Tag: Exchange

I start with a warning – don’t ever manually remove Exchange Server database log files. Just don’t do it.

Exchange Server generates log files. Lots of log files. SOME of those aren’t useful and we just want to delete them. Others of those are important and should just be left alone! In general, Exchange Server log files break down into two different types: database log files and everything else.

It is unfortunate, but all Exchange Server log files have the same file extension: “.log”. Therefore, it isn’t possible to make decisions about log files based on the file extension. Only the directory/folder in which a file is located can be used for decision making purposes. This also applies to IIS (Internet Information Services) log files – they all end with “.log”.

On Exchange Server 2013 and Exchange Server 2016, there are three important directories:

‘C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15\TransportRoles\Logs’
‘C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15\Logging’
‘C:\inetpub\logs\LogFiles’

The first folder contains log files for “Client Access Services” (CAS). Even in Exchange Server 2016, the CAS log files are still maintained separately.

The second folder contains log files for “all other Exchange roles (but not CAS)”.

The third folder contains log files generated by IIS.

For all three folders, the locations shown are the default locations. Discovering non-default locations takes a lot of lines of PowerShell!

Generally speaking, Exchange Server will purge its own log file folders (the first two in the list above), after they reach a certain age (for example, 30 days) or a certain size (for example, 1.5 GiB).

However, IIS never automatically purges its log file folders. Never. Ever.

Especially in the case of IIS, log files can expand to fill all of the C: volume. In the Exchange Server case, Exchange usually reaches a “steady state” – a point at which log file removal balances out log file creation. However, when adding lots of new users or in the case of a new mobile OS version (this has been seen several times with iOS), a significant spike can be experienced in Exchange Server log files (especially the CAS log files).

This script will remove log files from the three named folders. By default, the log files must be at least 3 days old.

Other scripts may allow you to compress and store these log files. That’s great. And in certain situations, log files can provide a lot of information.

But for 99% of my clients – they just want to free up disk space – which this script allows.

The script is available here.

If you have questions or problems, send those to the author, michael at TheEssentialExchange dot com.

Follow me on twitter: @EssentialExch

Exchange Autodiscover is deceptively simple. Until it doesn’t work. Then, repairing autodiscover can be surprisingly challenging.

Microsoft does provide the Microsoft Connectivity Analyzer which can (among other things) give you detailed information about your autodiscover situation. However, it works “from the outside to the inside”. This PowerShell allows you to work “from the inside to the outside”.

The script below allows you to test autodiscover to a specific server. If it succeeds, but your overall autodiscover fails, then you have a far reduced set of things to investigate, in order to repair your autodiscover deployment. This script will allow you to test internally or externally (given that your firewall/router has the appropriate NAT forwarding/translation rules and DNS is properly configured). If an internal test succeeds, but an external test fails – this points you to load-balancer/firewall/router. If the internal test fails – then you may have several items to check. Read the source of the script below for the most common issues.

I am developing a script that works “the same way” as Outlook is documented to work for autodiscover – with more insight to the various steps. While I have it working today, it’s not a pretty script. 🙂 I will post it when it is more clean.

Enjoy.

