Exchange 2007: Content Filtering System Whitelist GUI

eThis is from this blog:
http://gsexdev.blogspot.com/2009/02/content-filtering-system-whitelist-gui.html
I'm just re-posting them in my blog. I've already tested the script and it worked great.

" If you’re using the built-in Content Filtering in Exchange 2007 on a Hub or Edge server you may want to take advantage of System white lists. But if you have used the Set-ContentFilterSetting cmdlet you may have noticed this isn't the most user friendly cmdlet. If you’re maintaining these lists on a regular basis you may really start to dislike the lack of a GUI well I certainly do so I built a pretty simple GUI to make managing the BypassedSenders and BypassedSenderDomains a more enjoyable experience.
It’s pretty simple code first it uses Get-ContentFilterSetting to get the current setting of both of these properties and then displays then in a DatagridView. You can then add more entries or change existing entries by editing the flexGrid then when you hit the update button it will run back through the datagrid values and then creates a collection which is then used to update the ByPassedSenders or ByPassedSenderDomains properties. "

Download the script here

CSV Output of "Get all List of all Archives and all relevent information" using VBscript.

Source: Symantec Website: link below.
http://www.symantec.com/connect/downloads/csv-output-get-all-list-all-archives-and-all-relevent-information-using-vbscript

• EV-User-Report.txt
• SQLQuery.txt

All credit goes to Wayne Humphrey for writing the SQL query which retrieves this very useful information from the database. This is simply a wrapper which I wrote in vbscript to output the information to a .csv file.

I have not included this in the main script, however to email the output you would need to append something like this to the bottom of the script.

Set objMessage = CreateObject("CDO.Message")
objMessage.Subject = "subject"
objMessage.From = "your_from_address"
objMessage.To = "your_to_address"
objMessage.HTMLBody = "body"
objMessage.AddAttachment OutputFile

objMessage.Configuration.Fields.Item ("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/sendusing") = 2
objMessage.Configuration.Fields.Item ("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpserver") = "your_email_server"
objMessage.Configuration.Fields.Item ("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpserverport") = 25
objMessage.Configuration.Fields.Update
objMessage.Send

I have blanked out my own environment settings and replaced them with fill-ins.

You will need to rename: EV-User-Report.txt to EV-User-Report.vbs & SQLQuery.txt to SQLQuery.sql

Hope someone gets some use out of this.

Jeremy.

Exchange Server 2007: How to Import PST Files into Mailboxes

Exchange Server 2007: How to Import PST Files into Mailboxes

:

1. Download and install Windows PowerShell onto a 32-bit workstation.
   
2. Download the 32-bit version of Exchange Server and install the management tools.
   
3. Install and configure Outlook 2003 SP-2 or later.
   
4. If the PST files are on a network share, then map a drive letter to the share and folder, such as P:\PSTFiles
   
5. Grant Send-As and Receive-As rights to the user who is doing the importing.
   Run the following command from the Exchange Management Shell, replacing the "My" variables with the correct values. The command should be on a single line of next, not wrapped as it likely appears below.
   
   Get-MailboxDatabase -identity "\First Storage Group\Mailbox Database" | Add-ADPermission -user "\" -ExtendedRights Receive-As, Send-As
   
6. To import a single mailbox, replace the value of UserAccountName as needed and run the following command:
   
   Import-Mailbox -Identity UserAccountName -PSTFolderPath P:\PSTFiles
   
7. To import ALL the mailboxes in a folder:
   
   Get-Mailbox -Database '\First Storage Group\Mailbox Database' | Import-Mailbox -PSTFolderPath P:\PSTFiles

Source: http://www.fieldbrook.net/TechTips/Exchange/ImportMailboxes2007.asp

WinDirStat:disk usage statistics viewer and cleanup tool

WinDirStat is a disk usage statistics viewer and cleanup tool for Microsoft Windows (all current variants).

WinDirStat reads the whole directory tree once and then presents it in three useful views:

• The directory list, which resembles the tree view of the Windows Explorer but is sorted by file/subtree size,
• The treemap, which shows the whole contents of the directory tree straight away,
• The extension list, which serves as a legend and shows statistics about the file types.

Website:
http://windirstat.info

MS Technet for Exchange Servers

Exchange Server Library
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa996058(EXCHG.80).aspx

Exchange 2010 Help
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124558.aspx

Exchange 2007 Help
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124558(EXCHG.80).aspx

Exchange 2003 Help
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb123872(EXCHG.65).aspx

Exchange Server Tools Documentation
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa996057(EXCHG.80).aspx

Exchange Server Technical Articles
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb187471(EXCHG.80).aspx

Exchange 2007: Understanding Anti-Spam and Antivirus Mail Flow

Exchange 2007: Understanding Anti-Spam and Antivirus Mail Flow

From: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa997242(EXCHG.80,printer).aspx

When an external user sends e-mail messages to a Microsoft Exchange server that runs the anti-spam features, the anti-spam features cumulatively evaluate characteristics of inbound messages and either filter out messages that are suspected to be spam or assign messages a rating based on the probability that the message is spam. This rating is stored with the message as a message property that is called the spam confidence level (SCL) rating. This rating is persisted with the message when the message is sent to other Exchange servers.

