Exchange Server Pro » Books

Review: Microsoft Exchange 2010 PowerShell Cookbook

Paul Cunningham — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:30:01 +0000

PowerShell is hands down one of the most important skills than an Exchange administrator can learn. You can do a lot in Exchange Server 2010 using the GUI administration tools, but eventually you’re going to have to drop into the shell to do some deeper administration or simply to save time on bulk admin.

My first contact with PowerShell was when Exchange Server 2007 was released. I dipped into the shell only when absolutely necessary, preferring to stay in the GUI whenever possible. As time went on I found myself using the shell more and more, and developing a few scripts in my tool kit for some of the repetitive tasks that came with working primarily on Exchange deployments and migrations.

Today I’m working on a team that manages an Exchange Server environment of over 80,000 mailboxes, so using PowerShell on a regular basis is pretty much mandatory. Because of this I’ve been on the lookout for a good book that deals specifically with PowerShell for Exchange Server 2010.

Well it looks like that book has finally arrived in Microsoft Exchange 2010 PowerShell Cookbook by Mike Pfeiffer.

Mike is an Exchange MVP, a Microsoft Certified Master on Exchange 2010, and someone whose blog I’ve followed for quite a while now. When my copy of his book arrived I decided to have a quick look at it just before I went to bed. Over an hour later I was still reading, it is just that good!

PowerShell Key Concepts

The first chapter of the book dives into the fundamentals of PowerShell and how they apply to Exchange Server 2010. Back when I first started learning PowerShell I started with a book that was about the topic in general, rather than being specifically written about Exchange. I think that is one of the reasons I was not immediately enthusiastic about learning PowerShell, because I wasn’t learning skills that I could use immediately.

Mike has done well to introduce PowerShell for the reader in an interesting way and kept it on topic for Exchange through the entire first chapter. I really like the way it delivers value straight away with this approach.

Routine Exchange Server Administration

The next few chapters of Microsoft Exchange 2010 PowerShell Cookbook go through the use of PowerShell to perform the sorts of tasks an Exchange Server administrator would encounter on a daily basis – mailboxes, distribution groups, public folders and so on.

Next Mike dives into each of the Exchange 2010 server roles. Every section of these chapters delivers a useful command or sample script, such as creating an ActiveSync device report, performing message tracking log searches on multiple Transport servers at once, or reporting on average mailbox sizes.

The style of delivery is perfect for these chapters, following a simple but effective “What we want to do”, “How to do it”, and “How it works” pattern.

Advanced Exchange Server Administration

The last few chapters of Microsoft Exchange 2010 PowerShell Cookbook get into more advanced territory. Mike has written some in-depth advice on topics such as:

Scripting the deployment of Exchange Server 2010 high availability
Compliance and auditing
Monitoring and troubleshooting

There is also a closing chapter on scripting with the Exchange Web Services API, so that guys like me can throw away our dusty old VBS scripts for sending emails and use PowerShell with EWS instead, and create scripts for deeper reporting on mailbox content.

Summary

Like I said earlier I’ve been looking for the perfect book for using PowerShell with Exchange Server 2010, and this book has finally filled that need. If you’re an Exchange Server administrator looking to be more efficient, or you want to learn the skills to win you a job in bigger Exchange Server environments, then I definitely recommend you pick up a copy of Microsoft Exchange 2010 PowerShell Cookbook.

Get more Exchange Server tips at ExchangeServerPro.com

Exchange Server 2010 Training

Paul Cunningham — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 13:54:37 +0000

I’m often asked which is the best way to learn Exchange Server 2010. People are interested in either learning about Exchange Server 2010 for their job, or they want to learn about it so that they can pass the Microsoft certification exams.

The best Exchange Server 2010 training option for you will really depend on how you prefer to learn new skills. Some people like books, some like videos, and some just like to get hands on. So here are my recommendations for the different ways for you to do Exchange Server 2010 training.

How to Learn Exchange Server 2010 for Free

The cheapest way to do Exchange Server 2010 training is, obviously, to do it for free.

You can get free beginner’s training in the Exchange 2010 Boot Camp, which is a free video training series that I have produced.

Or if you’d prefer to use different training materials, then all it takes is a little bit of effort to seek out the resources that you will need.

First of all there is the software. The basic components you will need are:

Windows Server 2008 64-bit – you can download the 180-day evaluation version here.
Exchange Server 2010 – you can download the SP2 build here, and it will run for 120 days in trial mode. The certification exams are mostly aligned with RTM, and SP1 did change a few things so make sure you learn the differences if you plan to sit the exams.

