Alexander’s Blog

The following is a list of common Exchange Server 2010 features that are managed in the Exchange Management Console (EMC), as documented by Microsoft.

By default, Exchange names the first database “Mailbox Database” and adds a random number to it, e.g. Mailbox Database 1743522922. The random number ensures that the database is going to be unique. Obviously, as an Administrator I would prefer to have names that make more sense to me. I would much rather name my databases Mailbox Database 1, Mailbox Database 2, etc. or perhaps Mailbox DB1, Mailbox DB2, etc. Fortunately, moving the mailbox and the log file path to a different location and renaming the mailbox database is very simple. There is no need for you to first create a new database, move everything to that new database and then delete the old database.

Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to move the mailbox and the log file path and then rename the mailbox database in Exchange Server 2010.

Moving the Database & Log File Path

1. Open Exchange Management Console (EMC) and go to Organization Configuration, Mailbox.
2. Right-click Mailbox Database in the center pane and select Move Database Path.
   
3. Enter the database file path and the log folder path. For example, if you would like to rename the new database Mailbox DB1 and move it to Drive D, then enter something like the following:
   D:\Exchange Databases\Mailbox\Mailbox DB1\Mailbox DB1.edb
   D:\Exchange Logs\Mailbox DB1

   Notice that the current name of the database is grayed out. In a moment we will rename the original database.
   

4. Click Move, then click Finish.

Renaming the Original Database

1. Right-click the database and select Properties.
   
2. Change the name of the Mailbox in the description box and click OK. This is all you have to do to rename the database. In my case the original name was Mailbox Database 1743522922 and I changed it to Mailbox DB1.
   

There is no need to reboot the server. At this point I’ve renamed the original database called Mailbox Database 1743522922 to Mailbox DB1 and moved the database file as well as the log file path to a new location.

I have been discouraging people from sending error reports to Microsoft for years. Microsoft’s own security experts agree that sending error reports to Microsoft is not a good idea for security reasons. One reason that I have been given was the fact that the information is sent to Microsoft unencrypted. Well, with Exchange Server 2010 Microsoft has announced that it is now using HTTPS to secure the transmission when the errors are reported to Microsoft. That’s good news. However, what is not good news is that your personal information may still be at risk. If you are okay with risking your personal information, then sending error reporting to Microsoft can be a noble cause. For those of you who are not okay with risking your private information, I suggest you do not enable error reporting.

Here’s the screen shot from Exchange Server 2010 installation wizard telling you that your transmission will be secured with HTTPS and at the same time warning you that your personal information may be at risk. However, Microsoft should be commended for making the default option to be NO, even though their recommended option is YES. I like it when vendors don’t intentionally try to trick consumers and let the consumers decide what they want after they have been given all the options. While in some other cases, such as certain Windows Vista and Windows 7 features and Microsoft Security Essentials, the exact opposite is true, in this case Microsoft and the Exchange team deserves a thank you and a pat on the back.

My students are always asking me where to get the evaluation copies of various Microsoft products. I’ve put together a list of some of the latest software evaluation downloads. My goal is to try and keep this list updated but frankly it is going to be challenging because Microsoft is known for changing the URLs without any redirection. Here is a list of either free or trial editions of some of the popular Microsoft products. A typical Microsoft evaluation software includes a 180-day trial but some are limited to 60 or 90 days.

1. Exchange Server 2010 (120-Day Trial)
2. Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) 2010 (180-day Trial)
3. Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2006 (180-day Trial)
4. Office Communications Server 2007 R2 (180-Day Trial)
5. Office Professional Plus 2010 (60-day Trial)
6. Project Professional 2010 (60-day Trial)
7. SharePoint Foundation 2010 (Free)
8. SharePoint Server 2010 (180-day Trail)
9. Small Business Server 2008 (60-day Trial)
10. SQL Server 2008 Enterprise (180-day Trial)
11. SQL Server 2008 R2 (180-day Trial)
12. System Center Data Protection Manager 2010 (180-day Trial)
13. System Center Essentials 2010 (180-day Trial)
14. System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 (180-day Trial)
15. Visio Premium 2010 (60-day Trial)
16. Windows 7 Enterprise (90-day Trial)
17. Windows Server 2008 R2 (180-day Trial)

WARNING! I should warn you that sometimes when you download a trial software you may think that you are opting out of receiving phone calls and e-mails from Microsoft but you are not. For more information read my blog post: When Microsoft Says No, It May Mean Yes.

Microsoft offers more free products to consumers than any software manufacturer I know. And I am not talking about free evaluation software, I am talking about free tools, utilities and various products and services. Besides software, Microsoft offers these free TechNet and MSDN labs. These are a series of guided, hands-on labs which can be completed in 90 minutes or less. SharePoint Foundation 2010, which I included in the above list for convenience, is a free product from Microsoft. In the past, it was known as Windows SharePoint Services (WSS).

Last Updated: May 27, 2011

First of all, make sure that you have assigned proper permissions before you perform a remote wipe. To see what permissions you need, go to the “Exchange ActiveSync Permissions” section in this document.

1. Open Outlook Web App.
2. Sign in to the device owner’s mailbox.
3. Click Options.
4. In the Navigation Pane, select Phone.
5. Click the Mobile Phones tab.
6. Select the ID of the mobile phone that you want to wipe and remove from the list.
7. Click Wipe device.
8. Click OK.
9. Click Remove Device.