MS Exchange Feeds

What’s New with the Exchange Deployment Assistant? -
Last year we released the Exchange Server 2010 Deployment Assistant (ExDeploy), a free web-based tool which can help you deploy Exchange Server 2010. With ExDeploy, you can create Exchange Server 2010 on-premises deployment instructions that are customized to your environment. The Deployment Assistant asks you a small set of questions, and based on your answers, it provides a checklist with instructions that are designed to get you up and running on Exchange 2010. You can also print the checklist or create a PDF file.

You can access ExDeploy at http://technet.microsoft.com/exdeploy2010.

Thank you for the continued feedback. We use it to determine content updates that are released on a monthly basis. You can see the details of the June update in the Release Notes within the Assistant.

A couple other new items of interest are:
- The Deployment Assistant is also available in Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, and Spanish. This includes localized versions of the customized checklists that are available for download.
- To read more about the Deployment Assistant, including feedback from other customers, check out the new feature article Deploy Exchange 2010 with the Deployment Assistant.
We're always interested in improving ExDeploy and would love your feedback about the existing version as well as additional scenarios that would be helpful to you in deploying Exchange 2010. If you haven't done so already, check out the Deployment Assistant.

You can send an e-mail directly to edafdbk@microsoft.com or via the 'Feedback' link located in the header of every page of the Deployment Assistant.

Planning is happening right now to determine what additional scenarios will be most beneficial to customers, and we’d love your input!

Katie Kivett
PM - Microsoft Exchange Deployment Assistant
iOS 4 and Exchange ActiveSync -
Recently Apple released iOS 4 (the new name for the operating system that runs on iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads). Since its release there have been numerous reports (link, link, link) of a number of issues with new iPhone 4s (and older iPhone models running the updated software version) when using Exchange ActiveSync (EAS). I wanted to put up a quick posting about what issues users may be seeing and what we’re doing about it.

Issues:
1. Exchange administrators are seeing heavier than normal loads on their servers from users with iOS devices: We are in contact with Apple’s engineering team and are trying to help them fix this issue. In the meantime Apple has released a support article (link) which directs administrators who are experiencing this issue to push an iOS profile (link) that changes the timeout their Exchange ActiveSync connection uses to their users to four minutes which should be long enough for the vast majority of users. Those that need longer can edit the XML file in any text editor by searching for ‘240.0’ (no quotes) and changing it to the desired number of seconds, or you can use Apple’s configuration utility editor (link) to make this change.
  Update @1:10 PM: We had suggested using Apple's configuration utility to make this change. Apple has informed us that you should not use the configuration utility to edit or install the update. Use a text editor such as Notepad to edit the timeout value in the update, if required.
2. Email, calendar, or contacts are not syncing: We believe this is the same issue as #1. The support article and solution listed above are the current recommendation from Apple while a fix is being worked on.
3. iPhone is not working with Google Apps over Exchange ActiveSync: Google licenses the server portion of Exchange ActiveSync from Microsoft (link) but Google wrote their own software to implement the protocol. Google is responsible for making sure their implementation of Exchange ActiveSync runs correctly and in this case Google claims that they had a server issue (link).
We have been in contact with Apple about each of these issues (as well as some others that seem to not be directly related to EAS but are more email related in general). Apple has assured us that a fix is being worked on though they have not commented on a release timeline for the fix. We will be continuing to work with Apple to help resolve the current issues relating to iOS 4 using Exchange ActiveSync.

Adam Glick
Sr. Technical Product Manager
Why MITIE chose Exchange Server - after evaluating Google Apps -

At EHLO, we love customer success stories about Exchange! How Exchange, Outlook and Office make users' lives better, improve productivity, and make work fun is what excites us. Today's post is the second in a series of customer testimonials we bring you to highlight what we're hearing about Exchange from our customers. In this post, David Aird shares his thoughts about why MITIE chose Exchange 2007.