If you’d rather get a pre-configured Exchange 2010 lab environment you could also download the Exchange Server 2010 VHD packages.

If you are willing to spend a little money getting a TechNet subscription makes it a lot easier to get access to Microsoft software and run it for longer than the normal evaluation periods.

The next thing you need if you plan to sit the certification exams is the exam preparation guides.

For exam 70-662 (MCTS: Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, Configuring) the preparation guide is here
For exam 70-663 (MCITP: Designing and Deploying Messaging Solutions with Microsoft Exchange Server 2010) the preparation guide is here

Work through the list of skills measured for each, and seek out the documentation that explains each of those items.

You’ll find all of it documented in the Exchange Server TechCenter on TechNet. The TechNet information for Exchange Server 2010 is actually very good, though sometimes it would benefit from more diagrams. The biggest downsides to using TechNet is that the content is not always structured in a way that makes sense for training.

Exchange Server 2010 Training Books

If you’re looking for more of an structured, instructional approach to learning Exchange 2010 then the official training kits from Microsoft Press are a good option.

These training kits align with the skills measured in the exam preparation guides. They are written as a learning tool, with good explanations and step by step demonstrations, rather than being a reference like TechNet.

I used to avoid getting training books because their size and weight made it impractical to carry them with me each day, but these days with ebooks and the Kindle for PC software it is a lot more convenient to have a library of these types of technical books on hand for training and reference.

Each exam has it’s own training kit. The books for exam 70-662 and exam exam 70-663 are both available now.

If you’re shopping for books I also recommend you pick up a copy of Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Best Practices which is an invaluable reference.

Exchange Server 2010 Training Programs

For the last few years my personal favourite learning method has been video training. For some reason I just enjoy the format more and tend to learn faster. I can sit through a few hours of video in one session, whereas with books I tend to last only an hour or so without taking lots of breaks.

I also like that video lets me see Exchange Server 2010 in action even at times when I am away from any Exchange servers to work with. And most video training also comes with audio versions as well. I’ve spent a lot of time in my car driving long distances for work while listening to Exchange 2010 training MP3s on my iPod.

For Exchange Server 2010 certification I used the video training from Train Signal. I wrote reviews of the two courses they sell – for exam 70-662 here, and exam 70-663 here.

The video training costs more than books, but if you prefer video and audio like I do then they are worth paying the extra for. I scored 978 and 962 when I sat the two exams and I think the Train Signal courses had a lot to do with that.

Which Exchange Server 2010 Training is Best for You?

So with all of these options available which one should you choose? My recommendations are:

If you’re on a tight budget and have no money to spend, start with the Exchange 2010 Boot Camp, or download the trial software or the VHD images and use TechNet to get started
If you’ve got a little money to spend then go for the Microsoft Press training books
If you can afford the video training courses and like me you learn faster from video, then order those
If you can afford a TechNet subscription to go along with any of the above training options, I highly recommend you get one

I hope you found that useful in answering some of your Exchange Server 2010 training questions. If you have any further questions please feel free to ask them in the comments below or get in touch with me using the contact form on this site.

Get more Exchange Server tips at ExchangeServerPro.com

Outlook 2010 Inside Out for Exchange Server Pros

Paul Cunningham — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:00:15 +0000

One of my favorite things about working with Exchange Server is the way it exposes you to every layer of IT.

From the data center to the end user and everything in between, Exchange Server pros need experience with such a broad range of concepts, products and technologies that it can sometimes be overwhelming.

At the end user level there is the Outlook client itself, the most heavily used application in many businesses. So much of our back-end server architecture and administration is for the benefit of the end user experience.

Think about new Exchange Server 2010 features such as Mail Tips and Rights Management integration, and other common scenarios such as delegation and shared mailbox access. These types of daily usage scenarios make Outlook one of the most important applications an Exchange Server admin needs to know and understand.

With so much to understand I look for resources that are good for both fast learning and ongoing reference material. Which is why I am excited to see the release of Microsoft Outlook 2010 Inside Out from MS Press.

At just over 1000 pages long this book is the ultimate Outlook reference for Exchange Server pros. It covers the total end user functionality and also includes a section decicated to using Outlook with Exchange Server.

Definitely a must have for your Exchange Server library.

