Installing .Net Framework 3.5 on Windows 2019
- Alexander Zammit Feb 07, 2019
The venerable .NET Framework 2.0 up to version 3.5 are still very much in use today. Software developers don’t feel compelled to migrate their tried-and-tested code. Thus administrators end up needing this Framework even on their spanking new Windows 2019 servers. Read more...

Video - Composing & Sending Mailshots in Office 365
- Alexander Zammit Dec 18, 2018
Here is a video walk-through for creating and submitting our first mailing. In this demo we create a new email template, connect it to our sales database and send out a follow-up email to our clients. Read more...

Video - Installing the Office 365 Mailer
- Alexander Zammit Dec 04, 2018
Office 365 users have a dedicated client for sending mailshots and newsletters. Here is a video showing you how to install the mailer and claim the free license. Read more...

A Great Free Tool for Sending Mailshots in Office 365
- Alexander Zammit Oct 24, 2017
How about an Office 365 tool that makes sending mailshots as intuitive as sending regular emails? We prepare an email template in a WYSIWYG editor, attach it to a database, test the mailing and submit it for delivery. All of this using a tool available for free. Read more...

Exchange 2016 and the return of Exchange 2003
- Alexander Zammit May 12, 2015
Exchange 2016 is no longer providing multiple Exchange roles. Instead everything is packaged in a single server. Read more...

Exchange 2013 CU5 fixes SP1 Transport Agent Problems
- Alexander Zammit Jun 05, 2014
The Transport Agent problems caused by Exchange 2013 SP1 are now fixed in Cumulative Update 5. Read more...

Getting 3rd Party Applications to work with Exchange 2013 SP1
- Alexander Zammit Mar 12, 2014
The highly anticipated Exchange 2013 SP1 release has unfortunately caused many 3rd party Exchange add-ons to stop working. In some cases the same problem is also blocking the Exchange Transport service from starting! Luckily the solution is just one FixIt wizard away. Read more...

Premium OWA with Windows 8.1 Internet Explorer 11
- Kenneth Spiteri Oct 17, 2013
Exchange is having problems with the new Internet Explorer 11 included in Windows 8.1. IE11 is being served with the OWA Light interface, instead of the full blown OWA Premium. I tested various Exchange versions to check this problem and these were my findings. Read more...

This is Exchange 2013, ISVs Not Welcome!
- Alexander Zammit Aug 06, 2013
How about breaking your application every three months or so? Even better dear ISV, it’s only your application that will break not mine! If you like the idea please develop an Exchange 2013 Transport Agent! Read more...

Recalling Emails from Outlook 2013, 2010, 2007, 2003
- Alexander Zammit Feb 04, 2013
We all do mistakes, and when we do a bad one it is good to be able to make things right. Today we talk of email blunders, those that make us want to take the message back. Just for this purpose Outlook provides the Recall Message feature. Read more...

VIDEO - OWA Message Recalling
- Alexander Zammit Nov 20, 2012
Up till recently, there was no direct way to recall messages from the Exchange 2007/2010 Outlook Web App. This gap is being filled by an add-on that brings the ‘Recall This Message’ functionality to the browser interface. Read more...

Exchange 2013 Administration Center in Pictures (Part 3)
- Alexander Zammit Oct 16, 2012
Today we conclude our Exchange 2013 Administration Center tour. Here we cover the categories Public Folders, Unified Messaging, Servers, and Hybrid. Highlighted changes include the relocation of Public Folders to the Mailbox Database store. Read more...

Exchange 2013 Administration Center in Pictures (Part 2)
- Alexander Zammit Sep 27, 2012
Today we continue our Exchange 2013 Administration Center tour. Here we cover the categories Organization, Protection, Mail Flow, and Mobile. Some of the new features included under these categories are the Apps and Anti-malware filtering. Read more...

Exchange 2013 Administration Center in Pictures (Part 1)
- Alexander Zammit Sep 13, 2012
Exchange 2013 has a brand new administrative interface, the Exchange Administrative Center EAC. This replaces the Exchange Management Console with a web-based interface. Exchange can now be administered using the browser from any machine without having to install anything extra. Read more...

