Q&A with the Exchange MVP Experts (June 19, 2007)
Chat Topic: Q&A with the Exchange MVP Experts
Date: Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Please note: Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarity
Melissa Travers MSFT (Moderator):
Hello everyone. I am the MVP Lead for the Exchange Server MVPs in the US and would like to officially welcome you to today’s chat. For those of you who may not know, MVP stands for Most Valuable Professional. MVPs voluntarily share their time and expertise helping others in the technical community…such as participating in this chat today. To learn more about our program go to http://www.microsoft.com/mvp
To ask one of our Experts a question be sure to check the Ask the Experts box after you type your question to submit. Hope you enjoy today’s chat. I am going to turn things over to our MVPs now and ask them to introduce themselves to you.
Introductions
Vlad Mazek MVP (Expert):
Welcome to the Exchange Expert chat. My name is Vlad Mazek, I'm an Exchange MVP / developer / system administrator... and one in here that can help you with SBS questions... Check out my blog at http://www.vladville.com for more info on me, Exchange, etc.
Missy Koslosky MVP (Expert):
HI, I'm Missy Koslosky, an Exchange MVP and co-author of The Exchange Cookbook.
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Hi Exchange Ninjas, Welcome to the Exchange chat. My name is Bharat Suneja. I'm an Exchange MVP. I work as a messaging architect for Zenprise. Check out my blog at http://exchangepedia.com/blog
Rand Morimoto (Expert):
Hello, I'm Rand Morimoto, one of the MVP experts online today. I am the author of "Exchange 2007 Unleashed", the #1 selling book in the world on Exchange 2007. My consulting firm has been helping organization deploy Exchange 2007 in early adopter and production environments for the past 3-years...
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
I'm Devin L. Ganger, a technical writer and speaker for 3Sharp. I've contributed to a number of Microsoft whitepapers, am a co-author of the Exchange Server Cookbook (along with Missy), and blog at (http://blogs.3sharp.com/blog/deving/).
Chris Scharff MVP (Expert):
I'm Chris Scharff a Messaging Services Architect for MessageOne and specialize in high availability and disaster recovery solutions for messaging.
Start of Chat
Rand Morimoto (Expert):
Q: I'm having a problem with mobile access and calendar sync in Exchange 2007
A: Please clarify, what problem are you having with mobile access and calendar sync? I use it daily, be glad to assist... Rand
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
Q: Apart from Exchange 2007 being 64 bit only, are there any major changes from Exchange 2003?
A: Quite a few:
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
Among the changes are: retiring administrative and routing groups in favor of a site-based routing scheme and granular administrative permissions...
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
...five server roles (Mailbox, Hub Transport, Client Access, Edge Transport, and Unified Messaging)
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
...the addition of two more HA solutions with yet another (Standby Continuous Replication) in SP1, for the mailbox role...
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
...do you have any specific areas you want more information on?
Chris Scharff MVP (Expert):
Q: Exchange 2007, OWA, and SSL certs make for a fairly frustrating time. MS released an article of which cert providers support SAN, and only one of those are globally trusted on WM5 devices. Will there be better support of this soon?
A: That's good feedback and I am not aware of any improvements or changes in Exchange 2007 SP1 related to this design. At this point as far as I know the onus is on the certificate authorities to add this functionality to the certificates they provide. I believe Microsoft has heard a lot of feedback on this, but more is always welcome.
Vlad Mazek MVP (Expert):
Q: I’m attending partner readiness training on Unified messaging next week in CO, I have read Rand's book, and am about 1/2 way through Henrik's... any good reading material to prepare for the PBX/Voice side of things so I am not overwhelmed?
A: Chris, aside from several web sites there really isn't a lot of info on the voice/pbx information out there. I expect/suspect there will be a lot more available once the OCS/LCS launches.
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: Does anyone know how well, if at all, the newest Blackberry Enterprise Server works with Exchange 2007? Does it needs its own box or could it live with a CAS/Hub Transport?
A: do you have 4.1.3?
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: We will have 4.1.3 before moving to Ex2007.
A: 4.1.3 is compatible
Rand Morimoto (Expert):
Q: this is when I use "Mail for Exchange" the nokia software for connecting to exchange.