Get more Exchange Server tips at ExchangeServerPro.com

The Ultimate Exchange Server 2007 Toolkit

Paul Cunningham — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 05:02:04 +0000

If you are regularly deploying or administering Exchange Server 2007 environments then chances are there are some pieces of software and documentation that you regularly need to make use of. Today I thought I would share with you what is in my own Exchange 2007 toolkit.

Software

Operating Systems

Naturally it pays to have copies of the Windows Server CD media on hand. If you don’t like carrying CD’s then having ISOs that you can mount is usually just as good.

Windows Server 2003 32-bit and 64-bit (both Standard and Enterprise, and R2) CD media, slipstreamed with SP2.
Windows Server 2008 32-bit and 64-bit DVD media (includes all the bits for both Standard and Enterprise on it) with SP2.

Exchange Pre-Requisites

When deploying Exchange 2007 on Windows Server 2003 there are several pre-requisites needed. Having these ready to copy to the server saves a lot of time finding and downloading them:

.NET 2.0 with Service Pack 1 (x86 and x64)
MMC 3.0 (x86 and x64)
PowerShell (x86 and x64)

Even though production Exchange systems are only deployed on 64-bit servers I include both the 32-bit and 64-bit pre-requisites in my toolkit for situations where the Exchange 2007 schema extension is performed on a 32-bit domain controller.

Windows Server 2008 deployments don’t need any special software because all of the Exchange 2007 pre-requisites can be installed via the command line.

Exchange Installation Source

The latest build of Exchange 2007 is SP3 and is available as a complete install (ie, doesn’t require you to install RTM and then apply SP3). Again even though only 64-bit is used for production Exchange servers I still carry the 32-bit version with me for schema extensions and for installing the management tools on administrative workstations.

You can download both 32-bit and 64-bit install source here.

Planning, Deployment and Troubleshooting Tools

When you are planning or testing a new Exchange Server 2007 deployment these tools are are essential.

Exchange 2007 Mailbox Server Role Storage Requirements Calculator (download here)
Microsoft Exchange Server Jetstress Tool (x86 and x64)
Exchange Load Generator (x86 and x64)
Exchange Server Stress and Performance Tool (x86 and x64)
Microsoft Exchange Server Profile Analyzer (x86 and x64)
Microsoft Exchange Best Practices Analyzer v2.8
2007 Office System Converter: Microsoft Filter Pack here, plus the reg script here
FBA Editor, for customizing ISA/TMG logon forms
DNSLint, for AD replication troubleshooting
Microsoft Active Directory Topology Diagrammer for generating Visio diagrams
ADmodify for bulk object editing, useful in GAL segregation scenarios
Microsoft Exchange Server Public Folder DAV-based Administration Tool
Microsoft Exchange Troubleshooting Assistant v1.1
Exchange 2007 Anti Spam Migration Tool
MFCMAPI
Automatic Fix-It package for installing Exchange on Domain Controllers

Documentation

Microsoft provides downloadable help files for Exchange 2007 that are invaluable when out in the field, especially if you happen to be without internet access and need information fast.

While there are many good Exchange 2007 books around most of them are too big and heavy to carry out in the field. That is why I carry the Administrator’s Pocket Consultant with me. However will also list here the other books that I keep in the office for reference:

Want to work with Exchange Server 2007?

If you’re interested in working with Exchange Server 2007 you may want to:

Get certified. I’ve completed both the MCTS certification, and MCITP certification for Exchange 2007 using these two books.
Download my Exchange Server 2007 Transition Guide to learn how to migrate from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2007.
Read my Project Coconut series, a real world Exchange 2007 deployment I recently worked on.
Subscribe to my RSS feed, so you can keep up to date with all of my Exchange related blog posts.

Get more Exchange Server tips at ExchangeServerPro.com

Free Microsoft Exchange ebooks

Paul Cunningham — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:34:07 +0000

From MSExchange.org:

Configuring Microsoft Exchange for Fast Recovery is a free e-book available from Realtime Publishers.

Microsoft Exchange is the premiere authority for email in today’s global marketplace. With the impact email has on the workplace and corporate communications, along with the advent of Exchange Server 2007, maintaining an optimal environment is vital. This includes building a resilient environment that can recover from unexpected interruptions.

The Essentials Series: Configuring Microsoft Exchange for Fast Recovery will provide you with the tools for configuring hardware backup and restoration strategies to help return Exchange to full function with minimal downtime.

The download is available here at the Realtime Publishers website. There are other free ebooks available as well, but be warned you need to jump through some registration and personal information hoops to get access to them.

