1.000.000 views reached!

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1mWhat started out as a pleasant and rewarding journey on November 24th, 2009 reached another milestone today. This blog, containing just over 440 posts, went through the 1 million views mark in the past 24 hours. Together with the 1350 Twitter followers, seeing my small community contributions help you guys (or girls) out is keeping me motivated. A big thanks to all of you and keep coming back!

Multi-Factor Authentication in Office 365 (Part 1)

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Multi-Factor AuthenticationMulti-Factor Authentication identifies an end user with more than one factor. Authentication is based on something you know, such as your password; something you have, such as a security token or smart card; or something that’s a physical characteristic of who you are, such as biometrics. By creating an additional factor on top of the password, identity is better protected. Multi-Factor Authentication is seen as a must-have for cloud-based services, especially for administrative types of accounts.

In this first tip on SearchExchange, I explain how you can configure Multi-Factor Authentication in Office 365, discuss the so-called contact methods, explain app passwords for non-MFA applications as well as show the MFA end user experience.

Read the full article over on SearchExchange

Script Updates

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powershellA small heads-up for those not following me on Twitter of one of the other social media channels. Last week I made updates to the following three scripts:

Install-Exchange2013.ps1, version 1.72

  • Added CU5 support
  • Added KB2971467 (CU5 Disable Shared Cache Service Managed Availability probes)

Remove-DuplicateItems.ps1, version 1.3

  • Changed parameter Mailbox, you can now use an e-mail address as well.
  • Added parameter Credentials.
  • Added item class and size for certain duplication checks.
  • Changed item removal process
  • Remove items after, not while processing folder. Avoids asynchronous deletion issues.
  • Works against Office 365.

Remove-MessageClassItems.ps1, version 1.3

  • Changed parameter Mailbox, you can now use an e-mail address as well
  • Added parameter Credentials
  • Added parameter PartialMatching for partial class name matching.
  • Changed item removal process. Remove items after, not while processing folder. Avoids asynchronous deletion issues.
  • Works against Office 365.
  • Deleted Items folder will be processed, unless MoveToDeletedItems is used.
  • Changed EWS DLL loading, can now be in current folder as well.

Be advised I keep am overview of the scripts and their current versions with publish dates here.

 

Exchange 2013 Cumulative Update 5

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Ex2013 LogoToday, Cumulative Update 5 for Exchange Server 2013 was released by the Exchange Team (KB2936880). This update raises Exchange 2013 version number to 15.0.913.22.

This Cumulative Update contains the following fixes compared to SP1 (CU4):

  • 2963590 Message routing latency if IPv6 is enabled in Exchange Server 2013
  • 2963566 Outlook Web App accessibility improvement for UI appearance in Exchange Server 2013
  • 2962439 You cannot sync contacts or tasks in Microsoft CRM client for Outlook in an Exchange Server 2013 environment
  • 2962435 CRM synchronization fails if the time zone name of a meeting is not set in an Exchange Server 2013 environment
  • 2962434 Slow performance in Outlook Web App when Lync is integrated with Exchange Server 2013
  • 2958430 “Some or all Identity references could not be translated” error when you manage DAG in Exchange Server 2013 SP1 in a disjoint namespace domain
  • 2957592 IME is disabled in Outlook Web App when you press Tab to move the focus in an email message in Exchange Server 2013
  • 2942609 Exchange ActiveSync proxy does not work from Exchange Server 2013 to Exchange Server 2007
  • 2941221 EWS integration for Lync works incorrectly in an Exchange Server 2013 and 2007 coexistence environment
  • 2926742 Plain-text message body is cleared when writing in Outlook Web App by using Internet Explorer 8 in Exchange Server 2013
  • 2926308 Sender’s email address is broken after importing a PST file into an Exchange Server 2013 mailbox
  • 2925559 Users always get the FBA page when they access OWA or ECP in Exchange Server 2013
  • 2924519 “SyncHealth\Hub” folder is created unexpectedly after installing Cumulative Update 2 for Exchange Server 2013
  • 2916113 Cannot open .tif files from email messages by using Windows-based applications in an Exchange Server 2013 environment
  • 2592398 Email messages in the Sent Items folder have the same PR_INTERNET_MESSAGE_ID property in an Exchange Server 2010 environment

Notes:

  • Be advised that this CU includes a Managed Availability probe configuration that may result in the frequently restarting of the Microsoft Exchange Shared Cache Service in some environments. More information, see KB2971467.
  • Be advised of OAB architectural changes documented here. If you are affected, it is recommended to update CAS servers prior to Mailbox servers.

This Cumulative Update includes schema and AD changes, so make sure you run PrepareSchema / PrepareAD. After updating, the schema version will be 15300.

Note that Cumulative Updates can be installed directly, i.e. no need to install RTM or Service Packs prior to installing Cumulative Updates. Note that once installed, you can’t uninstall a Cumulative Update nor any of the installed Exchange server roles. The order of upgrading servers is irrelevant, unlike with previous generations of Exchange.

Finally, and I can’t emphasize this enough: For any Hotfix, Rollup, Service Pack or Cumulative Update, I’d recommend to thoroughly test this in a test and acceptance environment first, prior to implementing it in production. When you lack such facilities, hold out a week or two and monitor the comments on the release article or TechNet forum for any issues.

You can download Exchange 2013 Cumulative Update 5 here; UM Language Packs can be found here. More details about these changes, preparing Active Directory or installing this Cumulative Update can be found in the original announcement.

Exchange 2010 SP3 Rollup 6

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Exchange 2010 LogoToday the Exchange Team released Rollup 6 for Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 3 (KB2936871). This update raises Exchange 2010 version number to 14.3.195.1.

This Rollup includes the following fixes:

  • 2960652 Organizer name and meeting status field can be changed by EAS clients in an Exchange Server 2010 environment
  • 2957762 “A folder with same name already exists” error when you rename an Outlook folder in an Exchange Server 2010 environment
  • 2952799 Event ID 2084 occurs and Exchange server loses connection to the domain controllers in an Exchange Server 2010 environment
  • 2934091 Event ID 1000 and 7031 when users cannot connect to mailboxes in an Exchange Server 2010 environment
  • 2932402 Cannot move a mailbox after you install Exchange Server 2010 SP3 RU3 (KB2891587)
  • 2931842 EWS cannot identify the attachment in an Exchange Server 2010 environment
  • 2928703 Retention policy is applied unexpectedly to a folder when Outlook rule moves a copy in Exchange Server 2010
  • 2927265 Get-Message cmdlet does not respect the defined write scope in Exchange Server 2010
  • 2925273 Folder views are not updated when you arrange by categories in Outlook after you apply Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 3 Update Rollup 3 or Update Rollup 4
  • 2924592 Exchange RPC Client Access service freezes when you open an attached file in Outlook Online mode in Exchange Server 2010
  • 2923865 Cannot connect to Exchange Server 2010 when the RPC Client Access service crashes

Notes:

  • If you want to speed up the update process for systems without internet access, you can follow the procedure described here to disable publisher’s certificate revocation checking.
  • If you got a DAG and want to properly update the DAG members, check the instructions here.
  • Rollups are cumulative, i.e. they contain fixes released in earlier update Rollups for the same product level (RTM, SP). This means you don’t need to install previous Rollups during a fresh installation but can start with the latest Rollup package.

As with any Hotfix, Rollup or Service Pack, I’d recommend to thoroughly test this rollup in a test and acceptance environment first, prior to implementing it in production.

You can download Exchange 2010 SP3 Rollup 6 here.