Figure below shows the order in which the default anti-spam features and Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server filter inbound messages from the Internet. By default, the anti-spam and antivirus features are arranged in this order with the filters that use the least resources filtering first, and then the filters with that use the greatest resources filtering last.

Exchange 2007: how to seed/reseed CCR via GUI

To reseed the database via GUI:
1) Connect Remote Desktop to Passive Node
2) Open EMC
3) Go to Server Configuration-Mailbox
4) Select the Exchange server
5) Select the Storage Group
6) Right click the Storage Group you need to reseed, then select “Suspend Storage Group copy” , if it is not is suspended mode yet.
7) Right click the Storage Group you need to reseed, then select “Update Storage Group copy”
8) Select the Delete any existing log files in the target path check box
9) Then Next.
10) Click Update to seed the passive node with the database copy:
During the update process, you will be prompted to delete any obsolete checkpoint files that are found in the passive copy of the storage group, and any existing database file that is found in the passive copy of the storage group.After seeding has completed, click Finish to exit the wizard.

more info : http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124706(EXCHG.80).aspx

Exchange 2007: how to setup whitelist from sender address or Sender domain, instead of ip address

Exchange 2007: how to setup whitelist from sender address or Sender domain, instead of ip address

Exchange 2007 has a whitelist but you can not see it or set it up from the GUI. It has to be done from the EMS(shell).

Shell command to add sender SMTP addresses to the BypassedSenders list:
Set-ContentFilterConfig -BypassedSenders me@allowedDomain.com,JohnSmith@fabrikam.com

Shell command to add sender domain addresses to the BypassedSenderDomains list:
Set-ContentFilterConfig -BypassedSenderDomains yahoo.com,fabrikam.com

You can also whitelist recipient. All emails address to that recipient will not be check. The only downside is , the user will always get spammed emails.

shell command:
Set-ContentFilterConfig -BypassedRecipients vip@yourdomain.com,executive@yourdomain.com

Exchange 2007 - Release emails from Quarantine

Today i got an issue on releasing emails from Quarantine mailbox. After i set-up the from the EDGE servers that Quarantined emails with SCL = 7, all emails with SCL=7 are being forwarded to the Quarantine mailbox. The problem is when you select the email that you want to release and select "Send Again", it will send the email but the sender will become my name instead of the original sender.
the fix:
1). After enabling the quarantine mailbox from the EDGE, , you need to configure the quarantine mailbox in AD so ALL Hub Transport servers know about it.
This is done by using the Set-ContentFilterConfig cmdlet:
Set-ContentFilterConfig -QuarantineMailbox MyQuarantineMbx@mydomain.com
you need to run this in the HUB servers.
2) You can release the emails using OWA or Outlook.
2a) By using OWA, you will have to login as the Quarantine Mailbox.
2b)By using Outlook, you will have to create a new Outlook profile for your Quarantine Mailbox . then open the quarantined outlook profile, then select the email that you want to release.

That's it.

Exchange 2007 : Managing Storage Groups and Databases

Managing Storage Groups and Databases

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa998926(EXCHG.80).aspx

Managing Storage Groups and Databases

Applies to: Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007 Topic Last Modified: 2007-09-24

This topic describes the basics of storage group and database management in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. To learn more about storage groups and databases, see Understanding the Exchange 2007 Store.

An Exchange storage group is a logical container for Exchange databases and their associated system and transaction log files.

An Exchange database stores data, data definitions, indexes, checksums, flags, and other information associated with user mailboxes or public folders. Exchange databases are stored in .edb files. (Note that unlike previous versions of Exchange, there are no .stm database files in Exchange 2007.) Databases are based on Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) technology.

Note:
Specialized and sophisticated storage group and database management methods can be employed to assure the highest possible levels of availability of your Exchange system. For more information about managing for high availability, see High Availability and Disaster Recovery.

Managing Storage Groups

Managing storage groups includes creating a new storage group, configuring a storage group, removing an existing storage group, and moving a storage group path.

Note:
Although a storage group can contain up to five databases, we recommend that you use one database for each storage group. The standard license for Exchange 2007 enables you to create up to a five storage groups and to mount up to five databases. The enterprise license for Exchange 2007 enables you to you can create up to 50 storage groups and mount up to 50 databases.

Creating a New Storage Group

You can create a new storage group by clicking New Storage Group in the Mailbox node under Server Configuration in the Exchange Management Console. You can also create a new storage group in the Exchange Management Shell with the New-StorageGroup cmdlet. For more information about creating new storage groups, see How to Create a New Storage Group.

Configuring a Storage Group

You can configure many storage group settings by right-clicking a storage group in the work pane of the Mailbox node under Server Configuration in the Exchange Management Console, and then clicking Properties. You can configure all the settings of a storage group in the Exchange Management Shell with the Set-StorageGroup cmdlet.

Removing a Storage Group

You can remove a storage group by right-clicking the storage group in the work pane of the Mailbox node under Server Configuration in the Exchange Management Console, and then clicking Remove. You can also remove a storage group by using the Remove-StorageGroup cmdlet in the Exchange Management Shell. For more information about removing storage groups, see How to Remove a Storage Group.

