Exchange & Outlook UPDATE, Exchange Edition, August 14, 2003

1. Commentary

- You Can Learn a Lot from a Dummy

2. Announcements

- Try Windows & .NET Magazine!

- Get the eBook That Will Help You Get Certified!

3. Resources

- Using the /3GB Switch when Installing Exchange 2003

- Featured Thread: Removing a Nonexistent Exchange Server

- Outlook Tip: Automate Moving Messages Between Folders

4. Events

- New--Mobile & Wireless Road Show!

5. New and Improved

- Recover Lost Email Messages

- Submit Top Product Ideas

6. Contact Us

- See this section for a list of ways to contact us.

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==== 1. Commentary: You Can Learn a Lot from a Dummy ==== by Paul Robichaux, News Editor, [email protected]

My kids love those public-service announcements that feature a pair of talking crash-test dummies. These advertisements always close with the memorable tagline "You can learn a lot from a dummy." What does this have to do with Exchange Server? Plenty: This week I want to talk about crash-test dummies for Exchange.

Have I lost my mind? No. There's a parallel between the kinds of well-instrumented testing that automobile manufacturers perform and the kinds of tests and preparations you should prepare for your Exchange configuration. Crash-test dummies can help engineers determine the kinds and magnitudes of forces that impinge on the victims of a car crash; Exchange test dummies--recovery servers, in other words--can help you fine-tune your operational and recovery procedures.

Let's start with that old bugaboo, mailbox recovery. One morning you get a call from Mr. Big, telling you that he needs a message that was deleted 31 days ago. You've enabled deleted item retention for 30 days. What do you do? If you have a recovery server on hand and have practiced with it, you can simply break it out, recover Mr. Big's mailbox from 31 days ago, extract the message, and give it to him.

Here's a scenario guaranteed to strike fear into the heart of even hardened administrators: You notice a spate of -1018 errors in your event log, and when you try to recover from backup you notice that nothing useful is on the tape. You go back to the earliest backup generation, and it's bad too. You want to assess the condition of your database by running Eseutil and Isinteg, but you can't do that in the middle of the work day. Enter the recovery server. You can copy the databases to the recovery server and run Eseutil and Isinteg without affecting your production system.

Need another example? Your IT department is considering switching to a new antivirus product. You want to test it with Exchange to make sure it doesn't mess up anything. You'd have to be crazy to run this type of test on your production server, but a recovery server makes an ideal testbed.

Let's look at one more example. Recovery servers are useful during actual disaster recoveries, particularly when you use Exchange Server 2003's new Recovery Storage Group functionality.

A recovery server can come in handy in many circumstances. But what if your budget doesn't allow for a separate recovery server? In that case, let me suggest VMware Professional and Microsoft's Virtual PC products. These products let you efficiently build virtual machines (VMs) that can run Exchange. Best of all, the VMs are easily portable to any host machine you have around, even a laptop--as long as it has enough horsepower and storage capacity, any system will run VMs. As a bonus, these products are also great for setting up and testing configurations in the lab before deploying them in production.

Whether or not you're a fan of crash-test dummies, Exchange test dummies--aka recovery servers--can be extremely useful. Include them in your strategic and tactical administrative plans whenever possible.

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==== 2. Announcements ==== (from Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners)

Try Windows & .NET Magazine!

Every issue of Windows & .NET Magazine includes intelligent, impartial, and independent coverage of security, Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange Server, and more. Our expert authors deliver how-to content you simply can't find anywhere else. Try a sample issue today, and find out what more than 100,000 readers know that you don't!

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Get the eBook That Will Help You Get Certified!

The "Insider's Guide to IT Certification," from the Windows & .NET Magazine Network, has one goal: to help you save time and money on your quest for certification. Find out how to choose the best study guides, save hundreds of dollars, and be successful as an IT professional. The amount of time you spend reading this book will be more than made up by the time you save preparing for your certification exams. Order your copy today!

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==== 3. Resources ====

Using the /3GB Switch When Installing Exchange 2003

Each week, Microsoft posts several Exchange Server how-to articles to its Knowledge Base. This week, learn when to use the /3GB switch when installing Exchange Server 2003 on Windows Server 2003.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=823440

Featured Thread: Removing a Nonexistent Exchange Server

A forum reader is having trouble removing an old Exchange Server 5.5 object from Active Directory (AD). To offer your advice or join the discussion, go to the following URL:

http://www.winnetmag.com/forums/rd.cfm?cid=40&tid=61212

Outlook Tip: Automate Moving Messages Between Folders by Sue Mosher, [email protected]

Q: How can I make Outlook trigger a rule after I read a message? I want the message to stay in the Inbox until I read it, then move to the designated folder.

A: Unlike some other mail programs, notably Pegasus Mail, Outlook doesn't include a feature to move items to another folder after you read them. However, third-party tools such as MADSolutions' Message Executive can process items after you read them.

See the Exchange & Outlook Administrator Web site for more great tips from Sue Mosher.

http://www.exchangeadmin.com

==== 4. Events ==== (brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine)

New--Mobile & Wireless Road Show!

Learn more about the wireless and mobility solutions that are available today! Register now for this free event!

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==== 5. New and Improved ==== by Carolyn Mader, [email protected]

Recover Lost Email Messages

BVG Group released OE-Mail Recovery, software that lets users recover lost email messages from damaged Outlook Express dBase files. The proprietary .dbx format that Outlook Express uses to store email messages can be complicated and easily damaged. OE-Mail Recovery can retrieve lost email messages that are stuck in damaged .dbx files. You can export email messages to .eml format or view recovered messages in another folder. The full version of OE-Mail Recovery costs $45. The software runs on Windows XP/2000/NT/Me/98 and supports Outlook Express 6.0 and Outlook Express 5.0. Contact BVG Group at [email protected].

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Submit Top Product Ideas

Have you used a product that changed your IT experience by saving you time or easing your daily burden? Do you know of a terrific product that others should know about? Tell us! We want to write about the product in a future Windows & .NET Magazine What's Hot column. Send your product suggestions to [email protected].

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==== 6. Contact Us ====

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