Learning Transport Agent Pipeline Tracing Hands-on (Part 2)
- Alexander Zammit Jun 26, 2012
There is no better way to learn about pipeline tracing other than the practical way. Here we setup more test scenarios to see the trace output for a rejected email. We also see the results produced by an email matching the IP Allow list. Read more...

Learning Transport Agent Pipeline Tracing Hands-on (Part 1)
- Alexander Zammit Jun 12, 2012
Pipeline tracing opens a window into the email transport. It uncovers the email modifications carried out by transport agents. Non-Delivery Reports (NDRs) and other Exchange generated emails can also be exposed in this manner. Here we learn how to use pipeline tracing by example. Read more...

Recalling Emails Directly from Outlook Web Access/App
- Alexander Zammit Jan 26, 2012
MS Exchange 2007/2010 Outlook Web Access lacks the ability to recall emails sent in error, even though this functionality has been available in Outlook for many years. A new OWA extension is making up for this omission, bringing the web interface closer to Office Outlook. Read more...

Sure Fire Exchange Message Recalling
- Alexander Zammit Oct 13, 2011
Imagine sending out a highly confidential email to the wrong recipient. Instead of panicking you confidently open the email from the Outlook Sent Items folder and click 'Recall This Message...' certain that this is going to work. Read more...

Integrating Lync 2010 with Exchange 2010 - Part 3
- Paul Roman Sep 06, 2011
Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging brings voice and e-mail messaging into one place. Integrating Lync with Exchange we get a voice solution that replaces and is dramatically better than standard PBX solutions. Read more...

Integrating Lync 2010 with Exchange 2010 – Part 2
- Paul Roman Aug 23, 2011
One of the coolest features resulting from Exchange 2010 and Lync 2010 integration is to have access to presence and instant messaging in OWA. Today we continue our discussion doing just that. Read more...

Message Recall Success! ...kind of
- Alexander Zammit Aug 09, 2011
Ever wondered what a successful recall notification really means? Today we answer this question as we continue discussing the inner workings of native Exchange/Outlook message recalling. We also explore some less known conditions that cause recall failure. Read more...

Integrating Lync 2010 with Exchange 2010 – Part 1
- Paul Roman Aug 02, 2011
Exchange 2010 and Lync 2010 are designed to improve communication and collaboration within the enterprise. The two are designed to work together but certain steps are required to integrate them together. Read more...

How Exchange Message Recalling Works
- Alexander Zammit Jul 07, 2011
So you just sent an email in error. Quickly reach for Outlook’s Recall This Message, and luckily minutes later a successful recall confirmation is returned. Today we see how Exchange message recalling works and start going through the conditions for a recall to succeed. Read more...

Exchange 2010, Outlook 2002 (XP), Plain Text don’t mix
- Alexander Zammit Jun 23, 2011
Be warned that Exchange 2010 does not support the Office XP, Outlook 2002 client. From my experience I know that many still use Office XP. So today we discuss one problem that may cause some headaches if you decide to go ahead and run these two together. Read more...

Configuring Transport Rules from OWA/ECP
- Alexander Zammit Feb 16, 2011
Exchange 2010 SP1 is further extending the web based administrative interface. When it comes to day-to-day administration, more than ever the Exchange Control Panel is providing an effective alternative to the Management Console and Shell interfaces. Read more...

Guess Who is Cheating Email Retention
- Alexander Zammit Nov 18, 2010
A retention policy determines the length of time emails are to be saved before final deletion. However enforcing the policy without leaving gaps may be trickier than expected. Today we look at how many Organizations fail to apply the policy to all their emails. Read more...

An Overview of Exchange 2010 SP1
- Kenneth Spiteri Jul 08, 2010
As with most Microsoft service packs, SP1 aims to be a collection of security enhancements and bug fixes, as well as a few noteworthy new features that didn’t make it into the first Exchange 2010 release. Read more...

Exchange 2010 Personal Archive: End the PST Nightmare!
- Kenneth Spiteri Jun 15, 2010
Exchange 2010 Personal Archiving was one of those features that helped the latest Exchange release hit the headlines. Today we explore how to employ this feature and take a look at the advancements to be included in SP1. Read more...

