Page Last Updated: 08/05/2010
Links to Microsoft Exchange Best Practices Analyser and other Resources

Welcome to exbpa.com, home of links to the the Microsoft Exchange Best Practices tool and other resources.

This domain used to belong to Microsoft, but when they dropped it, it was saved for the Exchange community by Exchange Consultancy Sembee Ltd.

Microsoft Exchange Best Practices Analyser

The Microsoft Exchange Best Practices Analyser will help you confirm that your server is configured correctly and flag any errors.

Microsoft Exchange Best Practices Analyser - Exchange 2000 and 2003

This is the tool for Exchange 2000 and 2003.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=DBAB201F-4BEE-4943-AC22-E2DDBD258DF3&displaylang=en

Microsoft Exchange Best Practices Analyser - Exchange 2007 and 2010

For Exchange 2007 and 2010, the best practices and troubleshooting tool is built in to the product. You can find them in the toolbox within the Management Console.

Small Business Server Best Practices Analyser

While you can use the Exchange tool, this is the tool that is dedicated for Small Business Server. It can be used with the Exchange Best Practices tool as well.

2003: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?Familyid=3874527a-de19-49bb-800f-352f3b6f2922&displaylang=en

2008: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?Familyid=86a1aa32-9814-484e-bd43-3e42aec7F731&displaylang=en

Exchange Troubleshooting Assistant

Exchange 2003

The Microsoft Exchange Troubleshooting tool can help you find where problems with your Exchange server may be.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=4BDC1D6B-DE34-4F1C-AEBA-FED1256CAF9A&displaylang=en

Exchange 2007 and 2010

For the latest versions of Exchange, 2007 and 2010, you will find the troubleshooting assistant in the toolbox which is part of the management console.

Test Exchange Connectivity

This is now the primary tool for diagnosing remote access issues for Exchange. It includes diagnostics for ActiveSync, Outlook Anywhere/RPC over HTTPS and Autodiscover. If you have not already tested your server through this tool you will almost certainly be pointed towards it as a first diagnostics step.

http://testexchangeconnectivity.com/ or http://et.exbpa.com (shorter link - ends up in the same place)

Microsoft Tech Center

Microsoft have a home page for each version of Exchange on Technet. These links will take you to the version for your own location.

Exchange 2010: http://technet.microsoft.com/exchange/2010/default.aspx
Exchange 2007: http://technet.microsoft.com/exchange/bb330841.aspx
Exchange 2003: http://technet.microsoft.com/exchange/bb288525.aspx
Exchange 2000: http://technet.microsoft.com/exchange/bb330822.aspx

More Microsoft Tools

Microsoft have lots of tools for Microsoft Exchange.
Many of the tools for Exchange 2003 can work with Exchange 2007, but care should be taken to ensure compatibility and that the functionality is not provided natively in the product.

Exchange 2003 Tools: http://technet.microsoft.com/exchange/bb288488.aspx
Exchange 2007 Tools: http://technet.microsoft.com/exchange/bb330849.aspx

Exchange Pre-Deployment Analyzer

This tool will scan your existing environment to confirm readiness for Exchange 2010. It is based on the same checks carried out by the Best Practises Tool, just with a focus on the readiness for the upgrade to the latest version.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=88b304e7-9912-4cb0-8ead-7479dab1abf2&displaylang=en

Exchange 2010 Deployment Assistant

This is a tool that will take your scenario and give you a customised set of instructions for the upgrade to Exchange 2010. Scenarios include Upgrade from Exchange 2003, Upgrade from Exchange 2007, Upgrade from a mixed Exchange 2003 and 2007 environment and a new Installation. Requires Silverlight.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/exdeploy2010/default.aspx#Home

Windows Mobile Emulator

If you are deploying Exchange Active Sync then testing it on the emulator can save a lot of time and headache. You need three components to use the emulator.

The Emulator Application.

http://www.microsoft.com/DownLoads/details.aspx?familyid=A6F6ADAF-12E3-4B2F-A394-356E2C2FB114&displaylang=en

Virtual PC or Virtual Server (Which provides the networking stack)

Virtual PC: http://www.microsoft.com/virtualpc
Virtual Server: http://www.microsoft.com/virtualserver

The images

Windows Mobile 5: http://www.microsoft.com/DownLoads/details.aspx?familyid=C62D54A5-183A-4A1E-A7E2-CC500ED1F19A&displaylang=en  (you just need the efp.zip file)

Windows Mobile 6: http://www.microsoft.com/DownLoads/details.aspx?familyid=38C46AA8-1DD7-426F-A913-4F370A65A582&displaylang=en

Windows Mobile 6.1: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=3d6f581e-c093-4b15-ab0c-a2ce5bffdb47&displaylang=en

If you find that the shortcuts do not appear after installing the images, go back in to Add/Remove programs, choose the images and then select repair. The shortcuts will then be created.