###
### Test-AutoD.ps1
###
### This script performs a basic test of Exchange autodiscover for a given
### hostname.
###
### This script does NOT behave exactly the same as Outlook autodiscover or
### ExRCA.com autodiscover. At this writing, that script is still in
### development.
###
### Instead, given a particular hostname, this script determines what the
### specified host returns as an autodiscover response. If you have chosen
### your real autodiscover host, the responses will be the same.
###
### This script allows you to test autodiscover to a specific host. None
### of the Microsoft provided tools give you that flexibility.
###
### In general, you must specify either useDefaultCredentials OR specify
### all three of username, password, and emailAddress.
###
### If you specify the "mobile" argument, then the request sent to
### autodiscover is for Exchange ActiveSync, versus the request that is
### sent for Outlook.
###
### The usage for useDefaultCredentials is explained within the source
### of the script. Look below.
###
### If this script works, but your Exchange autodiscover does not, there
### are probably five primary reasons:
###
###	[1] Misconfigured permissions on the Autodiscover virtual directory
###	[2] Misconfigured (or missing) Service Connection Point (SCP)
###	[3] Misconfigured DNS for $hostname
###	[4] Misconfigured SRV record
###	[5] Misconfigured permissions on the reverse proxy
###
### This is not a list of all possible issues.
###
### Michael B. Smith
### michael at TheEssentialExchange dot com
### October, 2014
###
### No warranties, express or implied, are available. This script is offered
### "as is".
###
### I hope this script works for you. If it does not, please tell me. I
### will attempt to figure out what is going on. However - no promises.
###

Param(
    [string]$username     = $null,
    [string]$password     = $null,
    [string]$emailAddress = $null,
    [string]$hostname     = 'autodiscover.example.com',
    [switch]$mobile,
    [switch]$useDefaultCredentials
)

if( [String]::IsNullOrEmpty( $hostname ) )
{
	throw "You must provide a hostname"
	return
}

$uri = 'https://' + $hostname + '/Autodiscover/Autodiscover.xml'
'Autodiscover URI:'
' '
$uri
' '

if( -not ( $useDefaultCredentials -ne $null -and $useDefaultCredentials.IsPresent ) )
{
	if( [String]::IsNullOrEmpty( $username ) )
	{
		$str = Read-Host "Enter username for request"
		if( [String]::IsNullOrEmpty( $str ) )
		{
			throw "You must provide a username"
			return
		}

		$username = $str
	}

	if( [String]::IsNullOrEmpty( $password ) )
	{
		$str = Read-Host -AsSecureString "Enter password for $username"
		if( [String]::IsNullOrEmpty( $str ) )
		{
			throw "You must provide a password"
			return
		}

		$cred = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential( $username, $str )
		$password = $cred.GetNetworkCredential().Password

		$cred = $null
		$str  = $null
	}

	if( [String]::IsNullOrEmpty( $emailAddress ) )
	{
		$str = Read-Host "Enter email address for $username"
		if( [String]::IsNullOrEmpty( $str ) )
		{
			throw "You must provide an emailaddress"
			return
		}

		$emailAddress = $str
	}
}

Set-StrictMode -version 2.0 

if( $mobile )
{
	### a mobile autodiscover request returns far less data than an Outlook autodiscover request
	### a mobile device doesn't need much information to configure ActiveSync

	$autoDiscoverRequest = @"
				$emailAddress
				http://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/autodiscover/mobilesync/responseschema/2006
"@
}
else
{
	$autoDiscoverRequest = @"
				$emailAddress
				http://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/autodiscover/outlook/responseschema/2006a
"@
}

$autoDiscoverRequest = $autoDiscoverRequest.Replace( "`t", '' )  ### remove tab characters from the autodiscoverrequest. Exchange doesn't like those tabs.

'This is the autodiscover request that will be submitted:'
' '
$autoDiscoverRequest
' '

$req = New-Object System.Net.WebClient
$req.Encoding = [System.Text.Encoding]::UTF8

if( $useDefaultCredentials )
{
	### this means use Kerberos or NTLM authentication. it will only work if the autodiscover
	### client is joined to the domain and the computer can build a connection to a DC (so,
	### the computer is on a LAN or connected via a VPN or connected via DirectAccess).

	$req.UseDefaultCredentials = $true
}
else
{
	### Basic authentication is VERY basic. The username and password are turned into base64 and
	### separated by a colon. That's all. Never use except with SSL!

