36071467 Exchange Server 2003 Interview Questions Answers

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    1. What is Exchange Server?

    Exchange Server is a Microsofts Messaging system which provides Industry leading Email, calendaring and

    unified Messaging

    2. Tell me a bit about the capabilities of Exchange Server.

    1. Outlook Anywhere (OWA)2. Mailbox can sync with Blackberry Device.3. Calendar Sharing.4. MAPI & POP3 Client support

    3. What are the different Exchange 2003 versions?

    y Exchange server 5.5y Exchange Server 2000y Exchange Server 2003y Exchange Server 2007y Exchange Server 2010

    4. What are the differences between Exchange Sever 2003 Standard and Enterprise Editions?

    Following are the difference between Exchange server 2003 Standard and Enterprise Edition.

    Feature Standard Edition Enterprise Edition

    Storage groups support 1 storage group 4 storage groups

    Number of databases per

    storage group

    2 databases 5 databases

    Individual database size 16 gigabytes (GB) Maximum 16 terabytes, limited only by

    hardware

    Exchange Clustering Not supported Supported

    X.400 connector Not included Included

    5. What are the main differences between Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2000/2003?

    y Exchange 2000 does not have its own directory or directory service; it uses Active Directory instead.y Exchange 2000 uses native components of Windows 2000 (namely, IIS and its SMTP, NNTP,W3SVC and other components, Kerberos and others) for many core functions.

    y SMTP is now a full peer to RPC, and is it the default transport protocol between Exchange 2000servers.

    y Exchange 2000 supports Active/Active clustering and was recently certified for Windows 2000Datacenter.

    y Exchange 2000 scales much higher.y It boasts conferencing services and instant messaging.

    6. What are the minimum hardware requirements for Exchange Server 2003?

    y Processor Pentium 133 MHzy Operating System Windows 2000 SP3y Memory 256 MBy Disk Space 200 MB for system files and 500 MB where Exchange Server installation.y File System NTFS

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    7. What are the steps involved in Exchange Server installation?

    1. Prerequisites Installation ASP .Net, IIS, SMTP, NNTP and WWW services Installation2. Forest Preparation3. Domain Preparation4. Exchange Server 2003 Installation

    8. Why not install Exchange on the same machine as a DC?

    The main reason behind not to install Exchange Server is, when we used to restart the Exchange server forany reason it will take lot of time to shut down the Exchange Server services.

    9. Which Services must be installed and running for Exchange Server installation?

    Following are the services that should be installed before installing Exchange Server 2003

    1. ASP .Net2. Internet Information Service3. SMTP4. NNTP5.

    WWW

    10. What can you do and what will be the effect if ASP.NET service is not available while installing

    Exchange Server 2003?

    ASP .Net files are important for authentication, delegation and securing the web publication. Before installingexchange Server 2003 ASP .Net should be installed

    11. What are Exchange Server 2003 deployment tools?

    The Exchange Server 2003 Deployment Tools are a compilation of old and new Microsoft Product Support

    Services (PSS) support tools that you can use to prepare Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 and the MicrosoftActive Directory directory service infrastructure for the installation of Microsoft Exchange Server 2003.

    y Installation and Upgrade Prerequisitesy EnablingWindows Servicesy DCDiag Tooly NetDiag Tooly ForestPrepy DomainPrep

    12. What are the Windows versions supported by Exchange Server 2003?

    1. Windows 2000 Service pack 3 ( Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter Edition)2. Windows 2003 Service pack 1 ( Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter Edition)

    13. In which domains domainprep must be run?

    1. The Forest root Domain2. All domain that will contain Exchange Server 20033. All Domain that will contain Exchange Mailbox enable objects.

    14. What is ForestPrep?

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    Forest prep updates the schema and configuration partition in Active directory. Extend the schema to include

    Exchange server 2003 specific classes and attributes

    To run the Forest Prep, Administrator should have Schema and Enterprise Admin permission over theDomain

    15. What is DomainPrep?

    Domain Prep prepares the Domain partion in Active Directory. Forest prep should be run only once in forestwhere Domain Prep should be run in following Servers.

    1. The Forest root Domain2. All domain that will contain Exchange Server 20033. All Domain that will contain Exchange Mailbox enable objects

    16. Which two groups are created by DomainPrep?

    The domain prep switch creates the groups and permissions required by exchange Server 2003. Two securitygroups created

    1. Exchange Enterprise Servers Domain Local group contains all Exchange Server in a forest2. Exchange Domain Server Global Group that contains all Exchange servers running in the Domain

    that you have selected.

    17. What DomainPrep does?

    Domain Prep Updates the Domain partition and Creates a Two New Security Groups for Exchange Server2003

    1. Exchange Enterprise Servers2.

    Exchange Domain Servers

    18. Which of the servers does the system that will host the first Exchange Server 2003 server in a forest

    need to be able to contact during installation?

    19. How to run ForestPrep?

    Go to the Command prompt and Type the following

    D:\setup\i386\setup.exe /forestprep

    Where D drive represents the CD drive.

    Note: it will ask for the Administrator Account that has the required permission to run the Setup.

    20. How to run DomainPrep?

    Go to the Command prompt and Type the following

    D:\setup\i386\setup.exe /domainprep Where D drive represents the CD drive.

    21. Which service pack is needed for Windows 2000 for installing Exchange Server 2003?

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    Windows 2000 service pack 3 in needed to install Exchange Server 2003

    22. Which permissions are required to run ForestPrep?

    Schema Administrator

    Enterprise Administrator

    Local Machine Administrator

    23. Which permissions are required to run DomainPrep?

    Domain Administrator and Local Machine Administrator

    24. Which permissions are required to install Exchange server 2003 on the first server in a domain or

    on other systems within the domain?

    The administrator Account should have the following permission to install the Exchange Server 2003

    y Schema Administratory Enterprise Administratory Domain Administratory Local Machine Administrator

    25. What is reason behind the error messages services not available while installing Exchange Server 2003 ona domain running at Windows Server 2003 functional level?

    26. What is name of log file that Exchange Server 2003 setup creates during installation?

    27. What is location of Exchange Server Setup Progress?

    C:\Program Files\Exchangesvr

    28. How unattended installation of Exchange Server 2003 works?

    Unattended installation are useful for rapidly deploying subsequent Exchange Server 2003 installation into an

    existing organization.

    The process of creating the file is essentially the same as the process for a manual setup selecting the

    component you want to install and the installation path, choosing whether to create a new organization or tojoin existing one; agreeing the license and so on.. Instead of doing manual installation the Exchange

    installation wizard writes the configuration file to .ini file. specifically for use with the /unattendfile setupswitch to start the installation.

    29. When you can use the unattended installation of Exchange Server 2003?

    1. Unattended Installation of Exchange Server 2003 is very useful when you are going to install Exchange

    Server remotely.

    2. Its also useful when you are deploying number of New Exchange Server in Existing Organization. We can

    save time deploying multiple servers by automating the Entire installation procedure

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    30. When you cannot use unattended installation of Exchange Server 2003?

    An Active Directory Forest can support only a single Exchange Server 2003 organization, so an un

    attended.ini file that is used to create an organization cannot be used for subsequent installation.

    31. What is the command to create an answer file for unattended installation of Exchange Server 2003?

    D:\setup\i386\setup.exe /createunattend c:\unattend.ini

    Where D represents the CD ROM drive that holds the Exchange Server and C drive represent the created

    unattended file for installation

    32. What is the command to start the unattended installation of Exchange Server 2003?

    D:\setup\i386\setup.exe /UnattendFile c:\unattend.ini

    Where D represents the CD ROM drive that holds the Exchange Server and C drive represent the created

    unattended file for installation

    33. When you can specify the User account that will receive the Exchange Full Administratorpermission?

    After installing the exchange Server 2003, we can able to specify the administrative permission for particularuser. We can delegate administrative permission by right click the Exchange organization and select delegate

    Administration permission.

    34. Which account must be use to perform first Exchange installation?

    A new dedicated service account specifically for Exchange server installation has to be created in Active

    Directory and the following permission are to be assigned the newly created user.

    y Schema Administratory Enterprise Administratory Domain Administratory Local Machine Administrator

    35. Can Exchange 2000 servers run on Windows Server 2003?

    No, the only version of Exchange server that will run on Windows server 2003 is Exchange Server 2003, youwill need to upgrade your Exchange environment to Exchange Server 2003 prior to upgrading the Windows

    ServerOperating System toWindows server 2003

    1. Which services are not supported and hence, need to be removed from an Exchange 2000 Server

    before performing an upgrade to Exchange Server 2003?

