VirManSec Community

Event ID 3015 Souce: Server ActiveSync Exchange 2003

skhairudin — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:46:00 GMT

Last few days back one of my customer had an electricity breakdown due to which all of the servers located in the data center got restarted. The data center included Domain Controller and an Additional Domain Controller with Exchange 2003 Installed on it with Active Directory integrated DNS. Upon restarting the Exchange Server he checked the event viewer to see if there are any issues persisting and found lot of error messages as shown below.

Initially I thought there is a problem from IIS as the error indicated ActiveSync so we restarted the IIS and checked the same problem existed, then I started checking the KB articles in case If there is one and found

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/support/ee/transform.aspx?ProdName=Exchange&ProdVer=6.5.7638.0&EvtID=3015&EvtSrc=Server+ActiveSync&LCID=1033

But did not Helped me. After searching a lot I came to know that DNS service should be restarted.

Resolution: Restart the dns service.

Free Microsoft Cloud Implementation Training

skhairudin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:57:00 GMT

On February 21 & 22 Microsoft Learning is running a 2-day virtual training event to help the world learn about the upcoming enhancements with the Creating & Managing a Private Cloud with System Center 2012 Jump Start. It is 100% free and open to the public, so register now! Sign up today.

Event Overview

Adopting this exciting new computing paradigm provides a whole new landscape of technology and career direction for IT professionals. Microsoft Learning and the Microsoft System Center 2012 team have partnered to bring you an exciting opportunity to learn what you need to know to deploy, manage and maintain Microsoft’s private cloud solution. Leveraging the popular Jump Start virtual classroom approach, the industry’s most gifted cloud experts will show attendees why this new private cloud solution, based on System Center 2012 and Windows Server, has garnered so much attention. Presenters include Symon Perriman, Sean Christensen, Adam Hall, Kenon Owens, Prabu Rambadran & Chris Van Wesep and there will be a live Q&A during the event.

Event Agenda

Day 1: Deployment & Configuration (Feb. 21)

Part 1: Understanding the Microsoft Private Cloud
Part 2: Deploying the Infrastructure Components
Part 3: Deploying the Private Cloud Infrastructure
Part 4: Deploying the Service Layer
Part 5: Deploying the Applications & VMs

Day 2: Management & Operations (Feb. 22)

Part 6: Managing the Infrastructure Components
Part 7: Managing the Private Cloud Infrastructure
Part 8: Managing the Service Layer
Part 9: Managing the Applications & VMs

Jump Start Overview

This accelerated Jump Start sponsored by Microsoft Learning is tailored for IT professionals familiar with Windows Server technologies, Hyper-V virtualization, and the System Center management solutions. The course is designed to provide a fast-paced and technical understanding of how and why Microsoft’s approach to the private cloud delivers scalability, security, flexibility and control.

Here are few unique benefits of this course:

Students have the opportunity to learn from and interact with the industry’s best cloud technologists!
This high-energy, demo-rich learning experience will help IT Professionals understand why Microsoft private cloud solutions are making a splash in the industry.
Students will see with their own eyes how Windows Server 2008 R2 and System Center 2012 work together to provide the best combination of security and scale.
Information-packed agenda! Day one of this two-day online course will focus on designing and deploying the right solutions for your organization, while day two will provide an in-depth look at the tools available to help monitor, secure and control the operational aspects of a private cloud.

leaving

skhairudin — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 11:33:00 GMT

The leaving for vacation

SEEMS OK TO ME

skhairudin — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 11:32:00 GMT

sEEMS

lock 2

skhairudin — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 11:31:00 GMT

locked

MVP1

skhairudin — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 11:31:00 GMT

MVP SUMMIT

lock

skhairudin — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 11:30:00 GMT

lock

How to use djoin.exe with OU

skhairudin — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 20:19:00 GMT

There is no technical documentation as such to provision a computer with in the organization unit using djoin.exe. Lets say that I have a situation where my domain name is contoso.local and I want to provision a computer in the organiztion unit with the following hierarchy .