Windows Mobile 6.5 images are not available on their own. You have to download the entire SDK.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=20686a1d-97a8-4f80-bc6a-ae010e085a6e

Other Sites of Assistance

Exchange 2007 Wiki http://www.exchangeninjas.com/
Msexchange.org: http://www.msexchange.org/
Amset.info (Sembee) http://www.amset.info/exchange/
Daniel Petri: http://www.petri.co.il/

Forums

Msexchange.org: http://forums.msexchange.org/
Daniel Petri: http://www.petri.co.il/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=4
Slipstick: http://forums.slipstick.com/

Blogs (All open in a new window)

This is not an exhaustive list of Exchange related blogs.

This first one is pretty much mandatory if you manage Exchange
You Had Me At EHLO...aka the Microsoft Exchange Team Blog http://msexchangeteam.com/ . This content is also available here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/teamblog/default.aspx 

Other Microsoft Blogs

Scott Schnoll http://blogs.technet.com/scottschnoll/
Bharat Suneja http://www.exchangepedia.com/blog/
Ben Winzenz http://blogs.technet.com/benw/
Dave Goldman http://blogs.msdn.com/dgoldman/
Vivek Sharma http://www.viveksharma.com/techlog/
Nick Smith http://blogs.msdn.com/karsmith/
Messaging News Tips and tricks http://blogs.technet.com/exchangept/

Other blogs  (in no particular order, but ours first)

Sembee: http://blog.sembee.co.uk/ 

Amit Tank http://exchangeshare.wordpress.com/
Andy Grogan http://telnetport25.wordpress.com/
Devin L. Ganger http://www.thecabal.org/
Brian Tirch: http://www.exchange-genie.com/genie-articles/
Brian Desmond http://briandesmond.com/blog/
Elan Shudnow http://www.shudnow.net/
Glen Scales http://gsexdev.blogspot.com/
Jim McBee http://mostlyexchange.blogspot.com/
Joel Stidley: http://ExchangeExchange.com/
Michael B Smith http://theessentialexchange.com/blogs/michael/
Michael Lundgren http://exchangeorg.net/
MS Exchange Blog http://hellomate.typepad.com/exchange/
MS Exchange Tips http://msexchangetips.blogspot.com/
Nicolas Blank http://blankmanblog.spaces.live.com/
Oliver Moazzezi / Cobweb http://www.exchange2007.com/
Oz Ozugurlu http://smtp25.blogspot.com/
Pat Richard http://www.ucblogs.net/blogs/exchange/Default.aspx
Paul Cunningham http://exchangeserverpro.com/ 
Paul Flaherty http://blog.flaphead.dns2go.com/
Paul Robichaux http://www.robichaux.net/blog/
Rui Silva http://msmvps.com/blogs/ehlo/
Shaun Croucher: http://exchangeshell.wordpress.com/

Acronyms

The Exchange community uses a lot of acronyms.

ESM - Exchange System Manager (Exchange 2003)
EMC - Exchange Management Console (Exchange 2007/2010)
EMS - Exchange Management Shell (aka PowerShell) (Exchange 2007/2010)

RUS - Recipient Update Services
GAL - Global Address List
OAB - Offline Address Book

NDR - Non Delivery Report
OOTO - Out Of The Office

DL - Distribution List
DDL - Dynamic Distribution List

UC - Unified Communications
SAN - Subject Alternative Name (when referring to SSL certificates)

GC - Global Catalog (Domain Controller role)

Missing one? Send us a message to contact @ sembee.co.uk

Content Update Log

2010-05-08 - Blog URLs reviewed
2010-02-24 - Added link to the Exchange Pre-Deployment Analyzer
2010-02-11 - Added link to MS Exchange team blog on Technet.
2010-01-15 - Added Exchange 2010 Deployment Assistant Link
2009-12-21 - First posting to exbpa.com
2009-12-07 - Review of links, updated information throughout.
2008-11-04 - Added information about repairing Windows Mobile emulator images to get short cuts.
2008-08-22 - Added to Acronyms list
2008-08-21 - First posting on petri.co.il.

About this site.

The domain exbpa.com used to belong to Microsoft. They released it in December 2009.
Fortunately UK based Microsoft Exchange consultancy Sembee Ltd were able to pick it up and have used it for this site.

This list of resources originally started as a posting on Daniel Petri's forum and can be seen here: http://www.petri.co.il/forums/showthread.php?t=26946

DO NOT CONTACT US WITH QUERIES ABOUT THE MICROSOFT TOOLS, OR ANYTHING ELSE LINKED TO FROM THIS SITE - WE ARE JUST PROVIDING A LINK TO THEM. If a link is broken, send an email to contact @ sembee.co.uk.

Other sites that are owned and operated by Sembee Ltd include kbsearch.info, certificatesforexchange.com, dosprompt.info loginscripts.info, office-recovery.info, wuauclt.info, blog.sembee.co.uk, and amset.info.