I’m David Aird, Head of IT for MITIE, the strategic outsourcing company. When we were ready to replace our email system, we had several key considerations that we looked at. Like most companies we were looking for a solution that was competitively priced. While cost was important, we also had to be able to trust the solution we put in place would meet our business needs, work well with our existing technologies and wouldn’t require additional training for the 6000+ desktops we manage.

We looked at Google. They were competitively priced but with only three years in the productivity space, they lacked maturity and seemed like a risky investment. Usability was also problematic. Google Apps was missing some of the key features and functionality we needed. Although their price was attractive, it was clear that any short term savings we gained would likely be lost over the long haul and could cause a lot of headaches with an unfamiliar look and feel, training requirements and issues with not being well integrated with other products in our toolset.

We also thought about Microsoft Business Online Productivity Suite but decided the subscription model wasn’t right for us quite yet. Ultimately, we choose Exchange 2007 for its manageability, reliability and enterprise class support. Despite all the recent focus on the cloud, we’re not quite ready to move our data outside of our immediate control. When we do, we’ll do it on our terms rather than being forced into a fit that’s not right for our business. That may mean keeping some of our existing IT systems and moving others to the cloud. Ultimately, we believe Microsoft currently provide MITIE with the most flexibility and the best path forward for our business.
Video Interviews From TechEd 2010 -
During Microsoft TechEd 2010 in New Orleans, I interviewed a few of the Exchange Server Program Managers and Technical Managers. These interviews are live on my blog as well.
- iCal and Calendar Publishing
  Adam Glick, Senior Technical Product Manager discusses iCal and Calendar Publishing capabilities in Exchange Server 2010 SP1
- High Availability
  Astrid McClean, Senior Technical Product Manager, discusses High Availability enhancements in Exchange Server 2010 SP1 – specifically Continuous Replication Block Mode.
- Management and Coexistence
  Evan Dodds, Senior Program Manager, discusses the management experience and capabilities of On-Premises Exchange and Exchange Online together.
- Personal Archives
  Kamal Janardhan, Principal Program Manager, discusses new capabilities of Personal Archive in Exchange Server 2010 SP1
- OWA Themes
  Kartik Murthy, Program Manager, discusses Outlook Web App (OWA) Themes capability in Exchange Server 2010 SP1.
- Upgrading to Exchange 2010
  Kristian Andaker, Principal Group Program Manager, discusses the benefits of Upgrading to Exchange Server 2010. Kristian also expands on the upgrade process and the use of Legacy namespace in an Exchange 2003 / 2007 upgrade to Exchange Server 2010.
- Site Resiliency
  Kumar Venkateswar, Program Manager, discusses new enhancements to Site Resiliency scenarios with Exchange Server 2010 SP1.
- Exchange ActiveSync and Mobility
  Yan Esteve Balducci, Program Manager, discusses new capabilities in Exchange Active Sync with Exchange Server 2010 SP1. Yan also demonstrates the new Outlook Mobile experience with the SP1 update.
For those who are interested in testing Exchange Server 2010 SP1 Beta, you can download it from here.

Harold Wong
Microsoft User Research Seeking Participants -
Have you ever wanted to talk to someone behind the technology we all use?

Well now's your chance. When you participate in a Microsoft User Research study, you become part of our product and services development process. In helping us understand your needs, you'll help shape the future of technology. In addition to playing with some very cool technology no one else has seen yet, your perspective, ideas and comments will help us shape those products.

Interested?

We are currently recruiting IT Pros to provide feedback on Microsoft Exchange. In order to ensure a good use of your time, we would like to learn more about your background first. You can sign up for product evaluations at www.microsoft.com/usability/itpro.htm. Your answers will only be used to match you with studies that you qualify for or have interest in. We will alert you to specific opportunities as they arise, and ask a few more questions to confirm eligibility and availability.

More information on our program can be found at www.microsoft.com/usability. We welcome questions and comments at itusable@microsoft.com.

