c:\progra~1\exchsrvr\mdbdata\priv1.edb
Use the following database switch to run Eseutil defragmentation on a specific database:
eseutil /d [options]
Defragmentation/Compaction
Performs off-line compaction of a database.

Syntax: eseutil /d [options]

Parameters: is the file name of the database that you want to compact.

You are not required to use any of the following options, but you can use one or more (separated by a space) to specify the operations that you want to perform on the database.
Option Description
----------------------------------------------------------------
/b Make a backup copy under the specified name

/t Set the temporary database name (the default is
Tempdfrg.edb)

/s Set the streaming file name (the default is NONE)

/f Set the temporary streaming file name (the default
is Tempdfrg.stm)

/p Preserve the temporary database (in other words,
do not instate)

/o Suppress logo

/i Do not defragment streaming file

Note If instating is disabled (for example, if you use the /p option), the original database is preserved uncompacted, and the temporary database contains the defragmented version of the database.

Exchange Server Mailbox Store does not mount when the Mailbox Store database reaches the 16-GB limit

2006-09-19T04:37:00.000-07:00

When the mailbox store database in Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Standard Edition or Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Standard Edition reaches the 16-gigabyte (GB) size limit, the mailbox store does not mount. Additionally, the following event ID messages may be logged in the application event log:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: MSExchangeIS
Event Category: General
Event ID: 1112
Description: The database "Mailbox Store (Server Name)" has reached the maximum allowed size. Attempting to unmount the database.
Event Type: Warning
Event Source: ESE
Event Category: Space Management
Event ID: 445
Description: Information Store (3160) The database D:\Program Files\Exchsrvr\MDBDATA\priv1.edb has reached its maximum size of 16383 MB. If the database cannot be restarted, an offline defragmentation may be performed to reduce its size.
Note Although the description for event ID 445 states that the Priv1.edb file has reached a size of 16,383 megabytes (MB), this may not be true. Event ID 445 is triggered if the combined size of the Priv1.edb file and the Priv1.stm file reaches 16,383 MB. The Priv1.edb file by itself may be smaller than 16,383 MB.

RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, new functionality has been added to Exchange 2000 Standard Edition that allows an administrator to:
• Temporarily increase the database size limit by 1 GB.
• Selectively remove unnecessary database content.
• Defragment the database to reduce the database to a level that is in the defined boundaries of the database size.
In Exchange 2003, the functionality to temporarily increase the database size limit by 1 GB is built into the product. However, to enable this functionality, the administrator must create the new registry value that is mentioned in step 1 of the procedure in this article.

To resolve this issue in Exchange 2000, you can apply the September 2003 Exchange 2000 Server Post-Service Pack 3 Rollup. This update requires that you install Exchange 2000 Service Pack (SP3) and install the 813051 update on your server. Then the administrator must create the new registry value to enable this feature.
For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
824282 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/824282/) September 2003 Exchange 2000 Server Post-Service Pack 3 Rollup

After you make the registry change that is described in the following procedure, you can temporarily mount a mailbox store that exceeds the 16-GB limit. This is only a temporary solution. The next time that the Exchange services are started, the size limit reverts to 16 GB. You must reduce the size of your database before the size limit reverts to 16 GB. To reduce the size of your database:
1. Remove database content.
2. Let online maintenance run against the database.
3. Run an offline defragmentation of the database.
To reduce the size of your database, follow these steps:

Warning: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
Note The registry value in this procedure is designed to be used to temporarily increase the size limit of the mailbox store database. It is not to be used in day-to-day operations.
1. Add the Temporary DB Size Limit Extension registry entry to the computer that is running Exchange 2003 Standard Edition or Exchange 2000 Standard Edition: a. Open Registry Editor. To do this, click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
b. Locate the following key in the registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeIS\\Private-
c. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
d. Type Temporary DB Size Limit Extension, and then press ENTER.
e. Double-click Temporary DB Size Limit Extension.
f. Type 1 in the Value data box, click Decimal in the Base box, and then click
OK.
g. Close Registry Editor.