A: Regarding the problem where you do calendar sync after an appointment is added to OWA and OL2007, I haven't run in to that problem. I just tried it offline with my mobile, doing the same thing and it worked. Ah, I just noticed you said you are using the Nokia "Mail for Exchange", okay, I've had odd problems with that. Have you tried to use the native ActiveSync / Outlook mobile on the device? Likely it's a conflict on the Nokia software as my e61 to E2007 syncs fine... Rand
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: Would you suggest a dedicated box or a VM for BES?
A: I've seen deployments where VMs are being used for BES - but it's a subjective question with a lot of variables - server configuration, virtualization software used, etc.
Chris Scharff MVP (Expert):
Q: Chris - Would you suggest a dedicated box or a VM for BES?
A: I have a number of customers who are utilizing virtualization technologies for components which interact with Exchange, such as BES, with good success. Many VM technologies offer some unique load balancing and HA features which are not available with traditional physical hardware. I believe it is certainly worth looking at such a solution, but as with most things, testing is
Vlad Mazek MVP (Expert):
Q: Regarding the next version of SBS - will it still include Exchange? Looking forward to a 64 bit SBS.
A: Absolutely will, it will include Exchange 2007 and it will be 64 bit only. Do an MSN Search for "Cougar" it’s in beta.
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
Q: Life was good when I was using Outlook 2007 to access Hotmail only. Then I added my employer's Exchange server. Everything went downhill. Personal email ends up in the corporate Exchange server's Sent Items. This has to be fixed.
A: Outlook is centered around the profile as the basic unit of identity. If you define multiple accounts in one profile, Outlook is built to assume that they're all really sharing the same identity. This is even more the case when the profile is used with Exchange. If you need to keep your account info separate, you really need to keep them in separate profiles.
Missy Koslosky MVP (Expert):
Rick, Microsoft introduced the Edge Server role and Forefront Security with Exchange 2007.
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: In Exchange 2007 can I still use ANTI-SPAM features without deploying the Edge server role?
A: Yes. The Edge Transport server role has anti-spam agents installed by default, but you can always install them on Hub Transport servers if you don't plan to deploy the Edge Transport role. Check this post: http://exchangepedia.com/blog/2006/09/how-to-install-anti-spam-agents-on-hub.html
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
Q: We currently run a Barracuda spam filter. Would we see any benefit if we replaced it with an Exchange Edge server using Antigen or would we just waste the money on a Windows server license and Exchange 2007 license? The Barracuda has been pretty secure.
A: The general rule of thumb in any question like this is: does your current solution meet your needs? If you're happy with your current levels of false positives and spam catches, and you don't have any pain points that the Edge Transport + Forefront solution will specifically address, then you probably should hold off on deploying Edge.
Rand Morimoto (Expert):
Q: what do you mean with native ActiveSync / Outlook mobile
A: With the e61, you can configure Windows Mobile to support either the Nokia Mail for Exchange configuration option, or you can configure the Nokia using windows Mobile ActiveSync. I've used the Windows Mobile ActiveSync without enabling / configuring the Nokia Mail for Exchange function, and it works fine. Haven't tried the Nokia Mail for Exchange option and might guess that's a problem there... More of a guess and suggestion than knowing for certain there is a problem with the Nokia piece. Might want to check with Nokia's support group...
Rand Morimoto (Expert):
Q: Is Cisco Callmanager 4.x compatible for UM purposes?
A: CCM 4.x (Windows) and 5.x (Linux) both work with Exchange 2007 UM. We have not gotten CCM 3.x to work at all. CCM 5.x, which I believe Cisco released a 5.x for Windows recently, uses SIP and integrates a lot better and requires less programming to integrate... Rand
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: What are the best SPAM site you recommend subscribing to that are available? I am also looking for free ones too.
A: Spam sites? Or did you mean IP Block List Providers (aka "RBLs")?
Missy Koslosky MVP (Expert):
Q: Is there a way to make an ASDI modification so when you create a user in the EMC, it'll show as Lastname, Firstname just like you could do with ADUC (http://www.quimeras.com/Products/displayproduct.asp?IdProduct=4)
A: Here's how to create a policy for e-mail addresses: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124401.aspx - no need for ADSI
Rand Morimoto (Expert):
Q: Rand, I'm also not using SSL, do I have to use it ?
