• Exchange 2007 RTM's
• Henrik Walther's Exchange Server 2003 Security book -- Order Today!
• MSExchange.org Learning Zone Articles of Interest
• KB Articles of the Month
• Tip of the Month
• MSExchange Links of the Month
• Ask Henrik Walther a question

1. Exchange 2007 RTM's

Welcome to the December edition of the MSExchange.org newsletter!

So finally the day we've all been waiting for arrived! That day was Friday 8th December 2006 where Exchange 2007 was released to manufacturing (RTM'ed). But as most of you probably already know, you only have the option of downloading the Exchange 2007 RTM bits if you're participating in either the Exchange 2007 Technology Adoption Program (TAP) or Rapid Deployment Program (RDP). If not you'll have to wait a few more days before you can download them from sites such as MSDN or TechNet (but actually there's a chance this is possible by the time this newsletter is sent out).

Although you cannot get Exchange 2007 from MSDN or TechNet yet, the Exchange 2007 evaluation versions can be downloaded by registering on the Microsoft Exchange site. The evaluation versions expire after 120 days, but it supports upgrade from this version to the full product at the end of the 120 day evaluation period with your product key. So you could use the evaluations in your production environment.

I remember that exactly one year ago I received my very first build of Exchange 2007 (an early beta 1 build) and boy has a lot happened to the product since then! The Exchange 2007 RTM which, by the way, has build number 685.25, is a very complete product when you take into consideration that most of it has been coded from scratch. However I had hoped that the Exchange Management Console would have had a GUI for Public Folder management, as setting up replicas, creating and managing Public Folders etc. is to inconvenient to perform via the Exchange Management Shell in the long run. There's of course the alternative of keeping an Exchange 2003 Server in your environment and performing the Public Folder tasks from there, but most of us really want to get rid of all legacy Exchange servers when we're doing our transitions. I also miss S/MIME support in OWA in the Exchange 2007 RTM version, as digitally signed as well as encrypted messages are used a lot in more and more organizations these days. In addition it's sad, for me as a Dane, to see that Danish isn't supported when speaking Unified Messaging.

I know the Exchange Product group have been under a serious time pressure, so I understand that they prioritized features and functionality as they did, and because most of the Exchange 2007 product has been built using managed code, it's much easier to add features to the GUI etc. in the future, so I'm confident in that most of the things we'll be missing in the Exchange 2007 RTM version will be included in Exchange 2007 Service Pack 1.

Although Exchange 2007 lacks when it comes to the things mentioned above, I also want to highlight that the product is packed with new exciting features, which will make the life much easier for you as a Messaging Administrator/Consultant, as well as provide a more convenient and effective client experience for your end-users. To see what I mean check out the links under the Exchange Server links of the Month section in this newsletter.

Exchange 2007 RTM is without doubt the best present I could get for Christmas :-)

That was all for this time, may you and your family have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Should you have any ideas for content in future editions of the MSExchange.org newsletter, you're more than welcome to shoot me at email at Henrik@msexchange.org.

2. Henrik Walther's Exchange Server 2003 Security book - Order Today!

By Henrik Walther Are you among the persons who like the articles I write for MSExchange.org? Then this book is definitely for you. It provides you with step by step instructions on how you get your Exchange Server properly secured. The book covers topics such as how to: Secure OWA 2003 (including many real world tips and tricks) Configure and secure SMTP Setup protocol and client encryption Delegate and control permissions Combating spam and virus

Click here to Order your copy today

3. MSExchange.org Learning Zone Articles of Interest

We have a great group of articles in the Learning Zone that will help you get a handle on your most difficult configuration issues. Here are just a few of the newer and more interesting articles:

• Exchange 2003 SMTP Namespace Sharing
• Hardening an Exchange Server 2003 Environment (Part 4)
• Removing The First Exchange 2003 Server (Part 2)
• Migrating from Small Business Server 2003 to Exchange 2003 Standard Part 2 - Configuring Exchange
• EXINFO tool
• Hardening an Exchange Server 2003 Environment (Part 3)

4. KB Articles of the Month

Here are some interesting and useful MSExchange related articles posted by Microsoft in the last month:

• The Microsoft Exchange Server Quota Message Service tool is supported by Microsoft Customer Support Services
• Event ID 1047 is logged in the Application log, and the Microsoft Exchange System Attendant service may not start in Exchange 2003
• The time settings in Outlook Web Access on Exchange Server 2003 SP2 may not reflect the change to Western Australia daylight saving time during the transition period
• The performance of a server that is running Exchange 2003 deteriorates over time when you run a WMI script to enumerate public folders
• You are not logged off when you click "Log Off" in Outlook Web Access on a front-end server that is running Exchange 2003 or Exchange 2000
• The MAPI program incorrectly returns the S_OK error code instead of the MAPI_E_END_OF_SESSION error code in Exchange Server 2003
• Messages that are sent through Exchange 2003 to an external messaging server are blocked by Sender ID checking
• You cannot access a customized property for an appointment item in Outlook Web Access on Exchange Server 2003 after you save the appointment item two times
• You may notice inaccurate queue information in Exchange Server 2003 and in Exchange 2000 Server
• Certificates in the personal store of a Windows Mobile-based mobile device are removed when you connect to Exchange Server 2003 SP2
• Error message when you try to synchronize a Windows Mobile-based device by using Exchange ActiveSync for Exchange 2003: "Synchronization failed"
• How to move shared cluster resources to new hard disk drives by using the same drive letters in Exchange 2003 in a clustered environment
• Error message when an Exchange 2003 Outlook Web Access client tries to send a digitally signed or encrypted e-mail message: "A digital ID that allows you to encrypt this message is missing"
• Information about why the size of a digitally signed or encrypted e-mail message increases in Exchange 2003
• The values of certain counter items under the MSExchangeMTA object do not change and are larger than expected in Performance Monitor in Exchange Server 2003

