Lanlogic Community Server

Issues opening Other Users Folders In Entourage

kevin — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:18:00 GMT

Generally, sharing folders in Entourage works just like it does in Outlook. You open them the same way... generally. In most cases its done by File --> Open Other Users Folder , enter their name or email address, select the type of file to open (Inbox, Calendar, or Contacts) and say ok. BOOM! You are done. In our shared environment, however, we have seen random issues. There doesnt seem to be any rhyme or reason to it, but soemtimes this process simply doesnt work. Sometimes the user will get an error stating "Entourage cannot connect to the Exchange Server". Very confusing, as you are already connected to the exchange server to get your mail. Here is the trick to getting around this. Usually your e-mail address is username@yourdomain.com. Sometimes, Entourage will not recognize this and you will need to use a backdoor email alias that is username.yourdomain.com@networkdomain.local, or just username@networkdomain.local if you don't have multiple domains on your network. I know, it's so obvious, how could you have missed it, right? But really, this takes some work to find for all of you Exchangers out there. If you are a network Administartor for your Exchange organization, you will access Active Directory and find the user who is sharing their mailbox. Under properties, click on the Email Addresses tab. Here will be a list of email aliases for this user. Find the address that has the .local extension and this will be the username that you will need to use to access this users shared folders. Once you have this information, follow this process:

In Entourage click File --> Open Other User's Folder
In the Open Other User's Folder windo click the Find User icon on the right side
in the Select User window, click the Advanced button in the lower left hand corner
In the Advanced Settings window enter the following info

Name: First and Last name of the user
E-Mail Address: the .local address from AD, i.e. username.yourdomain.com@networkdomain.local
Server Address: The address of your exchange webserver
Check any applicable boxes (In our case users require an SSL connection)

When finished, click OK
In the Type drop-down box, select the type of folder you are trying to open and hit OK
You should now see the folder open up in your server list on the left hand side and the Users folder should now be available!

Windows Mobile 7 Delayed Yet Again

ted — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 22:47:00 GMT

Multiple sources are reporting that Windows Mobile 7, which was due for release to developers/manufacturers early 2009, has been delayed yet again. it's now looking like late 2009 before the developers/manufacturers will be able to get their hands on it and take it for a spin. While devices running WM7 aren't due for release until 2010, this will still mean major problems for developers/manufacturers and is going to give Apple's iPhone even more time to increase their footprint in the market and people's pockets/ears as it will probably mean they won't be able to design applications/devices around the new OS.

Lanlogic's New Attachment Manager

ted — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:58:00 GMT

Lanlogic, Inc. is proud to announce its new partnership with Proginet Corporation to offer our Hosted Exchange users the Slingshot Attachment Manager Service. We know how hard it is to keep mailbox storage size to a minimum and how difficult it can be to send large files. Slingshot allows you to send large attachments inside and outside of your organization with increased security and convenience.

The Slingshot Attachment Manager software works seamlessly with e-mail systems and allows users to send what they need when they need it. The files are stored on our in-house servers behind our secure firewall and do not leave our server until downloaded by the end user. Because our in-house server is used, the attachment is never left in the senders or recipient’s inbox, taking up space and filling up your mailbox. Slingshot also notifies the original sender when the file is downloaded, so you know exactly when it was received. It also allows multiple files to multiple recipients and the option to download only individual files from the batch sent.

The Slingshot application is seamless and efficient – it works under the covers so users don't even know it's there. They send and receive e-mails using the regular Outlook interface – with Slingshot handling attachments in the background. You'll improve your company's overall productivity and enable users to focus on their business issues – not IT bottlenecks or bulging mailboxes.

Slingshot can also be configured to handle all e-mail attachments in your organization – or set to handle only files of a certain size (e.g., larger than 3 MB). Plus, it can automatically archive e-mail attachments and log all activity.

Check out this link for pricing and more information.