A: No, you do not need to use SSL to successfully sync, you can do it without a cert...
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: I mean RBL
A: Some good ones are Spamhaus (perhaps the most used), SORBS, MAPS, NJABL. Make sure you test any RBLs in a test environment or without dropping messages before you put them in production. Things to consider: 1) How does the provider list hosts 2) What are the procedures for removal 3) General reputation of the provider (false positives have been an issue with some... like one particular provider that listed a popular web-based email service's hosts).
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: What is the easiest way for our security folks to create mail boxes for accounts now that Exc. features are not a part of the ADUC tool (at least that is what I have heard)?
A: Delegate Recipient Administrator
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
Q: Regarding Q21. Would you choose Edge over Barracuda given the costs involved?
A: I don't believe in one-size-fits-all answers. Cost is only one aspect of a deployment question, and sometimes it's the least important one. How easy is the solution to maintain? What features do I need that this product offers? What basic functionality is missing? I personally think the Barracuda is a very capable device, but web interfaces in general drive me nuts. If I were implementing a solution for someone else, the interface issue would be much less of an issue.
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: Regarding Q21. Would you choose Edge over Barracuda given the costs involved?
A: If it's a cost-only decision, this should be fairly easy to figure out and differ from each deployment (based on number of users/email addresses, etc.). You can quickly make that judgment call yourself.
Rand Morimoto (Expert):
Q: Rand, can you explain how you are exactly syncing your calendar on your E61 over the Internet ? Using which software on the Nokia
A: So on my e61, I configured ActiveSync to sync with "Exchange Server", gave it the Web address of the server (same as the OWA address), entered in credentials, and setup a schedule to sync. This is the standard ActiveSync configuration for Windows Mobile.
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: I cannot wait for PF in OWA in SP1 - is there a release date for SP1 yet? Expectation?
A: You can expect SP1 toward the end of this year - calendar Q4, if I remember correctly
Vlad Mazek MVP (Expert):
Q: Is there a public site where we can test drive OWA 2007 for a temporary period? I think this would greatly increase the desire for migration in our company.
A: Yes, you can get Exchange 2007 hosted demo here https://signmeup.exchange2007demo.com/exchange2007demo/ and experience OWA.
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: Regarding the remote file access feature of 2007(which uses OWA). It turns out it is crippled, you can only turn on access per server not per share. Are there any plans for SP1 to increase its configurability, and if not, how would I lobby to have it fixed?
A: No, you cannot do this per share and Microsoft hasn't announced any changes to this for SP1.
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: I would like to ask all the MVP's - what's YOUR favorite new feature? For me, toss up between OWA's to remembering addresses and transport rules.
A: Continuous Replication (LCR, CCR, and the SCR feature due in SP1) by far....
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
Q: Devin - What can Edge do better? I am very interested in this.
A: Edge offers Safe sender list integration; the entries in each user's safe sender lists can be integrated into Edge's processing. Edge also provides Edge Subscription, which allows Edge to have full knowledge of the recipients in the org. And it does this without having to open up inbound LDAP access from my perimeter to my internal DCs/GCs like I'd require with third-party solutions -- the Hub Transport servers push out a subset of data to the Edge boxes.
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: Where can I find the logging for SPAM filtering in the Exchange server and does it provide any statistics by default?
A: It's in the agent logs - http://exchangepedia.com/blog/2007/04/managing-and-filtering-anti-spam-agent.html - and there are plenty of perfmon counters as well
Chris Scharff MVP (Expert):
Q: I'm on Exchange 2007.I'm having issues where users at home using RPC over HTTPS cannot view free/busy information.
A: If you haven't already, make sure you set the external for the AutoDiscoverURL to a valid externally resolvable URL
Missy Koslosky MVP (Expert):
Q: I would like to ask all the MVP's - what's YOUR favorite new feature? For me, toss up between OWA's to remembering addresses and transport rules.
A: I like the routing changes, and dig powershell -- the ability to take a subset of mailboxes and do X to them makes me smile!
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
My favorite new feature is probably transport rules and managed folders.
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
And PowerShell. How can I forget PowerShell?