Karl Bystrom
Ask and you shall receive - Exchange 2007 SP3 w/support for Windows Server 2008 R2 Now Available -

I am very pleased to let you all know that Exchange Server 2007 SP3 is available for download. As we highlighted in Updates to the Exchange Supportability Matrix this past November, this third service pack for Exchange 2007 enables Exchange 2007 to be installed on the Windows Server 2008 R2 version of the operating system. We heard you loud and clear that this is enormously important to our Exchange 2007 customers, so we worked quickly to deliver SP3 in order to meet this requirement.
Download Exchange 2007 SP3 here.
Keep the feedback coming and for those of you evaluating all the good stuff packed into Exchange Server 2010, don't miss the beta of Exchange Server 2010 SP1. You can read about SP1 here.

Kevin Allison
GM- Exchange Customer Experience
Sample script to disable and enable Forefront service during patching -
During the installation of Exchange rollup update for Exchange Server 2007 and Exchange Server 2010, some of the Exchange services e.g. the Microsoft Exchange Transport Service may fail to start. This issue occurs because there is a problem with the way in which the Exchange services interact with Forefront during the patching process. The problem is currently being investigated. However, a suggested workaround is to use a Windows PowerShell script to disable and enable the Forefront Service for Exchange during the installation.
A new feature was introduced in Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 2 to allow administrator run PowerShell scripts during rollup installation. For more information, please refer to http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2010/06/02/455063.aspx. The script in this article demonstrates how to use CustomPatchInstallerActions.ps1 file to disable and enable the Forefront service for Exchange utilizing this new feature. However the script can be customized by customers for use with other third party products in this way.
In order to allow installer to find the script file, these criteria must be followed:
1. The script file is named as CustomPatchInstallerActions.ps1
2. The script file is placed under <Exchange installation folder>\Scripts\Customization
3. The script file must have three sections:
- PrePatchInstallActions : User defined actions that will be performed before the installation starts.
- PostPatchInstallActions : User defined actions that will be performed after installation has finished.
- PatchRollbackActions : User defined actions that will be performed after rollback of the installation (due to cancellation of installation).
The details for each section are:
PrePatchInstallActions:
- Stop related services in this order:
- Disable Forefront service by running "fscutility /disable"
PostPatchInstallActions:
- Enable Forefront service by running "fscutility /enable"
- Start related services in this order:
PatchRollbackActions:
- The same as PostPatchInstallActions
A log file named CustomPatchInstallerActions.log will be generated under <SystemDrive>\ExchangeSetupLogs. It can be used to track failures generated during the execution.
NOTE: The script needs to be properly signed otherwise you need to run "Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted" in order to run the script.
You can find the sample CustomPatchInstallerActions.ps1.template script HERE.
- Exchange SE Team
Overview of Exchange 2007 SP2 Rollup Installation -
You may have noticed that we've added some improvements to the Update Rollup installation process starting with Update Rollup 1 for Exchange 2007 Service Pack 2. This blog post walks you through the features we've added and what's happening behind the scenes. After reading this post you will have a better understanding about what may go wrong and how to tackle potential problems that may arise during the installation. We will have a separate post on how to analyze the errors for Update Rollup installations.
Below you'll find the installation process steps with details of what happens in which step.
Checking System
In addition to the common system checks that the Windows Installer framework enforces - such as disk space requirements and system integrity validation - we've added several Exchange specific pre-installation checks which are run prior to any modification of the Exchange server.

First, a permissions check makes sure that you have logged onto the domain rather than onto a local computer account. Since the Update Rollup installation will access the Active Directory, being logged onto the domain is a requirement for the installation to complete successfully.
You will see a warning dialog if you are not logged onto the domain and the installation will stop at this time.

Next the installer performs a check to make sure that a particular .Net Framework hotfix is installed on the computer. Without this fix the .Net Framework does not honor a "generatePublisherEvidence=False" directive in the assembly configuration file. Without this setting, computers with slow or non-existent internet access (a common scenario with internal Exchange servers) will have Exchange services that fail to restart after installation has finished. We have introduced the following dialog to warn you if this hotfix is not present.
At this point, the installation can be canceled, which will end the installation and Exchange services will be unaffected. While installation of the .Net hotfix is strongly advised, you can choose to select the "Continue" button and the installation will continue. However, you may need to manually restart services after installation has completed.

