Knowing how to restart Exchange services can also be of use when you want to automate the starting of services when it goes down. The monitoring system you have in place should be able to detect that, and hopefully remediate it automatically so you’re not wasting cycles using manual intervention.

Requirements

In order to get started, we will certainly need to know a few things before hand. One of those things is obviously the name of the Server(s) that are running Exchange. Aside from that, having administrator rights on the box would be great.

Get Exchange Service Details

Before we touch base on restarting the services, we’ll want to know which services are going to be in scope so we’re not inadvertently restarting something that doesn’t need to be restarted. We have 2 options to get the information we need through Powershell. The first, we can use the Get-Service along with Invoke-Command to query the services. Second, we can use the Get-CimInstance along with the ComputerName parameter to query the machine for these services.
 

From a reporting standpoint, I personally like Get-CimInstance because it offers a bit more detail than the alternative. However, as far as actually restarting the services, we’ll stick to Get-Service and pipe it to Restart-Service to get the job done.
 

Get Exchange Service Details using Get-Service

As mentioned, we can use Get-Service to get the information we need. Let’s show a little snippet of how to do that.

Invoke-Command -ComputerName PAC-EXCH01 -ScriptBlock `
{Get-Service -Name *msexch* | select Name, DisplayName, StartType, Status}

Get Exchange Service Details using Get-CimInstance

Let’s cover the alternative for getting the exchange services using CimInstance.

Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Service -ComputerName PAC-EXCH01 -Filter "Name like '%MSEXCH%'" | `
select Name, DisplayName, StartMode, StartName, State

Restart Exchange Services with PowerShell

Now that we know how to query the services, we can use Powershell to see which services are Exchange related as well as which ones are supposed to be running using Where-Object, a fundamental Powershell function.

Invoke-Command -ComputerName PAC-EXCH01 -ScriptBlock `
{Get-Service -Name *msexch* | Where-Object {$_.StartType -match 'Automatic' -and $_.Status -ne 'Running'} | select Name, DisplayName, StartType, Status}

From here, we can simply pipe the results to Restart-Service. Here’s how to do that.

Invoke-Command -ComputerName PAC-EXCH01 -ScriptBlock `
{Get-Service -Name *msexch* | Where-Object {$_.StartType -match 'Automatic' -and $_.Status -ne 'Running'} | Restart-Service }

Conclusion

Hopefully we were able to showcase how to restart Exchange services with PowerShell and allow you to either setup monitoring using PS, or to simply restart the service if it just happens to not be running.
 

If you liked this article, be sure to check out Get Exchange Schema Version Using Powershell. Also, be sure to take a look at our YouTube Channel for more sysadmin videos.

The post Restart Exchange Services with PowerShell appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

Requirements

• The ActiveDirectory Powershell Module must be installed on the machine running the script
• Exchange Server Installed in your Domain

 
In order for things to run smoothly, we’ll need to make sure the machine running the script has the ActiveDirectory module installed. Aside from that, there are no specific permissions needed since this is available as read-only attributes to anyone in the domain. One caveat is that this has only been tested on Domains that have an Exchange Server installed so I’m sure it will error out if it doesn’t find the attributes it needs.

Get Exchange Schema Version Using Powershell

Here is the quick and easy way for finding exactly which Exchange Schema version you’re running in your environment.
 

Function Get-ExchangeSchemaVersion {
#requires -Module ActiveDirectory
<#
.SYNOPSIS
    This script check your current Exchange Schema Version.

.DESCRIPTION
    Microsoft Link for Exchange Server Versions
    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/plan-and-deploy/prepare-ad-and-domains?view=exchserver-2016#exchange-active-directory-versions
    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/plan-and-deploy/prepare-ad-and-domains?view=exchserver-2019#exchange-active-directory-versions

.NOTES
    Name: Get-ExchangeSchemaVersion
    Author: theSysadminChannel
    Version: 1.0
    LastUpdated: 2021-Nov-9

.LINK
    https://thesysadminchannel.com/get-exchange-schema-version-using-powershell -