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: I have 2007 and Forefront installed. If I whitelist some trusted domains using the command line, will they then be prevented from being blocked by the spam filters, but still subject to the Forefront antivirus scanning?
A: If you whitelist by adding domains/smtp addresses to Exchange Server 2007's Content Filtering whitelist - the messages will bypass content filtering/anti-spam, but still be scanned by the anti-virus
Rand Morimoto (Expert):
Q: Rand, E61 has a symbian OS, how about configuring Windows Mobile ? I didn't understand that.
A: Assuming you are using Symbian OS 9.1 on the device. Are you using Activesync on the device? Symbian licensed a number of devices with Activesync that worked fine with Exchange, I'm not sure if the device you are using has the Activesync license on it, do you know if that's an option on your device?
Vlad Mazek MVP (Expert):
Q: My system currently has 4GB of RAM installed. After awhile store.exe will eat away all of it and launching the exchange mgmt console will take a very long time. Is there a fix?
A: Yes, add more ram. Exchange store process can be very memory intensive, the more you throw at it the better.
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: Can I use power shell to manage anti-spam capabilities?
A: Yes you can do everything through powershell (well almost.. ) - the Exchange Management Console has a sub-set of the functionality offered by the Exchange shell
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: One thing I really liked about the 2003 GUI was the ability to view current logons(with client version details) and "last logged in" stamps in the mailbox view. Will these views be returning to the GUI in 2007 SP1?
A: The costs incurred to fetch this for every user - given the way the Recipient Configuration node is displayed - would make this very slow! You have better capabilities using the get-mailbox and get-mailboxstatistics shell commands.
Vlad Mazek MVP (Expert):
Q: Vlad: Exchange 2003 said 4GB was the max Exchange can utilize, because we're on 64-bit machines and no longer have this 4GB "limit" you're saying add more ram will make a difference?
A: Sorry, I thought you were on 2007.
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
ignore the (well almost) for the powershell mgmt for anti-spam question
Missy Koslosky MVP (Expert):
Q: One thing I really liked about the 2003 GUI was the ability to view current logons(with client version details) and "last logged in" stamps in the mailbox view. Will these views be returning to the GUI in 2007 SP1?
A: The Exchange Product Group has posted several items on their blog about SP1 - here's one to start: http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2007/02/23/435699.aspx
Chris Scharff MVP (Expert):
Q: Chris S: I don't see a section for the AutoDiscoverURL.
A: Sorry Michael, I should have included a URL in my previous response. I believe this URL has information on setting that parameter: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb201695.aspx
Missy Koslosky MVP (Expert):
Q: If we cannot discuss SP1 features, or things we would like to be included(wish list), can you provide us with an email address where we can submit well argued requests for features/tweaks/improvements?
A: exwish@microsoft.com is a good place to submit requests and ideas!
Rand Morimoto (Expert):
Q: When can we expect MS to add tools to the ex 2007 downloads? What tools are close to release if any?
A: As you know, many of the "tools" that released previously (Exchange Best Practices Analyzer, etc) have been included in the "tools" section of E2007. There are tools constantly in the works, I'm not sure what has been formally announced, discussed, or scheduled for release, so I cannot comment. Probably best to keep checking the MS Exchange site for updates...
Missy Koslosky MVP (Expert):
Q: Why no SP1 discussion? They were all over them at Tech ED.
A: The Exchange Product Group has posted a few items on their blog about SP1 - I linked to one of the posts above.
Missy Koslosky MVP (Expert):
I'm sure the Exchange team is releasing information about SP1 as they finalize things, and will continue to do so. It is a great blog!
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
Q: I am on Exchange 2007. So because we're on 64 bit, Exchange can now utilize more than 4GB?
A: Windows Server x64 can address more than 4GB of physical RAM, yes -- and Exchange (especially the mailbox role) likes to use as much RAM as it can for things like caches of commonly read folders in user mailboxes. This helps reduce the amount of disk I/O required. HP has some interesting results showing a sweet spot around 8GB of RAM, and the cost/benefit curve seems to max out around 32GB.
Rand Morimoto (Expert):
Q: Rand, I've found now that Activesync setting and trying to figure it out. I've never used it before, was all the time busy with Mail for Exchange and Roadsync.