5. Tip of the Month

Before you get too involved with planning the budget for a transition to Exchange 2007 in your organization, you should be aware of one very important thing. Many of you who have Exchange 2003 deployed in your organization may very well be aware of that each Exchange 2003 Client Access License (CAL) included the right to install Outlook 2003 on the devices for which these CALs were obtained. You probably think this hasn't changed a single bit when speaking Exchange 2007 CALs. Think again because Exchange Server 2007 Standard or Enterprise do not include the right to install Outlook on devices for which CALs are obtained! For more info see the below text which I've copied/pasted from the Microsoft Volume Licensing site:

"Unlike prior versions, Exchange Server 2007 Standard or Enterprise does not include the right to install Outlook on devices for which CALs are obtained. However, for each Exchange Server CAL, Core CAL Suite or Enterprise CAL Suite with active Software Assurance coverage as of November 30, 2006, customers will be granted one Office Outlook 2007 license. The right to use Outlook under that license expires upon expiration of the corresponding CAL. Use of Outlook under this offering is subject to the customers' license agreement and the product use rights for that product. If Software Assurance coverage on the corresponding CAL is maintained continuously (i.e., renewed with no lapse in coverage), and one later version of Office Outlook (i.e., N+1, where N=Office Outlook 2007) is made available prior to the expiration of that coverage, customers' license will be for that version instead. Alternatively, customers are eligible to acquire Software Assurance coverage for that Office Outlook license, provided that coverage is acquired by February 28, 2007. Customers who wish to acquire Software Assurance coverage for Office Outlook after that date must first acquire a new license for the version of Office Outlook that is current at the time coverage is acquired"

This means that you as an organization might have to wait with the transition to Exchange 2007, until you're ready to deploy Office 2007 as well.

6. MSExchange Links of the Month

This month I wanted to highlight some of the new sites/documents that went public on the Microsoft Exchange site a few days before Exchange 2007 RTM'ed.

Why Upgrade to Exchange Server 2007?

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/upgrade/default.mspx

Top Ten Reasons to Upgrade to Exchange Server 2007

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/topreasons.mspx

Comparing Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 to Other Messaging Solutions

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/compare/default.mspx

Exchange Server Version Comparison

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/features/ex_compare.mspx

Better Together: Do More with Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/outlooktogether.mspx

Feature Comparison Between Outlook 2003, Office Outlook 2007, and Outlook Web Access 2007

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/featurecomparison.mspx

Exchange Server 2007 Editions and Client Access Licenses

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/editions.mspx

Exchange Server 2007 Product Overview

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/overview/default.mspx

Features of Exchange Server 2007

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/features/default.mspx

Exchange Server 2007 Feature Demos

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/demos/default.mspx

Frequently Asked Questions about Exchange Server 2007

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/topquestions.mspx

An Overview of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 White Paper

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/ex2007intro.mspx

Antivirus and Anti-Spam Protection with Exchange Server 2007

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/security/default.mspx

Unified Messaging in Exchange Server 2007

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/unifiedmessaging/default.mspx

Compliance with Exchange Server 2007

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/compliance/default.mspx

Tour Improvements in Exchange Server Management Tools Management Console and Management Shell

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/features/admin.mspx

New Server Roles in Exchange Server 2007

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/features/serverroles.mspx

Exchange Server 2007 Business Continuity

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/features/businesscontinuity.mspx

Anywhere Access with Exchange Server 2007

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/features/anywhereaccess.mspx

Exchange Server 2007 Support for Mobile Devices

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/features/owa_mobile.mspx

Mobile Messaging with Exchange ActiveSync White Paper

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/features/mobileaccesswp.mspx

Microsoft Exchange Server: Introducing the Calendar Concierge

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/features/calendarconcierge.mspx

Evaluate Exchange Server 2007

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/exchange/2007/evaluate/default.mspx

Meeting the E-Mail Compliance Challenge With Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 White Paper

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/compliance.mspx

Downloads for Exchange Server 2007

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/exchange/2007/downloads/default.mspx

Exchange Server 2007 System Requirements

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/sysreqs/default.mspx

Languages Supported in Exchange Server 2007

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/languages.mspx

Outlook and Exchange Server Compatibility

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/clients.mspx

Evaluate Exchange Server 2007

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/exchange/2007/evaluate/default.mspx

7. Ask Henrik Walther a question

QUESTION: I was very impressed with your thorough document on configuring CCR on Exchange 2007 and found it to be the best resource by far that I have seen thus far. Thank you for your efforts! I have one question for you that I was hoping that you could comment on: You mentioned that with CCR you can have both nodes in different geographical locations but both servers have to be on the same subnet which, in a real world scenario, I see as a big problem. How is one to get around the hurdle of having 2 servers on the same subnet in two different locations without having to resort to archaic double NAT or bridging? Thank you very much in advance for your time!

ANSWER: Hi TD,

First of all thank you for your kind words on the CCR article series :-)

You're right, depending on your network topology and equipment it can be problematic to configure a stretched subnet for a CCR in your environment, but unfortunately this is a requirement in order to deploy a geographically-dispersed cluster based on CCR technology. But bear in mind that this requirement will be eliminated once Exchange 2007 supports Longhorn server (although there's still quite some time before this OS is released), because with Longhorn we will be able to take advantage of stretched clustering spanning multiple subnets (both when speaking about the public as well as the private network - aka heartbeat network).

So if you don't have the option of stretching your subnet, you might want to use a 3rd party Geo-clustering/replication solution instead.