	$auth = 'Basic ' + [System.Convert]::ToBase64String( [System.Text.Encoding]::UTF8.GetBytes( $username + ':' + $password ) )
	$req.Headers.Add( 'Authorization', $auth )
}

### autodiscover has knowledge about user-agents. i found that surprising.
### the user-agent below is for Office 2013 Pro with SP1

$req.Headers.Add( 'Content-Type', 'text/xml' )
$req.Headers.Add( 'User-Agent',   'Microsoft Office/15.0 (Windows NT 6.1; Microsoft Outlook 15.0.4641; Pro)' )

$webpage = $null

try
{
	$webpage = $req.UploadString( $uri, $autoDiscoverRequest )
}
catch
{
	throw $_
	return
}

'This is the autodiscover response:'
' '

if( $webpage -eq $null )
{
	write-error "Webpage response is empty."
	return
}

if( $webpage -is [System.String] )
{
	$webpage
}
else
{
	$webpage.InnerXml
}

$webpage = $null
$req     = $null

' '
'Done'

Follow me on twitter @essentialexch

Exchange 2010 and Exchange 2013 are rich with cmdlets providing you access to information regarding your Exchange environment.

However, as of Exchange 2013 CU6, there are 956 (!!) cmdlets. Knowing which cmdlets to use can be challenging. It can also be difficult to decide what information from a cmdlet's output is relevant.

Here is my attempt to consolidate output for Client Access Servers. This script is in daily use, and it works for me. I hope you find it useful.

If this script is executed on an Exchange Server, it will by default generate information for that server. You can change that by specifying the "-server <servername>" switch. The "-location <location-name>" switch is used to specify a physical location where a particular server resides. For example "London" or "Charlotte". The script defaults to using "location". FInally, if you specify "-Verbose", the script will output timing information. That is, how long the script took to execute and how long each cmdlet took to execute.

Enjoy!

##
## Dump-CasInformation.ps1
##
## Michael B. Smith
## September 8, 2014
## michael at TheEssentialExchange dot com
## http://Essential.Exchange/blog
##
## No warranties, express or implied. Use at your own risk.
##
[CmdletBinding(SupportsShouldProcess=$false, ConfirmImpact='None') ]

Param(
	[Parameter(Mandatory=$false)]
	[string] $location  = "location",

	[Parameter(Mandatory=$false)]
	[string] $server    = $env:ComputerName
)

Set-Strictmode -Version 2.0

$startScript = Get-Date
Write-Verbose "Dump-Casinformation script starts $($startScript | Get-Date -Format u)"

$location = $location.ToUpper()

if( ( Get-Command Get-ExchangeServer -EA 0 ) -eq $null )
{
	Write-Error "This script must be executed within an Exchange Management Shell"
	return
}

"****** GLOBAL  GLOBAL  GLOBAL ******" 

	$cmd = 'OutlookProvider'
	"*** $cmd  $cmd  $cmd ***"
	$cmdStart = Get-Date
	Write-Verbose "Dump-Casinformation command $cmd starts $($cmdStart | Get-Date -Format u)"

		$r = Get-OutlookProvider

		$r | fl Name, CertPrincipalName, Server, TTL, 
			OutlookProviderFlags, 
			RequiredClientVersions, ExchangeVersion

	$cmdEnd = Get-Date
	$cmdDelta = $cmdEnd - $cmdStart
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd ends $($cmdEnd | Get-Date -Format u)"
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd took $($cmdDelta.TotalSeconds.ToString( 'N2' )) seconds"

#####

	$cmd = 'ExchangeServer'
	"*** $cmd  $cmd  $cmd ***"
	$cmdStart = Get-Date
	Write-Verbose "Dump-Casinformation command $cmd starts $($cmdStart | Get-Date -Format u)"

		$r = Get-ExchangeServer -Status

		$r | fl Name, Identity, Fqdn, Edition, 
			Site, OrganizationalUnit, ServerRole, 
			AdminDisplayVersion, ExchangeVersion, 
			Static*, Current*,
			Is*