A: Ah, good, so your device has the ActiveSync option installed, means you have one of the current OSs on the device. The "Mail for Exchange" and Roadsync stuff, I've never played with as I've always just jumped right on the ActiveSync, which I know works to E2007. I found a link to the MS site for configuration... http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/help/pocketpc/activesync.mspx
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: How can I allow someone e-mail if our exchange server bouncing their e-mail as SPAM?
A: Since you haven't specified the version of Exchange - Exchange Server 2003's content filtering had no way of whitelisting SMTP addresses and domains, but you can add IP addresses to Connection Filtering's Global Accept List. Exchange Server 2007 allows you to bypass sender domains or SMTP addresses, and you can exempt your users from particular anti-spam components as well - including content filtering. http://exchangepedia.com/blog/2007/01/exchange-2007-content-filter-whitelist.html
Rand Morimoto (Expert):
Q: Rand, in your activesync profile, is the remote calendar database also the OWA address ?
A: Remote Calendar Database? So for the Exchange Server email address, the address is the URL for OWA that you would use to get access to OWA...
Missy Koslosky MVP (Expert):
Q: I am on Exchange 2007. So because we're on 64 bit, Exchange can now utilize more than 4GB?
A: As a follow-up to Devin's response, there's a good white paper on Exchange performance here - http://h71028.www7.hp.com/ERC/downloads/4AA1-0300ENW.pdf - you may need to create an HP passport to access it, but there's good info to be had - specifics on RAM are on page 13.
Missy Koslosky MVP (Expert):
Q: Are the Mobile features of Exchange 2007 free (built into the license) or is there a separate charge like BES? I realize that you have to have a compatible device and data plan on your phone.
A: Mobile features are built-in. Yay!
Vlad Mazek MVP (Expert):
Q: Missy - thanks for rubbing it in. :) It stinks to be stuck in BES world.
A: You can always download a free Windows Mobile 6 emulator!
Missy Koslosky MVP (Expert):
Hunter that was supposed to make you happy, not sad! And I've been using WM5 for the past year and a half, and don't miss my Blackberry at all. I hope you can get there too! ;)
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: So what is the difference between connection filtering and recipient filtering and how they exactly work with anti-spam features?
A: Connection Filtering works on the connection (OnConnect event) - by looking up things like IP Block List (admin manually enters IP addresses to block, or the Sender Reputation agent adds IP addresses dynamically if configured to do so for a particular period, 24 hrs by default), IP Block List Providers (aka "RBLs"), IP Allow Lists (admin manually whitelists trusted sending hosts) and IP Allow List Providers (a "good guys" version of IP Block List Providers/RBLs). Recipient Filtering works on the RCPT TO: SMTP command - admin can prevent certain Exchange recipients from getting internet mail, and also perform Recipient Validation - drop messages for addresses/recipients that do not exist in your Organization/Active Directory).
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
Q: Is there a recommended way to create mailboxes alongside new user creation in/thru Active Directory?
A: Using either the Exchange 2007 Management Console (EMC) or the Management Shell (EMS), you can create a new account if its mailbox enabled at the same time. Make the people who create new users members of the Exchange Recipient Administrators group and give them access to the EMC.
Chris Scharff MVP (Expert):
Q: Chris S.: I've tried that command Set-OABVirtualDirectory -identity "EXCHBOX\OAB (Default Web Site)" -external https://mail.acme.com/OAB -RequireSSL:$true and still shows Free/Busy Info cannot be retrieved.
A: Couple of things, you may have to do an IIS reset after that. Additionally, I am not entirely sure if this doesn't require that the certificate used requires a SAN for the external FQDN. I haven't tried this, but I suspect that it does. Does your certificate today have a SAN associated with it for the external URL?
Missy Koslosky MVP (Expert):
Q: We are planning a dual mailbox server (in CCR) implementation with a single HUB/CAS (published through ISA 2006) and a Barracuda serving as the incoming SMTP proxy. How resilient are the HUB/CAS roles? Do I need to build in redundancy right from the start?
A: Hi Hunter, I'm actually doing something very similar right now, and we've decided to deploy dual CAS/HUB servers just in case. We always try to build as much redundancy in as possible when we can fund it. That said, the roles are generally very reliable -- my major concern tends to be hardware, not software failure.
