Exchange2010.com is now Wave16.com!

I've rebranded my blog! Wave16.com

As we embrace the cloud, I would imagine we won't see the traditional Microsoft waves anymore, but this will do for now until I rebrand once more.

More Office 365, Skype for Business, Exchange Server and Azure MFA posts coming soon. Maybe with a splash of EMS!

Take care,

Oliver Moazzezi – Office Servers and Services MVP

Twitter: @Olivermoazzezi

Office 365 - Allow Distribution Groups to receive email externally

I published this script on the TechNet Gallery yesterday. You can find it here: https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/Office-365-Allow-ecca4e29

The script will connect to your tenant and allow each Distribution Group to receive email from an external address, rather than only from within your Org which is the default.

The script supports the –CSV parameter, this is for when you just want to externally enable a subset of distribution groups as you do actually want some to be internal only.

Anyhow here's a quick guide to the script in action.

Run the script

Take some time to read the intro – it does give you some good information like, for example, the –CSV switch. Hit Y to continue

Once you've said Y, it will ask you for the tenant domain, now I have done this because if you're using an account that isn't an admin of the tenant (or an account with the relevant RBAC rights), you can actually connect to a tenant under the Partner model

It will ask you to confirm you details, Y to continue

Enter your credentials for the tenant

It will now connect to Exchange Online

And prompt you to confirm you've connected to the right tenant (again if you're going in with your Partner Admin credentials over a tenant you are helping to administer)

Hit Y to start making the changes

Once it has completed it will give you a summary of the total number of distribution groups found, and the changes made, and also give you a total of any that have not had any changes made (which will be ZERO unless you have used the –CSV option)

That's it!

If you want to only enable it for certain distribution groups use the –CSV switch and create a CSV with a column for 'Identity' and the names of the Distribution Groups.

If you are running direction synchronisation with AADSync or AADConnect, and synchronising Groups, then this script isn't for you, you must make the change on-premises and the change will be synchronised to Exchange Online. If your Groups are Cloud based however, and you're only synchronising Users - then this will work for you.

Take care,

Oliver Moazzezi – MVP Exchange Server

Twitter: @Olivermoazzezi

Office 365 DKIM: No DKIM keys saved for this domain

I had the pleasure of enabling DKIM for an Office 365 tenant yesterday. I won't go into any details on how you do it, as that's been covered many times by various bloggers out on the internet.

One thing did get when enabling it however, was that a domain that was added to the tenant afterwards, wasn't able to be enabled for DKIM. It simply sat there stating "No DKIM keys saved for this domain".

This post is on how you resolve it.

So let's take a look at the issue. I login to the Exchange Admin Center, select |Protection, then |dkim

You can see the domain status states "No DKIM keys saved for this domain". If I check others you can see they are either in an enabled state, or available to be enabled:

So how do we resolve it? Well you'll need to use Powershell.

Let's open a session to the tenant and check the status of DKIM signing for all domains by using Get-DkimSigningConfig. You can see in the below Powershell window the domain isn't stated at all.

As 'dkimtest.c3365labs.co.uk' simply isn't there, we need to add it. To forcefully add it and get Office 365 to realise it's there to use, let's run this Powershell command:

New-DkimSigningConfig –DomainName "The domain that has the error message" –Enabled $true

We will get a CNAME error if we haven't set the CNAME records up, which isn't an issue, just means we'll have to do them before we can enable it.

So what's the status of this domain look like in the EAC now?

Fantastic! You can see the error "No DKIM keys saved for this domain" is removed and we can enable it (once we've done those CNAME records!!)

Out of interest, running Get-DkimSigningConfig now shows the domain in the list and set as disabled.

Oliver Moazzezi – MVP Exchange Server

Twitter: @Olivermoazzezi

ReFS and Exchange AutoReseed, what you need to know

There are a lot of articles out there at the moment talking about ReFS and using this file system with Exchange, highlighting where appropriate, the supportability of doing so. I love the fact people are blogging and getting this information out there.

I think it's a great technology and have been using it for some time for Exchange 2013 and also Exchange 2016. But rather than concentrate on what others have already posted. I thought I'd highlight another important area.