OU=Sales,OU=Computers,OU=Business,dc=contoso,dc=local

MY COMMAND SHOULD BE AS FOLLOWS

djoin.exe /provision /contoso.local /machine comp1 /machineOU "OU=Sales,OU=Computers,OU=Business,dc=contoso,dc=local" /savefile C:\Client.txt

Wbcast Series

skhairudin — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 20:18:00 GMT

test

Windows Server 2008

skhairudin — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 20:17:00 GMT

Test

Cloud Computing

skhairudin — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:34:00 GMT

Testing Cloud

Exchange Server 2010 Service Packs

skhairudin — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:33:00 GMT

Service packs release

Active Directory TIPS

skhairudin — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:32:00 GMT

Tips

ACL

skhairudin — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:29:00 GMT

TEST

Windows Updates Classifications

skhairudin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 08:56:00 GMT

I have seen lot of times people asking me different questions about the windows updates. like.

"We have one domain controller 2008 and there are lot of updates which update i should install"

I would say you should first know the Classification of updates so that you can decide which update has to be downloaded and installed which is suitable for your Server. Lets see the classification and understand how Microsoft Updates are classified.

Critical Update
Definition: A critical update is a broadly released fix for a specific problem that addresses a critical, non-security-related bug.

Cumulative update (CU)
Definition: A CU is a roll-up update that contains all previous critical on-demand hotfixes to date. Additionally, a CU contains fixes for issues that meet the hotfix acceptance criteria. These criteria may include the availability of a workaround, the effect on the customer, the reproducibility of the problem, the complexity of the code that must be changed, or other reasons.

Hotfix
Definition: A hotfix is a single, cumulative package that includes one or more files that are used to address a problem in a product and are cumulative at the binary and file level. A hotfix addresses a specific customer situation and may not be distributed outside the customer's organization.

Security Update
Definition: A security update is a widely released fix for a product-specific, security-related vulnerability. Security vulnerabilities are rated based on their severity. The severity rating is indicated in the Microsoft security bulletin as critical, important, moderate, or low.

Service Pack
Definition: A service pack is a tested, cumulative set of all hotfixes, security updates, critical updates, and updates. Service packs may also contain additional fixes for problems that are found internally since the release of the product and a limited number of customer-requested design changes or features.

Software Update
Definition: A software update is any update, update rollup, service pack, feature pack, critical update, security update, or hotfix that is used to improve or to fix a software product that is released by Microsoft Corporation.

Update
Definition: An update is a widely released fix for a specific problem. An update addresses a noncritical, non-security-related bug.

Update Rollup
Definition: An update rollup is a tested, cumulative set of hotfixes, security updates, critical updates, and updates that are packaged together for easy deployment. A rollup generally targets a specific area, such as security, or a component of a product, such as Internet Information Services (IIS).

Windows Log Files For TroubleShooting

skhairudin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 07:54:00 GMT

I believe every System Administrator should know about the log files for troubleshooting Windows Server. These logs are great help for troubleshooting lot of Windows related problems from windows update to Group Policies. Windows Generates log for every process that has been done on the server. Listed below are some of the log files you should check in case of failures.

DCPromoUI.log

The DcpromoUI.log file contains a detailed progress report of the Active Directory installation and removal processes. Its default location is the % SystemRoot %\Debug folder on Windows 2000–based servers. Logging begins when the Active Directory Installation Wizard is opened and continues until the summary screen appears; regardless of whether it terminated prematurely or completed successfully. If the installation or removal failed, detailed error messages appear in the log immediately after the step that caused the failure. When the installation or removal process is successful, the log provides positive confirmation of that fact.

Netsetup.log

When joining a computer to a Windows 2000 domain, the Networking Setup (NetSetup) installs all the necessary Microsoft supported networking components. The Netsetup.log file provides information about the attempts to join domains and records any errors that might be preventing the join from being successful. Also, to install networking components not directly supported by Microsoft, the NetSetup tool provides a way to connect into the setup process for third-party components.

