Exchange Troubleshooting Assistant v1.0
I don't know how this managed to slip by me.
The Exchange Troubleshooting Assistant, ExTRA, looks like a great tool that can be extremely valuable. I am guessing that, in combination with ExBPA, troubleshooting performance problems or connection issues will become pretty easy for the average Exchange administrator. The tool can be installed directly on an Exchange server or on a client computer that runs .NET Framework v1.1 or higher and is run under the context of an account with proper permissions on the Exchange environment.
I have to admit, I loved that it automatically installed in my Microsoft Exchange menu, so I didn't have to go hunting for it.
A quick look at this tool showed that it has two starting sections.
- System Driven
- Related functionality
The system driven section can be used for troubleshooting based on performance issues and mail flow problems.
The Related Functions section covers Database Recovery Management. I sure hope it works well, because it has the potential to help an extremely large number of Exchange administrators.
Selecting the Exchange Performance Troubleshooting option leads to a nice drop down that has symptoms of poor performance. I selected one covering delays when using Outlook. I then entered the Exchange server name and the GC name and let it do its work. Since I really didn't have anything wrong, I only received a few informational messages.
This is a tool that you should download and get comfortable using it. I can imagine a day when you will need it.