Next, the installer determine if Certificate Revocation List (CRL) checking is enabled on the machine, and if it is, whether we can reach the CRL website. If CRL checking is enabled and the CRL website is unavailable then the NGen process (more about this) can be dramatically more sluggish while it waits for CRL checking timeouts to occur (more about CRL check). If this condition is detected, the following warning dialog will be displayed.

Instructions for resolving this problem can be found using the link provided in the dialog (or here). An obvious question about this dialog is: "Why didn't you add a hyperlink that could be used to access the URL directly"? The problem is that many Exchange servers do not have access to the Internet and may not have an Internet browser installed. We did not use a hyperlink in an effort to reduce confusion in these scenarios. Instead a textbox is provided which can easily be copied and pasted into a browser (perhaps on an admin box).
Again, at this point, the installation can be canceled, which will end the installation and Exchange services will be unaffected. While it is highly advised that the CRL problem be resolved first, the "Continue" button can be used to resume the installation (which may be slower than expected, causing longer Exchange downtime).
It is worth noting that if a warning that we consider non-fatal occurs you will be given an option to continue or cancel. For example, if you earlier clicked "Cancel", there will be a final confirmation dialog as seen below.

If the installation is canceled by the user or programmatically by the installer, the following dialog will inform the user that the process has ended before successful completion. In all cases, Exchange services should not be affected.

Pre-Install Native Image Generation (NGEN)
Exchange depends on the timely start of its services to operate properly. After installation of Exchange components, a .Net process called NGen must be run to prepare the service programs to start efficiently. If you are curious, NGen (Native Image Generation) is explained in detail in this MSDN article. It is quite common for other applications to install components and not run NGen. When Exchange runs NGen these non-Exchange components will also be prepared, leading to potentially severe delays in the installation of an Exchange patch. This delay can result in longer downtime for Exchange services. This situation is greatly improved by running NGen BEFORE installing the new Exchange components. During this pre-install phase, Exchange services will continue to operate, drastically reducing downtime required for an Exchange upgrade.
The following dialog will appear while NGen is preparing the non-Exchange components. As mentioned before, this can take some time to complete, depending on the number of programs that are in the pre-NGen state. You can minimize this dialog to do some other work while waiting.

Once the pre-install NGen has finished, a dialog will display and you can choose to continue or cancel at this point. If you select "Next", the installation will continue. If "Cancel" is selected, the installation of this update will end and Exchange services will be unaffected.

Running Customizable Script Before Patching
At this point the installer will run custom, user-defined PowerShell scripts, if they are available. This feature allows tailoring of the installation to meet your system requirement. There are three opportunities for this customization; during pre-install, post-install and rollback phases. For example, there may be 3rd party services that need to be stopped or there may be files that need to be backed up (and perhaps restored after installation). For more information on how to setup this feature see details in this separate blog.
Stopping Services
Before installing Exchange files, the Exchange services must be stopped. This allows updating of the files used by the services and also removes the need to reboot the server after installation. The ServiceControl.ps1 script (located in ExchangeFolder\bin) is run to stop the services. The results of the service shutdown can be seen in a log file (\ExchangeSetupLogs\ServiceControl.log) located on the Exchange installation hard disk.
The following dialog (with Status) will appear, indicating that the installation of Exchange is underway. While services are being stopped, the "Cancel" button can be selected to end the installation. However, due to the nature of the installation, the "Stopping services" phase must continue to completion before the cancellation takes effect. This means that Exchange will be momentarily unavailable. Once all services have all stopped, they will be automatically restarted, the installation will end and Exchange service will be available again.

Validating Installation
Once the services have stopped, certain validation checks will be made to ensure that the system is ready for installation. The biggest concern is the "file-in-use" scenario. In particular, the Exchange Management Console and Exchange Management Shell must be closed when installing an update rollup.
If the dialog shown below appears with one or more applications in the list, you can try to close these applications and stop any related services and then click the "Retry" button. Clicking the "Ignore" button will result in a requirement to reboot after the installation. If "Exit" is selected the Exchange services will be restarted, Exchange service will be restored and the installation will end.