Userenv.log

The output of this log file can be helpful in troubleshooting problems with user profiles and Group Policy processing. The log file resides in the % SystemRoot %\Debug folder.

Netlogon.log

The Net Logon service responds to network logon requests. The Net Logon service dynamically creates records in the DNS database that are used to locate a server.

Ntfrsapi.log

The File Replication service (FRS) text-based log file is the Ntfrsapi.log file. It resides in the % SystemRoot %\Debug folder. It tracks replication problems and contains events that take place during the installation or removal of Active Directory, for example, creating the NTFRS registry keys

Winsxs Folder Size Increases

skhairudin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 07:35:00 GMT

The Winsxs folder it the component store in the operating system. All of the components are found here. In practice, nearly every file in the WinSxS directory is a “hard link” to the physical files elsewhere on the system-meaning that the files are not actually in this directory.

For instance in the WinSxS there might be a file called advapi32.dll that takes up >700K however what’s being reported is a hard link to the actual file that lives in the Windows\System32, and it will be counted twice (or more) when simply looking at the individual directories from Windows Explorer.” That means, in reality it doesn’t actually consume as much disk space as it appears when using the built-in tools (DIR and Explorer) to measure disk space used, which is why the Winsxs folder can grow that big.

In order to reduce the size of Winsxs folder, please try the methods below.

1. Uninstall unnecessary applications if possible

2. If your computer is running Windows Server 2008 SP1, please use Vsp1cln.exe tool to clean up the space.

If your computer is running Windows Server 2008 SP2, please use Cmpcln.exe tool to clean up the space.

(They are located under \%windir%\system32\.)

To do this, please follow these steps:

1) Open an elevated command window

2) Type vsp1cln or cmpcln.exe

3) Type Y to start the cleanup process.

*Note: After you use this cleanup tool, you will no longer be able to remove the Service Pack, should any problems occur. Make sure that the system is stable before using. This tool is a one-time use tool. Once it's used it will no longer work on the same installation.

3. Delete blobs.bin file and reboot the system.

The blobs.bin file which is located at \Windows\winsxs\ManifestCache\blobs.bin is used as a caching mechanism for servicing operations that are set to happen against the system. The file will naturally grow and shrink in size as various servicing actions take place against the machine and are satisfied. It the file grows out of control, let’s say it occupies several GBs space. You can safely delete this file without any fear of it damaging anything on the server as this file is just for caching. The file will be recreated when you reboot the system.

If deleting the file does not resolve the growth issue, set the permission of the file to deny everyone from writing to it. The stack will see a failure to write to this as a signal that it doesn’t need caching and it will move on servicing files.

How To Verify Windows Product Key

skhairudin — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:57:00 GMT

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

While writing on forums I am usually asked " I have a product key and how do I know that whether is the KMS OR MAK Product key. The answer is yes you can find out by using VAMT 2.0 tool to accomplish this task. VAMT 2.0 can decode the following types of keys:

MAK keys
KMS keys
Retail keys
OEM key

Listed below is the prodedure

1. Download the Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) 2.0 and install it

2. Click Start, All Programs, VAMT 2.0, Volume Activation Management Tool 2.0

3. Click the Product Keys option

4. Enter your Product Key then click Verify.

5. VAMT 2.0 will connect to the internet and verify what type of key you have. ( You will need to have the internet in order to check perform this step)

The following describes the column headings
Key Type: CSVLK, MAK, Retail, OemCoa, etc… Note: CSVLK is a KMS host key
Edition: The editions (Standard, Enterprise, etc…) the key is valid for
Description: More detailed description of the key
Remaining Activations: This column is only valid for MAK keys

Some Common Keys

Windows 7 Home Premium OEM Key
Key Type: OemCoa
Edition: HomePremium
Description: Windows 7 Home Premium OEM:COA