    Following are the Exchange Server 2000 functionality that isnt supported by Exchange Server 2003

    y Instance for Messaging Servicey Microsoft Chat Servicey Key management Servicey And connectors for Microsoft Mail and Lotus CC:Mail

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    Above Service has to uninstalled while upgrading from Exchange Server 2000 to Exchange Server 2003

    2. While upgrading from Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2003 which servers must be upgraded first?

    Front-end server or back end server?

    You must upgrade the front end servers prior to upgrading the corresponding back end server while upgrading

    from Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2003.

    3. How to migrate from an old Exchange 2000 Server organization to a new Exchange Server 2003organization?

    Exchange Migration wizard is the process to Migrate Exchange 2000 organization to Exchange server 2003

    organization. Similar to migrating Organization from Exchange 5.5

    4. How to move users from Coexistence of Exchange 5.5 to Exchange Server 2003?

    Active Directory Migration Tool and the Exchange Migration wizard will perform the complete moving of

    users from Coexistence of Exchange 5.5 to Exchange Server 2003

    5. How to migrate from an old Exchange Server 5.5 organization to a new Exchange Server 2003organization?

    There is no in place upgrade, first we have to update Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2000 and from there we haveto migrate it to Server Exchange 2003. The existing users Source Domain has to be first migrated to the new

    target domain in another Active Directory forest. After that you can begin the Exchange 5.5 to Exchangeserver 2003. Exchange Migration wizard is the process to Migrate Exchange 5.5 organization to Exchange

    server 2003 organization.

    6. Which messaging systems does the Exchange Server 2003 Migration Wizard support?

    yMs Mail for PC Networks

    y CC:Maily Microsoft Exchange 5.5y Lotus Notesy Novel GroupWise 4.xy Novel GroupWise 5.xy Internet Directory (LDAP via ADSI)y Internet Mail (IMAP4)

    7. How can Exchange Server 2003 share calendars and address lists with Lotus Notes R4/R5?

    If you the the answer, please help to Me publish

    8.What are the requirements of Lotus Notes Connector?

    If you the the answer, please help to Me publish

    9. How can Exchange Server 2003 share calendar/address lists with Novell GroupWise?The connectors for Lotus notes and Novel GroupWise only synchronize mailbox and user account data. Youmust use calendar connector in conjunction with the other connectors to synchronize calendar data.

    10. What are the requirements for Novell Group Wise connector?

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    The following list is the configuration requirements needed on the Exchange Server side:

    y Configure a working Novell GroupWise environment with API Gateway version 4.1 or latery Configure a working Exchange Server 2003 connector servery Make sure Exchange Server can resolve the name and access the Novell Netware server that is running

    API Gatewayy Enable Exchange Server to Novell Netware server connectivity by using Gateway Services for

    NetWare (GSNW) or Novell NetWare Client forWindows. NDS authentication is needed to access

    NetWare Volumes (shares).y Activate GroupWise address type on the Exchange Server 2003 recipient policy.

    11. What are the tools to validate Exchange Server 5.5/Exchange Server 2003 coexistence?

    y ADCConfigCheck It checks that Exchange Server 5.5 directory config objects have been copied toActive Directory.Writes outputs to Exdeploy.log

    y ConfigDSInteg checks objects in AD to ensure that no problems have arisen since the lastinstallation of ADC. Writes outputs to Exdeploy.log

    y ReceipientDSInteg checks all recipient objects in AD looking for problems. Recipient includesusers, groups, contacts or public folders

    yPrivFoldCheck uses exchange 5.5 directory service/Information store consistent adjuster toascertain the Information store and directory are in sync

    12. What is DSScopeScan Tool Group?

    DSScopeScan Tool Group used to find out information about the exchange server 5.5 organizations prior to

    setting up connection between exchange server 5.5 and new Exchange server 2003. Tool should be run withthe account that has administrative permission.

    13. Which tools are included in DSScopeScan Tool Group?

    This includes four important tools

    y DSconfigsum reports the number of exchange server 5.5 sites and server per sites.y DSObjectsum reports the number of public folders. Distribution list and contact objecty Useraccount exports the number of users in the exchange server 5.5 site and in the directoryy Vercheck check if a server exists with exchange server 5.5 sp3.

    14. Before upgrading from Exchange 2000 server to Exchange Server 2003 which service pack must be

    applied to Exchange 2000 server?Before upgrading from Exchange server 2000 to Exchange Server 2003 update the windows 2000 server with

    SP3 or later. And also with Exchange 2003 server sp3 or later

    15. How to upgrade from Exchange 5.5 to Exchange server 2003?

    Exchange 5.5 cannot be upgraded in-place, you must first upgrade to Exchange 2000 server and then to

    Exchange Server 2003. Or install Exchange Server 2003 on a different server and move the Exchange server5.5 resources to the new server.

    16. What are the steps involved creating coexistence between Exchange Server 5.5 and Exchange Server

    2003?

    Install the Basic prerequisites like SMTP, NNTP and WWW services

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    y Start the Exchange Deployment tools wizard, select co existence with mixed mode Exchange 2000 andexchange server 5.5

    y Select the option to install upgrade the first Exchange Servery On the next deployment tools wizard, check all the steps are done and start the setup. On the setup

    installation perform the following option

    y Install Exchange server 5.5 administratory Select the option to create a new organization or existing one.y Finish the setup

    17. Does Lotus Notes and Novell GroupWise connectors supported on Exchange Server 2003 in a

    clustered configuration? What can be done?

    If you the the answer, please help to Me publish

    18. Which actions must be taken before the connection to the Lotus Notes/Domino server can be

    established?

    If you the the answer, please help to Me publish

    19. Which services must be configured to automatically start to start a Lotus Notes Connector?

    To start a connector, u must enable the specific services that the connector relies on.

    y Microsoft Exchange connectivity controllery Microsoft Exchange connector for lotus notes

    20. Which services must be configured to automatically start to start a Novell GroupWise Connector?

    first a server running Exchange 2003 as a Bridge head server

    And the following services are to be set to automatically start

    y Microsoft Exchange connectivity controllery Microsoft Exchange connector for lotus notes

    21. Which steps are involved in removing a connector to install it on another Exchange Server 2003

    computer?

    First you need to stop the connector services

    y Remove the connectory

    Use the Active directory user and computers console to delete the contacts that the connector hasimported in the directoryy You can reinstall lotus or Novel GroupWise connector

    21. What is Active Directory Connector (ADC)?

    ADC its a Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Service that allows for the replication of information fromActive directory and a Microsoft Exchange 5.5 directory

    22. What is Connection Agreement?

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    It is used by Active directory connector to control replication between Active directory and Exchange 5.5

    directory. Connection agreements can be used to replicate from exchange 5.5 to Active directory and viceversa.

    1. What types of permissions are configurable for Exchange?

    y Exchange full admin full control over the exchange organization including permissiony Exchange Admin Manage everything within the organization except org permission.y Exchange view only administrator read only administrative access to Exchange organization

    2. Which of the privileges does the Exchange Administrator role have?

    This Role has the ability to administer all configuration details of the Exchange organization and ability tomodify permission

    3. What are the modes of Exchange Server 2003?

    There are two modes in Exchange server 2003

    1. Mixed Mode If Exchange 5.5 exists and in future gain to have Exchange 5.5

    2. Native Mode if only Exchange server 2003 running in your organization

    4. What are the benefits of running Exchange Server 2003 in native, rather than mixed mode?

    There are lot of benefits which includes,

    1. Greater flexibility for defining routing groups and Administrative \groups2. Ability to move mailboxes3. Configure both routing and administrative groups independent of each other4.

