31 C
Dubai
Thursday, May 8, 2025
Home Blog Page 98

How offline Address books works in Exchange 2013

What is a Offline Address book ?

For Users where Outlook is in Cache mode, They got to have their Outlook Address book Updated ,when they can access the latest Address book while they go offline.

If Outlook is left running constantly in Cached Exchange Mode, it updates the Offline Address Book automatically about once a day, depending on Address Book updates on the server running Exchange. To initiate these updates manually, do the following:

  1. On the Tools menu, point to Send/Receive, and then click Download Address Book.
  2. Under Information to download, click Full Details or No Details.

So that they can use their updated address book when they are offline.

Earlier Exchange 2010 Version. Outlook Connects to the Client Access Server for MAPI Connectivity.

But From Exchange 2013 Outlook Connects to the Client Access Server

And the requests are proxied to the Mailbox Server

Lets See what is happening in the Background

In my Case all Roles are installed on the Same Server

Offline Address book Generation Server will be a Mailbox Server.

You can find a OAB Virtual Directory in IIS – in the Client Access Server

The Request to the Client Access (OAB Virtual Directory) Proxies the request to the “Exchange Back End” (OAB Virtual Directory) which is a Mailbox Server Containing OAB Files where client downloads the OAB Files

image

 

Offline Address Book Storage Location

Offline Address book Stores its files to a “System Mailbox” Which is called as “Organizational Mailbox” Where if the database fails the Organization Mailbox can failover using Database availability Group.

where the request from the Client doesn’t fail . It looks the database which owns the Organization Mailbox and OAB files are copied over to the Disk in the appropriate Mailbox Server and it has been to the Client.

Where OAB is no more a single point failure in Exchange 2013

To See which Organizational Mailbox is storing OAB files –

Get-Mailbox –Arbitration | where-Object {$_.PersistedCapabilities –Like "*OabGen*"} | FL Name,Persisted*

You can see – “OrganizationCapabilityOABGen”

image

Then Its Copied over to the disk in the Form of LZX files

Default Location: (Differs if you install Exchange on a Different Drive)

C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\v15\ClientAccess\OAB

image

They will be copied to the disk in the Form of LZX files

image

How to find the Offline Address book url , which is used for OAB Downloads

From Outlook 2007 ,Outlook 2010 and So on , Outlook Downloads Offline Address book using the OAB Url Web-Based (IIS)

Get-OabVirtualDirectory | FL Name,*Url*

You got to Specify the External Url if you are going to use Outlook Anywhere

using Set-OabVirtualDirectory Cmdlet

image

To Find which OAB a User Downloads

Go to a Client Machine

Hold your Ctrl Key and Right Click on the Outlook icon – Click on Test Email AutoConfiguraion

image

Now Using AutoDiscover , You can see the Offline Address book URL as listed below with the Correct Guid Value

image

To Find the GUID Value of the Offline address book

Get-OfflineAddressbook | FT Name,Guid

image

Client will Download their Own OAB depends upon their “Client Settings in Database Properties”

If its not specified – By Default they will download the “Default Offline address book”

image

Or

If they have address book policies applied They would Download their own OAB respective to the Policy

Get-Mailbox "Mailbox Name" | FL Name,AddressBook*

image

How Often Offline Address book Updates itself

** This Updates the Items only on the Mailbox Server – Stores in the “Organization Mailbox” as explained earlier

Get-Offlineaddressbook | FL Name,Schedule

image

Now Depends on the Update Time “Organization Mailbox” will get updated on the Mailbox Server.

**Offline Address book data are saved first only on the Organization Mailbox**  Then Once its got Updated it Serves the latest data to the Clients

How to Force update the Offline Address book

Get-OfflineAddressbook "Default Offline Address book" | Update-OfflineAddressBook

image

To Verify

**Property Last Touched Time Gets updated**

Get-OfflineAddressbook | FT Name,LastTouch*

image

or

You can Restart

Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Assistant Service

As that’s the service does all the job in the background

Restart-Service MsExchangeMailboxAssist*

image

Additional Info –

Type of Distribution used in Exchange 2013

Exchange 2013 Uses only One Type of Distribution –Web-Based Distribution

1 .Web-Based distribution

image

2. Public Folder distribution (Removed in Exchange 2013)

Earlier

Earlier Version Like Outlook 2003, Offline address book are Downloaded via Public Folders,

Offline Address Book Version In Exchange 2013

For Outlook 2010, Outlook 2007 clients it uses OAB version 4

Get-OfflineAddressbook

image

Great !!

You Learnt How Offline Address book works in Exchange 2013

How to Recover Public Folder Items in Exchange 2013

As Public Folders are stored in Public Folder Mailboxes.Deleting Items from Public Folders are stored in the Dumspter.

Public Folder Dumpster remains for 14 days by Default. and then its get deleted

 

To Check the Settings –

Get-Mailbox –PublicFolder | FT Name,RetainDeletedItemsFor -AutoSize

image

 

The Best way to Access the dumpster is using Outlook.

 

Lets say am going to Delete an Item from Public Folders

 

image

 

Choose the PF Folder –

Folder – Recover Deleted Items

image

Choose the Item To recover

 

Restore Process will be added in the future.

Exchange 2013 – Public Folders – Features -Part 3

Mail Enabling a Public Folder in Exchange 2013

Choose Enable on the Right pane :

image

Click on Yes

image

 

Using Exchange Management Shell

image

Choose Edit

image

image

It has options to Send as & Send on behalf

image

You can configure Mail flow settings

image

 

Blog Will be Continued when Exchange 2010 Sp3 Releases ..

 

Where we can start the trickiest migration …!!