"Second Set of Eyes"

marcus — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 05:47:00 GMT

This week has reminded of the precious value of having someone else review the projects and problems we face as network engineers helping our clients with all of their networking needs.
Every one of us have ran up against multi-factorial network problems that can make our heads spin, especially when the issue is described as something like, "the network is slow". Is it the switches?...Is it the cables?... Is it the servers?.... Is it a name-resolution issue?... Is there an infected system on the network?.... The list is endless, and most of the time, the result is a cumulative effect of many of these affected areas.
As professionals, we work, methodically, through the various possibilities; fixing one or more of the many items that we find while troubleshooting. Sometimes we get so "deep" into these scenarios that we can end up "losing sight of the forest for the trees". It is during these times when it becomes invaluable for a professional to call in a colleague for a fresh view of the problem. A review of the situation by this "second set of eyes" provides many benefits, least of all the following:

"Fresh Eyes" - Different viewpoints can provide new and different insights to an issue.
Another Body of Knowledge - Especially, if the reviewing engineer has specialized expertise in an area related to the problem at hand.
"Battle Scars" - Many times a reviewer may have already faced the same issue that you are facing currently.
Efficiency - No one wants to pay money for time spent on issues while your ego was in denial…the faster you ask for help, the faster the issue gets resolved.
"Feel Good" Factor - Bottom line, it is the right thing to do when you are struggling with a complex issue.

I have reviewed many colleagues issues and work performed and have asked for the same consideration for my scenarios. Each time, on both sides, I have found the experience valuable!

I will close my post with a sincere, "Thank You" to all of those who have helped me when I have asked for it and those who have esteemed me enough to ask for my help. Please continue to do so in the future...

Inetinfo.exe is taking up a lot of CPU on Exchange 2003

Tom — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:19:04 GMT

If you are seeing the inetinfo.exe process consistently taking up a lot of the Exchange Server's CPU, it is likely because you have enabled "Intelligent Message Filtering" and set it to "archive" spam messages.

What happens is IMF stores these messages in the %programfiles%\exchsrvr\badmail\vsi 1\UCEArchive folder, and over time this folder becomes highly fragmented. The more fragmented this folder becomes, the longer it takes for the disk to respond to SMTP, which in turn causes inetinfo.exe to eat a lot of CPU cycles. The end result is that your Exchange Server starts performing very badly.

Another thing you can do to prove this is the issue is run the Exchange Troubleshooting Assistant. Let it gather data for at least 20 minutes, and the reports that it produces will likely report disk performance problems that it will classify as a bottleneck.

Fixing this is pretty simple, but does take some time...

First off, open your IMF settings and change the "When blocking messages" value to "No Action," "Delete" or "Reject." You will find these options with Exchange System Manager --> Global Settings, and then choose the Properties for Message Delivery.

The you will need to delete all of the files in the UCEArchive folder. You will not be able to open this folder in Windows Explorer because of the size and fragmentation of the folder, so you will need to access it from the command prompt. Open a command prompt and switch to the %programfiles\exchsrvr\badmail\vsi 1\UCEArchive folder (If you want to be amazed at the sheer number of messages, go ahead and execute a directory command...). Once in the directory, type del *.* to remove all of the spam messages in the folder. Please realize this will likely take several hours to complete.

Huge Security Flaw for a Password-Protected iPhone

ted — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:30:00 GMT

I've seen this on at least two sites but thought I'd post it here as well. The more this gets out to the world, the better we'll ALL be:

If you password protect your iPhone, anyone can bypass your password protection by tapping on the "emergency call" button. From there, they can double-tap on teh home button and access your favorites.

Quoting from Gizmodo:

If that wasn't bad enough, the second one is even worse: if you tap on the blue arrows next to the names, it will give you full access to the private information in a favorite entry. And it goes downhill from there:

• If you click in a mail address, it will give you full access to the Mail application. All your mail will be exposed.
• If there's a URL in your contact (or in a mail message) you can click on it and have full access to Safari.
• If you click on send text message in a contact, it will give you full access to all your SMS.

Hopefully, this major security break that fully exposes your most private information will be solved as soon as possible. Until then, you can avoid any potential breach doing the following:

1. In the iPhone home, go to Settings.
2. Click on General.
3. Click on Home Button.
4. Click on either "Home" or "iPod".

Apparently, Apple is aware of this issue and will fix it with their next software update.

Entourage 2008 Now Available for Lanlogic Customers

kevin — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:38:00 GMT

Hey all,

We have updated our Control Panel page and now both Outlook 2007 and Entourage 2008 are available for free download for our Exchange customers. If you are one of our users and want to give one of these programs a shot, go to cp.myhostedexchange.com and login with your e-mail address and password. At the bottom of the screen you will see links for Outlook 2007 and for Entourage 2008. If you are an administrator for your organization, you will have an extra step. Click on "List Users" on the left hand side after you login, then from the user list, put the dot next to your name and click the Auto Login button. This will take you to the User Action screen and you will be able to download from there! Give it a shot and learn to love it! It's the future and it's now!