In this post I want to highlight what most people haven't – ReFS when using Exchange AutoReseed.

Let's take a look at two DAGs, using Get-DatabaseAvailabilityGroup. One is Exchange 2013 and the other Exchange 2016:

Fantastic. That doesn't tell us too much though.

Let's see what Autoreseed settings are present :

Fantastic. That still doesn't tell us much though about anything to do with the file system you are using for your Exchange databases.

Let's take a look at all Auto* settings:

Again we get more information, including FIPS and BitLocker information but this still doesn't show us that AutoReseed is clear about what file system is in use.

So let's sit back and think about AutoReseed. It will take a spare disk (RAID/JBOD) and format it and basically auto reseed the database that has just disappeared due to a failed disk in your Exchange Mailbox server.

It's a fantastic concept, although admittedly something that's used in larger Enterprise Organisations (and was no doubt conceived in Office 365).

So... You're using AutoReseed. You've made a decision to go with ReFS. So how does AutoReseed know what file system to format the disk in? Well that's down to DiskReclaimer. We can look at the following Technet Article for a breakdown of AutoReseed and DiskReclaimer:

'"AutoReseed" https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn789209%28v=exchg.150%29.aspx'

DiskReclaimer is the part of the process that will allocate and format a disk ready for the reseed operation to take place. Let's take a look at all of those Auto* parameters again on our DAGs:

We can see we have DiskReclaimer enabled; -AutoDagDiskReclaimerEnabled is set to True, the default setting.

So whilst we can manually format our disks, we know that the AutoReseed process can do this for us.

So how does it know to format the disk in either NTFS or ReFS?

That's the job of the –FileSystem Parameter of Set-DatabaseAvailabilityGroup, which is sadly lacking in the Parameters section of:

'"Set-DatabaseAvailabilityGroup" https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd297934%28v=exchg.150%29.aspx'
(I have reached out to Microsoft to get them to update this page).

Let's take a look:

We can see both DAGs are using NTFS, this is what DiskReclaimer will look to when formatting a disk for AutoReseed.

Let's look at the file system in use for the Exchange 2016 DAG databases on one of the Mailbox Servers:

We can see we are using ReFS.

Therefore we need to ensure the –FileSystem parameter for our Exchange 2016 DAG is set to use ReFS.

Let's update it.

Set-DatabaseAvailabilityGroup "your Exchange 2013 or 2016 DAG here" –FileSystem ReFS

We can now see that the Exchange 2016 DAG in question, which is using ReFS for its Exchange Database and Log disks, is set correctly. This will ensure AutoReseed formats any spares correctly in the event of failed disks.

What happens if this isn't set correctly? Of course it will still work, having some disks as NTFS and some as ReFS – but that's not exactly a great consistent platform to have, and this should be set as part of your Administrative ownership where AutoReseed is used.

You can of course deviate from the default setting and disable DiskReclaimer and format your drives manually – but where's the fun in that?

Oliver Moazzezi – MVP Exchange Server

Twitter: @Olivermoazzezi

Apply Activesync Policies to Exchange Online Mailboxes synchronisation script

A few months back I published details of my On-Premise Activesync Mailbox Policy to Exchange Online synchronisation script (it's also available to download in the Technet Gallery).

This allowed you to simply and easily copy your existing Activesync policies to your Exchange Online tenant in Office 365 rather than having to setup them up again. This was always very useful in a perpetual Hybrid environment where co-existence may be ultimately permanent, or indeed if you're just simply migrating all users and removing your Exchange on premise presence.

I am pleased to announce the next release today, ApplyEASMailboxPolicy2EXO.ps1.

This script will take your on premise users Activesync Mailbox Policy that is assigned to them, and then apply the policy once the user has been moved in a Cutover, Staged, Hybrid or third party migration to Exchange Online.

It will also check to see if the user actually has Activesync enabled, if the user is disabled, it will disable it for their Exchange Online mailbox also.

This simplifies mobile device access in a Mobile First, Cloud First Office 365 engagement.

If you are performing a 'Cutover' migration, either natively or using third party tools (you are moving all mailboxes to Exchange Online at once) simply run the script. If this is more than 1000 users you can specify a higher setting with the –ResultSize switch parameter.

If you are performing a 'Staged' migration, or moving select mailboxes in a Hybrid state or indeed select mailboxes with a third party, then you can pipe a csv file with the users that have moved using the –Staged switch parameter.

I'll run you through both scenarios.

Cutover

So first of all let's look at the Activesync Mailbox Policy applied to the users on premise. We can see that each user has a specific policy and that infact 'New User 3' has Activesync disabled.

Let's look in Exchange Online as we have just performed a Cutover Migration – all users should have the Default policy applied and be enabled for Activesync.

Ok so let's start running the script. We have already created the Activesync Mailbox Policies using my previous script here Open a PS window and run the PS1 script.

The accompanying text will explain the switches to you. As this is a Cutover (you have moved all users at once) we simply press Y to proceed.


It will now do two things. The first thing it will do is gather which Activesync Policy is applied to your on premise users. It will collate the information into a locally saved CSV file that will be created in the same location the PS1 file is run from.
Once this has been collected it will then ask for your Office 365 tenants admin credentials. Enter an account that has the necessary Exchange permissions.

It will then import the configuration file, inform you of the total number of mailboxes to configure, and start configuring your Exchange Online mailboxes.

Once it has completed, it will inform you and then disconnect your Exchange Online PS session.

It will then inform you that you can then close the PS window.

So let's look at them in Exchange Online. Has the change been implemented? You bet!

Staged

So what happens if you aren't moving all mailboxes at once? For example a staged migration? Well you can input a CSV of the mailboxes you have moved into the script. Let's take a look.

Run the script with the –Staged parameter and specify your CSV.

Specify Yes to continue.

You will this time be asked for your Staged migration CSV file.

Enter your CSV path, note that you can enter multiples if you so wish, to finish simply press Enter without adding another CSV.

Once it has informed you it has ingested the CSV file it will then make a connection to Exchange Online. Enter your tenant admin credentials with relevant Exchange Online permissions.

It will now make the connection to Exchange Online and perform the necessary changes on those specific mailboxes. Note that this time it says there's only 2 mailboxes to change. That is because only 2 mailboxes were in my staged CSV file.

And that's it! All done!

You can download the script from Technet Gallery.

It has been tested with Exchange 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016.

Enjoy and take care,

Oliver Moazzezi – MVP Exchange Server

Twitter: @Olivermoazzezi

Office 2016 heralds a new way of working

The launch of Office 2016 marks a new chapter in the working life for those of us who use Microsoft's flagship office suite and this time things are very different to previous incarnations.

Indeed, with its latest offering – version number 16 – Redmond has reinvented Office from the ground up for today's mobile first, cloud first world. It looks different, plays different and has some really neat new features that should excite business users everywhere.

The first thing you'll notice, apart from the clever upscaling in functionality for today's App driven environment (full functionality on the mobile for Office 365 users), is how Office 2016 becomes a hub for real-time collaboration, further breaking down the working boundaries that many of us face.

Built with productivity in mind, users of Word are now able to instantly edit documents, wherever they may be – solving the old problem of sending changes back and forth between colleagues until everyone is happy. With Office 2016, the game changer is real-time co-authoring, meaning multiple writers can be working together simultaneously regardless of location. Think of the time that could save you on your next big project.

Excel is another element to have been reimagined and delivered with a real focus on business intelligence tools within this version. Power Query is now built-in as standard and snap functions and smart scrolling have also become the norm. Oh, and if you're wanting to access large spreadsheets you can now quickly do this from SharePoint or OneDrive for Business as read only files.

Users of Office 2016 will also be able to get their hands on the new Skype for Business client which includes all the features you'd recognise from Lync and improves upon these by delivering features such as presence, IM, video calls and online meetings in a Skype-like format. This means you'll be able to seamlessly work on other documents while taking calls and connecting with those outside of the workplace in a secure manner (good news for IT departments everywhere).

When it comes to Outlook, business users will see immediate productivity gains too, as unimportant or spam emails are intelligently sorted for you by Clutter, a tool that clever analyses email patterns to deliver priority emails first. Other changes of note include the ease with which files can now be attached to documents – Outlook suggests those recently worked on whether locally or on OneDrive – and new security measures for Word, Excel and Powerpoint, where users are warned when trying to save confidential information outside the corporate firewall.