.EXAMPLE
    Get-ExchangeSchemaVersion
#>

    [CmdletBinding()]
    param(
        #No Parameters needed in this case.
    )

    BEGIN {
        #Only 2016 and 2019 Version Are Supported to Display Exchange CU Version. 
        $ExchangeVersion = @{
            44798 = 'Exchange 2016 CU22'
            44796 = 'Exchange 2016 CU21'
            44793 = 'Exchange 2016 CU20'
            44791 = 'Exchange 2016 CU19'
            44788 = 'Exchange 2016 CU18'
            44786 = 'Exchange 2016 CU17'
            44783 = 'Exchange 2016 CU12'
            44782 = 'Exchange 2016 CU11'
            44781 = 'Exchange 2016 CU10'
            44779 = 'Exchange 2016 CU6'
            44775 = 'Exchange 2016 CU5'
            44774 = 'Exchange 2016 CU3'
            44773 = 'Exchange 2016 CU2'
            44770 = 'Exchange 2016 CU1'
            44763 = 'Exchange 2016 RTM'
            44594 = 'Exchange 2016 Preview'
            #
            47004 = 'Exchange 2019 CU11'
            47002 = 'Exchange 2019 CU10'
            46999 = 'Exchange 2019 CU9'
            46997 = 'Exchange 2019 CU8'
            46994 = 'Exchange 2019 CU7'
            46992 = 'Exchange 2019 CU6'
            46988 = 'Exchange 2019 CU1'
            46987 = 'Exchange 2019 RTM'

        }
    }

    PROCESS {
        try {
            $DomainController = Get-ADDomain | select -ExpandProperty PDCEmulator
            $ADRootDSE = Get-ADRootDSE -Server $Domaincontroller -ErrorAction Stop

            $UpperObject = "CN=ms-Exch-Schema-Version-Pt,"+$ADRootDSE.SchemaNamingContext
            $RangeUpper = Get-ADObject $UpperObject -Properties RangeUpper | select -ExpandProperty RangeUpper


            $NamingContext = "CN=Microsoft Exchange System Objects," + $ADRootDSE.DefaultNamingContext
            $ObjectVersion_Default = Get-ADObject $NamingContext -Properties ObjectVersion | select -ExpandProperty ObjectVersion

            $ConfigContext = $ADRootDSE.ConfigurationNamingContext
            $ObjectVersion_Configuration = Get-ADObject -LDAPFilter "(objectClass=msExchOrganizationContainer)" -SearchBase $ConfigContext -Properties ObjectVersion | select -ExpandProperty ObjectVersion

            [PSCustomObject]@{
                ExchangeVersion             = $ExchangeVersion[$RangeUpper + $ObjectVersion_Default + $ObjectVersion_Configuration]
                RangeUpper                  = $RangeUpper
                ObjectVersion_Default       = $ObjectVersion_Default
                ObjectVersion_Configuration = $ObjectVersion_Configuration
            }

        } catch {
            Write-Error $_.Exception.Message
        }
    }

    END {}
}

How to Confirm Exchange Version

Once you’ve determined the schema, you can also cross check with the Exchange Version that’s currently installed in your environment. I wrote another script to get Exchange Cumulative Update Version and Build Numbers Using Powershell so this will also be useful to determine the footprint. When I connect to my Exchange Server and run that function, I am showing as having “Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 1 (CU1)” installed which coincides with my schema version.

Conclusion

Hopefully this article was able to relay how to get Exchange Schema Version Using Powershell in your environment. If you liked this article, be sure to check out our other Powershell Posts as well as our Exchange Server category items.