Updating Exchange
The change introduced here is to enable the "Cancel" button and support of rollback functionality. Clicking "Cancel" at this point will result in a rollback procedure which restores the computer back to the state prior to the start of installation. For more information regarding rollback, read the blog on "Rollback".

Post-install NGening Exchange Binaries
As mentioned earlier, the post-installation NGen task will process all of the new and updated Exchange binaries, preparing them to start efficiently. The "Cancel" button is disabled from this step onwards because a cancellation would still require that the NGen process complete and then another NGen pass would be required to revert back to the old binaries.

Starting Services
All services that were previously running will automatically be started again during this step. Similar to when services were stopped, the ServiceControl.ps1 PowerShell script is used and results of the service startup are written to the ExchangeSetupLogs\ServiceControl.log log file.

Running Customizable Script After Patching
The post-install section of the user-customizable script is called. Again, for more information on this feature see details in this separate blog.
Patching Configuration Files
The patchconfigfile.ps1 script will run and update some Exchange program configuration files. The script file is located at ExchangeFolder\bin. The log file patch-config.log can be found at ExchangeDrive:\ExchangeSetupLogs. This script file is for Microsoft use only.
Patching OWA
Similarly, the UpdateOwa.ps1 script will run and create a virtual directory for the updated version of OWA. The file is located in ExchangeFolder\bin. The log file UpdateOwa.log can be found at ExchangeDrive:\ExchangeSetupLogs.
Removing Backup Files
All backup files for the installation will be removed in this last step.

- Exchange SE team
Released: Update Rollup 4 for Exchange Server 2010 -
Exchange CXP team has released Update Rollup 4 for Exchange Server 2010 RTM (KB 982639) to the download center.

KB 982639 lists all the fixes included in this rollup. Here are some of the product improvements and critical bug fixes we'd like to call out starting with 5 improvements we made to prevent crashes in very unique scenarios.
- KB 980852 The RpcClientAccess process on an Exchange Server 2010 server crashes when you access a mailbox by using a MAPI application
- KB 979801 An error message is generated in Exchange Server 2010 when you use Exchange Troubleshooting Assistant
- KB 980364 The Exchange Transport service on an Exchange Server 2010 server crashes when a certain message is processed
- KB 980353 A MAPI application that is used to access Exchange Server 2010 mailboxes crashes when the application accesses an address book
- KB 979790 An IMAP4 client crashes when accessing an Exchange Server 2010 mailbox
We corrected a few replication issues some of you encountered.
- KB 980149 The Add-MailboxDatabaseCopy command fails when it is used to add a database copy to a Database Availability Group in an Exchange Server 2010 environment
- KB 981961 Event ID 4033 is logged and the Free/Busy replication from an Exchange Server 2003 server to an Exchange Server 2010 server fails
- KB 979921 You cannot replicate a public folder from one Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 server to another, and Event ID 3079 is logged on the target server
One unique thing added was an ability for an administrator to adjust filtering of XML attachments so an OWA user can save them. Some customers were facing a compliance versus level of security tradeoff. See more about configuring this option in KB 983200, which discusses adding administrator control over attachment stripping. We also included at least eight other fixes that some of you requested in this release which we already had worked on for a service pack but are able to deliver to you sooner.

KB 982639 has more details about this release and a complete list of all fixes included in this worthwhile rollup.

Forefront users:

For those of you running Forefront, be sure you perform these important steps from the command line in the Forefront directory before and after this rollup's installation process. Without these steps, Exchange services for Information Store and Transport will not start back up. You will need to disable ForeFront via "fscutility /disable" before installing the patch and then re-enable after the patch by running "fscutility /enable" to start it up again post installation.
Questions / discussions of the Update Rollup and issues

Please go to our Update forum: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/exchangesoftwareupdate
GPO Execution Policy Issue

If you use a GPO to define the Windows PowerShell execution policy, you probably had problems installing previous RUs. We have addressed this problem in this Update.
Availability on Microsoft Update:
We plan to release this update on Microsoft Update in about 2 weeks.
- Exchange SE Team
Get your new Mailbox Server Role Requirements Calculators -
Today, we updated both the Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2010 Mailbox Server Role Requirements Calculators.

