Microsoft Sender ID Framework SPF Record Wizard

Another useful tool to create the SPF record

http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/safety/content/technologies/senderid/wizard/

Exchange Server 2003 Public Folder Mail Enable or Disable Option

In Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5, all public folders were mail-enabled and hidden by default. In Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 2003, folders can be mail-enabled or mail-disabled, depending on whether the Exchange Server organization is in mixed mode or in native mode.

If Exchange Server 2003 is in mixed mode, the Mail Disable is not available when right-click a public folder / All Tasks in Exchange System Manager, only the Mail Enable option is available (even the public folder is already mail enabled).

To access the Mail Disable option, change Exchange Server 2003 to native mode.

Reference:

• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124684(v=exchg.65).aspx
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/270143
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/327779

Exchange Server 2010 Migration Articles

Some articles about Exchange Server 2010 Migration

• Migrating from Exchange Server 2003 to Exchange Server 2010: A Small Organization Perspective
• Real-World Exchange Server 2010 Migration: Preparing for the Move

Book Resources, e.g. conference room, in Outlook 2010

See http://www.windowsitpro.com/article/outlook2010/Q-How-can-I-book-resources-such-as-a-conference-room-in-Outlook-2010-

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) Deployment

After testing the outgoing email server, I find my outgoing server is missing the SPF record.  By looking at the Sender Policy Framework site, the deployment is fairly simple if you can edit your DNS records.  The web site provides the wizard to create the SPF record.  Once the SPF record is created, just add it to your domain’s TXT record.  And rerun the outgoing email test to verify the deployment.

Test Outgoing Email Server with Some of the “Best Practices”

While searching the greylisting topic about email delivery problem, I find the “All About Spam” web site offers an outgoing email server test page.  It’s a useful tool to learn about your email server compliance; and its report also provides the information on what you can do to make your email not been blocked by the recipient email server.

All About Spam Email Server Test Page can test your outgoing email server with the following technologies/RFC compliance:

1. HELO Greeting
2. Reverse DNS
3. DNSBL (RBL)
4. SPF
5. Domain Keys
6. SPAMAssassin Content Checks
7. BATV (Bounce Address Tag Validation)
8. Greylisting
9. URIBL

Testing Process

1. Send an Email to test@allaboutspam.com
2. That email will bounce with a URL in the bounce message.
3. Either click on the URL or Copy/paste the URL in a browser.
4. You will see report on your Email Server.

Greylisting – Use Against E-mail Spam

Definition: In name, as well as operation, greylisting is related to whitelisting and blacklisting. What happen is that each time a given mailbox receives an email from an unknown contact (ip), that mail is rejected with a "try again later"-message (This happens at the SMTP layer and is transparent to the end user). This, in the short run, means that all mail gets delayed at least until the sender tries again - but this is where spam loses out! Most spam is not sent out using RFC compliant MTAs; the spamming software will not try again later.

Source: http://www.greylisting.org/

Exchange Server Licensing

• One Exchange server license per Exchange server
• Exchange Standard v.s Enterprise edition:
• 5 databases per Standard edition
• 100 databases per Enterprise edition
• For database availability group (DAG), do not need Exchange Enterprise edition; however, must have Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise edition.
• One client access license (CAL) per user
• Standard v.s. Enterprise CAL:
• Enterprise CALs are add-ons to Standard CALs.  To buy Enterprise CALs must buy the amount of Standard CALs.
• Enterprise CAL features:
• Unified messaging
• Custom retention policies
• Advanced Exchange ActiveSync policies
• Per-user or per-distribution-list journaling
• Personal Archive feature
• Multi-mailbox search
• Information protection and control feature set

Comparison of Exchange ActiveSync Clients

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Exchange_ActiveSync_Clients

Exchange Server 2010 RAM Recommendations

• 1GB per CPU core for Edge Transport and Hub Transport servers
• 2GB per core for Unified Messaging and Client Access servers
• For Mailbox servers, 4GB plus between 3MB and 30MB per mailbox (so somewhere between 7GB and 34GB for a 1,000-mailbox server)
• 2GB per core for servers that combine Hub Transport and Client Access servers
• For servers that combine the Mailbox role with other roles, a minimum of 8GB (4GB plus 3-30MB/mailbox)

Reference: Exchange 2010: Can You Have Too Much RAM? and Understanding Memory Configurations and Exchange Performance