    We can create query base distribution group

    5. When Exchange Server 2003 Mixed mode is used?

    By default exchange server in Mixed mode, we can have mixed mode in situation where Exchange server 5.5situated in our Exchange organization. Mixed modes are used to have backward compatibility with Exchange

    server 5.5 and sites

    6. When Exchange Server 2003 Native mode is used?

    We can choose this option if No Exchange server 5.5 present in our Exchange organization and make sure that

    all the exchange servers are Exchange server 2000 and Exchange server 2003. Native mode allowsadministrative groups and Routing Groups to be configured independent of each other

    7.Can you switch Exchange Organization from native mode to mixed mode?

    yes we can change Exchange organization from Mixed mode to Native mode and changing the mode form

    Mixed to Native is onetime, one way process and it cannot be reversed

    8. How to switch Exchange Organization from mixed mode to native mode?

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    We can accomplish this by Exchange system Manager, by right clicking the Exchange organization name at

    the top of the window and click properties. On the New window click the change Mode option. This changedmode option will be unavailable if you are already in Native mode.

    9. Which service needs to be restarted on all Exchange Server 2003 systems within the domain once you

    have switched to native mode?

    If you Know the answer, please help to Me publish

    10. What is Clustering?

    Its a technique for providing hardware and software redundancy for an application like exchange server

    2003, with clustering you can ensure there is no single point of failure with your server hardware that wouldresults in email services going offline. Clustering allows you to bring one node for maintenance by allowing

    other nodes to continue functioning.

    11. What is Network Load balancing?

    It is a resource (server-aware) clustering technology. Primary purpose to load balance by distributing the

    TCP/IP traffic among each server node in cluster. To client computers, the cluster is seen as a single resourceand is address by a single IP

    12. What are the advantages and disadvantages of Network Load Balancing?

    Advantages

    y No special hardware requiredy Cluster can use different operating systemy Clusters are to be member of domain or perimeter

    Disadvantages

    y NLB uses hear beat to communicate between cluster, if a server goes offline. It sent 5 heart beats andif no response and if client if a client is requesting a request then it neglect the request

    y Work only with TCP/IP. It will not consider network link protocol13. What is Failover?

    Its related to cluster servers, it refers to the ability to of a backup server to immediate begin servicing requestsif a primary server fails, without an interruption in servicing user request

    14. When Failover occurs?

    Failover occurs when a primary server fails to function, this failback automatically process the service request

    to secondary servers which is already clustered.

    15. What is Failback?

    Fail back defines how failed over application services are moved back to original server node, once the node

    is back online

    16. How Failback occurs?

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    By default, cluster groups that failover to another node do not automatically failback. In Failback policy we

    can configure the allow failback option to take place immediately or over a certain period

    To make a failback occur, we have to create a failback policy to occur immediately or over a certain period

    17. What are the different clustering options in Exchange 2003?

    Exchange server 2003 supports two types of clustering option which is already supported by windows server

    2003

    1. Network Load balancing server aware clustering technology , load balance by distributing the TCP/IPtraffic among each server node in cluster. To client computers, the cluster is seen as a single resource and is

    address by a single IP

    2. Cluster service application or service aware clustering technology, provides continual application service

    availability through failover and failback

    18. Name the exchange server 2003 clustering configuring option

    Single node server cluster can be configured with or without external cluster storage device. For thisclusters without an external storage device, the local disk in configured as the clustered storage device

    Single Quorum device server cluster have two or more nodes and are configured so that every node isshared to one or more shared devices. Cluster configuration is stored in single cluster storage device, known

    as quorum device.

    Majority node set server cluster have two or more node and are may or may not be attached to one ormore cluster storage devices. Cluster configuration data is stored on multiple disks across the cluster

    19. Which service pack is required for installing Exchange Server 2003 Clustering on Windows 2000

    Server?

    Windows 2000 server SP4 is needed

    20. Why SP4 is needed for Windows 2000 server for Exchange Clustering?

    If you Know the answer, please help to Me publish

    21.How many nodes are supported with Exchange Server 2003 clusters?

    Exchange Server 2003 supports Two Node active/active clusters and up to eight-node active/passive clusters

    with at least one passive node

    22. What are the hardware requirements for a cluster server configuration?

    Network components

    1. Each server node the cluster has two static IP address ( public or private) with one net bios name2. The cluster itself has a primary static IP and NETBIOS Name3. Each exchange virtual servers have a static IP and NETBIOS Name

    Disk Components

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    1. Quorum Disk resource maintains configuration data.

    For Example: For a 4 Node cluster

    Server hardware

    y Four 1 gigahertz (GHz), 1 megabyte (MB) or 2 MB L2 cache processorsy 4 gigabytes (GB) of Error Correction Code (ECC) RAMy Two 100 megabits per second (Mbps) or 1000 Mbps network interface cardsy RAID-1 array with two internal disks for the Windows Server 2003 and Exchange Server 2003

    program files

    y Two redundant 64-bit fiber Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) to connect to the Storage Area NetworkLocal area network hardware

    y Two 100 Mbps or 1000 Mbps network switches (full duplex)Storage Area Network hardware

    y Redundant fiber switchesy

    106 disk spindles (UltraW

    ide SCSI) with spindle speeds of 10,000 RPM or greatery 256 MB or more read/write cache memory

    Storage groups and databases

    y Three storage groups per Exchange Virtual Servery Five databases per storage group

    23. What is purpose of Exchange Server Clustering?

    The purpose of Exchange Server Clustering is to prevent the Exchange server from going offline.

    24. What is the version of Windows Server 2003 required for Exchange Server 2003 Clustering?

    The cluster service requires windows server 2003 enterprise edition or windows server 2003 Datacenteredition. Up to eight node clusters are supported

    25. What is Heartbeat?

    Heart beat is a special type of network packet that is sent out to each server node participating in a cluster todetermine the responsiveness of a node. Server nodes that do not respond to heart beat packets for a

    configurable period of time are marked a inactive

    26. What are the different numbers of nodes with different type of operating system for ExchangeServer 2003?

    Windows server 2003 standard edition supports 4 nodes

    Windows server 2003 enterprise edition or windows server 2003 Datacenter edition supports up to eight nodeclusters

    27. What are the different cluster models?

    Two types of cluster models are there

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    1. Active/Active limited to two nodes and both the nodes are active at the same time, limited to 1900concurrent client connection at a time

    2. Active/Passive supports more than two nodes and highly reliable. Recommended by Microsoft.28. Which are the Cluster operations modes?

    N-Node failover server pairs applications are configured to failover only between two specified serverpairs

    N+I Hot-Standby Server commonly referred to as active/passive mode, on two node cluster, one node

    process the client request and the second node monitors the first node. where N Active node, I PassiveNode

    Fail over Ring Active/Active all servers are active and process the client request, when one node fails the

    cluster, failover the cluster to another active node. Administrator has to define the failover

    Random Failover similar to failover ring, if a node fails the failover is randomly changed to active node.

    The Administrative burden of having a define failover is removed

    29. What is teaming?

    Teaming is the process included in clustering service, where multiple adapters are joined through software tofunction as a single unit, with a single MAC address and single IP address

    30. Which settings must be configured for failover policies?

    We can configure the number the times the node to failover (Threshold) during the period, which is defined inhours

    31. Which settings must be configured for failback policies?

    By default, cluster groups that failover to another node do not automatically failback. In Failback policy wecan configure the allow failback option to take place immediately or over a certain period

    1. What are Address lists?

    A list used to organize the Global Address list into small, more manageable grouping. Address list inMicrosoft Exchange server 2003 are formed through administrator-defined Light weight Directory Access

    Protocol queries

    2. What is Global Address List (GAL)?

    Global Address List is the Primary Address list that contains all Exchange objects in the entire organizationand mail-enabled objects in the Microsoft Exchange server organization

    3. Where from the GAL retrieved?

    Global address list are formed through LDAP queries that filters the Mailbox enabled and mail enabledobjects from the Active Directory. The GAL retrieved from the Global catalog servers.

    4. How default GAL is created?

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    When we are installing exchange server 2003, the default address list are created by sending LDAP queries to

    Active directory users and groups and filters the users that are mailbox enabled and mail enabled.

    What is Custom Address list?

    Custom address list are the address list that we are creating by providing LDAP queries that filter and display

    the Address list with respect to users or departments

    5. What is Default Address list?Default Address list are similar to Global Address List, but in a distilled manner.

    The default address lists are automatically created when Exchange Server is installed and there is no

    administration required.

    6. What are the Default Address lists?

    There are five Default Address lists. Following are the default address lists

    y All contactsy All groupsy All usersy Public foldersy Default Global Address List

    7. What is Offline Address List?

    Offline Address list are not unique, that is they are not different address list than the regular online addresslist. Offline Address list are used to make address list available to the users who are all not connected to

    network.