 

In the Next Parts we would explore more

Exchange 2013 – Public Folders – Architecture -Part 1

Exchange 2013 – Public Folders – Creating and Managing -Part 2

Exchange 2013 – Public Folders – Creating and Managing -Part 2

For Better Understanding

Exchange 2013 – Public Folders – Architecture -Part 1

 

Creating Public Folder Mailbox using Exchange Admin Center

Step1 :

Login to Exchange Admin Center (EAC)

Step 2:

Click on the “+” Sign

image

Choose Save

image

Using Exchange Management Shell

Creating Public Folder Mailbox

New-Mailbox “PF Mbx5” -PublicFolder

image

 

Removing Public Folder Mailbox

Remove-Mailbox “PF Mbx6” -PublicFolder

image

 

List all Public Folder Mailboxes

Get-Mailbox –PublicFolder

image

 

Creating Public Folder using Exchange Admin Center

Step1 :

Login to Exchange Admin Center (EAC)

Step 2:

Click on the “+” Sign

image

Choose Save

image

Click on the Folder to Create SubFolders

Note : By Default “Exchange Admin Center” Won’t allow you to Choose the Public Folder Mailbox

 

Use Exchange Management Shell to store Public Folders in different Mailboxes

New-PublicFolder “PF Folder Name” –Mailbox “PF Mailbox Name”

image

To Create a SubFolder in Public Folder and Defining a Different Mailbox

New-PublicFolder “PF Folder Name” –Mailbox “PF Mailbox Name” –Path “\Root Folder Name”

image

To Identify Which Public Folders are stored in which Public Folder Mailboxes

Get-PublicFolder –Recurse | FT Name,ContentMailboxName,ParentPath

image

 

In the Next Parts we would explore more

Exchange 2013 – Public Folders – Architecture -Part 1

Exchange 2013 – Public Folders – Features -Part 3

Exchange 2013 – Public Folders – Architecture -Part 1

Let us the Discuss the architecture changes and improvements made to Public Folders.

 

For Starters – Mostly Public Folders are used to have a common place for Employees to share their Critical Data.

Like- Sales info,Pay Slip generation, Common Documents etc..

 

Improvements Made to Public Folders in Exchange 2013 :

1.Moving Public Folders to Mailboxes (No More Public Folder Databases)

2.Introducing high availability for Public Folders (Public Folders will be a part of DAG)

3.Flexibility of Moving Public Folder Mailboxes to Different Databases

4.Public Folders Can be managed through ECP – (Exchange Control Panel) or Called as EAC (Exchange Admin Center)

5.Every Public Folder can be hosted in a different Mailbox (Improving more high availability for sensitive Data)

6.Enhancing office 365  with Public Folders.

7.More Flexibility of Public Folders Restoration

8.Future Migration will be more simpler.(It won’t be time consuming as like Previous Versions”)

 

“No more waiting for Public Folder replication”

 

and more.

 

Note : Users Cannot Access or Manage Public Folders using OWA or Office 2013 Yet

 

Architecture Change :

 

image

Firstly ,Public Folders will be stored in Public Folder Mailboxes.All the Public Folder Mailboxes will have a Copy the Hierarchy and not all the content

All Clients Connects to their own Public Folder mailboxes. improving scalability and performance sharing can be done between servers.All the Contents of the Public Folders are stored in their respective Mailboxes. So Exchange administrators have to Plan their Public Folder mailbox Size and start splitting the content so that they can Manage well.

First Public Folder mailbox which is created will be the “Primary Hierarchy” which be the Root Public Folder Mailbox

There is only one Writeable Copy when it comes to Create Public Folders in Mailboxes. So that no Conflicts will occur with other pubic Folder mailboxes.

If the Writeable Copy fails . it will look for the passive copy of it (When its a member of DAG.)

 

To identify the Public Folder Mailbox which is owning the “Primary Hierarchy” – using PowerShell – IsrootPublicFolderMailbox will be True

 

Get-Mailbox –PublicFolder | Where-Object {$_.IsRootPublicFolderMailbox –eq “True”}

image

image

Like Creating a Public Folder Mailbox for Every Team. And its totally Depends on your Environment.

Every Public Folder Mailbox Creates a Disabled Active Directory Account – So If you are planning to Create More Public Folder Mailboxes. I would suggest you to Create a Dedicated Organizational Unit . So that you can avoid Deletion by Admins. Even Restoring becomes bit easier

 

image

 

As you could see it lists all the Public Folders – Where it denotes Which Mailbox it Belongs to

 

image

 

You can understand the Flexibility, Where you have a Root Mailbox hosted in a Public Folder mailbox and have the Subfolder hosted in dedicated mailboxes

 

In my Example.

Where Departements is a Root Folder.

 

Where its SubFolders HR,Transport,Security Can be hosted in different Public Folder Mailboxes.

 

image

image

 

In the Next Parts we would explore more

Exchange 2013 – Public Folders – Creating and Managing -Part 2

Exchange 2013 – Public Folders – Features -Part 3

How to find the history of Exchange Powershell Commands ran in Exchange 2013

Its always been a big hassle on finding the Power shell commands and finding the history on what has really happened in the past .

Every administrator always wanted to save the the task he did on the Exchange Server. or Even in the Need of investigation we always needed on the succeeded commands

 

Exchange 2013 has the right solution in the Event Viewer.

It has all the information about the Power shell commands succeeded and failed and more !!

lets us have a look at it.

 

Event Viewer – Application and Service Logs – “MsExchange Management”

image

 

Event ID 1 , Speaks about Commands Succeeded

 

Example-

image

 

Event ID 6 , Speaks about Commands Failed

 

Example –

image

× How can I help you?