GMail over HTTPS/SSL

ted — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:25:00 GMT

Take a look at this article from Slashdot. This is an excellent reason to browse your messages, whether they be on our Shared Exchange network, or on GMail's servers over HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol)/SSL (Secure Socket Layer). HTTPS/SSL is basically a more secure way to connect to a website or a mail server and adds an extra layer of security to your web browsing all of the data you send/receive from your browser is encrypted. If you look at a website's URL, you should see a lock icon in the top-right corner (Internet Explorer) or bottom-right corner (Firefox) letting you know that you're over a secure connection.

If you want to always connect to GMail's site over a secure connection, log into your account and go to Settings. On the bottom of the settings list, you'll see a radio button next to "Always use https" without quotes. Save it and you're all set!

Getting Started with Office 2007

marcus — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:41:13 GMT

The user interface (UI) of Office 2007 is dramatically different from that of previous versions of Office.

While the change is very stark, the new UI is very intuitive. Believe it or not, more features are accessed easier now than ever before!

Microsoft has created interactive guides to help you find functions that you are used to in Office 2003 are located in the new Office 2007 UI.

Word 2007 : http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HA100744321033.aspx
Excel 2007: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA101491511033.aspx
Outlook 2007: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA102221621033.aspx
PowerPoint 2007: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA101490761033.aspx
Access 2007: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/HA102388991033.aspx

If you prefer to get a quick “get up to speed” type of demo, you can view these demos:

Word 2007 : http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HA100484691033.aspx
Excel 2007: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA100484501033.aspx
Outlook 2007: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA100518161033.aspx
PowerPoint 2007: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA100484621033.aspx
Access 2007: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/HA102002991033.aspx

IMPORTANT POINTS

File Format

File extensions are different (i.e. "docx instead of ".doc")
Free Office 2007 file reader: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=941B3470-3AE9-4AEE-8F43-C6BB74CD1466&displaylang=en

PDF Creation:

Free add-in for creating PDF files from Office 2007 files: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=F1FC413C-6D89-4F15-991B-63B07BA5F2E5&displaylang=en

Office Tips:

Site for new tricks and tips to improve your productivity with Office 2007: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/webcasts/FX102557791033.aspx

Installing a non-Standard SSL Certificate onto an iPhone

ted — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:32:00 GMT

While this will work with Windows Mobile devices as well, with the popularity of the new iPhone, the question of installing non-standart (self-generated for example) certificates has come up in conversation here in the office.

If you need to install an SSL certificate onto your device, your best bet is to download the file and email it to yourself to an account you have access to on the device. (You can set up a GMail account, for example, and send the file to that.) Open the attached SSL certificate on your iPhone and, when prompted, opt to install it onto your phone. You should then be able to set up your iPhone to work with ActiveSync with your Exchange server.

I found this information here, they also talk about an alternative method as well which involves downloading some Apple software called the Enterprise Configuration utility.

To download a copy of your SSL certificate do the following :

1. Go to your Outloook Web Access page (https://mail.mydomain.com for example)

2. Click on the lock icon on the right-hand side of the address bar and click on View Certificates

3. Click on the Details tab then click on the Copy to File button

4. Take the defaults in the wizard and name the certificate whatever you chose when prompted then click next.

5. Click on Finish.

You now have a copy of the certificate on your desktop.

We're using Twitter

ted — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:03:00 GMT

If you're a Twitter user, good news! Lanlogic has now created an account called, strangely enough, lanlogic! Feel free to add @lanlogic to get tweets from us about new Blog posts, new KB articles and general information as we post it. You can view our Tweets by going to www.twitter.com/lanlogic.

Having problems updating your calendar entries on your iPhone using activesync?

Natalie — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:51:51 GMT

If you can view but not change calendar entries on your iPhone, please make sure that you are using the username exactly how it's listed in Active Directory. If you are a Lanlogic Hosted Exchange customer, you can find this entry by logging into the control panel with your email address and password and going to view configuration. If you are an admin user, you can go to View Users and how it's listed there is how you need to enter it into your iPhone. Thanks to Apple's support site for this note! http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7712452&tstart=0

Factory Resetting an iPhone

ted — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:37:00 GMT

It happens sometimes; you've got to completely erase your phone or mobile device for whatever reason. Well, for the iPhone, it's not difficult. Just do the following:

1. Go to Settings from the main screen.

2. Select General

3. Select Reset (you'll need to scroll down to see it)

4. Select Erase All Contents and Settings

This will erase all data from your iPhone and can take up to two hours to do so, so you'll want to make sure that the device is charged or plugged into the AC adapter while you're doing this.