And with personal mailboxes continuing to grow many businesses will also seek to take safe haven in larger mailbox support packages and consequently faster working for Office 2016 through hosted exchange platforms, such as Cobweb's, that offer 25gb or unlimited mailbox space for users. As well as providing another level of security, these help to rectify complaints seen in previous versions of Outlook where users often suffered from sluggish performance and a lack of space.

Yet, despite the obvious benefits mentioned I suspect there may be some of you running on Office 2003 or Office 2007 thinking you can plod on using those. I would urge caution here, taking the time to think about this as an opportunity to take your business forward using the safety and flexibility of the cloud for things like file sharing and collaboration, whilst taking advantage of the safety it provides in protecting documents too. These, in addition to those already mentioned, and a low-cost subscription model means that Office 2016 as part of Office 365 can genuinely transform your business and deliver ROI where it matters most. And when you consider that a subscription to Office 365 buys you a license across five devices and the peace of mind that comes from being 'evergreen' – it'll always be up-to-date – it's a no brainer.

Oliver Moazzezi – MVP Exchange Server

Twitter: @Olivermoazzezi

 

ActiveSync Mailbox Policy to Exchange Online synchronisation script

When moving to Office 365 you haven't just got the mailbox data to worry about, but also a variety of other issues like ensuring your on premise configuration and policies are understood and carried over to Exchange Online.

In a Cutover, Staged, Hybrid or third party migration you may want to prep many policies prior to moving the first mailbox to Office 365.

One of the policies you may want to configure prior to moving the first mailbox is Activesync Mailbox Policies. If you have many policies, auditing them and then creating them in Office 365 can be a time consuming task. Luckily I have written a script to help with this.

The script will do the following actions:

Check to see if any of your policies has a null field for the password device length. This should be between 1 and 16. If any are indeed null the script will inform you the policies that are at fault and halt

Export all of your Activesync Mailbox policies (including your default policy if you include –ModifyDefaultPolicy) – it will create local files from where the ps1 file is run from

Connect to Exchange Online in the powershell session (it will prompt for username and password)

Create all Activesync Mailbox policies with the on premises names and configuration settings

Clean up any local files it created when performing the export process

Disconnect any powershell sessions it has open

Inform you the process has completed successfully.

The script works well, but it is designed to be used prior to moving the first mailboxes, not that it will cause an issue if it is ran later than that of course, but because an Administrator may have already started to make changes or even set up policies using the same names as the on premise ones.

If you do run into this condition it will simply fail on creating that policy, similarly if you run the script again it will complete successfully but will fail on creating new policies as they are already created.

If you have decided to include the –ModifyDefaultPolicy switch it will also gather your default policy settings and then export them and configure the existing Office 365 default policy with the settings it has exported.

Let's take a look at it in action. Logging onto my new Office 365 tenant I can see I just have the default policy with default out of the box settings:

If I look at my on premise configuration you can see I have multiple Activesync Mailbox policies in use:

Each policy has different configuration settings. You can see in the Office 365 EAC my default policy is set with default settings and doesn't require a password. However my on premise default policy does with a minimum password length of 6 characters:

I have opened a Powershell session and I will run .\ImportEASPolicies2EXO.ps1 –ModifyDefaultPolicy

It will first check to see if there are any policies with an incorrect, or null, password length and advise you of them:

Providing that is fine, it will continue and export the on premise policies before making a connection to Exchange Online. It will prompt for your tenant credentials:

Once connected it will start creating the policies, and modify the default policy if you selected to do this (like I am in my example):

Once completed you can close the window. It will disconnect any PS Sessions it has created and also clean up any files created during the process.

So let's take a look back in the Office 365 tenant EAC

You can see the policies have been created and the Default policy has been modified successfully.

Once the *-ActivesyncMailboxPolicy cmdlets no longer work I will update the script to a version 2 making use of *-MobileDeviceMailboxPolicy. But this won't be for some time.

Until that time using the older cmdlet makes things easier.

You can grab the script HERE.

Have fun!

Oliver Moazzezi – MVP Exchange Server

Twitter: @Olivermoazzezi