Adding photos to the Exchange 2010 Global Address List
- Kenneth Spiteri May 11, 2010
Seeing the photo of users addressed in an email, allows us to more quickly recognize the persons we are interacting with. Apart for Outlook gaining in user friendliness, this can also help pinpoint emails that were addressed to the wrong recipient. Read more...

Working with Exchange 2010 Calendar Repair
- Elie Bou Issa Mar 09, 2010
If you encountered calendar inconsistencies, with the new Calendar Repair Assistant you don’t need to worry any longer. Introduced in Exchange 2010, CRA fixes discrepancies between the meeting organizer and attendees. Read more...

Administrator Audit Logging in Exchange 2010
- Elie Bou Issa Feb 11, 2010
All Exchange 2010 administrative tasks are performed through the execution of cmdlets. This is true for both the Shell and the Console interfaces. Thus, auditing cmdlet execution allows us to record and track the administrative changes taking place within Exchange. Read more...

Disclaimers in Exchange 2010
- Elie Bou Issa Jan 21, 2010
In this article, we will see how disclaimer rules in Exchange 2007 will coexist with other disclaimer rules created in Exchange 2010. In addition enhanced disclaimers in Exchange 2010 give us the ability to add basic HTML code and Active Directory attributes. Read more...

Exchange 2010 E-Discovery (Multi-Mailbox Search)
- Amit Tank Dec 08, 2009
With mailboxes full of business critical information, e-discovery is another significant advancement in Exchange 2010. It can be used by administrators on troubleshooting issues, by auditors during compliance audits or by lawyers in legal matters. Exchange 2010 came up with a seamless in-built solution. Read more...

Understanding MailTips Architecture
- Amit Tank Nov 19, 2009
Exchange Server 2010 is the first messaging server that delivers MailTips, a great feature that minimizes information overload and notifies users before sending potentially damaging emails. Read more...

Exchange 2010 OWA - Exchange Control Panel
- Alexander Zammit Oct 27, 2009
The Exchange 2010 OWA is exposing a new administrative interface. In the process OWA went through a name change and what we used to call "Options" became the Exchange Control Panel (ECP). Here is how OWA is venturing into the realm of user administration. Read more...

Moderating Emails in Exchange 2010
- Kenneth Spiteri Oct 15, 2009
Exchange 2010 offers yet another great feature that helps organizations enforce their information protection and control policy. Email moderation allows a designated moderator to manually approve or reject emails before completing delivery. Read more...

Overview of MailTips in Exchange 2010
- Kenneth Spiteri Sep 29, 2009
We’ve all sent messages to someone only to be notified that that person is away or his mailbox is full. The latest Exchange Server helps prevent time wastage and other potentially more problematic situations by notifying us upfront. Read more...

Configuring Message and Mailbox Limits in Exchange 2007
- Kenneth Spiteri Aug 13, 2009
Imposing messaging limits on the Exchange Organization is something that many Administrators overlook. In this article we cover the importance of restricting message and mailbox size and walk through how to configure them in Exchange 2007. Read more...

Address Rewriting in Exchange 2007
- Alexander Zammit Jul 27, 2009
Exchange 2007 Edge includes two address rewriting agents. Today we look at how this works considering a number of different scenarios. We also check some similarities between address rewriting and email sender spoofing. Read more...

Working with the Exchange Management Shell
- Kenneth Spiteri Jun 09, 2009
The Exchange Management Shell provides a powerful administrative interface to the various Exchange 2007 configuration objects. Today we learn using this interface with the help of various practical examples. Read more...

Exchange 2010 from Beta to Final All in 2009
- Alexander Zammit Apr 20, 2009
Exchange 2010 beta is now publicly available and will be final in a matter of a few months. This includes various improvements that will be especially tempting to the large Exchange 2003 user base. Let’s see if Exchange 2010 is worth the upgrade. Read more...

Sniffing User Credentials and more
- Alexander Zammit Mar 12, 2009
Network sniffing provides a plethora of information useful in troubleshooting and identifying security weaknesses. Today we look at a practical example by extracting user credentials from a network capture. Read more...

Sniffing with Microsoft Network Monitor
- Alexander Zammit Feb 17, 2009
If the Exchange Queue Viewer or Message Tracking is not showing you enough, the Microsoft Network Monitor might be the right addition to your diagnostic and troubleshooting arsenal. Here is how to start capturing the information most relevant to you. Read more...

Replacing the Exchange 2007 Self-Signed Certificate (Part 2)
- Alexander Zammit Jan 20, 2009
Installing a new Certificate involves, creating a Certificate request on Exchange 2007, submitting the request to a Certification Authority and installing the returned Certificate on Exchange. Here is how we went about completing these steps. Read more...

Replacing the Exchange 2007 Self-Signed Certificate (Part 1)
- Alexander Zammit Jan 13, 2009
Exchange 2007 makes ample use of Certificates for securing connections from clients and across servers. Starting with a self-signed Certificate, chances are that you will need to replace this with a Certificate issued by a public or private Certification Authority CA. Read more...

Understanding NDRs and other DSN Reports
- Alexander Zammit Dec 02, 2008
NDR Spam exploits servers that too hastily accept responsibility for emails they cannot deliver. Understanding NDRs and other DSN types help us act on legitimate DSNs and discard spam. Read more...

What’s New in Windows Small Business Server 2008?
- Alexander Zammit Jul 15, 2008
Windows Small Business Server 2008 is to be released in the second half of this year. If you have been looking forward to catch up with the latest releases for the Windows OS, Exchange and SQL this might be your next upgrade. Read more...

Expired Exchange 2007 Certificate
- Alexander Zammit Jun 17, 2008
If your Exchange 2007 is nearing its first birthday, there is a good chance you will soon come across some event log warnings concerning the expiry of an internal transport certificate. If you ignore these, users will start chasing you!! Read more...

Exchange 2007 Pickup and Replay Directories
- Alexander Zammit May 06, 2008
The Exchange 2000/2003 Pickup directory in Exchange 2007 evolved into the Pickup and Replay directory pair. Today we see how these provide an improved interface for submitting emails through disk. Read more...

Download the Final Exchange 2007 SP1 Now!
- Kenneth Spiteri Nov 29, 2007
Exchange 2007 SP1 is now final! For both 32-bit and 64-bit SP1 follow this link, Exchange 2007 SP1 Download. Read more...

Ready for Exchange 2007 SP1?
- Alexander Zammit Nov 12, 2007
The wait for Exchange 2007 SP1 is almost over. Standby Continuous Replication, many OWA improvements, the complete return of Public Folders, native PST import/export are just some of the new features. Read more...

The Exchange 2007 Best Practices Analyzer
- Andrew Tabona Oct 30, 2007
Today we look at the Exchange 2007 Best Practices Analyzer tool which helps keep your Exchange server healthy and ensures you are configuring your server in line with Microsoft’s recommendations. Read more...

Understanding Exchange 2007 Queues
- Andrew Tabona Sep 18, 2007
Message Queues have changed drastically in the latest instalment of Exchange Server. Today we look at Queues in Exchange 2007; we'll look at what queues are, what different types of queues are available, and how to view them. Read more...

Setting Up Journaling in Exchange 2007
- Andrew Tabona Aug 14, 2007
Exchange 2007 gives more flexibility with more options available for what and how to journal communications. In this article we look at how to setup the two different methods of e-mail journaling. Read more...

Relieving Exchange 2007 Transport Back Pressure
- Alexander Zammit Jul 31, 2007
The Exchange 2007 Transport includes functionality to monitor the consumption of critical resources. Known as Back Pressure, the functionality may limit or halt email flow completely. Our task is that to keep the pressure low. Read more...

Eseutil/Isinteg - Email Store Troubleshooting
- Andrew Tabona Jul 03, 2007
Issues with mounting a mailbox store or problems with starting the Information Store may be solved with the help of Eseutil and Isinteg. They can report on the Information Store health and help you determine what actions, if any, need to be taken. Read more...

Maintaining User AD Information with Directory Update
- Alexander Zammit Jun 12, 2007
Maintaining Active Directory User information up-to-date can be a time consuming task. Directory Update enables users to directly maintain their own settings. An alternative relieving us from this burden is certainly worth exploring. Read more...

WebReady Document Viewing in Exchange 2007
- Andrew Tabona Jun 05, 2007
WebReady Document Viewing answers the many calls to allow the viewing of common attachment types without installing an application locally! Today we look at how to setup WebReady Document Viewing in Exchange 2007. Read more...

Using ExchDump to Troubleshoot Exchange
- Andrew Tabona May 22, 2007
Today we look at the Exchange Dump Utility (exchdump.exe); a useful tool for troubleshooting Exchange Server issues and helpful for when you need to provide information about your Exchange Server to support personnel. Read more...

Dealing with Exchange Badmail
- Andrew Tabona Apr 17, 2007
The main question about Badmail is what to do with it. Should I disable it completely or allow the folder to fill up so I have the option to view the e-mails, and then periodically delete them? Read more...

Using Message Tracking in Exchange 2003
- Andrew Tabona Mar 08, 2007
Message tracking can go a long way in helping you to troubleshoot message routing problems and identify whether your Exchange organization is responsible for those messages that just 'disappear'. In this article we look at how to use the message tracking feature in Exchange 2003. Read more...

Extracting Information from Active Directory (Part 2)
- Alexander Zammit Feb 27, 2007
An Active Directory export may easily return an overwhelming number of results. Filtering the exported objects, limiting the set of returned properties, and loading the data in Excel or Access allows us to stay in control. Read more...

Extracting Information from Active Directory (Part 1)
- Alexander Zammit Feb 13, 2007
Active Directory stores various Exchange configuration settings. If we need a list of email addresses, domain controllers, or legacy DNs for ExMerge, the Active Directory export tools will do the job. Read more...

Setting up Exchange Journaling in Exchange 2003
- Andrew Tabona Jan 30, 2007
Exchange Journaling is a means of archiving all inbound and outbound messages that pass through a mailbox store. Today we look at how to setup Exchange Journaling and enable Envelope Journaling in Exchange 2003. Read more...

Appending Disclaimers Using Exchange 2007 Hub Transport Rules
- Alexander Zammit Jan 23, 2007
Exchange 2007 Hub Transport rules provide us with centralized email processing. Inserting disclaimers is one possible application. We look at how to configure this whilst exploring the functionality transport rules provide. Read more...

Exchange 2007 RTM
- Kenneth Spiteri Dec 09, 2006
The festive season started early this year at Microsoft and what a feast! First Office and Vista, now Exchange 2007. Yes the new Exchange is ready for prime time. After many months of betas and testing, Exchange 2007 is now final. Read more...

Testing Exchange through Telnet
- Alexander Zammit Nov 28, 2006
Exchange includes various settings determining how SMTP emails are to be handled. Here Telnet becomes an excellent testing tool, providing a direct way to verify everything is functioning as expected. Read more...

Telnet Port 25
- Alexander Zammit Oct 30, 2006
Telnet allows submitting emails to any SMTP server manually. Stepping through the SMTP protocol is an excellent opportunity to test and troubleshoot an email server. Here is what any email administrator should know. Read more...

Exchange 2007 Messaging Record Management
- Alexander Zammit Sep 12, 2006
Exchange 2007 introduces Messaging Record Management, broadening the scope of automated mailbox processing. Here is what MRM brings and how to configure it in Beta 2. Read more...

Migrating to Small Business Server 2003
- Alexander Zammit May 23, 2006
Migrating from SBS 2000 to SBS 2003 can be surprisingly difficult. The migration procedure supplied by Microsoft requires you to construct a completely new domain. Here is how this migration went about. Read more...

Stress Testing Exchange - Hunting for Bottlenecks
- Alexander Zammit Apr 18, 2006
Stress testing is typically associated with the design of complex Exchange configurations. Even if you never do it, understanding the factors affecting performance and resource consumption, arms you with better troubleshooting skills. Read more...

Microsoft Revving Up for Exchange 12
- Alexander Zammit Mar 16, 2006
Despite Exchange 12 Betas are not freely available yet, Microsoft is preparing to get the community ready. Exchange 12 will bring more and more functionality. Indeed with a formidable competitor like Exchange 2003 it cannot be otherwise. Read more...

Changes in Mailbox Access Rights May Stop Exchange Applications
- Kenneth Spiteri Feb 08, 2006
A new store fix in Exchange 2003 may block applications from sending emails. Check which applications are most likely to be affected and the steps to resolve the problem. Read more...