Lost Exchange alias?

Natalie — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:44:22 GMT

I can't tell you how many times over the years I've had to search for a lost exchange alias'. Can't find who is using a particular alias? Here's how to find it:

Right click your domain name, select search.
In the Find box, select Custom Search.
Click on the advanced tab and type in the following: proxyAddresses=smtp:exchangealias@yourdomain.com.
Click find.

Make sure to change the email address to your lost alias!

Technorati Tags: alias,exchange,2003

iPhone Not Synching with Activesync

kevin — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:43:00 GMT

Another iPhone post! We had a user having issues setting up his iPhone where he had everything running great and then, all of the sudden, it stopped synching. Not only did it stop synching, but all of is folders showed up and they were completely empty! Crazy, right? Well, for all of you Exchangers out there, you know that your mailbox can often times have a size limit. When this limit is reached, it apparently conflicts with Activesync on the iPhone and will not allow proper synchronization. All you need to do to get up and running again is clear out some of your extraneous data and you are ready to go. For information on archiving your data go to the following link: http://www.lanlogic.net/support/docs/article.aspx?id=10031

Apple Apologizes for Mobile Me

kevin — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:34:00 GMT

Hey guys! Great article here from Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/16/apple-apologizes-for-its-mobileme-mess-admits-bungle-on-push/). Apparently there have been issues on top issues with Mobile Me because Apple feels they may have released it too soon. While this is a messy thing, there are two nice things here: 1. Apple fessed up right away and shouldered the blame. 2. Because they had the smarts to do that, anyone trying out Mobile Me can try it for 30 extra days. It may be bad form releasing something so buggy, but I do think its good form to not waste anytime, admit yoru mistakes, and keep your customers happy. So remember, Mobile Me'ers, Exchange is still the way to go, but if you want to keep playing with Mobile Me, Apple is trying their best to keep you happy, so take advantage of it while you can!

iPhone 2.0 Apps Freezing and Causing You to Reset

kevin — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:47:00 GMT

Hey all, I caught this artice from TUAW (http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/14/did-apple-set-developers-up-for-failure/) and thought all you new iPhoners out there may be interested. Looks like Apple maye have jumped the gun just a touch on their App store. Looks like many applications are causing the programs to crash or the phone to hang altogether causing a reset (see http://blogs.lanlogic.net/blogs/kevin/archive/2008/07/09/doing-a-soft-reset-on-an-iphone.aspx for info on how to do a soft reset). If anyone out there finds a fix for this, by all means post it or a link to it so we can let the world know the way around this issue!

iPhone 2.0 (3G) and Microsoft Exchange

Amy — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:32:00 GMT

A Wiki has been set up to keep track of iPhone issues with Exchange. It will prove to be a wealth of information as more people use the iPhone ActiveSync client to sync their Exchange mailbox with their iPhone.

One thing to note is that tasks and notes do not sync. This is by design.

http://sites.google.com/site/iphoneexchangeissues/

Want to upgrade your iPhone via another method?

ted — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:21:00 GMT

Check out this link to Mac Rumors. I did this yesterday (after upgrading to iTunes 7.7) and had no problems whatsoever with the upgrade. Just make sure that you've fully charged your iPhone!

iPhone 2.0, First-Blush Thoughts

ted — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:19:00 GMT

So the 2.0 software/firmware has officially been out for only a few hours but I was able to upgrade my phone yesterday through some back-door means and the upgrade process went very smoothly. I've heard a few reports of failed upgrades so far this morning, but they've been few and far between.

The first impression I got from the 2.0 software was the ease of setting up ActiveSync. All you need (for Shared Exchange at least) is your email address, password and username (which is generally your email address) as well as your Shared Exchange server name. It was actually easier to set up the iPhone with ActiveSync than it is with a Windows Mobile device. No need for a truncated-to-16-character username for this guy! Instructions for activating your Shared Exchange mailbox can be found here.