    By default, Global address list is made to be defaultO

    ffline Address List

    8. What is the use of hiding a mailbox?

    Hiding a mailbox is to prevent the E-mail address to appear in Global address List. If you are creating a

    mailbox to receive updates form antivirus and you dont want to show the Email address in GAL orpreventing internal users to send any mail to that particular mailbox from GAL

    9. Where all the Exchange Address lists created and stored?

    Exchange Address lists are created and stored in Active Directory container

    10. What needs to be done so that the users on a mailbox store to be able to use an offline address list?

    We have to assign a offline address list to a mailbox store on the properties of the Mailbox store

    11. How to associate an offline address list to their mailbox store?

    Right click a mailbox store, go to properties, browse next to offline address list, select the offline address list

    that u want to assign to the mailbox store. Click ok to apply the offline address list to mailbox store

    12. How many GAL can appear in users Outlook Address book?

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    Only one GAL appears in users outlook address Book

    13. How to view the address list preview?

    Right click an address list from the address list container, go the properties of the address list and selectpreview

    14. How to create additional Global Address List?

    Start Exchange system manger, expand the recipient container, right click the all global address list and point

    to new global address list

    15. How to create Custom Address list?

    y Start Exchange system manger,y Expand the recipient container, right click all Address list, point to new and then click Address listy For the custom Address list type a name, click filter rules and then click advance taby From the field menu point to users and then departmenty On the condition field, select is exactly from the menuy Give the custom name, click addy Click ok and click finish

    16. What is the difference between additional Global Address List and Custom Address List?

    Global Address list contains the full address list for the Exchange organization and the Custom address list arethe address list that are created respect to that of our requirement

    17. How to create a new offline address list?

    y Right click the Address list from the recipient container, point to new and then click offline addresslist

    y Type a name for the new offline Address list and then click browse to select a server to host the offlineAddress list

    y After clicking next remove the default Global Address list form the list and if u want to add aparticular address list add it to the list

    y Click next and click finish18. How to hide a User address from address list?

    Go to active directory user and computers,

    Go to the properties of the user that you want to hide from Address list. Navigate to Exchange Advanced Tab

    Select the option to hide from Address list

    19. How to hide Address list from users

    Go to the properties of the Address list, point to security tab and select advanced button to open the advancedsetting

    Browse the users or group and set deny permission to open the Address list

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    20. Which service is responsible for keeping the Exchange address lists up to date?

    Recipient Update service is responsible for keeping the exchange Address list up to date

    21. What is Recipient Update Service?

    Recipient update service updates the email address and distribution list membership and replicates thisinformation on a schedule to other Microsoft Exchange Servers in the Domain

    22. Besides keeping the Exchange address lists up to date, what other desirable function does the

    Recipient Update Service perform in the Exchange organization?

    It also updates the distribution list membership to other Exchange Servers inside the domain

    23. What are the basic steps to troubleshoot RUS?

    The first step in troubleshooting the Recipient Update Service, like most other services is to check the Event

    Log, we are looking for the events that originated from the MSExchangeAL service.

    The next step in troubleshooting the Recipient Update Service is to use ADSI Edit to check a mailbox thatshould appear in the Global Address List. We need to check and see if the showInAddressBook attribute ispopulated

    If the showInAddressBook attribute is not populated, the Recipient Update Service may not yet have run, in

    most cases manually forcing the Recipient Update Service to run will resolve the problems.

    24. How to access the RUS?

    1. Start System Manager

    2. On the Start menu, point to Programs,

    3. point to Microsoft Exchange, then clickSystem Manager.

    4. In the console tree, double-clickRecipients.

    5. In the console tree, right-click Recipient Update Services,

    25. What is the default preconfigured schedule for RUS?

    Always Run schedule is the preconfigured option for RUS

    26. Which two different instances are created of the Recipient Update Service?

    The following are the two instances created in Recipient Update service

    Recipient Update Service (Enterprise Configuration)

    Recipient Update Service (Active Directory Domain)

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    27. What is Recipient Update Service (Enterprise Configuration)?

    The Enterprise recipient update service is responsible for updating Email address of the recipients objects

    located in configuration partition of the domain controller

    28. What is Recipient Update Service (Active Directory Domain)?

    The Domain Recipient Update Service is responsible for updating recipient objects located in the Active

    directory

    29. What are the group types?

    Two types of groups are the

    y Security Groupy Distribution Group

    30. What is Distribution Group?

    A type of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory group that is used to define e-mail distributionlists. Distribution Group has no security context and cannot be used to grant permission to resources, but theyare useful for grouping users that share a common purpose, such as all employees at a branch location

    31. How Distribution groups differ from Security groups?

    Distribution Group has no security context and cannot be used to grant permission to resources. But security

    groups can be used to assign permission on resources.

    32. What is Security Group?

    Security groups are the Microsoft windows Server 2003 Active Directory Group, with this group; we canassign permission on a resource.

    33. Can Security groups be used to distribute messages?

    Security Groups can be mail enabled and also used as a Distribution group to distribute messages

    34. What is Query-based distribution group?

    This group enables you to use a LDAP query to specify membership in a distribution group dynamically. Thisresult is that membership is automatically determined by attributes of a user account, such as department,

    reducing the amount of administration required to manage distribution list

    35. What are the types of Group Scopes?Following are the types of group scopes

    y Domain Localy Global Groupy Universal

    1. Why Exchange data should be backed up?

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    In todays business environment, email is possibly the most used method of communication, and private and

    public stores contain large volume of valuable information. In order to have safety and stability on thisvaluable information we have to take back up the exchange data.

    2. What are the types of Exchange Backup?

    y Full (Normal)y Daily Backupy Copy Backupy Incremental backup

    3. What is Normal backup?

    Full backup copies both the database and transactional log files. At the completion of full backup,

    transactional logs that are committed to the database are deleted from the server. Perform everyday

    4. What is Copy backup?

    Copy backup same as the full Backup, except no file marling is performed. Copy backups are used to archived

    data that can be stored offsite

    5. What is Incremental backup?

    Incremental backup performs backup on all selected data which are modifired after last backup. It removes the

    archive bit, informs that backup has done on this

    6. What is Differential backup?

    Differential Backup backups all the selected data created or modified after the last backup. It does not remove

    the archive bit. So when you performing differential back up on the next day, if will back up the whole thing

    from the last backup

    7. What is Daily backup?

    Backup all the selected data, which are created or modified on daily basis.

    8. What is Online Backup?

    When performing Exchange Server 2003 online backup, all services, including the exchange store, continue torun normally throughout the backup process. This allows continuing to access their mailboxes during backup

    process, whether the backup process is incremental, differential or full backup.

    9. Which files are backed up with Online backup?

    Following are the files that are copied during the online backup, the .edb, .stm and log files that comprise the

    exchange stored. After the online backup done it will check for corruption at the file system level.

    10. After performing an online backup which tool you should use to determine whether the Exchange

    store is corrupt?

    Event viewer is the tool to use to determine whether the exchange store is corrupt. If you see a page read

    error, there may be problem with the Database.

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    11. How to find out the most recent backup time?

    Go to the properties of the Database in which you want to know the most recent backup time. On the

    properties window it will show the recent backup time

    12. What is Offline Backup?

    Offline back up is not a recommended solution. To perform a offline backup you must dismount the mailbox

    and public folder stores and then backup the database and transactional logs manually. However you may toperform offline back if online backup fails

    13. After performing an offline backup of your Exchange Server, which utility must you use to check

    for corruption?

    We can use backup logs

    14. How to perform an online backup of a storage group?

    1. Opening the Backup utility, on the backup and restore wizard click next2. Select backup all files and settings and click next3. On what to backup page, browse the Microsoft Exchange server and choose the Storage Group that

    you want to backup4. On the Backup type, destination and name click browse and enter the required information5. On the completing backup page, click finish

    15. What is the advantage of performing an online backup?

    1. No need to stop database services2. Users can access their mailbox during backup process3. The database corruption is checked during the offline backup4.

    The change of data loss is very less

    16. How to backup the Exchange Store?

    1. Opening the Backup utility, on the backup and restore wizard click next2. Select backup all files and settings and click next3. On what to backup page, browse the Microsoft Exchange server and choose the Storage Group that

    you want to backup4. Navigate the particular Mailbox store from the Storage Group and click next5. On the Backup type, destination and name click browse and enter the required information6. On the completing backup page, click finish

    17. What are the components of system state data?

    System state holds the Active directory data, Microsoft certificate cervices, site replication services etc

    18. Can you perform differential or incremental backups on the databases with circular logging

    enabled?