Get more Exchange Server tips at ExchangeServerPro.com

Enterprise Systems Backup and Recovery (Book)

Paul Cunningham — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:53:45 +0000

Dan lets us know that the book Enterprise Systems Backup and Recovery: A Corporate Insurance Policy written by local guru Preston De Guise is available now. The book is a platform-agnostic guide to comprehensive backup and recovery systems and should be compulsory reading for IT decision makers.

In the author’s own words:

Instead of focusing on any individual backup product, this book recommends corporate procedures and policies that need to be established for comprehensive data protection.

It provides relevant information to any organisation, regardless of which operating systems or applications are deployed, what backup system is in place, or what planning has been done for business continuity.

It explains how backup must be included in every phase of system planning, development, operation, and maintenance. It also provides techniques for analyzing and improving current backup system performance.

I’ve tangled with many different backup systems in my career and in at least half of those environments the problems with the backup systems were not due to sloppy implementation, rather they were due to unclear corporate policies and lack of high level support for a proper investment in data protection.

Enterprise Systems Backup and Recovery: A Corporate Insurance Policy covers everything from basic concepts, common myths, human responsibilities, retention policies, recovery strategies, handling of media, through to advanced enterprise concepts, how to provide documentation and training, and how to monitor an enterprise backup system.

Buy it now: Amazon | CRCPress | Booktopia

Get more Exchange Server tips at ExchangeServerPro.com

Microsoft Certification – The Mark Russinovich Exam

Paul Cunningham — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:00:55 +0000

Microsoft has released information for exam 70-660, TS: Windows Internals. This might be an odd sounding title to anyone who has never heard of Mark Russinovich or Sysinternals. From the MS Learning site:

This exam validates deep technical skills in the area of Windows Internals. Including troubleshooting operating systems that are not performing as expected or applications that are not working correctly, identifying code defects, and developing and debugging applications that run unmanaged code or that are tightly integrated with the operating system, such as Microsoft SQL Server, third party applications, antivirus software, and device drivers.

If that makes little sense take a look at Mark’s blog on Technet and you’ll see the type and depth of content they are talking about.

Candidates for this exam are engineers, developers, or IT staff who work with Windows at a level that requires Windows Internals knowledge. Candidates for this exam are typically in the upper echelon of the technical staff at their companies. These individuals typically hold such positions as escalation engineer, technical lead, and software design engineer. Their level of knowledge spans products both inside and outside the Microsoft Corporation. These individuals are involved in resolving problems that require deep understanding of Windows Internals rather than problems about planning and infrastructure development or how to use or configure a product that runs on Windows.

Sounds like a pretty tough exam, and the preparation looks even tougher. Though the exam is (apparently) available from October 10th this year, currently the preparation materials listed are as follows:

Classroom Training – There is no classroom training currently available.
Microsoft E-Learning – There is no Microsoft E-Learning training currently available.
Microsoft Press Books – There are no Microsoft Press books currently available.
Practice Tests – There are no practice tests currently available.

So that makes preparing for a tough exam pretty difficult. But its a pretty safe bet that the exam is going to cover the topics listed in Mark’s two books, Windows Internals 4th Edition (for 2000, XP, and 2003) and Windows Internals 5th Edition (for Vista and 2008).

Get more Exchange Server tips at ExchangeServerPro.com

Microsoft Exam 70-236: Exchange Server 2007 Configuration (MCTS)

Paul Cunningham — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 08:30:38 +0000

This morning I sat and passed the 70-236 exam from Microsoft, which is titled TS: Exchange Server 2007, Configuring.

Passing this exam earns you MCTS: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 – Configuration certification status, and also earns credit towards the MCITP: Enterprise Messaging Administrator certification.

I don’t like to dance around the exam NDA and give away too much about the exam content but I will offer the following advice and suggestions for training resources if you are planning to sit this exam.

As with any Microsoft exam always review the Preparation Guide.
In the absence of the official MS Press training kit I recommend Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Unleashed. At 1200 pages it is not an easy read, but it will go a long way to preparing you for this exam, the design and deployment exams, many real world deployment and migration scenarios including integration with other products such as Sharepoint, and is a handy desk reference for your daily Exchange administrative duties.
Make use of the Technet Virtual Labs.
If you are new to Exchange and like webcasts, the 24 Hours of Exchange Server 2007 webcast series is a good start.
If you prefer reading documents, the Simple and Standard deployment guides are excellent reading.
Either the Exchange Server 2007 Virtual Hard Disk or the Exchange Server 2007 Evaluation software for hands on experience.
Know your Exchange Management Shell commands. This is essential for passing the exam. If you know the Exchange Management Console back to front but have not learned the shell commands you will fail the exam. At least 90% of the questions I faced involved selecting the correct shell command or commands to achieve the desired result.