	$cmdEnd = Get-Date
	$cmdDelta = $cmdEnd - $cmdStart
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd ends $($cmdEnd | Get-Date -Format u)"
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd took $($cmdDelta.TotalSeconds.ToString( 'N2' )) seconds"

"****** $location  $location  $location ******"

	$cmd = 'ClientAccessServer'
	"*** $cmd  $cmd  $cmd ***"
	$cmdStart = Get-Date
	Write-Verbose "Dump-Casinformation command $cmd starts $($cmdStart | Get-Date -Format u)"

		$r = Get-ClientAccessServer -Identity $server

		$r | fl Name, Identity, Fqdn,
			IsOutOfService,
			OutlookAnywhereEnabled,
			ClientAccessArray,
			ExchangeVersion,
			AlternateServiceAccountConfiguration,
			OutlookAny*, 
			AutoDiscover*

	$cmdEnd = Get-Date
	$cmdDelta = $cmdEnd - $cmdStart
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd ends $($cmdEnd | Get-Date -Format u)"
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd took $($cmdDelta.TotalSeconds.ToString( 'N2' )) seconds"

#####

	$cmd = 'OutlookAnywhere'
	"*** $cmd  $cmd  $cmd ***"
	$cmdStart = Get-Date
	Write-Verbose "Dump-Casinformation command $cmd starts $($cmdStart | Get-Date -Format u)"

		$r = Get-OutlookAnywhere -server $server

		$r | fl Server, ServerName, Name, Identity, 
			MetabasePath, Path, 
			AdminDisplayVersion, ExchangeVersion,
			SSLOffloading,
			InternalHostname, InternalClientAuth*,
			InternalClientsRequireSSL,
			ExternalHostname, ExternalClientAuth*, 
			ExternalClientsRequireSSL,
			IISAuthenticationMethods,
			XropUrl,
			ExtendedPro*

	$cmdEnd = Get-Date
	$cmdDelta = $cmdEnd - $cmdStart
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd ends $($cmdEnd | Get-Date -Format u)"
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd took $($cmdDelta.TotalSeconds.ToString( 'N2' )) seconds"

#####

	$cmd = 'RpcClientAccess'
	"*** $cmd  $cmd  $cmd ***"
	$cmdStart = Get-Date
	Write-Verbose "Dump-Casinformation command $cmd starts $($cmdStart | Get-Date -Format u)"

		$r = Get-RpcClientAccess -server $server

		$r | fl Name, Server, Identity,
			Responsibility,
			MaximumConnections,
			EncryptionRequired,
			BlockedClientVersions,
			ExchangeVersion

	$cmdEnd = Get-Date
	$cmdDelta = $cmdEnd - $cmdStart
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd ends $($cmdEnd | Get-Date -Format u)"
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd took $($cmdDelta.TotalSeconds.ToString( 'N2' )) seconds"

#####

	$cmd = 'ActiveSync'
	"*** $cmd  $cmd  $cmd ***"
	$cmdStart = Get-Date
	Write-Verbose "Dump-Casinformation command $cmd starts $($cmdStart | Get-Date -Format u)"

		$r = Get-ActiveSyncVirtualDirectory -server $server

		$r | fl Name, Server, VirtualDirectoryName, 
			WebsiteName, WebsiteSSLEnabled, CompressionEnabled,
			MetabasePath, Path,
			AdminDisplayVersion, ExchangeVersion,
			InternalUrl, InternalAuth*,
			ExternalUrl, ExternalAuth*,
			ActiveSyncServer,
			*AuthEnabled, ClientCertAuth,
			Mobile*,
			BadItemReportingEnabled, SendWatsonReport,
			Remote*,
			Extended*

	$cmdEnd = Get-Date
	$cmdDelta = $cmdEnd - $cmdStart
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd ends $($cmdEnd | Get-Date -Format u)"
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd took $($cmdDelta.TotalSeconds.ToString( 'N2' )) seconds"

#####

	$cmd = 'AutoDiscover'
	"*** $cmd  $cmd  $cmd ***"
	$cmdStart = Get-Date
	Write-Verbose "Dump-Casinformation command $cmd starts $($cmdStart | Get-Date -Format u)"

		$r = Get-AutodiscoverVirtualDirectory -server $server

		if( -not [String]::IsNullOrEmpty( $r.InternalUrl ) )
		{
			Write-Warning "InternalUrl should be empty, instead is $($r.InternalUrl)"
		}
		if( -not [String]::IsNullOrEmpty( $r.ExternalUrl ) )
		{
			Write-Warning "ExternalUrl should be empty, instead is $($r.ExternalUrl)"
		}

		$r | fl Server, Name, Identity, 
			MetabasePath, Path, 
			AdminDisplayVersion, ExchangeVersion,
			InternalUrl, InternalAuth*, 
			ExternalUrl, ExternalAuth*, 
			*Authentication, ExtendedPro*

	$cmdEnd = Get-Date
	$cmdDelta = $cmdEnd - $cmdStart
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd ends $($cmdEnd | Get-Date -Format u)"
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd took $($cmdDelta.TotalSeconds.ToString( 'N2' )) seconds"

#####

	$cmd = 'ECP'
	"*** $cmd  $cmd  $cmd ***"
	$cmdStart = Get-Date
	Write-Verbose "Dump-Casinformation command $cmd starts $($cmdStart | Get-Date -Format u)"

		$r = Get-EcpVirtualDirectory -server $server

		$r | fl Server, Name, Website, DisplayName, Identity, 
			MetabasePath, Path, 
			AdminDisplayVersion, ExchangeVersion,
			InternalUrl, InternalAuth*, 
			ExternalUrl, ExternalAuth*, 
			DefaultDomain, GzipLevel, *Enabled,
			*Authentication, ExtendedPro*

	$cmdEnd = Get-Date
	$cmdDelta = $cmdEnd - $cmdStart
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd ends $($cmdEnd | Get-Date -Format u)"
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd took $($cmdDelta.TotalSeconds.ToString( 'N2' )) seconds"

#####

	if( ( Get-Command Get-MapiVirtualDirectory -EA 0 ) -ne $null )
	{
		## cmdlet not available in Exchange 2010

		$cmd = 'MAPI'
		"*** $cmd  $cmd  $cmd ***"
		$cmdStart = Get-Date
		Write-Verbose "Dump-Casinformation command $cmd starts $($cmdStart | Get-Date -Format u)"

			$r = Get-MapiVirtualDirectory -server $server

			$r | fl Server, Name, Identity, 
				MetabasePath, Path, 
				AdminDisplayVersion, ExchangeVersion,
				InternalUrl, InternalAuth*, 
				ExternalUrl, ExternalAuth*, 
				IISAuth*,
				ExtendedPro*

		$cmdEnd = Get-Date
		$cmdDelta = $cmdEnd - $cmdStart
		Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd ends $($cmdEnd | Get-Date -Format u)"
		Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd took $($cmdDelta.TotalSeconds.ToString( 'N2' )) seconds"
	}
	elseif( $server -ne $env:ComputerName )
	{
		Write-Warning "Get-MapiVirtualDirectory is not available on this computer (so this computer is probably running Exchange 2010). If you are accessing a server running Exchange 2013 or higher, this information will be missing."
		" "
	}

#####

	$cmd = 'OAB'
	"*** $cmd  $cmd  $cmd ***"
	$cmdStart = Get-Date
	Write-Verbose "Dump-Casinformation command $cmd starts $($cmdStart | Get-Date -Format u)"

		$r = Get-OabVirtualDirectory -server $server

		$r | fl Server, Name, Identity, RequireSSL,
			MetabasePath, Path, 
			AdminDisplayVersion, ExchangeVersion,
			InternalUrl, InternalAuth*, 
			ExternalUrl, ExternalAuth*, 
			PollInterval, OfflineAddressBooks,
			*Authentication, ExtendedPro*