    We have to take full backup if circular logging is enabled. Because circular logging periodically deletes the

    transactional logs

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    19. What are the methods for Exchange restoration?

    Exchange 2003 has some nice features to prevent damage from a disaster or to recover Mailbox items and

    mailboxes. Some of these features are:

    y Deleted item Recovery in Outlooky Mailbox Recovery through Mailbox Recovery Storage Groupy Mailbox Recovery through Keep Deleted Mailbox for XX daysy Mailbox Recovery Center

    20. What are the methods of restoring an offline backup of exchange Database?

    There are two methods to restore an offline backup of Exchange databases: a point-in-time restoration and a

    roll-forward restoration.

    The point-in-time method is used when a database is restored but no log files are replayed into the database.All the data created after the backup is lost. This method is used to restore from an offline backup when

    circular logging is enabled on the Exchange server. As circular logging reuses the log files, not all filesrequired to update the database are available. To perform restoration by using the point-in-time method, an

    administrator must ensure that the databases to be restored are dismounted and consistent

    21. What is recovery storage group?

    You can restore Mailbox stores and individual mailboxes to a recovery storage group and then merge themwith the contents of the original stores are mailboxes. You cannot restore a public folder to a recovery storagegroup

    22. What is Mailbox Recovery Center

    The Mailbox Recovery Center is the weapon of choice when you accidentally delete a lot of Mailboxes.

    You simply add the Mailbox store in which you have deleted the mailboxes to the Mailbox Recovery Centerand after the process has finished, you can see the deleted Mailboxes.

    Mailbox Recovery Center

    23. Can you restore Public folder store using recovery storage group?

    Public folders cannot be restored with the use of a recovery storage group

    24. How to restore a mailbox store?

    We can restore a Mailbox store in 3 methods

    Restoring Mailbox store by using Exchange System Manager

    Make sure Mailbox deletion settings are already done.

    Expand the Mailbox store go to the Mailboxes and run cleanup agent.

    Right click the mailbox u want to recover and click reconnect

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    Restoring Mailbox store by recovery storage Group

    The recovery storage group is a specialized storage group in Exchange 2003. After you restore a mailbox

    store to the recovery storage group, use the Exmerge.exe tool to move the recovered mailbox data from therecovery storage group to the regular storage group.

    Restoring Mailbox store from backup to a recovery server

    To recover a mailbox from backup, you must have a recovery server that has sufficient storage capacity toinstall Exchange Server 2003 and to restore the private information store database. This server can be on the

    same physical network as your production Exchange Server 2003 computer.

    25. How to create a recovery storage group and add the database to restore?

    Use the context menu of the server object to setup the recover storage group

    Specify the transactional log and system path location

    Add the database to be recovered to the recovery storage group by using the context menu of the recovery

    storage group

    26. How to restore individual mailboxes and messages?

    Recovering individual mailboxes

    Individual mailbox can be restored with the help of mail box retention period enabled on the mailbox store.

    By default mailbox retention period is set to 30 days. And if a mailbox is deleted and if restoration isrequested within 30 days retention period then you can recover and reconnect that mailbox without restoringthe entire mailbox store

    If the retention period has expired you have to restore by creating a recover server. You need to perform thefollowing tasks

    Install recovery server in different active directory forest from the forest where original server is located

    Install exchange server on a recovery server by using the same organization name

    Recover the database to an administrative group in which legacy exchange Dn value matches the original

    server

    Name the restore storage group and the restore logical database so that their name match the original storage

    group and logical database names

    Create a .pst file and move all data that you need to recover in to the .pst file

    Open the .pst file on the original server and move the data back to appropriate location

    Recovering messages

    Exchange server 2003performs backup and restore in page level rather than in mailbox level, so you cannot

    easily restore individual messages in a mailbox from a backup.

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    You can allow users to retrieve messages from the delete items folder in outlook orOWA, to do so you have

    to set the keep deleted items for certain days in individual user account setting from the Active directory usersand computers

    Alternative you can create new mailbox policy using exchange system Manager. To recover deleted mails.

    User has to point to the deleted items folder and use the recover deleted items option from the tools menu inoutlook or in OWA

    This chapter discuss the interview questions and answers on Public Folders

    1. What is Public Folder?

    Public folder is a collaboration feature of Microsoft Exchange Server that creates a repository of informationthat is accessible to any user who has been granted permission to the folder. A public folder can contain mail

    items calendar item, task items or custom forms

    2. What is Default Public Folder Tree?

    The default public folder tree is automatically created by the setup program when you install the first

    exchange server 2003 and create your organization. It is listed as public folders in Exchange system Manageras public folder and it is displayed as all public folders in outlook

    3. How the Default Public Folder Tree is listed in Exchange System Manager and Outlook?

    Default Public Folder is listed as public folders in Exchange system Manager as public folder and it isdisplayed as all public folders in outlook

    4. What protocols can clients use to access the default public folder tree in Exchange Server 2003?

    Client can use MAPI clients or NNTP or HTTP protocols to access the default public folder tree

    5. What is General-purpose public folder tree?

    General-Purpose public folder trees are additional public folders that you can create. Similar to default publicfolder tree, the general purpose public folder tree is replicated to each exchange server running Exchange

    2000 or later that contains public folder store that associated with that tree.

    6. What is the use of general purpose public folder store?

    The general purpose of public folder tree is to store custom application

    Another purpose of general public folder tree is to make the public folder available to users outside theexchange organization

    7. What protocols can clients use to access the General-purpose public folder tree in Exchange Server

    2003?

    This did not support MAPI clients. So it is not accessible to outlook users. Access only by NNTP or HTTPprotocols

    8. What are the steps involved in configuring Public Folder replication?

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    In order to setup replication for the additional public folder,

    First you have to create a public store on the destination server that holds the replica.

    When you configure the public store, you associate the public folder store with public folder tree.

    Even though you associate the public folder store to existing public folder tree, this by itself it wont enablereplication.

    Once you have public store on the destination server, you can configure public folder to replicate to other

    server

    9. How does Public folder replication occur?

    Exchange server 2003 uses multi master replication model, which means that all replicas of the public folder

    are equal and contain the same content. A replica copied from one server to another will be a separate instanceof public folder and its content, because of this there is no master replica, which means modifications to one

    replica will be replicated to other replicas equally.

    Exchange Information Store service is the primary mechanism used for public folder replication; it is not theonly mechanism at work. Active Directory uses a replication method of its own to keep domain controllers

    synchronized with each other. This replication occurs at the Windows operating system level and iscompletely independent of Exchange Server.

    10. Can Public folder be accessed using a uniform resource locator (URL)?

    Yes we can access public folder via URL, example http://servername/virtualdirectory

    11. What are the Exchange Public folder permission types?

    Following are the Exchange server public folder permissions

    Client permission enables you to control the permission of users who are accessing the public folder

    Directory rights enables you to control which user can manipulate a mail enabled public folder object thatis stored in AD

    Administrative rights enables you to assign administrative permission to administrator to run

    administrative utilities

    12. Which services control the Public folder replication process?

    Exchange Information Store service is the primary mechanism used for public folder replication Recipient

    update service controls the recipient replication process

    Note: Although the Exchange Information Store service is the primary mechanism used for public folderreplication, it is not the only mechanism at work. Active Directory uses a replication method of its own to

    keep domain controllers synchronized with each other. This replication occurs at the Windows operatingsystem level and is completely independent of Exchange Server. Active Directory replication occurs even if

    Exchange Server is not installed on the forest

    13. Which processes are involved in Public Folder Replication?

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    Exchange Information Store service is the primary mechanism used for public folder replication; it is not the

    only mechanism at work. Active Directory uses a replication method of its own to keep domain controllerssynchronized with each other. This replication occurs at the Windows operating system level and is

    completely independent of Exchange Server. Active Directory replication occurs even if Exchange Server isnot installed on the forest

    14. How to create the General Purpose Public folder tree?

    You can have as many General Purpose Public Folder tree as necessary though you must associate the publicfolder tree with the public folder store in order to use it

    First you have to create a public folder tree using exchange system manger

    Second you have to create a public folder store

    Third you have to associate the store with the public folder tree.

