The EXPTA {blog}

Fixing TEL links with Lync 2013 on Windows 8 with Chrome

The EXPTA {blog} — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 22:34:00 GMT

If you run both Lync 2013 and Chrome on Windows 8 you will find that TEL links open with Chrome instead of the Lync client. TEL links are hyperlinks used by Lync for one-click dialing. For example: tel:14155551212 Here's how to fix it: Open an elevated...(read more)

Exchange 2013 RTM CU1 Stops Transport During Prerequisite Check

The EXPTA {blog} — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:18:00 GMT

I was hoping this issue would be resolved before Exchange 2013 RTM CU1 was released, but apparently not. This only affects upgrades from Exchange 2013 RTM to RTM CU1. During the installation of Exchange 2013 RTM CU1, setup runs a prerequisite check on...(read more)

The Last Missing Piece - Exchange 2013 RTM CU1 Released!

The EXPTA {blog} — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:04:00 GMT

Exchange 2013 RTM CU1 was released to the web today, finally allowing customers to upgrade from Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2010. You can download Exchange 2013 RTM CU1 here . As you probably know, there is no direct upgrade path from Exchange 2003 --...(read more)

iOS 6.2.1 released to Fix Exchange Calendaring Bug

The EXPTA {blog} — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:04:00 GMT

Apple released iOS 6.2.1 today to iPhones and iPads. This update supposedly fixes the Exchange calendar bug that can result in increased logging in Exchange 2010. This bug has been well documented by Microsoft and technology professionals like fellow...(read more)

Exchange 2010 SP3 and Exchange 2013

The EXPTA {blog} — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 01:15:00 GMT

Yesterday Microsoft released Service Pack 3 for Exchange 2010 . You can download Exchange 2010 SP3 here . We had been told at MEC 2012 that Exchange 2010 SP3 would be required for Exchange 2013 interoperability, and it is. Unfortunately, we learned yesterday...(read more)

Lync 2013 CU1 Released - With a Nice Surprise!

The EXPTA {blog} — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 03:56:00 GMT

Lync 2013 Cumulative Update 1 (CU1) was released today and it includes a nice surprise -- the ability to hide offline contacts in the contact list. The Lync 2013 client update is comprised of two separate updates, lyncloc2013-kb2760512 and msores2013...(read more)

The Future of Antivirus and Malware Scanning in Exchange

The EXPTA {blog} — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:45:00 GMT

As announced on Microsoft's Server & Cloud Blog , all of the Forefront products end of life as of December 31, 2015. Customers have asked me, will there be a replacement for Forefront Online Protection for Exchange (FOPE) and Forefront Protection...(read more)

Exchange 2013 Health Check Monitors and Journaling

The EXPTA {blog} — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:57:00 GMT

Exchange 2013 includes built-in health monitors that monitor the health of system resources. Microsoft calls this new process "Managed Availability". The Exchange 2013 Server Health and Performance topic on TechNet says, "Exchange 2013...(read more)

Script to Force Download of the Lync 2013 Address Book

The EXPTA {blog} — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 22:01:00 GMT

In a previous article I wrote a script that forces Lync 2010 clients to update the Lync Server 2010 address book. The Lync 2013 client not only changes the location where the address book is stored on the local machine, but changes the address book file...(read more)

Working with Hi-Res Photos in Exchange 2013 and Lync 2013

The EXPTA {blog} — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 06:41:00 GMT

Exchange 2013 and Lync 2013 now have the ability to use high-resolution photos for users to view photos of their contacts and to make their own photos available to others. Usually these photos were stored as part of the user's thumbnailPhoto attribute...(read more)

Lync 2013 and Exchange 2013 Visio Stencils

The EXPTA {blog} — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:35:00 GMT

Microsoft has released a new set of Visio stencils and shapes for Lync 2013 and Exchange 2013. You can download the new stencils here . This stencil contains more than 300 icons to help you create visual representations of your Microsoft Office and Exchange...(read more)

Configuring Unique Receive Connector SMTP Banners in Exchange Server

The EXPTA {blog} — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:42:00 GMT

My best practice is to create dedicated receive connectors in Exchange for each receive purpose. For example, I'll create one receive connector for inbound SMTP email from the Internet or from inbound gateway servers and another for internal application...(read more)

It's Only Weird if it Doesn't Work

The EXPTA {blog} — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 00:21:00 GMT

Meet Timmy. Timmy is a pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. I got this Tim Lincecum bobble head at the August 27th, 2011 fan appreciation day. Timmy sits on my desk at home. Meet Carl. Carl is a zombie. My kids adopted Carl for me for Christmas in 2011...(read more)

How to Configure Public and Private Computer Settings in OWA 2013

The EXPTA {blog} — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 06:25:00 GMT

The new "streamlined user interface" in Exchange 2013 no longer allows users to select whether they are using a public or private computer to access Outlook Web App. By default, OWA 2013 assumes your are using a private computer and uses the...(read more)

RPC Client Encryption in Exchange 2013

The EXPTA {blog} — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 23:50:00 GMT

Exchange 2013 enables RPC client encryption by default (again). I say "again" because it was an option in Exchange 2007 and became the default setting in Exchange 2010 RTM. This caused a fair amount of trouble for organizations using Outlook...(read more)

Allowing Messages to be Sent to Recipients of Internal and External Relay Domains

The EXPTA {blog} — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 23:11:00 GMT

If you have Exchange 2010 Edge Transport servers in your environment you probably have Recipient Filtering configured to " Block messages sent to recipients that do not exist in the directory ". This setting configures the Edge Transport server...(read more)

How to Boot Directly into Desktop with Windows Server 2012

The EXPTA {blog} — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:33:00 GMT

I love Windows Server 2012, I really do. But who's bright idea was it to boot to the "Modern UI" (aka, Metro) instead of the Windows Desktop? There's really no reason for this, so I wrote a PowerShell script that configures Windows Server...(read more)

One-Day Midlife Crisis #FTW

The EXPTA {blog} — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 05:40:00 GMT

Today. Was. Awesome. I spent the day at Club Sportiva in San Jose on one of their Exotic Car Tours. Five other drivers and I drove European supercars through the winding roads of the Monte Bello Open Space Preserve, Woodside, and along the Pacific Coast...(read more)

How to Convert Hyper-V VHD Disks to VHDX

The EXPTA {blog} — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 01:15:00 GMT

Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V offers a new virtual disk type called VHDX. VHDX virtual disks have many benefits, including larger maximum disks up to 64TB, protection against data corruption, and improved alignment of the virtual hard disk format to work...(read more)

Welcome to MEC - The Lost Conference

The EXPTA {blog} — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 19:55:00 GMT

I've come to MEC , the Microsoft Exchange Conference, in Orlando, FL to hear about Exchange 2013 and all things Exchange. MEC is being called "the lost conference" since it was last held 10 years ago in Anaheim, CA. The following year it...(read more)