Windows 7 Ultimate Retail Key
Key Type: Retail
Edition: Ultimate
Description: Windows 7 Ultimate Retail

Windows 7 MAK key
Key Type: Mak
Edition: Enterprise;EnterpriseN;EnterpriseE;Professional;ProfessionalN;ProfessionalE
Description: Windows 7 All Volume Editions Volume:MAK

Windows 7 KMS Host Key
Key Type: Csvlk
Edition: Enterprise;EnterpriseN;EnterpriseE;Professional;ProfessionalN;ProfessionalE
Description: Windows 7 All Volume Editions Volume:CSVLK

Windows Server 2008 R2 MAK_B
Key Type: Mak
Edition: ServerStandard;ServerEnterprise
Description: Server 2008 R2 Std and Ent Volume:MAK (MAK_B)

Windows Server 2008 R2 KMS_C
Key Type: Csvlk
Edition: ServerDatacenter;ServerEnterpriseIA64;ServerEnterprise;ServerStandard;ServerWeb;ServerHPC
Description: Server 2008 R2 DC and IA64 Volume:CSVLK (KMS_C)

Windows Server 2008 R2 KMS_B
Key Type: Csvlk
Edition: ServerStandard;ServerEnterprise;ServerWeb;ServerHPC
Description: Server 2008 R2 Std and Ent Volume:CSVLK (KMS_B)

Entering all your keys into VAMT 2.0 is a good way to save your productkeys and be able to reference them easily.

After installing Service Pack 1 for Exchange Server 2010, the Exchange Management Shell is missing.

skhairudin — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:14:00 GMT

After installing Service Pack 1 for Exchange Server 2010, the Exchange Management Shell is missing. As soon as I tried to run the Exchange manageable shell I received the following

Powershell Management:

When I opened the Que Viewer I got this:

When I tried to open OWA (https://mail.xx.com/owa) got the error

Outlook webapp didnt initialize. if the problem continues , please contact your helpdesk.

cant find a base theme(folder name=base)

Resolution:

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

1. Verify that the ConnectFunctions.ps1 , RemoteExchange.ps1 and CommonConnectFunctions.ps1 files are present in the %ExchangeInstallPath%\bin directory.

NOTE : If these files are missing, you can copy the files from the Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1 installation media to the %ExchangeInstallPath%\bin directory.
These files are present in the \setup\serverroles\common folder.

2.Right click an open area on the Desktop, click New , click Shortcut .

3. In the Type the location of the item , type in the text below:
%SystemRoot%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe -noexit -command ". '%ExchangeInstallPath%\bin\RemoteExchange.ps1'; Connect-ExchangeServer -auto"

4. Name the shortcut Exchange Management Shell and click Finish .

5. Right click the Exchange Management Shell shortcut, click Properties and remove the text from Start In field on the Shortcut tab.

6. On the Shortcut tab, click Change Icon , click Browse and type in the text below:
%SystemRoot%\Installer\{4934D1EA-BE46-48B1-8847-F1AF20E892C1}\PowerShell.exe

7. Select the Exchange icon and click OK .

8. Click Apply and click OK .

9. Copy the new Exchange Management Shell shortcut to this location:
%systemdrive%\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Microsoft Exchange Server 2010

Exchange 2007 Vs Exchange 2010

skhairudin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 08:06:00 GMT

Features

Exchange 2007

Exchange 2010

•1. Setup

Supports Exchange 2000, 2003

Supports Exchange 2003, 2007 SP2

•2. Functional level

Minimum Windows 2000 Native

Minimum Windows 2003

•3. Management Tools

Both 32bits & 64bit

Only 64bit

•4. High Availability

SCC, CCR, SCR, LCR

DAG (No Concept Of Clustering)

•5. Mailbox

Supports 50 Storage Groups

§ No Storage Groups
§ Only Mailbox Databases up to 100

a) Online Defragmentation

§ Scheduled nightly
§ Storage Groups are under Server Configuration

§ 24/7
§ Mailboxes are in Organization are not Under Server Org

b) Personal Archive

No Archive Support

§ Supports Archiving
§ Supports E-Mail Archiving and Retention functionality

c) Business perspective

3rd Party Software required for Archiving

Built-in Feature but requires Enterprise CAL's

•6. Client Access

Server (CAS)

All Users are connected to Mailbox Server

Mailboxes are connected to CAS RPC Client Service

a) OWA Features

Minor Enhancements

Enhanced OWA Options & Features like voice Mail in OWA Search Folders, Message filtering, Conversation View

b) Certificates

§ Manage from EMS
§ Exchange Management Shell

§ Manage from both EMS & EMC
§ Exchange Management Console

•7. Unified Communication (UC)

Introductory role into Exchange 2007

Enhanced Features like Voice Mail, Message Waiting Indicator

Micorsoft Acknowledged My Quality Contributions

skhairudin — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 10:10:00 GMT

I am pleased to announce that Microsoft has rewarded with me with Microsoft Community Contributor Award 2011 and I am proud to be the first one in the Kingdom to achieve this Award. I will be glad to help my mates in case if they need any help related to the award. Here is the email which I received from Microsoft.

Dear Syed Khairuddin,
Congratulations! We’re pleased to inform you that your contributions to Microsoft online technical communities have been recognized with the Microsoft Community Contributor Award.

The Microsoft Community Contributor Award is reserved for participants who have made notable contributions in Microsoft online community forums such as TechNet, MSDN and Answers. The value of these resources is greatly enhanced by participants like you, who voluntarily contribute your time and energy to improve the online community experience for others.

Becoming a Microsoft Community Contributor Award recipient includes access to important benefits, such as complimentary resources to support you in your commitment to Microsoft online communities. To find out more about the Microsoft Community Contributor Award and to claim your recognition, please visit this site: http://www.microsoftcommunitycontributor.com/
Thank you for your commitment to Microsoft online technical communities and congratulations again!

A Champion in House!

Asem Alhourani — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 09:04:00 GMT

We're really proud to announce that Mr. Syed Khairuddin was recognized by Microsoft for his Online Community Contribution. I'm personally very proud of Syed and I'm really glad that I met him earlier. He was introduced to me by Ammar AbuThuraya, one thing lead to another and he is VP of VirManSec - Jeddah Chapter.

Abdurrahman Al-Qatani too has posted something about the recognition made by Syed, more about it here

http://mssaudicommunity.net/2011/01/29/syed-khairuddin-recognized-by-microsoft-for-online-community-contributions/#comment-17

Congratulations Syed, Well done and deserved!

SRV RECORDS ARE NOT CREATED IN DNS

skhairudin — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 17:54:00 GMT

I always love to hear my friends and colleagues asking different questions on Active Directory and DNS, one of the most and frequently asked question is " SRV records are not created in the DNS even though we have promoted our server successfully with out any errors ".

Just to shed some light on the issue I would explain there might be 3 things which might effect the scenario

1) DHCP client service:

What is this service and how is it related to the DNS records ??

As the name indicates this Service is used to Manage network configuration by registering and updating IP addresses and DNS names.

Dynamic DNS registration relies on the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) client service to perform dynamic updates. When you disable or set the DHCP client service to start manually, it prevents dynamic DNS updates from occurring. Even if the client or server uses a static Internet Protocol (IP) address, the DHCP client service must be running for dynamic DNS updates to occur according to the KB article http://support.microsoft.com/kb/268674 .

2) Primary DNS SUFFIX:

The primary DNS suffix is used in DNS name registration and DNS name resolution of the client and Server both. I have seen in some scenarios that we have to add it manually.

3) Netlogon Service:

The netlogon service is responsible for registering the Active Directory records for the domain controllers.

Make sure that you have all 3 Things are intact and working.

Exchange Server SP1

skhairudin — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 17:53:00 GMT

Service

Active Directory

skhairudin — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 17:52:00 GMT

I shall post it tomm inshallah