    15. How to create a full-text indexing on a public folder?

    Expand the First administrative Group, navigate through server, first

    16. What is the use of public store policy?

    Storage limits and public folder replication settings can be configured through public store policy, through

    and individual public store, or through individual public folders

    17. What is public folder referral?

    When a user connects to a public folder store and the store does not contain the copy of the contentment the

    user is requesting exchange server 2003 automatically redirects the user to the server where the originalcontent resides. This is known as Public folder referral. Usually the public folder referrals with takes place

    within the routing groups

    1. What is Front-end Server?

    A Front-End server is a Microsoft Exchange server 2003 configuration where servers are used for

    authentication and fault tolerance.

    2. What is Back-end Server?

    A Back-End server is a Microsoft Exchange server 2003 configuration where servers are used to hold theusers data. There is no special configuration to designate a server as a Backend server.

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    3. What are the advantages of Front End and Backend architecture?

    1. Unified Name Space can have single name space for multiple exchange servers2. Reduced over head for SSL3. Firewall place the Back-end behind the firewall and allow only traffic from frontend

    4. How to increase security of the communications between your front- and back-end Exchange

    servers?

    We can increase the security of communication between your frontend and Back-end Exchange Server by

    placing the Backend behind the firewall and allow only traffic from Front End

    5. Which services must be disabled to increase the security of front-end servers?

    Recipient Update services, offline address lists, the mailbox management service, and the free busy services

    are not supported on front end server

    6. Which server can be used in place of a front-end server?

    ISA server can be used in place of a Front End Server

    7. Which is the best clustering Technology for frontend and backend server?

    Front-end best work with Network load balancing and Backend best works with the cluster services

    8. How to configure Exchange Server 2003 to run as a front end server?

    In the Exchange server, remove the Recipient update service and default offline Address list. On the servercontainer right click the server which you want to designate as a Front end server and go to properties and

    designate the server by selecting this is a front end server. Click ok and finish

    9. Does Exchange Server 2003 front-end server support Exchange 2000 back-end server?

    Yes, Exchange Server 2003 front-end server support Exchange 2000 back-end server

    10. Does Exchange 2000 front-end server support an Exchange Server 2003 back-end server?

    Exchange 2000 Server can be used only as a back-end server in a front-end and back-end configuration.

    However, Exchange 2000 Enterprise Server can be used as a front-end server or a back-end server in a front-end and back-end configuration

    11. What all ports are required by front-end server to communicate with back-end servers?

    y 443 for HTTPSy 993 for SSL-enabled IMAPy 995 for SSL-enabled POPy 25 for SMTP (including TLS)

    12. What are the steps involved in troubleshooting front-end and back-end servers?

    1. Make sure that all the appropriate services are started on the front-end and back-end servers. This includesthe relevant Exchange services in addition to theWorldWideWeb Publishing service and SMTP service,

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    2. If you have a perimeter network, make sure that the appropriate ports are opened

    3. Ensure that the front-end server can successfully connect to the global catalog servers and DNS server.

    4. If you cannot connect to the back-end server from the front-end server using the hostname with anyprotocol, try to use the IP address. If this works, verify that you can connect to the DNS server the front-end

    server is using. Also verify that the name to IP mapping is correct in DNS.

    5. If the front-end server is configured with the list of domain controllers and global catalog servers in theregistry, verify that the front-end can reach each of those servers exactly as specified in the registry entry.

    6. Make sure that the combination of IP address and host header is unique for each virtual server.

    7. If you have a load balancing solution for the front-end servers, make sure that the shared IP can be reachedfrom client computers.

    8. Administration: If you want to use Exchange System Manager, ensure that the System Attendant service is

    running. Also recall that you cannot use the Internet Services Manager after deleting the stores on the front-end server.

    9. If users complain that the state of read and unread messages in public folders fluctuates, consider the

    following:

    y Was a back-end public folder server added or removed?y Is authentication enabled on the front-end?y Are any back-ends that host the folder down?

    13. Which port is used by front-end server to communicate with back-end server?

    All communication between the Front-end and Back-end server are TCP port 80, regardless of the port used

    for communication between the client computer and the front end server

    14. What needs to be created on Exchange front-end server for SMTP access to the Exchange

    organization?

    SMTP must be available on the front-end server to allow POP and IMAP clients to submit e-mail messages.You can install SMTP on the front-end server or set up a separate SMTP server. To install SMTP on the front-

    end server, configure SMTP for internal and external domains

    Mail for Internal Domains

    For the front-end server to accept mail that is inbound from the Internet, the front-end server needs to knowthe domains for which it should accept mail. Adding recipient policies for each of your domains tells allservers in the Exchange organization to accept mail for those domains. Additionally, you must enable

    anonymous access for other SMTP servers on the Internet to successfully route mail to your organization (thisis the default setting).

    Mail for External Domains

    In the default configuration, any SMTP mail that is submitted to your server and addressed to externaldomains is denied. This occurs because relaying is turned off for all anonymous access (however,

    authenticated users can still send e-mail to any external domain). Users who try to anonymously submit e-mail

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    to external domains receive an error, such as 550 5.7.1 Unable to relay for [email protected]. The clients

    must be configured to use SMTP authentication.

    15. What are the important Services that should run on Frontend server?

    It depends on the services that we want the frontend server to function

    y WWWy POP3y Exchange system attendy Exchange Information storey IMAP4

    16. What is Smart Host?

    A Smart host is a common term for a server that accepts outbound mail and passes it on to a recipient

    Smart host are used to connect Exchange Server to an external messaging system. Typical use of a smart hostinvolves relaying outbound SMTP email to a Non-Exchange SMTP host in perimeter networks, or to ISP or

    hosted service that may offer functionality like mail relaying and spam and virus scanning

    17. What are the considerations for deploying front end and backend server?

    y Do not cluster Frontend serversy One front-end server is reasonable for every four back-end servers. However, this number is provided

    only as a suggested ratio and starting point

    y Load balancing is suitable for front end serversy Encrypt the communication between Frontend and Backend by IPSec

    1. What are the tools to monitor Exchange Server 2003?

    Following are the Tools to Monitor Exchange Server 2003

    y Event Viewer Exchange Specific events are logged in application logsy Performance Monitor view real-time Exchange server statisticsy Exchange System Manager enable Protocol logging for virtual server instancey Message Tracking center view the message flowy Monitoring and status tool monitor servers and connectorsy Message queue viewer view messages waiting to be deliveredy MBSA analyze security settings

    2. What is the tool to diagnose queue problems?

    Queue viewer is the Tool to diagnose queue problems. The queue viewer shows the protocol, queue state, and

    the number of messages in the queue.

    3. Where is Queue viewer located?

    Queue viewer located at the Server container, following figure shows the diagram

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    4. What are the types of logs provided in the Event Viewer?

    y Application Log events logged by applications or programsy System Log events logged by the Windows operating system componentsy Security log security events such as valid and invalid logon attemptsy Directory Service log Server directory service logs eventsy File replication service log logs replication of filesy DNS Server service log events related to the Domain Name System (DNS) Server service

    5. What are the types of Events?

    y Error - significant problem, such as loss of data or loss of functionalityy Warning not necessarily significant, but may indicate a possible future problemy Information event that describes the successful operation of an application, driver, or servicey Success Audit audited security access attempt that succeedsy Failure Audit audited security access attempt that fails

    6. What are the types of events for Security log?

    The Security log can record security events such as valid and invalid logon attempts as well as events relatedto resource use, such as creating, opening, or deleting files. An administrator can specify what events are

    recorded in the Security log.

    7. Where are Exchange Monitors located?

    Following figure shows the location of Exchange Monitor

    8. Which additional items can be added for monitoring in Exchange Monitors?

    We can configure Notifications and also we can see the status of the exchange servers that are running by

    using the Monitoring and status tool

    9. Where is Exchange Notification located?

    Exchange Notifications are located at Monitoring and Status tool on the Tools container in Exchange System

    Manager

    10. What are the types of notifications?

    Two types of Notification we can configure, they are

    y E-Mail Notification

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    y Script Notification

    11. What is Exchange Diagnostics logging?

    Enable diagnostic logging for a server in Exchange System Manager to send Exchange event information to

    the Event Viewer.

    y Enable diagnostic logging to log events related to authentication, connections, and client actions.y When troubleshooting, activate the category specific to the problem at a medium or maximum level.y Use Event Viewer to view the logged information.