Good luck.

Get more Exchange Server tips at ExchangeServerPro.com

Microsoft Exam 70-350: Implementing Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004

Paul Cunningham — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 02:31:38 +0000

This morning I sat the Microsoft certification exam 70-350 for ISA Server 2004. I’d been putting this one off for a while, having already worked through the Microsoft Press training guide, a lot of whitepapers, and worked with the product for a lot of different customers over the last couple of years. I passed the exam with plenty of room to spare.

Someone gave me the tip that the exam is not particularly difficult. I tend to agree, but that would largely have to do with all of the work and study I’ve put into it beforehand. ISA Server 2004 is a great product, and the new versions are excellent too. The biggest hurdles in understanding it seem to be early on when you first start using it.

If you’re looking to do some training on ISA Server 2004 with the goal of certifying then I would strongly recommend the Microsoft Press training guide. The books contents will thoroughly prepare you for the exam provided you work through the material properly and don’t skimp on the practical exercises or review questions.

You can also make use of the extensive ISA 2004 Technical Library on the Microsoft website. The documentation there could be used for all of your training instead of using the training guide, but won’t take you through the subject in the same fashion. However it does make for excellent complimentary material for your training and for your real world work with the product.

I would give you tips on which areas to focus on but really the exam questions I faced pretty well broadly covered the entire product. There was no particular areas to focus on to the exclusion of others. I would certainly recommend though that you do not sit the exam until you are thoroughly familiar with fundamental networking concepts such as subnetting and routing, and with the ISA Server 2004 networking model.

Get more Exchange Server tips at ExchangeServerPro.com

Two Security Books

Paul Cunningham — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 01:40:31 +0000

Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World is written by the internationally renowned security expert Bruce Schneier. Bruce has authored several books on security and this one is a fascinating read that is sure to open your mind up to new ways of thinking about security in everyday business matters. This book has definitely had a positive impact on the way I approach security in my daily work. I feel it has opened up more potential for my career and has made some aspects of my job much more interesting and challenging.

You can read more about the book here.

# Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World
# Hardcover: 432 pages
# Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; 1 edition (August 14, 2000)
# ISBN: 0471253111

Protect Your Windows Network: From Perimeter to Data is written by two of Microsoft’s top security personnel – Jesper Johansson and Steve Riley. Note that Jesper has left Microsoft for a new security role at Amazon.com. I have been in the audience when both of these guys have presented and they always deliver a captivating and entertaining performance. This book is no different – as someone who works in the Microsoft space I had a few eye-opening experiences in this book and loaded myself up with plenty of ammo to take into the workplace.

# Protect Your Windows Network: From Perimeter to Data
# Paperback: 608 pages
# Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; Bk&CD-Rom edition (May 20, 2005)
# ISBN: 0321336437

If security interests you then these books make a great starting point, much better than just diving in with a hardening guide or technical whitepaper.

Get more Exchange Server tips at ExchangeServerPro.com

Exchange Server Pro » Books

Review: Microsoft Exchange 2010 PowerShell Cookbook

PowerShell Key Concepts

Routine Exchange Server Administration

Advanced Exchange Server Administration

Summary

Related posts:

Exchange Server 2010 Training

How to Learn Exchange Server 2010 for Free

Exchange Server 2010 Training Books

Exchange Server 2010 Training Programs

Which Exchange Server 2010 Training is Best for You?

Related posts:

Outlook 2010 Inside Out for Exchange Server Pros

Related posts:

The Ultimate Exchange Server 2007 Toolkit

Software

Operating Systems

Exchange Pre-Requisites

Exchange Installation Source

Documentation

Want to work with Exchange Server 2007?

Related posts:

Free Microsoft Exchange ebooks

Related posts:

Enterprise Systems Backup and Recovery (Book)

Related posts:

Microsoft Certification – The Mark Russinovich Exam

Related posts:

Microsoft Exam 70-236: Exchange Server 2007 Configuration (MCTS)

Related posts:

Microsoft Exam 70-350: Implementing Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004

Related posts:

Two Security Books

Related posts: