exchange 2000 problem

[billb]

doubt if any experts will be around on a sunday but worth a shot!:

I have exchange 2000 and all the clients can see their mail (after a long time going into outlook) but if you click to open a mail after a long time it says cannot open item. there are no obvious errors on the server event log?

any help appreciated...

[kdd]

billb said:

doubt if any experts will be around on a sunday but worth a shot!: I have exchange 2000 and all the clients can see their mail (after a long time going into outlook) but if you click to open a mail after a long time it says cannot open item. there are no obvious errors on the server event log? any help appreciated...

first thoughts: make sure the clients can resolve the name of the exchange server.

is it all the clients? or just a few?

[_DJ_]

I'd try to narrow down the problem a little bit more.
Presumably you have only one mailbox server?
I'd try:

1) To accessing the mailboxes using a protocol other than MAPI. i.e use OWA/POP/IMAP (POP is easiest as you can do it yourself using a telnet session).

2) Check name resolution

3) Check the Exchange Server can see an AD server (and a global catalog).

4) If you're using Outlook 2000 or later the clients can also see a GC

5) If all else fails, I'd double check those event logs. It could be that there is an issue with one of more of the databases/storage groups on the server.

DJ

[billb]

_DJ_ said:

I'd try to narrow down the problem a little bit more. Presumably you have only one mailbox server? I'd try: 1) To accessing the mailboxes using a protocol other than MAPI. i.e use OWA/POP/IMAP (POP is easiest as you can do it yourself using a telnet session). 2) Check name resolution 3) Check the Exchange Server can see an AD server (and a global catalog). 4) If you're using Outlook 2000 or later the clients can also see a GC 5) If all else fails, I'd double check those event logs. It could be that there is an issue with one of more of the databases/storage groups on the server. DJ

1 mailserver 200 odd clients
everyone can ping everyone by name and ip
owa does the same
theres no obvious errors in event log - am doing a very good back up at mo and then will play with isinteg etc

[kdd]

billb said:

owa does the same

what? work, or not work?

billb said:

theres no obvious errors in event log - am doing a very good back up at mo and then will play with isinteg etc

hope you are backing up with either the store dismounted, or a package that will do an online backup correctly....

only time I've seen what you describe, it was name resolution. owa to the server via name failed, but via IP was OK. once I worked out that outlook 2003 has this cached mode and switched it off to test, it failed to connect until I solved the name resolution problem.
I've heard of people having similar problems with stores that could do with a damn good defrag.....

[billb]

kdd said:

billb said: owa does the same what? work, or not work? billb said: theres no obvious errors in event log - am doing a very good back up at mo and then will play with isinteg etc hope you are backing up with either the store dismounted, or a package that will do an online backup correctly.... only time I've seen what you describe, it was name resolution. owa to the server via name failed, but via IP was OK. once I worked out that outlook 2003 has this cached mode and switched it off to test, it failed to connect until I solved the name resolution problem. I've heard of people having similar problems with stores that could do with a damn good defrag.....

u might have hit the nail on the head there - we've reached the 16 gb limit ( previous chap bought exchange not enterprise grrrr ) so a defrag was on the list - i deleted loads of mail after we hit the limit but thats around when the problem started

owa did the same as outlook (2000) in that you could see the mails but not go into them

fingers crossed on the defrag...

[kdd]

16gb of mail I suppose not working where mail is stored, just processed and sent on its way, I'm not used to that much of it sitting around!

a good defrag should help...... followed by that upgrade to enterprise

[_DJ_]

kdd said:

16gb of mail I suppose not working where mail is stored, just processed and sent on its way, I'm not used to that much of it sitting around! a good defrag should help...... followed by that upgrade to enterprise

Yup - that'll do it. For 300 mailboxes that's a hell of a lot of mail. I'd either a) get another server, b) upgrade that one to Enterprise or c) educate your users about archiving mail, set quotas and make sure you have a file server on hand to handle the PST's.

DJ

[kdd]

_DJ_ said:

Yup - that'll do it. For 300 mailboxes that's a hell of a lot of mail. I'd either a) get another server, b) upgrade that one to Enterprise or c) educate your users about archiving mail, set quotas and make sure you have a file server on hand to handle the PST's. DJ

I'd go with "a" and "c". "a" will give you some resilience in case of hardware failure, "c" will slow the buggers down a bit.

now all you have to do is get 'a' past the accountants......

[_DJ_]

kdd said:

_DJ_ said: Yup - that'll do it. For 300 mailboxes that's a hell of a lot of mail. I'd either a) get another server, b) upgrade that one to Enterprise or c) educate your users about archiving mail, set quotas and make sure you have a file server on hand to handle the PST's. DJ I'd go with "a" and "c". "a" will give you some resilience in case of hardware failure, "c" will slow the buggers down a bit. now all you have to do is get 'a' past the accountants......

I've been doing MCP exams all day and I was rewording that into a Microsoft style question in my head! I should have added 'select the suitable solutions frm the options below'. There are also a number of products which will auto archive the data to secondary storage to keep the size of the databases down (Veritas do one), so that can be e).



>> Edited by _DJ_ on Monday 5th January 17:45

[kdd]

_DJ_ said:

I've been doing MCP exams all day

gave up all the desktop support stuff a few years ago coz I started to really dislike M$. Now work for a non customer facing team doing all sorts.... but with Linux, Perl, Cisco, CGI etc.... don't really like exams, but must renew my CCNA this year for starters......

[_DJ_]

kdd said:

_DJ_ said: I've been doing MCP exams all day gave up all the desktop support stuff a few years ago coz I started to really dislike M$. Now work for a non customer facing team doing all sorts.... but with Linux, Perl, Cisco, CGI etc.... don't really like exams, but must renew my CCNA this year for starters......

Me too. I design solutions across a broad range of platforms but I like to stay up to date. I finish the win2003 upgrade tomorrow then just the rest to update (Citrix, Cisco and Solaris in that order), a fun start to 2004 then

>> Edited by _DJ_ on Monday 5th January 18:13

[kdd]

I like to play/keep up to date a little.... so have exchange2003 at home just for me with an smtp feed from my isp. mail goes through a linux box running qmail to filter spam with some home written perl.

was really impressed with the exch2000 -> exch2003 upgrade. stick the cd in, click next a lot, reboot. 2-3 hours, and it syncs with my IPAQ via the squinternet too
ok, theres a check list in there too to check you're not gonna break anything.

[_DJ_]

kdd said:

I like to play/keep up to date a little.... so have exchange2003 at home just for me with an smtp feed from my isp. mail goes through a linux box running qmail to filter spam with some home written perl. was really impressed with the exch2000 -> exch2003 upgrade. stick the cd in, click next a lot, reboot. 2-3 hours, and it syncs with my IPAQ via the squinternet too ok, theres a check list in there too to check you're not gonna break anything.

We used to run a VPN client to talk to Cisco concentrator and run Outlook 2000 from a Citrix server over the Internet on IPAQ's. Been a while since I've touched Exchange in anger though. Exch2003 looks like a good product, all the bits that got dropped in 2000 seem to have finally made it to production. I could do with playing with it once I've get some time!

[kdd]

_DJ_ said:

Cisco concentrator

_DJ_ said:

and run Outlook 2000 from a Citrix server over the Internet on IPAQ's. Been a while since I've touched Exchange in anger though. Exch2003 looks like a good product, all the bits that got dropped in 2000 seem to have finally made it to production. I could do with playing with it once I've get some time!

it does seem quite nice, but I have this phobia of allowing anything M$ to be seen from the internet, so my photo albums are on an apache server on a linux box, and mail goes to qmail on linux before being past to exchange.

if you use exch2003 with outlook2003 you get a really nice package. cache mode in case of network problems between client and server, and a couple of nice tick boxes that allow you to read mail in plain text, and not go downloading embedded pics (you know, those 1x1 web bugs )... and more.

Jeez, I sound like a M$ marketing bod.

Shoot me now

[billb]

_DJ_ said:

I'd try to narrow down the problem a little bit more. Presumably you have only one mailbox server? I'd try: 1) To accessing the mailboxes using a protocol other than MAPI. i.e use OWA/POP/IMAP (POP is easiest as you can do it yourself using a telnet session). 2) Check name resolution 3) Check the Exchange Server can see an AD server (and a global catalog). 4) If you're using Outlook 2000 or later the clients can also see a GC 5) If all else fails, I'd double check those event logs. It could be that there is an issue with one of more of the databases/storage groups on the server. DJ

how do u check mail via telnet via pop as things are still not well

[TheHobbit]

smtp:

telnet mailserver 25

then:
kdyson@kd kdyson $ telnet mailserver 25
Trying X.X.X.X...
Connected to mailserver
Escape character is '^]'.
220 mailservers banner
helo something
250 mailservers banner
mail from:<[e-mail]>
250 OK
rcpt to:<[e-mail]>
250 OK
data
354 go ahead
To: [e-mail]
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Test

This is the message body
. <-- this single dot on its own signifies the end of the body
250 <-- you should get a 250 if all ok

[_DJ_]

I'd imagine that as OWA is having the same problems it's not a protocol specific error. What size did you get that database down to after the defrag? Did you get the opportunity to check the integrity of the database? Have you enabled extra logging so you get extra information in the event logs?

For future reference, to check mail using telnet using POP3 you:

telnet <servername> pop3
user <userloginname>
pass <userpassword>
list
--You'll get a list of messages in the format <number1> <number 2>---
retr <one of the <number1> numbers listed above>
-- You'll then receive the message on the screen

In your situation I would expect the session to hang when you type RETR line then press return as it will not be able to retrieve the message from the information store

[_DJ_]

TheHobbit said:

smtp: telnet mailserver 25 then: kdyson@kd kdyson $ telnet mailserver 25 Trying X.X.X.X... Connected to mailserver Escape character is '^]'. 220 mailservers banner helo something 250 mailservers banner mail from:<[e-mail]> 250 OK rcpt to:<[e-mail]> 250 OK data 354 go ahead To: [e-mail] From: [e-mail] Subject: Test This is the message body . <-- this single dot on its own signifies the end of the body 250 <-- you should get a 250 if all ok

That's how to send mail using SMTP, not recieve it using POP3. The problem we've got is that clients cannot retrieve messages.

DJ

[TheHobbit]

pop:

telnet mailserver 110

you'll get a banner back

user username

pass password (in clear text )

"list" will show you a list of whats in the mailbox

"retr" will pull back a numbered mail, ie, after a "list" do "retr 3" to get mail 3

"dele" will delete a mail: "dele 3" for example.

"quit"