The post Get Exchange Schema Version Using Powershell appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

Pros of Exchange Online

• Mailbox Uptime
• Microsoft has excellent SLAs in place to ensure your mailbox is online and accessible
• Maintenance for exchange on-prem won’t effect Exchange Online mailboxes
• Mailbox Flexibility
• With Exchange Online, you won’t have to connect to your company’s VPN to access your mailbox
• You can access it from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection
• Mailbox Security
• Exchange Online allows for simple and integrated implementation for Multi-Factor Authentication with Azure Active Directory
• Audit logs are also easily integrated and searchable
• Infrastructure and Storage
• One of the biggest benefits is not having to maintain a full blown Exchange environment
• Exchange Hybrid shops will still require an onprem exchange server but 1 server should be sufficient for your needs
• Exchange Online mailboxes can have 100GB + Unlimited Archiving
• Retention Policies and Litigation hold can keep a mailbox for as long as you need
• Your data has redundancy across the many Microsoft Datacenters

 

Pros of Exchange On-Premises

• Speed
• With Servers being hosted in your own Datacenter, often times it might be faster than the cloud
• Cost
• While Exchange Online does offer very competitive pricing, sometimes cost can be a factor

Conclusion

I’ve managed onprem Exchange and Exchange Online and I think a hybrid Exchange with your mailboxes migrated to the cloud is really the sweet spot. You get the benefits of the infrastructure, redundancy, security, vertical integration with other platforms and the flexibility to connect from anywhere. I love the fact that you can secure your account with Microsoft Authenticator and MFA and you don’t have to connect to your company’s VPN to access your mailbox. It’s also helpful for other services such as Microsoft Teams.

Although I would definitely prefer having my mailboxes hosted in Exchange Online, the decision is really dependent on each and every shop. Some shops might have very strict requirements and have to abide to certain laws. Hopefully this quick and dirty list of the pros and cons of Exchange Online vs On-Premises was helpful for you and made your decision to move to the cloud or stay onprem a bit easier.

If you are thinking of migrating your users to the cloud, using the Hybrid Exchange model, I’ve already got you covered. The process has gotten so much better (and easier) these days compared to the steps in the past. I even went ahead and made a step by step guide to installing Azure AD Connect and migrating users to the cloud.

Thank you for taking the time to view the benefits of exchange online and seeing what exchange On-Premises has to offer. If you want to see more cloud content, take a look at our Office 365 and Azure Active Directory categories. I’m sure there’s something there that will catch your eye.

The post Pros and Cons of Exchange Online vs On-Premises appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

 
I did happen to come across this Microsoft build numbers page but it isn’t so great if you want to check more than a handful of exchange servers. It just doesn’t scale very well and you still have to do some searching and manual conversions. I did some Google-fu and found that there was nothing like this online so I decided to create a script to parse the data and output the version using a hash table that we created.

Get Exchange Version and Build Numbers Using Powershell

This function uses the built in Get-ExchangeServer cmdlet as the base of this script because it does pull the Edition and the AdminDisplayVersion properties to formulate the output. Here is what that looks like.

PS C:\> Get-ExchangeServer | fl Name, Edition, AdminDisplayVersion

Name                : PAC-EXCH01
Edition             : Standard
AdminDisplayVersion : Version 15.2 (Build 330.5)

The problem is that there are no properties to show what CU update it is. The bigger problem is that Microsoft releases certain updates displaying the cumulative update version and not necessarily the build number.

Now we know the problem, so let’s get to the solution!

Get Exchange Version Powershell Script

Function Get-ExchangeVersion {
<#
.SYNOPSIS
    This script will get the cumulative update version for the specified exchange server.

.DESCRIPTION
    BuildNumbers link:
    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/new-features/build-numbers-and-release-dates?view=exchserver-2019


.NOTES   
    Name: Get-ExchangeVersion
    Author: theSysadminChannel
    Version: 1.0
    LastUpdated: 2021-Nov-9


.LINK
    https://thesysadminchannel.com/get-exchange-cumulative-update-version-and-build-numbers-using-powershell/ -


.EXAMPLE
    Get-ExchangeServer | Get-ExchangeVersion


.EXAMPLE
    Get-ExchangeVersion -ComputerName ExchSrv01, ExchSrv02
#>


    [CmdletBinding()]
    param(
        [Parameter(
            Mandatory = $true,
            ValueFromPipeline=$true,
            ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName=$true
            )]

        [string[]]  $ComputerName

    )