Moving a Storage Group Path

You can move storage group system and log files by right-clicking the storage group in the work pane of the Mailbox node under Server Configuration in the Exchange Management Console, and then clicking Move Storage Group Path. You can also move the storage group files by using the Move-StorageGroupPath cmdlet in the Exchange Management Shell. For more information about removing storage groups, see How to Move a Storage Group Path.

Managing Databases

You can use both the Exchange Management Console and the Exchange Management Shell to configure options for Exchange mailbox databases and public folder databases. However, the Exchange Management Shell offers access to more information and settings than the Exchange Management Console, and makes available the power of scripting. (For more information about scripting, see Scripting with the Exchange Management Shell and Scripts for Managing Public Folders in the Exchange Management Shell.)

Note:
For reliability, and in some cases for performance reasons, databases should be placed on disks that do not contain transaction logs.

Managing databases includes creating a new database, removing an existing database, mounting a database, dismounting a database, and backing up a database.

Creating a Database

You can add mailbox databases or public folder databases to storage groups.

• For information about how to create a new mailbox database, see How to Create a New Mailbox Database.
  
• For information about how to create a new public folder database, see How to Create a New Public Folder Database.
  

Note:
Only one public folder database can exist on each server.

Note:
Only one database can be added to a storage group on which local continuous replication is enabled. For reliability, and in some cases for performance reasons, databases should be on placed on disks that do not contain transaction logs.

Removing a Database

• For information about how to remove a mailbox database, see How to Remove a Mailbox Database.
  
• For information about how to remove a public folder database, see How to Remove a Public Folder Database.
  

Mounting a Database

You can mount a database by right-clicking the database in the work pane of the Mailbox node under Server Configuration in the Exchange Management Console, and then clicking Mount Database. You can also mount a database in the Exchange Management Shell with the Mount-Database cmdlet. For more information about mounting databases, see How to Mount a Database.

Dismounting a Database

You can dismount a database by right-clicking the database in the work pane of the Mailbox node under Server Configuration in the Exchange Management Console, and then clicking Dismount. You can also dismount a database in the Exchange Management Shell with the Mount-Database cmdlet. For more information about dismounting databases, see How to Mount a Database.

Backing Up a Database

Backing up the critical data in your Exchange 2007 organization is a necessary operational task. To learn how to perform a basic backup of an Exchange 2007 database using the Microsoft Windows Backup utility, see How to Perform a Basic Backup of Exchange Databases.

how to check Offline Address Book date time

If you wan to check the when is Offline Address book in Exchange Server was generated,
go to:

http://{servernamer}/public/non_ipm_subtree/offline%20address%20book/

how to export mailbox in exchange 2007

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb266964%28EXCHG.80%29.aspx


To export data to a .pst file, run the following command:

Export-Mailbox -Identity  -PSTFolderPath \.pst

To export the special folders and empty folders of the mailbox to a folder in the destination mailbox, run the following command:

Export-Mailbox -Identity  -TargetMailbox  -TargetFolder 

email size with attachement increased in size

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.01.exchangeqa.aspx?pr=blog

Exchange Queue & A Mysterious Attachment Size Increases

Q: Our organization's messaging infrastructure is based on Exchange Server 2007. We have a relatively strict message-size limit of 12MB set throughout the organization.

We have observed a strange behavior that seems to be related to the size of files attached to a message. When sending an e-mail message to an external user with, let's say, an 11MB attachment, the message is delivered to the recipient as expected. But if this message (including the attachment) is forwarded back to the sender on the internal network, the sender gets a non-delivery report (NDR), indicating that the message is larger than the current system limit or that the recipient's mailbox is full.

After taking a close look at the issue, we can see that at some point after the message leaves the organization, the size of the attachment increases by approximately 30%. The question is, why do attachment sizes increase while sending and receiving e-mail messages through the Internet? And more important, is this expected behavior?

A The short answer is yes. This is often expected behavior, not only for Exchange Server 2007 but also for earlier versions of Exchange Server as well as any other messaging system that supports MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) and uses Base64 to encode attachments. When an internal Exchange user sends a message to a recipient inside the Exchange organization, the message doesn't require any content conversion. This means that you won't see the message or attachments increase in size when they are delivered. Messages sent to external recipients, on the other hand, may require content conversion.

A standard SMTP message (also known as a plain-text message) consists of a message envelope and the message contents—the message header and message body. These elements are based on plain 7-bit US-ASCII text. When a message contains elements that are not plain US-ASCII text, the elements must be encoded. When dealing with such non-text content, including attachments, MIME is used for encoding. Both Exchange 2007 and earlier versions of Exchange Server use the Base64 algorithm to encode attachments. And the disadvantage of Base64 is that it bloats attachments by 33%.

In Exchange 2007, except when Outlook Web Access is used, most transport-related content conversion is performed on the Hub Transport server. For a detailed explanation, see the topic "Understanding Content Conversion" at technet.microsoft.com/library/bb232174.


===============
more info:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA102365941033.aspx