On SBS 2003 and SBS 2008 servers, the recommendation has been to shutdown Exchange manually before rebooting the server. This is done to speed up the time it takes to shutdown and restart the server. However, with SBS 2011 and Exchange 2010, the need to shutdown Exchange before a reboot is no longer necessary.
Archive for January 2012
On SBS 2008 servers, I recommend shutting down Exchange manually before restarting the server. Why? Quite simply because it will speed up the time required to shutdown and restart the server. I do this, for example, after installing security patches or rollups onto the server.
Use Notepad to create a batch command file with the following commands.
net stop msexchangeadtopology /y
net stop msftesql-exchange /y
net stop msexchangeis /y
net stop msexchangesa /y
net stop iisadmin /y
pause
I name the file “shutdown-exchange.cmd” or “shutdown-exchange.bat”, and save it in a Scripts folder on the server. I then create a shortcut link to the batch file onto the server’s desktop.
Yes, you can remove the “pause” command. I use it to give me a visual verification that I did indeed stop the Exchange server before restarting.
After installing Exchange 2010 Service Pack 2, you may suddenly find yourself deluged with calls from users saying that their iPhone is requesting then to enter a passcode.
The reason for requiring a passcode by default is an important one: cell phones contain a lot of valuable information, both personal and business. If your phone is lost, do you really want other people to have access to that information. With the passcode requirement, you can now remotely wipe clean that lost iPhone.
However, if you insist on disabling the requirement for the passcode, here are the steps required:
- Disable the setting in Exchange Management Console (EMC)
- Delete and re-add the Exchange mail account on your phone
Step 1: Disable the setting in EMC
- Open Exchange Management Console, then click Organization Configuration –> Client Access –> Exchange ActiveSync Mailbox Policies tab
- Right click on the Default policy –> Properties
- Click to UNcheck Require Password –> Apply –> OK
Step 2: Delete and re-add the Exchange mail account on your phone
In addition to making the change in EMC, it will be required to delete your Exchange mail account on your phone and then re-add it.
Deleting your mail account:
- Click Settings –> Mail –> Exchange Mail Account
- If necessary record your current settings
- Turn off the options to sync Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Tasks
- After turning off those options, you should be prompted to delete your mail account
Setting up your mail account
- Click Exchange –> enter your mail account information
- If you are prompted ‘Cannot verify server identity’, click Continue
- Enter your mail account information
Exchange 2010 Service Pack 2 was released on December 4, 2011. But I’ve waited over a month before deciding to install this on my production server.
First, two questions you may have:
Q: Why don’t I see the Exchange SP2 in WSUS or Windows Update?
A: The explanation is simple: there is no ability to uninstall Exchange Service Packs, so Microsoft does not automatically push them out.
Q: If it doesn’t show up in WSUS or WU, how would I know that there is an Exchange Service Pack to download?
A: The SBS 2011 Best Practices Analyzer will inform you if there is a Service Pack to be installed (see screenshot of warning message)
And since we have to manually download and install Exchange Service Packs, this also gives us a chance to make sure that our server has been backed up before proceeding. So, let’s get started:
Step1: Reboot, Backup and Download
- I would strongly advise that you restart your server before proceeding
- Then make sure you have a current backup of your server on hand (just in case)
- Download SP2 by clicking on the link in the Resolution portion of the BPA warning message, or click this link to go to the Exchange 2010 SP2 Download page
- Click on the Download button and then select to Save the SP2 file (be sure to click on SAVE, and not RUN
I normally create a specific folder for service packs. In this case, I created E2010SP2.
- When finished with the download, click on Open Folder
Step 2: Unblock – Extract – Stop Services
This is a very important, and perhaps unexpected step: after downloading the SP2 executable, you must UNBLOCK it before you can extract it, and then we must stop a service before we begin installing SP2.
- Right click on the Exchange2010-SP2-x64.exe file, then click Properties. From the bottom of the Properties window click Unblock –> Apply –> OK
- Double click the .exe file to extract it, then click OK to extract it to the directory you created
- Click OK when you see the Extraction Complete message
- Click Start –> type: services.msc, and then locate and stop the Windows SBS Manager service.
Step 3: Run the Update
Finally, we are ready to install Exchange 2010 SP2!
- Double click on setup.exe
- Click on ‘Install Microsoft Exchange Server upgrade’
- Click Next on the Introduction window:
- Click to “I accept the terms in the license agreement”, then click Next
- It now performs a Readiness check to verify that Exchange is ready to be upgraded. If everything passes, you are ready to click Next. Otherwise you will need to resolve any identified issues, and then restart setup.exe.
- Click finish when the upgrade is completed
- Be sure to restart the Windows SBS Manager that we stopped in Step 2. Although not required, I would also suggest rebooting your server
Rerun the BPA to confirm that the Exchange SP2 warning no longer displays.
Oliver Sommer is a fellow SBS MVP’er (Germany), and he was involved with an Extreme IT Makeover in Helsinki last year. A short video of this effort was filmed and posted on HP’s Coffee Coaching website.
I’m honored to announce that Microsoft has renewed my status as a Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) for Small Business Servers for the year 2012. This is the 8th straight year that I have been so recognized.
And just to clarify any misconceptions, I am not employed by or work for Microsoft. Here is what Microsoft says about the MVP award:
We seek to recognize the best and brightest from technology communities around the world with the Microsoft® Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award.
These exceptional community leaders come from a wide range of backgrounds. They are teachers, artists, doctors, engineers, as well as technologists, who actively share their high-quality, real-world technical expertise with the community and with Microsoft.
With the MVP Award, we thank these inspiring individuals for representing the voice of thousands in the community through the powerful and independent feedback they give us, and for helping our customers maximize the potential of their software.