Sniffing Emails with the Archive Sink
- Kenneth Spiteri Dec 06, 2005
The Exchange Archive Sink saves a copy of all emails to disk. It is certainly a very primitive archiving solution. Nevertheless it comes handy when troubleshooting and analyzing email flow. Read more...

Selecting the Right Exchange Catch-All Mailbox
- Kenneth Spiteri Oct 17, 2005
There may be various reasons for configuring a catch-all mailbox. We look into different setups so as to identify the one best matching our requirements. Read more...

Exchange 12 to Break Many Exchange 2000/2003 Add-Ons
- Alexander Zammit Sep 19, 2005
Microsoft announced details on the API support for the upcoming Exchange release. The details show that many server-side Exchange 2000/2003 add-ons will require recoding. Read more...

Sneak Peak at Exchange SP2 CTP
- Kenneth Spiteri Aug 22, 2005
Friday August 19 saw the release of Exchange SP2 Community Technology Preview. A CTP is less than beta quality, something you would never deploy on a production server. Here is how it looks like. Read more...

Active Directory Health Check with AD Schema Diagnose
- Alexander Zammit Aug 18, 2005
Exchange extends Active Directory in order to host its configuration objects. The forestprep schema extension is what enables this integration. Today we look into this process, the type of problems we might encounter and some available troubleshooting tools. Read more...

Exchange 2003 - Give Me Back My M Drive!
- Kenneth Spiteri Jun 27, 2005
Accessing the information store through the M drive mapping was dumped in Exchange 2003. Its use is considered a dangerous practice. Nevertheless you will always find it enabled on my test machines. Read more...

Exchange 2003 SP2, Sender ID, Improved Mobility...
- Kenneth Spiteri Jun 06, 2005
Microsoft released the Exchange 2003 SP2 feature list. This includes various improvements for Mobile devices, the addition of Sender ID to the Intelligent Message Filter and more. Read more...

SBS 2003 SP1 is out and so is our Issue List
- Kenneth Spiteri May 23, 2005
Microsoft just released SBS2003 SP1. This brings all 2003 Windows Servers to the same update level. These updates are an important appointment to Windows administrators and SBS SP1 promises to keep up with the tradition. Read more...

When IISReset Kills
- Alexander Zammit May 17, 2005
IISReset is one of those dangerously powerful tools. In this little article I highlight the well known and also the less known risks of using this tool. Read more...

Windows 2003 SP1 is NOT for SBS
- Alexander Zammit Apr 21, 2005
We just updated our SP1 issue list with this important entry. Microsoft says that Small Business Server SP1 will be available in a few months time. Read more...

Windows 2003 SP1 Exchange Issue List
- Alexander Zammit Apr 18, 2005
The new Windows 2003 Service Pack is at the top of the 'TO DO' list of many administrators. We are trying to compile a list of known issues of interest to Exchange administrators. Here is what we have on our list so far. Read more...

Windows 2003 SP1 and SCW trouble
- Kenneth Spiteri Apr 01, 2005
Windows 2003 SP1 has just been released. We are watching out for any issues that may cause trouble to Exchange. The Security Configuration Wizard deserves the first note of caution. Read more...

How to send a S/FAX over IP
- Stefan Engelbert Mar 29, 2005
Legal and technical standards in business document exchange are still not on a solid ground yet. The ideal solution for modern document exchange would incorporate all advantages of Letter, FAX and S/MIME. In this article I look into achieving this through Secure FAX over IP. Read more...

MS Exchange Best Practices Analyzer
- Kenneth Spiteri Mar 21, 2005
The Microsoft Exchange Best Practices Analyzer version 2 is out. The tool scans Exchange servers and detects issues not in line with Microsoft best practices recommendations. Read more...

Microsoft Acquires Sybari, what's next?
- Alexander Zammit Feb 16, 2005
Microsoft's acquisition of Sybari is certainly the hottest news for February so far. It is no secret, Microsoft is moving into the security market. The acquisitions of anti-virus vendor GeCAD, the anti-spyware Giant Company Software and now Sybari all seem to be pieces of the same puzzle. Read more...

What will the next Exchange version bring?
- Kenneth Spiteri Feb 01, 2005
This is the news no Exchange follower should have missed. Some of the new functionality planned for the next Exchange release, code named Exchange 12, was announced. Read more...