For the Exchange 2007 calculator, the changes were minor (bug fixes essentially). Head on over to the Updates Tracking page to see what is changed and/or download the revised version.

As for the Exchange 2010 calculator, well as usual, there have been a number of bug fixes (mostly related to those pesky active copies after a server failure formulas); however, those fixes are not the only changes. Over the past several years, many of you have pummeled me to add additional functionality, but I resisted, but as the Borg say, resistance is futile and I finally gave in. I won’t give it away here though, you will have to delve into the calculator to figure out what improvement I’ve made. Head on over to the Updates Tracking page to see what is changed and/or download the revised version. The main article has also been updated.

- Ross Smith IV
Introducing Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) 2.2 -

Inside Microsoft, we maintain a repository of tools written by our engineers and technical staff. Many of the tools that are posted are very specific to Microsoft engineering— tools to help developers and testers better manage their project in our internal source control system, provide better visibility into our internal bug/issue tracking system, etc. Since these tools are very specific to the Microsoft environment, most of them don't get released externally.

About eight months ago, I came across a tool in the repository called Remote Desktop Connection Manager ("RDCMan" for short) written by Julian Burger, one of our principal developers on the Windows Live Experiences team. RDCMan is a central place where you can organize, group, and manage your various Remote Desktop connections. This is particularly useful for system administrators, developers, testers, and lab managers who maintain groups of computers and connect to them frequently. As an example - my customer manages over 200 Exchange servers worldwide. Today, they maintain a configuration file for the Remote Desktops MMC with many of their servers. Of course, with 200 servers, it becomes difficult to maintain and navigate, as seen in the following screenshot.

Figure 1: Managing RDP connections in the Remote Desktops MMC
After I installed RDCMan, it was very clear that our customers and partners would benefit greatly from it, as it fills the gap nicely that the standalone Remote Desktop Connection application and the Remote Desktops MMC snap-in leave behind. Here's a screen shot of an organized RDCMan configuration with the servers organized by version (Exchange 2007, Exchange 2010), region (Chicago, Redmond) and then finally by Exchange role (Client Access, Hub Transport, Mailbox, etc.)

Figure 2: An organized RDCMan configuratoin
You'll also notice that there's a grid on the right side that has a thumbnail of each of the servers. Yes, RDCMan supports a live thumbnail view of your connected servers, as seen in the following screenshot.

Figure 3: RDCMan displays live thumbnails of your connected servers
I'll leave the other features for you to discover.

With Julian's blessing, I worked with our legal department, trademark group, engineering compliance, release support, and others to get RDCMan licensed for external distribution... and while it's been months in the works - today, I'm excited to announce that Remote Desktop Connection Manager is now available externally on the Microsoft Download Center - get it from http://go.microsoft.com/?LinkID=9733636.

David Zazzo
NGen (Native Image Generation) During Exchange 2007 SP2 Rollup Installation -
In response to customer feedback with regards to native image generation (NGen) taking too long (and in some cases leading the user to believe that the installation process had hanged), we separated the NGen process into pre and post-installation NGen processing since Exchange 2007 SP2 Rollups. During pre-install only non-Exchange binaries will be processed (the computer might have had updates installed for non-Exchange files that Exchange depends on, such as .Net framework hotfixes). The idea behind this is to keep Exchange services running while doing non-Exchange related work; only making Exchange unavailable when absolutely necessary. The post-install NGen of Exchange files can still take some time but the time will generally be much less with this pre-install feature.
During post-install NGen, as implied above, only Exchange files are processed. We have a progress bar for post- install NGen to show when (approximately) it will complete. We would like to display a similar progress bar during the pre-install NGen as well, but since we do not know how many files will be processed, we cannot estimate completion of the task.
- Exchange SE Team
Exchange Server 2010 SP1 Beta Now Available for Download -
We are pleased to announce the availability of Exchange Server 2010 SP1 Beta.

