Thoughtsofanidlemind's Blog

  • The myth surrounding the use of ESEUTIL to rebuild databases

    Some people still believe that it is a good thing to run the ESEUTIL utility to defragment or rebuild an Exchange database. I can’t see why this myth persists, so here’s an attempt to drive a stake into its heart. ESEUTIL is a blunt instrument that was badly needed in…

  • Connecting to Exchange 2010 with PowerShell

    One of Microsoft’s goals for Exchange 2010 is to provide administrators with the ability to manage servers from workstations without requiring the installation of the Exchange 2010 management components. Obviously some pre-requisites exist in that PowerShell 2.0 and Windows Remote Management must be installed on the workstation before you can…

  • The very useful ExFolders utility

    Amongst the features deprecated (others would say “amputated”) from Exchange 2010 is support for the WebDAV (or just plain “DAV”) interface. Exchange 2000 was the first version to support WebDAV and at the time, it seemed that WebDAV would become the interface that programmers would use to access data in…

  • I miss the Microsoft Exchange Conference (MEC)!

    Update March 6, 2012: Well, the lobbying has succeeded and Microsoft has announced that they are bringing back MEC. You can get more information from MECisBack.com or read my take on the new MEC on WindowsITPro.com. ———- I first attended the late lamented Microsoft Exchange Conference (MEC) in Austin, TX…

  • Granting write permission for calendar sharing with OWA 2010

    The calendar sharing feature introduced in Outlook Web App 2010 (OWA) allows a user to grant access to their calendar to another user. To access the option, click on the Share option when in the Calendar and then on Share This Calendar. You’ll then be able to select the user(s)…

  • Cloud Computing Explained – A good guide

    Cloud Computing is all the rage these days but people tend to think about their own piece of the IT spectrum when it comes to considering how cloud computing will affect the industry. I guess that’s natural. In any case, if you’re looking for a concise book that drags together…

  • Eight essential aspects influencing the publication of good technical books

    A recent remark in a LinkedIn.com forum stated “Please do not use Microsoft Press and “Technical Editing” in the same sentence. Have you ever seen the 1st editions of the Technical books?” I believe that the general thrust of the statement was that the technical editing done for first editions…

  • Odd seeding behavior for an Exchange 2010 database copy

    I run a virtual Exchange 2010 environment on my HP Elitebook 8530w laptop (8GB memory, SSD for the VM files). Usually things run along without a hitch but sometimes the USB connection to the SSD experiences a mild panic attack that causes it to disconnect from Windows. At that point…

  • Active Directory book available for iPad or iPhone

    While I use a 3GS iPhone, I must admit that I have not gotten into iPad. Maybe I’ll do so after Apple upgrades the device to V2.0, whenever that might be. In any case, I was intrigued to find that “Active Directory, 4th edition” from O’Reilly Books is now available…

  • Accessing Exchange 2010 mailbox move history data

    By default, the Exchange 2010 Mailbox Replication Service (MRS) keeps the last two logs for moves performed on a mailbox.  Each log occupies approximately 300KB and, if desired, you can increase the number of logs that MRS keeps by editing its configuration file (MSExchangeMailboxReplication.exe.config), which is kept in the Exchange…