    BEGIN {
        #Creating the hash table with build numbers and cumulative updates
        $BuildToProductName = @{
            '14.3.123.4'   = 'Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 SP3'
            #
            '15.0.620.29'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 1 (CU1)'
            '15.0.712.24'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 2 (CU2)'
            '15.0.775.38'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 3 (CU3)'
            '15.0.847.32'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Service Pack 1 (CU4)'
            '15.0.913.22'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 5 (CU5)'
            '15.0.995.29'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 6 (CU6)'
            '15.0.1044.25' = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 7 (CU7)'
            '15.0.1076.9'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 8 (CU8)'
            '15.0.1104.5'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 9 (CU9)'
            '15.0.1130.7'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 10 (CU10)'
            '15.0.1156.6'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 11 (CU11)'
            '15.0.1178.4'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 12 (CU12)'
            '15.0.1210.3'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 13 (CU13)'
            '15.0.1236.3'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 14 (CU14)'
            '15.0.1263.5'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 15 (CU15)'
            '15.0.1293.2'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 16 (CU16)'
            '15.0.1320.4'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 17 (CU17)'
            '15.0.1347.2'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 18 (CU18)'
            '15.0.1365.1'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 19 (CU19)'
            '15.0.1367.3'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 20 (CU20)'
            '15.0.1395.4'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 21 (CU21)'
            '15.0.1473.3'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 22 (CU22)'
            '15.0.1497.2'  = 'Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 23 (CU23)'
            #
            '15.1.396.30'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 1 (CU1)'
            '15.1.466.34'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 2 (CU2)'
            '15.1.544.27'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 3 (CU3)'
            '15.1.669.32'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 4 (CU4)'
            '15.1.845.34'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 5 (CU5)'
            '15.1.1034.26' = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 6 (CU6)'
            '15.1.1261.35' = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 7 (CU7)'
            '15.1.1415.2'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 8 (CU8)'
            '15.1.1466.3'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 9 (CU9)'
            '15.1.1531.3'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 10 (CU10)'
            '15.1.1591.10' = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 11 (CU11)'
            '15.1.1713.5'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 12 (CU12)'
            '15.1.1779.2'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 13 (CU13)'
            '15.1.1847.3'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 14 (CU14)'
            '15.1.1913.5'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 15 (CU15)'
            '15.1.1979.3'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 16 (CU16)'
            '15.1.2044.4'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 17 (CU17)'
            '15.1.2106.2'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 18 (CU18)'
            '15.1.2176.2'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 19 (CU19)'
            '15.1.2242.4'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 20 (CU20)'
            '15.1.2308.8'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 21 (CU21)'
            '15.1.2375.7'  = 'Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 22 (CU22)'
            #
            '15.2.330.5'   = 'Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 1 (CU1)'
            '15.2.397.3'   = 'Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 2 (CU2)'
            '15.2.464.5'   = 'Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 3 (CU3)'
            '15.2.529.5'   = 'Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 4 (CU4)'
            '15.2.595.3'   = 'Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 5 (CU5)'
            '15.2.659.4'   = 'Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 6 (CU6)'
            '15.2.721.2'   = 'Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 7 (CU7)'
            '15.2.792.3'   = 'Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 8 (CU8)'

            '15.2.858.5'   = 'Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 9 (CU9)'
            '15.2.922.7'   = 'Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 10 (CU10)'
            '15.2.986.5'   = 'Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 11 (CU11)'
        }
    }

    PROCESS {
        foreach ($Computer in $ComputerName) {
            try {
                $Computer = $Computer.ToUpper()
                $Server = Get-ExchangeServer $Computer -ErrorAction Stop

                $Version = $Server.AdminDisplayVersion
                $Version = [regex]::Matches($Version, "(\d*\.\d*)").value -join '.'

                $Product = $BuildToProductName[$Version]

                $Object = [pscustomobject]@{
                    ComputerName = $Computer
                    Edition      = $Server.Edition
                    BuildNumber  = $Version
                    ProductName  = $Product
                    
                }
                Write-Output $Object

            } catch {
                Write-Error "$_.Exception.Message"

            } finally {
                $Server  = $null
                $Version = $null
                $Product = $null

            }
        }
    }


    END {}
}

Here you can see what the output would look like when we run Get-ExchangeServer and pipe it out to Get-ExchangeVersion.