As we shared in Yes Virginia, there is an Exchange Server 2010 SP1 in April, Exchange Server 2010 SP1 Beta incorporates a number of feature updates including: archiving and discovery enhancements, a faster Outlook Web App (OWA), upgraded mobility features, and several improvements in the management UI. The SP1 beta is available to the public and can be downloaded here.

We also wanted to let you know that Exchange Server 2007 SP3 is still on track and will be available soon, so stay tuned to the Exchange Team Blog.

The Exchange team wants to thank each one of you who has taken the time to provide us with your thoughts on the products: what works great, what doesn't, and everything in between. Neither of these important service packs would have been possible without your rich and direct feedback. The Exchange Server 2010 SP1 Beta includes features that you wanted us to prioritize. And your feedback on the need for Exchange 2007 support on Windows Server 2008 R2 is helping us develop Exchange Server 2007 SP3.

We leverage multiple channels to gather your feedback, from the customer deployments in the Technology Adoption Program (TAP) and on-site visits to social media channels such as this blog and our technical forums. Please continue to share your feedback and follow us on Twitter, @msftexchange. We promise we'll continue to listen.

The Microsoft Communications Server "14" team also has feature announcements today. Check out their new blog post.

Kevin Allison
GM - Exchange Customer Experience
Answered: Data Protection questions on Geek Out With Perry -

We recently started posting a series of blog posts and video chalk talks with Perry Clarke. The response has been great, and we're going to continue to address key topics in videos and blog posts.

Today we're back with another edition of "Geek Out with Perry"! In this video and blog post, Perry addresses your data protection questions. Check out the video and blog post More Exchange Data Protection - Beyond Replication, and Exchange Mailbox Storage Bricks. Both posts and the video answer some of the questions you asked after we posted Perry's last video about data protection for Exchange.

We welcome your continuing feedback and questions. Keep the questions coming and we'll keep geeking Perry out!

-- Ann Vu
Customizable Script In Exchange 2007 SP2 Rollup Installation -
Edit 6/10/2010: Corrected the script path.
Certain 3rd party software such as anti-virus and anti-spam have their own services running on the Exchange server and these can sometimes prevent Exchange services from being stopped successfully. This in turn can prevent the installer from updating files loaded by these processes and may require a reboot to complete the installation.
Since we have no control over 3rd party software, we've added the ability for you to register custom commands via a PowerShell script to stop and restart services, amongst other possibilities. Use of this mechanism may provide a way to avoid unnecessary reboots of the computer after update rollup installations. The script has three different sections - pre, post and rollback - that will allow the installer to take appropriate actions throughout the installation process.
In order for the installer to find and process your script file, it must conform to the following conventions:

Filename: CustomPatchInstallerActions.ps1
Location: <ExchangeFolder>\Scripts\Customization

The script file must have 3 sections:

PrePatchInstallActions : User defined actions that will be performed before the installation starts.
PostPatchInstallActions : User defined actions that will be performed after installation has finished.
PatchRollbackActions : User defined actions that will be performed after rollback of the installation (due to cancellation of installation).

As stated earlier, all sections are required. If any section is missing in the file no user-defined actions will be done. The installation will continue with its normal operation.
Due to technical limitations in the installer framework, there is no way to detect return values from the custom script. However, you are encouraged to use logging to track the progress of your script, including success/failure status and general tracking information.
The installer will place a template file (CustomPatchInstallerActions.ps1.template) into the ExchangeFolder\Scripts folder. This template should provide a good starting point for developing your custom script. Just in case the template does not exist yet on your server, the sample is also listed below. By having the extension of ".template" we are ensuring that the sample doesn't run. You will have to rename it with the ".ps1" extension in order for the installer to pick it up during installation.
We would like to stress the necessity for thoroughly testing your custom script before deploying in a live environment. Microsoft cannot validate any custom functionality you decide to add and cannot prevent execution of incorrect scripting code. You also need to properly sign the script if the "ExecutionPolicy" for PowerShell is set to "RemoteSigned" or "AllSigned".
You can find the sample script here.
- Exchange SE Team