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: Is there an EMC or EMS that will install onto a Vista machine in order to manage Exchange without remoting into my Exchange server?
A: Not as of now.
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: Bharat - Does that include mailbox creation? (Do you have to RDP to the server?)
A: Mailbox creation can be done from the Exchange shell or console - neither will run on Vista, since they're both part of Exchange mgmt tools. If you're on Vista, the options are to run Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 in a virtual machine, or (far easier) RDP to Exchange (besides the console session).
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
Q: Devin - that was OWA 2007 specific (sorry)
A: The changes to the OWA functionality (moving to web services and away from WebDAV) and the continued emphasis on Form-Based Authentication mean that, if I remember correctly, you can no longer access folders via direct URLs the same way you could in previous version of OWA.
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
Q: So just to confirm the only way to manage Exchange is via term serving (or sitting in front of) into the Exchange box itself and running the EMC directly from the server?
A: No; you can also install the management components on an XP workstation. I do not know what the timeline is for Vista support, but I know the dev team is aware of the issue.
Chris Scharff MVP (Expert):
Q: Chris S: We have a UCC certificate with all the necessary URLs. I will try a reset right now.
A: Michael, other than looking in the logs to see if there was any change in the error with regards to the URL I'm not sure of anything else obvious to check.
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: Bharat - but RDP makes me have to allow my lower level security folks onto the server itself. Wow. That is a real problem and we need client installable tools ASAP. (Are you listening MS?
A: Well, that's only a problem if you're on Windows Vista right now so you can still manage from XP or Windows Server 2003. Microsoft is aware of this.
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
Q: I’ve had a few clients leery about installing IIS components on DC's. Can IIS components be removed after EMC install?
A: I assume that you're referring to installing Exchange on a DC. Exchange's IIS requirements are not for installation only; they need to be there (although Exchange 2007 requires fewer of them -- no more SMTP!). The bigger question is: if they're uneasy about installing IIS on a DC, shouldn't they be even *more* uneasy about installing Exchange on a DC?
Vlad Mazek MVP (Expert):
Q: I was asking that if I need any additional SPAM product other that the built-in one in the Exchange Server?
A: You don't "need" any spam protection - it all depends on how much budget you have and how annoying the SPAM problems are. However, the more layers you put in the more you are likely to delay mail as it gets scanned through multiple systems.
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: I am looking for the solution that detects that if my company is on the SPAM list somewhere.
A: If you mean IP Block List Providers (RBLs), there are quite a few web sites out there that will let you do this manually, and monitoring products (like the one my company makes :) and services that automate this for you (for a cost) and alert you when you're listed.
Chris Scharff MVP (Expert):
You can also create a web interface which calls powershell commands to create users and not give your security folks any tools installed locally whatsoever.
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
I'll add that you can use Virtual PC and push out a management VM to your Vista users, if that's really a problem.
Bharat Suneja [MVP] (Expert):
Q: Bharat - I love that. You can manage Exchange, unless you stay with the latest rev. of our flagship OS. ha! Thanks for the answer, I will keep my eyes open for the tools for Vista.
A: Hunter - that should be "flagship client OS" :) - I hear ya on that one!
Devin L Ganger MVP (Expert):
Another good site to use for DNS and RBL checks: http://www.dnsreport.com/
Chris Scharff MVP (Expert):
Q: Chris - I may have to, I don't see any suitable way other than that at the moment.
A: In many ways I find this much more preferable than giving them tools. You can create very specific and tightly controlled access to the system. I will actually be presenting on this at Exchange Connections in the Fall. It's a topic near and dear to my heart.
Melissa Travers MSFT (Moderator):
Hello everyone. As the chat transcript is made public the MVPs cannot share their email addresses due to the potential for a large volume of mail. You can find the MVPs in the microsoft.public.exchange newsgroups http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/default.mspx
Melissa Travers MSFT (Moderator):
We are going to wrap things up now. We had some great questions today! Thank you all for joining us today and a special thank you to our MVPs for sharing their expertise with us. The transcript from this chat will be posted in a couple of weeks to the TechNet community site.
Have a great evening everyone!