I’ve used this script in multiple environments and with multiple exchange servers to easily convert build numbers to the corresponding exchange cumulative update version. I’ll do my best to keep this hash table of build numbers and cumulative updates up to date as more releases get published. This should be your one stop shop to get exchange version with Powershell.

The post Get Exchange Version and Build Numbers Using PowerShell appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

If you have any questions regarding the process, be sure to leave a comment and I’ll do my best to get back to you.

Update SSL Certificates for Exchange 2019 by Generating a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)

• Start out by opening a browser and navigating to https://YourExchangeServer/ecp


 

• Next, click on Servers -> Certificates -> Add Icon


 

• The default, Create a request for a certificate from a certificate authority should be selected


 

• Enter in a friendly name for your cert


I chose to append the expiration date to my friendly name so I can see just by looking at it, when the cert expires.


 
• If you want a wildcard, click the setting and enter in the root domain. Otherwise, enter the exact name that will be used.


 

• Click browse to select the server. Click next


 

• Enter the details regarding your organization


 

• Enter in a path that you have access to


 

• Once the wizard has successfully completed, you should see a pending request in your ECP


 

• Navigate to the saved location and open with Notepad or editor of your choice


 

• IMPORTANT: You need to submit that newly created cert req to your public SSL provider so they can provide you the actual .CER file.
• Once you’ve obtained the .CER from your Cert Provider, go back to Servers -> Certificates and click Complete
• Provide the location for the .CER file


 

• Once a valid .CER file has been uploaded, the status should change to Valid
• Double Click the newly added cert and go to Service. Add SMTP and IIS services

 
At this point you should be able to go into your certificate store and export the .PFX file for use with ADFS or other services that require a private key. The path is generally going to be found under Cert:\LocalMachine\My

Hopefully this answers some questions and helps you update SSL Certificates for Exchange 2019 in your environment. The first time I did it, it was very daunting but once you have an understanding of the process, it makes more sense. Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to our Youtube Channel for some interesting video content and good times.

The post How To Update SSL Certificates for Exchange 2019 appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

I went to take a look at the logs located in C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15\TransportRoles\Logs\Hub\ProtocolLog\SmtpSend and found the following:
“Failed to connect. Winsock error code: 10060, Win32 error code: 10060, Destination domain: gmail.com, Error Message: A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond redactedIP:25.”

Fix for Winsock Error Code: 10060

Since the error – Exchange Failed to Connect Winsock Error Code: 10060 was out of my control and nothing to do with my configuration, I had to call my ISP to see if they would unblock port 25 for me. They weren’t able to. Thanks ISP

If you’re running into that error, now you know where to start to get that working. In any event, don’t forget to subscribe to our Youtube Channel

The post [Solved] Exchange Failed to Connect Winsock Error Code: 10060, Win32 Error Code: 10060 appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

Moving a mailbox database actually really simple however, it does take some planning to make sure everything goes smoothly. The reason being is that whenever a database is moved, it first needs to be dismounted and taken offline. This means that anyone on that database will temporarily lose access their email until the mailbox database is remounted and back online. For this reason, I suggest moving a mailbox database immediately after installing exchange on the server to avoid any down time.

Move an Exchange Server 2019 Mailbox Database

Before you begin moving the database I typically like to rename it from the default. The Get-MailboxDatabase and Set-MailboxDatabase is used for that. Here is the command for that.

Get-MailboxDatabase 'Mailbox Database 0667016325' | Set-MailboxDatabase -Name MailboxDB01

Now that the database has renamed let’s go ahead and move it with Move-DatabasePath

Move-DatabasePath MailboxDB01 -EdbFilePath 'E:\ExchangeDB\PAC-EXCH01\MailboxDB01.edb' -LogFolderPath 'E:\ExchangeDB\PAC-EXCH01\Logs\'

As mentioned before, the database will be dismounted and the files will be copied to the new locations. Once this completes, the database is mounted again and you will need to confirm everything is working after the DB has been moved. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time as this entire migration is dependent on the size of the database.

Thanks for taking the time to learn how to Move an Exchange Server 2019 Mailbox Database.

The post How To Move an Exchange Server 2019 Mailbox Database appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.