Maintenance & Monitoring Exchange Environment

1. Maintenance & Monitoring Exchange Environment Tzahi KolberIT Supervisor - Polycom Israel

2. What will we cover: • Exchange Maintenance types. • Exchange Frequent Maintenance. • Exchange Server 2003 Monitoring. • Exchange Server 2007 Monitoring & Reporting.

3. Problems and Concerns • Maintenance: • Keep server running with the minimum of downtime (do it as faster as possible). • Maintain the server for getting the best performance ALL the time. • Prevent security issues that can harm the / crash the server (WU / AV, open ports etc). • Different maintenance plan to different intervals (Daily / Weekly / Monthly…). • DRP / Backups / Network load? • Monitoring: • Dynamically change the monitoring parameters VS. the server changes (HW / Performance / etc). • Use different ways for alert (email / SMS / Monitor).

4. Maintenance

5. Exchange maintenance types • Online Maintenance. • Manual maintenance base on frequent time frame (including security maintenance for the OS and Apps). • DRP / Backups / Network.

6. Online Maintenance • Not clash with backup schedules • Database size (what recommended VS. what can be done). • Purge Indices (public and mailbox stores) • Tombstone Maintenance (public and mailbox stores) • Dumpster Cleanup (public and mailbox stores) • Cleanup Deleted Mailboxes (mailbox stores) • Events for each Database processed • 700 Defrag Started • 701 Defrag Ended • 1221 The Defrag ended and the amount of free space in DB.

7. ESEUtil switches • /D = Defrag Mode • New signatures • Log files mismatch, immediate backup required • /T can be used to specify alternate location for the temp files • /M = Dump headers (/ML, /MK, /MH) • /R = Recovery performs soft recovery • /K = Integrity Check for Snapshots • /G = Checks Integrity at the ESE Level • No Changes Are Made, This is a reporting Tool • /F = Copy Mode • /C = Hard Recovery Mode (direct to restore.env) • /CC = Force Hard Recovery • /CM Dump the restore.env file header • /P = Repair • /P • /CreateSTM • When to perform a repair • /p  /d  “Isinteg –fix –test alltests”

8. Dumping File Headers using ESEUtil • Database Header • Database signature, log signature • State: Consistent or Inconsistent • Checkpoint Header • Shows checkpoint log file and signature • Transaction Log File Headers • Generation number • Log file signature • The attached databases

9. Offline Defrag – Yes / No ??? • What should I consider before offline defrag? - Backup, Backup, Backup – ALL three !!! • How frequent should I defrag the DB: - Depends on 1221 event and disk space that you have. • What options do I have? - Most common: eseutil /d priv1.edb /te:\tempedb.edb (e - is the alternet location). • What should I consider after offline defrag? - Backup, Backup, Backup – ALL three !!! Main reason – signature changes.

10. Exchange Daily / Weekly maintenance • Examine the Windows Event Logs for Exchange warnings and errors. • Check Backup Jobs. • Check Performance Monitors / task manager. • Check disk usage / connectors status. • Check Security (AV / WU / etc) Updates. • http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa997037.aspx

11. Email chainMonthly maintenance • Security Checks (penetration tests). • Capacity Planning (mailboxes / HW load, Network). • Disaster Recovery Tests (Backup / Restore, including AD). • Document changes in the email chain (components, HW, drive letters, etc). • http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa997037.aspx • http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=c5133f35-8e10-4477-b31c-bfd1dc09ab1e&displaylang=en • http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=c5133f35-8e10-4477-b31c-bfd1dc09ab1e&displaylang=en

12. DRP / Backups / Network. • Check options for DRP compatibilities: Storage (snapshots), Geo Cluster, Cluster, Dual NIC, Mirror disks, LCR, CCR. • Check backups by restoring DB to RSG, save tapes in off site, check backups logs. • Keep documents of the mail flow & Exchange configuration. • Keep printed procedures in case of DR. • Check Network performance, updated driver’s NICs, use VLANs if possible.

13. Exchange Monitoring • Many excellent monitoring software ($$$...) - CA: TNG Unicenter. - HP: OVO. - Microsoft: MOM 2007. - NetIQ: AppManager 7 • Many good (built in) software – Free !!! - Performance Monitor. - Exchange Notification services. - SNMP based monitoring that arrives with the hardware vendors (CIM, Tivoli, Open Manage).

14. Exchange Monitoring - using perfmon • Configure performance monitor in Administrative Tools to set thresholds and alerts. • Use it not only for Exchange….

15. Exchange 2007 Monitoring & Reporting • Get-PublicFolderStatistics -Identity \Marketing | fl • Get-MailboxStatistics -Database "Mailbox Database" • Get-MailboxStatistics | Where {$_.DisconnectDate -ne $null} • get-MailboxStatistics | select DisplayName, TotalItemSize, TotalDeletedItemsize, DatabaseName | format-table or export-csv c:\mbexport.csv • get-mailbox -filter {Office -eq “Boston” } | select name,office, *quota | sort name | export-csv export.csv

16. EXBPA – Exchange Best practice Analayzer. • EXBPA collects settings and values from data repositories such as Active Directory, registry, metabase and performance monitor. • EXBPA analyze the data and create reports and solutions in order to achieve greater performance, scalability and uptime. • Built in Exchange 2007 (including updates). • http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=DBAB201F-4BEE-4943-AC22-E2DDBD258DF3

17. Some Useful links…… • http://www.petri.co.il/defragment_exchange_2000_2003_server_databases.htm • http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/Exchange-ISINTEG-ESEUTIL.html • http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=DBAB201F-4BEE-4943-AC22-E2DDBD258DF3&displaylang=en • http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/Managing-Exchange-2003-MOM-2005-Part1.html • http://www.microsoft.com/learning/syllabi/en-us/5051afinal.mspx • http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa997949.aspx

18. Questions? Thank you !