    Disable logging when not needed to improve performance and reduce the amount of information sent to the

    Event Viewer

    12. How to configure the Exchange Diagnostics logging?

    1. Open Exchange System Manager.2. Locate the Exchange server that you want to configure.3. Right click the Exchange server and select Properties from the shortcut menu.4. Click the Diagnostics Logging tab.5. In the Services area of the tab, click service.6. Select the appropriate entry in the Category area of the tab.

    13. What are the four levels of logging available in Exchange Diagnostics Logging?

    y None - only critical events and error events are recorded.y Minimum - one entry is logged for each key task performed by the service.y Medium- for each action needed to execute a task, entries are logged.y Maximum entries are logged for each line of code. The Maximum logging level should be enabled

    only when you need comprehensive debugging information. This is due to the impact this logging

    level has on server performance.

    14. Where is System Monitor located?

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    System Monitor: The System Monitor utility is the main tool for monitoring system performance. System

    Monitor can track various processes on yourWindows system in real time. The utility uses a graphical displaythat you can use to view current, or log data. You can determine resource usage by monitoring trends. System

    Monitor can be displayed in a graph, histogram, or report format. System Monitor uses objects, counters andinstances to monitor the system.

    Located in Performance Monitor on Administrative Tools container

    15. What are the Useful Memory Counters to Monitor in System Monitor?

    y Pages/secy Page faults/secy Page inputs/secy Page outputs/secy Write copies/sec

    16. What are the Useful Processor Counters to Monitor in System Monitor?

    y Process totaly

    Process Interrupty %Idle Timey % user Time

    17. What are Performance logs and alerts?

    Performance Logs and Alerts: By using the Performance Logs And Alerts tool included in the Performance

    console, you can track the performance of the server by creating counter logs, trace logs, and defining alerts.

    Counter Logs: Counter logs collect data on the selected counters once a predefined interval has passed. Afew features of counter logs are listed below:

    y Collect performance data on the activities of system services.y Collect performance data on hardware usage.y Manually log data.

    Trace Logs: Trace logs differ to counter logs in that trace logs monitors data constantly and then recordsperformance data when a specific event occurs. The collected data is written to a trace log file.

    Alerts: You can configure alerts to be generated when a predefined counter reaches, exceeds or falls beneath

    a defined threshold or value. When you configure alerts, you can specify that the following actions occurwhen an alert condition is met:

    18. What is the use of Nslookup?

    NSLookup is to Query a DNS domain name server to lookup and find IP address information of computers inthe internet, like MX record details

    19. What is the command to locate a SMTP server for a particular domain or to determine if the MX

    records have been configured properly in DNS

    To verify this use the below commands

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    NSLOOKUP

    Set q =MX

    20. How to identify if the problem is with smart host or exchange server?

    Smart host are used to relay the mails outside of your exchange organization, if any problem in sending mailsoutside and we can send mails within the organization then there is problem with smart host.

    21. What could be the problem if incoming mail queue is becoming unmanageably large?

    A large number of SMTP queues may indicate that there is either a denial of service attack, a lot of spam thatis leaving the server, or an Internet connection that may be down.

    22. What are the counters to diagnose whether a global catalog server is the cause of a lengthening

    incoming mail queue?

    MSExchangeDSAccess Processes is the counters to diagnose whether a global catalog server is the cause ofa lengthening incoming mail queue

    23. What is command to run dcdiag from another member server to check domain controller

    diagnosis?

    Dcdiag /test:DNS /s:TargetDCName /v /f:LogFileName

    24. Which tests are performed by dcdiag?

    DNS: Checks the health of Domain Name System (DNS) settings for the enterprise.

    CheckSecurityError: Locates security errors or errors that might be related to security problems, and

    performs initial diagnosis of the problems.

    25. What is ISinteg ?

    Isinteg is a command-line tool that analyzes and makes some repairs to the Exchange databases. Use Isintegfor problems similar to the following:

    y Users are continuously connecting to their mailboxes and keep getting disconnected.y Users report corruption within their mailboxes.

    Users report error messages that are associated with the database not being able to be mounted.

    26. What is ESutil ?

    Eseutil is more powerful than Isinteg for repairing problems in the database.When using Eseutil:

    Dismount the stores you want to analyze. The Information Store must still be running.

    Common options with Eseutil include:

    y /d to perform an offline defragmentation.y /r to perform a database recovery.

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    y /g to check database integrity.y /p to repair a database.

    27. What is the use of Ping?

    You can use the Ping command to perform several useful Internet network diagnostic tests, such as the

    following

    Access - You can use Ping to see if you can reach another computer

    Distance & Time You can use the Ping command to determine how long it takes to bounce a packet off ofanother site, which tells you its Internet distance in network terms

    Domain IP Address You can use the Ping command to probe either a domain name or an IP address. If youping a domain name, it helpfully displays the corresponding IP address in the response.

    28. What is the use of Tracert?

    Trace route command determine how packets are travel between your computer and the destination. Trace

    provides a quick response

    29. What is the use of Pathping?

    Path PING its same as that of trace route which determine how packets travel between your computer and the

    destination. Path ping provides a more detailed and reliable analysis of network performance.

    30. What is the use of Telnet?

    Telnet is a program to let you login to another computer on the Internet in order to use typed commands

    31. Which tests are performed by netdiag?

    Gathers static network information and tests the network driver, protocol driver, send/receive capability, andwell-known target accessibility.

    Can be used by network administrators in conjunction with the Scheduler Service, to generate reports at

    regularly scheduled intervals

    32. Which switch is used with netdiag to display only errors and warnings?

    To run the tool, you must

    y Open a command prompt, change to the folder containing the extracted files and run the tool fromthere.

    y All these diagnostic tools run from a command prompt,y you cant just double-click them.

    Netdiag /q show the quiet output (error and warnings only)

    33. How to install the Network Monitor tool?

    To install theWindows version of Network Monitor,

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    1. Open the Control Panel and select the Add / Remove Programs option. Next, click the Add / RemoveWindows Components button to launch theWindows Components wizard.

    2. Scroll through the list of components until you locate the Management and Monitoring Tools option.3. Select the Management and Monitoring Tools option and click the Details button.4. Select the Network Monitor Tools option and click Next.5. Windows will now begin the installation process.6. You may be prompted to insert yourWindows installation CD.7. Click Finish to complete the installation process.

    34. What is the use of Network Monitor?

    It allows you to monitor any machine on your network and to determine which users are consuming the most

    bandwidth. You can also use the SMS version of Network Monitor to determine which protocols are using themost bandwidth on the network, locate network routers, and resolve device names into MAC addresses.

    Ability to capture, edit, and retransmit a packet. This functionality is used by hackers when performing a

    replay attack.

    35. What is DcDiag?

    DCDiag command-line tool analyzes the state of domain controllers in a forest or enterprise and reports any

    problems to assist in troubleshooting

    36. What is NetDiag?

    This is a command-line diagnostic tool helps to isolate networking and connectivity problems by performing a

    series of tests to determine the state of your network client. These tests and the key network status informationthey expose give network administrators and support personnel a more direct means of identifying and

    isolating network problems. Moreover, because this tool does not require parameters or switches to bespecified, support personnel and network administrators can focus on analyzing the output rather than on

    training users how to use the tool.

    1. Name some Exchange Server 2003 clients

    y Outlook 2000/2003y OutlookWeb Access.y Outlook Mobile Access.y RPC over Http/Https.

    2. What is Outlook Web Access (OWA)?

    Outlook

    Web Access 2003 (known as

    OWA 2003) allows you to gain access to your messages, calendars,contacts, tasks and public folders from any computer with internet access. OWA 2003 has many added

    features which allow for improved performance, better security and a fresh new look.

    3. How to access OWA?

    Open your browser and type in the following address:

    https://DomainName/exchange

    In Exchange Server 2007 https:\\domainname\owa

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    4. How OWA works?

    1. The client issues a HTTP request using browser using URL.2. The DNS resolves the request and forward to the IIS server.3. The HTTP request flows across the network to the IIS server.4. Exchange registers itself with IIS as a valid application, so when a request is received byHTTP client

    IIS redirect the request to application. Davex.dll is an ISAPI extension thatincludes the functions

    necessary to communicate with the Store. Exchange also registersDavex.dll with IIS as the component

    to handle all incoming requests for the Exchange application.5. Davex.dll checks the request and contacts the Store through the epoxy inter process communication

    channel. Communication goes to the HTTP epoxy stub. Eproxy does notuse RPC.