The App Store has some pretty interesting applications too, I've already installed a good number of applications onto the device and, so far, they've all been free. I've got Pandora (online music station), JOTT (audio notes to self that are transcribed and emailed to you), and ShoZu (easy photo emailing to sites like Flickr). I've also installed a few "fun" applications including a super-nerdy lightsaber application that uses the accelerometer to know when I'm moving the iPhone around.

It's too early to tell how the battery life will be affected by ActiveSync's push email, but I don't expect that it'll be too bad.

Again, I've only been running 2.0 for less than 24 hours so there's plenty to still dig into, but so far, I like it!

**UPDATE**

I found out about a VERY cool little add-on that makes me very happy. You can now take screenshots directly from your iPhone: Press and hold the "home" button then tap the power button on the top. Whatever is on your iPhone's screen will then be saved as a picture on your Camera Roll to be done with as you please. Me, I'm taking screenshots of the ActiveSync setup and will be uploading them to our KB article soon.

Doing a Soft Reset on an iPhone

kevin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:06:00 GMT

Every now and then, any piece of hardware needs a good swift kick in the rear. Things get a little weird and just dont act right. If you are a PC user, you know what I am talking about. If you are a Mac user, you are better at lying to yourself about it, but you know it happens! Those of us with cell phones (pretty much everyone on the planet at this point. Do elementary school kids really need these?) have had issues at some point and needed to do a soft reset. The iPhone is no different, so here is what you do:

Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and Home button simultaneously until the screen goes black. Ignore the usual "Slide to power off".
Turn the iPhone back on with the Sleep/Wake button
Once you see the Apple logo, the iPhone is booting back up and its just a matter of time until you are ready to go again

Hard Reset of the iPhone - Returning to Factory Defaults

kevin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:24:00 GMT

While the iPhone is a fairly stable device, there are always times when a reset to factory defaults is required. Maybe you hacked a little too far. Maybe you are selling it and need your personal information removed to keep yourself safe. Or maybe, heaven forbid, your Apple device is just acting buggy. No matter what the case, at some point, you may need to reset your iPhone back to its factory state. Of course this means losing any and all data you have put on there, so make sure you back up anything you can. A hard reset should be a last resort when troubleshooting, so try doing a soft reset first when possible. That said, here are the instructions for a hard reset:

You will want to start from a powered off state, so if you are using your phone, shut it off.
Press the Home button and hold for about 10 seconds, until the "Please Connect to iTunes" screen appears
Plug your iPhone into a Mac or PC running iTunes
Open iTunes
iTunes will promt you with a screen that says "iTunes has detected an iPhone in Recovery mode." Click OK
When the iPhone pane comes up, click Restore
Once the full restoration process is complete, you should be up and running again and ready to go!

New iPhone 3G coming out!

Amy — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:29:00 GMT

The new iPhone 3G is coming out on Friday. It will support ActiveSync with your Hosted Exchange mailbox. Exciting times!

Here is a link to Apple's video about the new phone: http://www.apple.com/iphone/guidedtour/

There is question about whether the Consumer Data Plan will work for ActiveSync. It may require the Enterprise Data Plan. I called the local AT&T store and posed this question, and the person I spoke with very obviously had no idea. Please check with them when you purchase your new iPhone, to make sure it's on the correct plan. As soon as I get confirmation from someone about the requirements, I will post the information here.

For current iPhone owners, there will be a software update available that will add ActiveSync to your phone.

Review by USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2008-07-08-iphone-3g-review_N.htm

Review by NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/technology/personaltech/09pogue.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Review by Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121555740704037313.html?mod=2_1571_topbox

iPhone 2.0 software will be released this Friday

Amy — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:36:00 GMT

The new iPhone 2.0 software will be released this Friday (July 11th). Here at Lanlogic, we are very excited about this new software because it will include ActiveSync. ActiveSync will sync your email, calendar, and contacts between your iPhone and your Hosted Exchange mailbox.

In addition to ActiveSync, there are also additional supported languages, contact search capabilities, additional attachment support, and an expanded calendar.

For more information, visit http://www.apple.com/iphone/softwareupdate/

ActiveSync on the iPhone, now coming in July!

ted — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:58:00 GMT

So, now that the dust has (mostly) settled on the WWDC in San Francisco this morning and Uncle Steve's finished with his keynote, the one big question I had (as well as all of our customers with iPhones) is: When can I get some of that sweet iPhone 2.0 love?

July.

So, that means I'll need to wait another month or so before I can use ActiveSync on my iPhone. That's cool, I can wait. But if they push it much farther than that, I'll start getting annoyed...