New DAG Activation Preference Behavior in Exchange 2016 CU2 is Good News for...
In Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 2 (CU2), Microsoft is changing the behavior of database availability groups. Starting with CU2 (which will be releasing soon), the Primary Active Manager in...
View ArticleUsing Test-ReplicationHealth to Troubleshoot Database Availability Groups
Database availability groups are reasonably smart and robust systems, but they do need monitoring, or else you might find one day they are not providing the HA that you need them to. One of the useful...
View ArticleExchange Server 2010 Service Pack 3 Update Rollup 14
In the June 2016 quarterly update blog post Microsoft did not mention any available updates for Exchange 2010, which might seem odd considering the March 2016 quarterly updates included Exchange 2010...
View ArticleJune 2016 Updates for Exchange Server 2016/2013
Microsoft has released the latest cumulative updates for Exchange Server 2016 and 2013 this month, with the release of: Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 2 (download) Exchange Server 2013...
View ArticleExpired Certificates Cause Exchange Cumulative Updates to Fail
From the Department of I Wish The Prerequisite Analysis Checked for This, comes the unfortunate issue that customers with expired SSL certificates will run into when they try to install an Exchange...
View ArticleRecovering a Failed Exchange 2016 Database Availability Group Member
If you’re running an Exchange 2016 database availability group, and one of the DAG members fails, you can recover the DAG member to restore the high availability of your Exchange mailbox databases....
View ArticlePodcast Episode 22: Surviving Exchange Updates with Andrew Higginbotham
My guest for this episode is Andrew Higginbotham. Andrew is a Microsoft Certified Master in Exchange 2010 and a Microsoft Certified Solutions Master in Exchange 2013. He is also an Exchange Server MVP....
View ArticleWhat Counts as an Inactive Mailbox in an Exchange Server Environment?
I get a lot of questions sent to me, and see many more on forums, from Exchange admins who are looking for a way to produce a report of “inactive mailboxes”. The reason for seeking such a report, often...
View ArticleHow to Restore the Forgotten Attachment Warning in Outlook on the Web
Outlook on the Web (what used to be called OWA) has a useful feature that checks an email you’re about to send, and if it contains words that indicate that there should be a file attached to the...
View ArticlePodcast Episode 23: Automation and Administration Challenges with Steve Goodman
My guest for this episode is Steve Goodman. Steve is the Head of Messaging & Unified Communications at Content and Code, a leading Microsoft Gold Partner in the UK. He’s also a Microsoft MVP, and...
View ArticleNew Pluralsight Course – Designing & Deploying Exchange 2016 (70-345) Mailbox...
Earlier this year Microsoft Learning released exam 70-345 for Exchange 2016. Unlike previous versions of Exchange which had multiple certification exams, Exchange 2016 will only have the single exam...
View ArticleMailTips Group Metrics and Large Audience Warnings in Outlook
In an Exchange Server environment, MailTips are the messages that are displayed to users while they are composing an email message in Outlook or Outlook on the Web. The idea behind MailTips is that...
View ArticleThere’s No Need to Create Connectors for Internal Exchange Server Mail Flow
I hear from quite a lot of people that break their internal Exchange mail flow by configuring receive connectors and send connectors. This issue comes up fairly regularly, so I figured it’s time to...
View ArticleSystems for Organizing Mailboxes in Exchange Databases
Exchange administrators like neatness. And one of the ways that we strive for neatness is by developing a system for organizing mailboxes among the available databases. Popular mailbox organizing...
View ArticleAnnouncing Practical 365, a New Office 365 Blog for IT Pros
Since the launch of Office 365 in 2011, the service has grown at a tremendous rate. Although the exact number of Office 365 customers is not publicly shared, and can only be estimated (as Tony Redmond...
View ArticleI’m Speaking at IT/Dev Connections 2016 in Las Vegas
For the third straight year I will be time travelling across the Pacific ocean to speak at IT/Dev Connections 2016, being held at the ARIA Resort in Las Vegas from October 10th to 13th. IT/Dev...
View ArticleConfiguring a Hierarchical Address Book in Exchange Server
In an Exchange Server organization the address book that users see in Outlook is basically just a flat, alphabetical list of names. There’s no easy way to look at the address book and work out the...
View ArticleDeploying Office Online Server with Exchange Server 2016
When you deploy an Office Online Server and integrate it with Exchange 2016, your Outlook on the web users can preview file attachments that are Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, or PowerPoint...
View ArticleJuly 2016 Updates to Office 365 for IT Pros, 3rd Edition
Office 365 for IT Pros, 3rd Edition is continually updated with new information, changes and corrections. The current eBook files are dated 2 August 2016. Customers who bought the book from...
View ArticleFAQ: In What Order Should You Install Service Packs, Update Rollups, and...
I’m often asked questions about which order Exchange Server updates need to be installed in. In fact, I’m asked it so often that I wonder why I haven’t written this FAQ before. So here it is, and...
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