2. To prevent new e-mail content from being added to the mailbox store beyond the temporary 17-GB limit during the recovery process, Microsoft strongly recommends that you stop the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) service and the Microsoft Exchange MTA Stacks service (if it is running) before you mount the mailbox store.
3. Mount your mailbox store.
4. Remove data from your mailbox store. To do this, use any of these methods: • Use Microsoft Outlook to delete unnecessary e-mail items from individual inboxes and other folders.
• Use Outlook to delete unnecessary e-mail items from the Sent Items folder.
• Use Outlook to empty the Deleted Items folder.
• If deleted item retention is set, you may want to temporarily reduce retention to zero (0) days: a. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Exchange, and then click System Manager.
b. Right-click Mailbox Store, and then click Properties.
c. Click the Limits tab, and then type 0 in the Keep deleted items for days box.

• Delete mailboxes that are no longer used.
• Use the Move Mailbox tool to move mailboxes to a mailbox store that is on another Exchange server.
• Have users create personal folder (.pst) files on their local hard drives and then archive content from the mailbox store database to their local hard drives.

5. After you remove data from your mailbox store, you must let online maintenance run so that items are marked for permanent deletion before you run an offline defragmentation.

External domain users not able to receive the out of office assistant email

2006-09-18T04:26:00.000-07:00

1)Out of office assistant should be configured in the outlook.

If still the external users are not receiving out of office email then there's one setting on the exchange server, pls check for it.

2) Got to exchange system manager

3) Global seetings > Internet message format

4) Right click on the default > properties

5) Advanced > check the option " allow out of office assistant".

6) Click ok.

To create a new application pool in IIS

2006-09-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

Application Pools

Important This feature of IIS 6.0 is available only when running in worker process isolation mode.
By creating new application pools and assigning Web sites and applications to them, you can make your server more efficient and reliable, and your other applications always available, even when the applications in the new application pool terminate.

Run IIS Manager as an administrator.
From the command prompt, type runas /user:administrative_accountname "mmc %systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\iis.msc".

To create a new application pool
1. In IIS Manager, expand the local computer, right-click Application Pools, point to New, and then click Application Pool.
2. In the Application pool ID box, type the name of the new application pool.
3. Under Application pool settings, click either Use default settings for new application pool or Use existing application pool as template.
4. If you selected Use existing application pool as template, from the Application pool name list box, click the application pool to be used as a template.
5. Click OK.
To assign an application to an application pool
1. In IIS Manager, right-click the application that you want to assign to an application pool, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Virtual Directory, Directory, or Home Directory tab.
3. If you are assigning a directory or virtual directory, verify that Application name is filled in. If the Application name box is not filled in, click Create, and then type a name.
4. In the Application pool list box, click the name of the application pool to which you want to assign the Web site.
5. Click OK.
To isolate an application in worker process isolation mode
1. In IIS Manager, expand the local computer, expand the Web Sites folder, right-click the application you want to isolate, and click Properties.
2. Click the Home Directory, Virtual Directory, or Directory tab (depending on the application).
3. In the Application settings section, in the Application pool list box, click an application pool.
4. Click Apply, and then click OK.
IIS 5.0 isolation mode allows you to run applications in IIS 6.0 that were developed for earlier versions of IIS.
To isolate an application in IIS 5.0 isolation mode
1. In IIS Manager, expand the local computer, expand the Web Sites folder, right-click the application you want to isolate, and click Properties.
2. Click the Home Directory, Virtual Directory, or Directory tab (depending on the application). If you are in the directory listed as the Starting Point directory, the Application name box is already filled in.
3. From the Execute permissions list box, click the appropriate process option.
4. Click OK. The Web server finishes processing any current requests for the application before creating a separate process. At the next request for the application, the application will run in the appropriate memory space.

How to Configure Recycling
Important This feature of IIS 6.0 is available only when running in worker process isolation mode.
In worker process isolation mode, IIS can be configured to periodically restart worker processes assigned to an application pool, allowing you to recycle faulty Web applications. Recycling keeps problematic applications running smoothly, especially when it is not feasible to modify the application code. This ensures that those application pools remain healthy, and that system resources can be recovered.
You can configure worker processes to restart based on elapsed time, number of requests served, scheduled times, or memory usage; or you can configure them to start on demand.

Run IIS Manager as an administrator. From the command prompt, type runas /user:administrative_accountname "mmc %systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\iis.msc".
To configure a worker process to be recycled after a set elapsed time
1. In IIS Manager, expand the local computer, expand Application Pools, right-click the application pool, and click Properties.
2. On the Recycling tab, select the Recycle worker processes (in minutes) check box.
3. Click the up or down arrow to set the number of minutes you want to elapse before the worker process is recycled.
4. Click OK.

To configure a worker process to be recycled after a set number of processing requests
1. In IIS Manager, expand the local computer, expand Application Pools, right-click the application pool, and click Properties.
2. On the Recycling tab, select the Recycle worker process (in requests) check box.
3. Click the up or down arrow to set the number of requests to be processed before the worker process is recycled.
4. Click OK.
To configure a worker process to be recycled at scheduled times
1. In IIS Manager, expand the local computer, expand Application Pools, right-click the application pool, and click Properties.
2. On the Recycling tab, select the Recycle worker processes at the following times check box.
3. Click Add to add a time to the list, Remove to delete a time from the list, or Edit to change an existing time at which the worker process will be recycled.
4. Click OK.
Note When recycling is set to occur at scheduled times, it can occur off-schedule if the system time is altered. To avoid unintended changes in scheduled recycling times, recycle the scheduled worker processes right after the system time is changed.
To configure a worker process to be recycled after consuming a set amount of memory
1. In IIS Manager, expand the local computer, expand Application Pools, right-click the application pool, and click Properties.
2. On the Recycling tab, under Memory recycling, select the Maximum virtual memory (in megabytes) or Maximum used memory (in megabytes) check box.
3. Click the up or down arrow to set memory limits.
4. Click OK.

How To add an SSL Certificate

2006-09-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Description:

When a customer needs to have a site secured (https/ssl certificate), these
steps will guide you through the installation.

You will need to allocate an unused IP address to the website.? SSL
(https://) can NOT be virtually hosted.? The SSL negotition takes place
prior to host header information to be passed.?Each web server has been
allocated a block of IP\'s for sites requiring a certificate.?

1) Go to the TCP properties for the network interface. Click on the
"Advanced" button on the "General" tab.

2) A new window will open.In the "IP settings", you will see listed the
IP\'s that are already in use. Add the next available IP within the block
allocated to.

3) Go to the IIS manager, and edit the properites for the web site.

4) In the "Web Site" tab, click on "Advanced" In the "Web Site
Identfication" section.

5) A window with three fields will open up. In the "IP Address" pull down
menu, select the IP address you added in Step 2. "Port" should be set to 80,
and leave the Host Header Value blank.

Apply the changes

6) Send a request to your ISP to change the entry for the website to point
to the new IP address.

Wait for the DNS to be updated. (including 24 hours for it to propigate
world wide).

7) Go to the IIS manager and edit the properties for the web site.

8) In the "Web Site" tab, click on "Advanced" In the Web Site
Identification" section.

9) Remove all instances of the shared virtual hosting IP. You should only
have the entry for the IP address that was allocated in step 5. Apply the
changes

How to Back Up and Restore the IIS Metabase

2006-09-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

IIS administrators can create backup files using IIS Manager or a programmatic administration script. The backup files are copies of the metabase configuration file (MetaBase.xml) and the matching metabase schema file (MBSchema.xml). Using the metabase configuration backup and restore feature, the metabase can be restored from the backup files.

Important: You must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer to perform the following procedure (or procedures), or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, log on to your computer using an account that is not in the Administrators group, and then use the Run as command to run IIS Manager as an administrator. From the command prompt, type runas /user:administrative_accountname "mmc %systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\iis.msc".

To create a portable backup (password required)

In IIS Manager, right-click the local computer, point to All Tasks, and click Backup/Restore Configuration.
Click Create Backup.
In the Configuration backup name box, type a name for the backup file.
Select the Encrypt backup using password check box, type a password into the Password box, and then type the same password in the Confirm password box.
Click OK, and then click Close.
To create a non-portable backup (password not required)

In IIS Manager, right-click the local computer, point to All Tasks, and click Backup/Restore Configuration.
Click Create Backup.
In the Configuration backup name box, type a name for the backup file.
Click OK, and click Close.
To restore the metabase backup

In IIS Manager, right-click the local computer, point to All Tasks, and click Backup/Restore Configuration.
In the Backups list box, click the version of the Automatic Backup file that you want to restore, and click Restore. If prompted for a password, type the password you chose to secure the backup.

How to Hide users from Exchange Address Book.

2006-09-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

1)Go to Active Directory.
2)Double click the appropriate user and click on exchangeadvanced Tab.
3)Check the option " Hide it from the exchange address book".
4)Click apply & ok.

Error connecting to database when Global.asa is sub directory

2006-09-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

?

Database Results Error

The database connection named \'Paydata\' is undefined.

This problem can occur if:

* the connection has been removed from the web

* the file \'global.asa\' is missing or contains errors

* the root folder does not have Scripting permissions enabled

* the web is not marked as an Application Root

Problem: When IIS processes scripts, it will use the globla.asa in the root of the website.

Fix: In the IIS console, go to the properties for the directory and do the following:

1)In the directory options, there is a section called "Application Setting".?Click
on Create
2)Change the permissions to "Script"
3)Click "Apply"
4)Click "OK"

How to configure Internet Explorer to use both the FTP PORT mode and the FTP PASV mode in the Windows Server 2003 Family

2006-09-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

SUMMARY
This article describes how to configure Internet Explorer to use both the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) PORT mode and PASV mode.

FTP supports two modes. These modes are called Standard (or PORT or Active) and Passive (or PASV). The Standard mode FTP client sends PORT commands to the FTP server. The Passive mode client sends PASV commands to the FTP Server. These commands are sent over the FTP command channel when establishing the FTP session.

Standard mode FTP clients first establish a connection to TCP port 21 on the FTP server. This connection establishes the FTP command channel. The client sends a PORT command over the FTP command channel when the FTP client needs to send or receive data, such as a folder list or file. The PORT command contains information about which port the FTP client receives the data connection on. In Standard mode, the FTP server always starts the data connection from TCP port 20. The FTP server must open a new connection to the client when it sends or receives data, and the FTP client requests this by using the PORT command again.

Passive mode FTP clients also start by establishing a connection to TCP port 21 on the FTP server to create the control channel. When the client sends a PASV command over the command channel, the FTP server opens an ephemeral port (between 1024 and 5000) and informs the FTP client to connect to that port before requesting data transfer. As in Standard mode, the FTP client must send a new PASV command prior to each new transfer, and the FTP server will await a connection at a new port for each transfer.

You may have to change the mode that is used by the FTP client, depending on the firewall configuration on either the FTP client or the server. Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 and later support both Standard mode and Passive mode.

How to change the Internet Explorer FTP Client mode
1. Start Internet Explorer.
2. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
3. Click the Advanced tab.
4. Under Browsing, click to clear the Enable folder view for FTP sites check box.
5. Click to select the Use Passive FTP (for firewall and DSL modem compatibility) check box.
6. Click OK.
Internet Explorer behaves as a Standard mode FTP client if you select the Enable folder view for FTP sites check box, even if you also select the Use Passive FTP check box. If you clear the Enable folder view for FTP sites check box and then select the Use Passive FTP check box, Internet Explorer behaves as a Passive mode FTP client.

Tools for Exchange Server

2006-09-14T06:03:00.000-07:00

Enhance your messaging environment with tools from Microsoft to help you use Exchange Server better. Learn more about Exchange Server tools and find helpful downloads below.

Click here for more details.