    6. The HTTP epoxy stub communicates with Store using exoledb.dll to get the necessary informationfrom the Store.

    7. After getting information from Store the reverse path is followed and client gets itsmailbox onbrowser.

    5. What are the limitations of OWA?

    y We cant access offline address listy

    A lot of attachments have to be saved to the local drive first, in order to be able to open them.y Adding recipients when sending an E-mail is a pain.y You cannot work offline.

    6. What is RPC over HTTP?

    The RPC over HTTP protocol allows your full Outlook 2003 MAPI clients to connect to Exchange 2003Servers using HTTP/HTTPS. This solves the problem remote Outlook 2003 users have when located behind

    restrictive firewalls.

    By using RPC over HTTP, users no longer have to use a virtual private network (VPN) connection to connect

    to Exchange mailboxes. Users who are runningO

    utlook 2003 on client computers can connect to an Exchangeserver in a corporate environment from the Internet. The Windows RPC over HTTP feature enables an RPCclient such as Outlook 2003 to establish connections across the Internet by tunneling the RPC traffic over

    HTTP.

    7. What are the requirements to use RPC over HTTP?

    Server Requirement

    RPC over HTTP/S requires Windows Server 2003 and Exchange Server 2003. RPC over HTTP/S also

    requiresWindows Server 2003 in a Global Catalog role.

    Client Requirement

    The client computer must be running MicrosoftWindows XP Professional Service Pack 1 (SP1) or later.

    The client computer must be running Microsoft Office Outlook 2003.

    8. What is the procedure to configure RPC over HTTP?

    Verify that your server computer and your client computer meet the requirements to use RPC over HTTP/S.

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    y Configure Exchange to use RPC over HTTP/S.y Configure the RPC virtual directory in Internet Information Services.y Configure the RPC proxy server to use specific ports.y Configure your client computers to use RPC over HTTP/S

    9. Why you must create an additional Outlook profile for RPC over HTTP connections?

    For users to use RPC over HTTP from their client computer, they must create an outlook profile that uses the

    required RPC over HTTP settings. These settings enable SSL communication with Basic Authentication,which is required when using RPC over HTTP

    10. How to prepare an Exchange Server 2003 computer to support RPC over HTTP?

    Configure Exchange to use RPC over HTTPS.

    Configure the RPC virtual directory in Internet Information Services.

    Configure the RPC proxy server to use specific ports.

    11. What is Exchange recipient?

    In Exchange, the term recipient refers to an Active Directory object that is mailbox-enabled or mail-enabled.

    Mailbox-enabled recipients can send, receive, and store messages. Mail-enabled recipients can only receivemessages.

    12. What are the types of Exchange recipient objects?

    1. Mailbox-enabled recipients2. Mail-enabled3. Contacts4.

    Resource mailbox

    13. What is a mailbox-enabled object?

    Users can log on to networks and access domain resources. Users can be added to groups and appear in the

    global address list (GAL).

    Mailbox-enabled users can send and receive messages and store messages on their Exchange server.

    14. What is mail-enabled object?

    Mail-enabled users can receive messages at an external e-mail address only. They cannot send or storemessages on Exchange.

    15. What is Encryption?

    Encryption refers to algorithmic schemes that encode plain text into non-readable form or cyphertext,

    providing privacy. The receiver of the encrypted text uses a key to decrypt the message, returning it to itsoriginal plain text form. The key is the trigger mechanism to the algorithm.

    16. What is the purpose of Digital Signatures?

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    Digital signatures are used to digitally sign the messages and encrypt them. Digital signatures provide

    authentication, non repudiation and data integrity. Encryption keeps message contents confidential

    17. How to verify that S/MIME is supported by mailbox store so that users are able to store encrypted

    or digitally signed messages?

    1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Exchange, and then click System Manager.2. ClickAdministrative Groups,3. ClickAdministrative Group,4. ClickServers, clickservername,5. ClickStorage Group,6. Right click either the MailboxStoreor the Public FolderStore, and then clickProperties.7. On the properties page, verify that the Clients support S/MIME signatures check box is selected.

    18. What is the use of Key Recovery Agent?

    We need to enable a Key Recovery Agent. A Key Recovery Agent is a highly trusted person which isresponsible for recovering lost or damaged archived certificates for users.

    We must issue a Key Recovery Agent certificate for this user. To do this:

    1. Start theWindows 2003 CA console2. Issue a new template named Key Recovery Agent3. Request this certificate for the user who becomes the Key Recovery Agent4. Manually Issue the Key Recovery Agent Certificate at the CA

    19. How to configure Outlook to enable Digital Signatures and Encryption?

    Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Office, and then click Microsoft Office Outlook2003.

    ClickTools, and then clickOptions.

    Click on the Security tab and clickSettings.

    Outlook populates the Change Security Settings dialog box with default information. ClickOKto accept thedefaults.

    20. What are the components of PKI?

    Certification Authorities Provide services that authenticate the identity of individuals, computers, and

    other entities in a network. This encompasses both root certification authorities and subordinate authorities.

    Certificate Directory Saves certificate requests and issued and revoked certificates and certificate requests.

    Key Recovery Server Saves encrypted private keys in the certificate database for recovery after loss.

    21. Name a few 3rd party CAs ?

    1. VeriSign2. GeoTrust3. GlobalSign

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    4. Digicert5. Digi-sign

    This Chapter holds the Exchange Server 2003 Inerview Questions and Answers which are not covered in thePrevious 11 Posts

    Leave your comments, If you cant find answers for your Questions

    1. What are the Exchange Server clients?

    y Microsoft outlooky Outlook web accessy Outlook Mobile Accessy RPC over HTTPy POP3y IMAP4

    2. What is a Forest and Domain functional level?

    Domain functionality enables features that will affect the entire domain and that domain only. Four domainfunctional levels are available: Windows 2000 mixed (default), Windows 2000 native, Windows Server 2003

    interim, andWindows Server 2003. By default, domains operate at theWindows 2000 mixed functional level

    Forest functionality enables features across all the domains within your forest. Three forest functional levelsare available: Windows 2000 (default),Windows Server 2003 interim, and Windows Server 2003. By default,forests operate at the Windows 2000 functional level. You can raise the forest functional level to Windows

    Server 2003.

    3. What is cache mode in Outlook 2003?

    When an

    Outlook account is configured to use Cached Exchange Mode,

    Outlook works from a local copy of ausers Exchange mailbox stored in an Offline Folder file (OST file) on the users computer, along with the

    Offline Address Book (OAB). The cached mailbox and OAB are updated periodically from the Exchangeserver.

    When a user starts Outlook for the first time with Cached Exchange Mode configured, Outlook creates a localcopy of the users mailbox by creating an OST file (unless one already exists), synchronizing the OST with

    the users mailbox on the Exchange server, and creating an OAB. (If a user is already configured for offlineuse with an OST and an OAB, Outlook can typically download just the new information from the server, not

    the whole mailbox and OAB.)

    4. What is IP address?

    An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a numerical identification and logical address that is assigned to devicesparticipating in a computer network utilizing the Internet Protocol for communication between its nodes.

    Two IP versions are currently in use, they are

    IP version 4 32 bit addressing

    IP version 6 128 bit addressing

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    5. What is MX record?

    An MX record orMail exchanger record is a type of resource record in the Domain Name System (DNS)

    specifying how Internet e-mail should be routed using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). Each MXrecord contains a preference and a host name, so that the collection of MX records for a given domain name

    point to the servers that should receive e-mail for that domain, and their priority relative to each other.

    6. What is Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)?

    SMTP is a short for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and it is used to transfer e-mail messages between

    computers. It is a text based protocol and in this, message text is specified along with the recipients of themessage. Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is a push protocol and it cannot be used to pull the messages from

    the server.

    7. What is Network News Transport Protocol (NNTP)?

    NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol) is the predominant protocol used by computer clients and servers

    for managing the notes posted on Usenet newsgroups. NNTP replaced the original Usenet protocol, UNIX-to-UNIX Copy Protocol (UUCP) some time ago. NNTP servers manage the global netwo