	$cmdEnd = Get-Date
	$cmdDelta = $cmdEnd - $cmdStart
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd ends $($cmdEnd | Get-Date -Format u)"
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd took $($cmdDelta.TotalSeconds.ToString( 'N2' )) seconds"

#####

	$cmd = 'OWA'
	"*** $cmd  $cmd  $cmd ***"
	$cmdStart = Get-Date
	Write-Verbose "Dump-Casinformation command $cmd starts $($cmdStart | Get-Date -Format u)"

	## OWA is just too big to process effectively

		$r = Get-OwaVirtualDirectory -server $server

		$r | fl Server, ServerName, Name, Website, DisplayName, Identity, RequireSSL,
			MetabasePath, Path, 
			DefaultDomain, LogonFormat,
			AdminDisplayVersion, ExchangeVersion,
			InternalUrl, InternalAuth*, 
			ExternalUrl, ExternalAuth*, 
			VirtualDirectoryType, GzipLevel,
			Exchange2003Url, FailbackUrl, 
			LegacyRedirectType, RedirectToOptimalOWAServer,
			*Authentication, ExtendedPro*
		"...attribute list truncated, use 'Get-OwaVirtualDirectory -server $server | fl *' for full information"
		" "

	$cmdEnd = Get-Date
	$cmdDelta = $cmdEnd - $cmdStart
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd ends $($cmdEnd | Get-Date -Format u)"
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd took $($cmdDelta.TotalSeconds.ToString( 'N2' )) seconds"

#####

	$cmd = 'PowerShell'
	"*** $cmd  $cmd  $cmd ***"
	$cmdStart = Get-Date
	Write-Verbose "Dump-Casinformation command $cmd starts $($cmdStart | Get-Date -Format u)"

	## this will return 2 entries for each server.
	"Note: the PowerShell Virtual Directory results include two vDirs for each server."

		$r = Get-PowerShellVirtualDirectory -server $server

		$r | fl Server, Name, Identity, RequireSSL,
			MetabasePath, Path, 
			OwaVersion, AdminDisplayVersion, ExchangeVersion,
			InternalUrl, InternalAuth*, 
			ExternalUrl, ExternalAuth*, 
			VirtualDirectoryType, 
			*Authentication, ExtendedPro*

	$cmdEnd = Get-Date
	$cmdDelta = $cmdEnd - $cmdStart
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd ends $($cmdEnd | Get-Date -Format u)"
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd took $($cmdDelta.TotalSeconds.ToString( 'N2' )) seconds"

#####

	$cmd = 'WebServices'
	"*** $cmd  $cmd  $cmd ***"
	$cmdStart = Get-Date
	Write-Verbose "Dump-Casinformation command $cmd starts $($cmdStart | Get-Date -Format u)"

		$r = Get-WebServicesVirtualDirectory -server $server

		$r | fl Server, Name, Identity,
			MetabasePath, Path, 
			AdminDisplayVersion, ExchangeVersion,
			InternalUrl, InternalAuth*, 
			ExternalUrl, ExternalAuth*, 
			InternalNLBBypassUrl, GzipLevel, MRSProxyEnabled,
			*Authentication, ExtendedPro*

	$cmdEnd = Get-Date
	$cmdDelta = $cmdEnd - $cmdStart
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd ends $($cmdEnd | Get-Date -Format u)"
	Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation command $cmd took $($cmdDelta.TotalSeconds.ToString( 'N2' )) seconds"

"****** DONE  DONE  DONE ******"

$scriptEnd = Get-Date
$cmdDelta = $scriptEnd - $startScript
Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation script ends $($scriptEnd | Get-Date -Format u)"
Write-Verbose "Dump-CasInformation script took $($cmdDelta.TotalSeconds.ToString( 'N2' )) seconds"

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