Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Administration Instant Reference

Chapter 2

Using the Exchange Management Console and the Exchange Management Shell

In this chapter, you will learn to:

• Use the Exchange Management Console

• Understand the EMC Basics
• Use Advanced Features

• Use the Exchange Management Shell

• Understand the Basics of PowerShell
• Script Administration Tasks
• Manage Exchange Servers Remotely

The administrative aspects of Exchange went through a tremendous transformation in Exchange Server 2007. Exchange Server 2010 builds on this groundwork. At the heart of Exchange administration lies the Exchange Management Console (EMC) and the Exchange Management Shell (EMS). The EMC is graphical and takes the approach of the standard Windows management console tools. EMS, on the other hand, is based on Windows PowerShell. Any administrators who are intent on doing their job successfully must be intimately aware of these two tools. This chapter focuses on using these tools successfully.

Use the Exchange Management Console

As the graphical tool for administering Exchange Server 2010, the Exchange Management Console (EMC) is more commonly used by those who are new to administering Exchange. Many of the common administrative tasks can be performed in the EMC. In this section, you'll take a close look at the EMC and understand the basic features of the tool itself as well as some of the new advanced features in Exchange Server 2010.

Understand the EMC Basics

Understanding how to use the EMC is a key step to successfully administering Exchange. For most people, using the EMC is the first choice for completing an administrative task. So knowing how to use this tool is essential to an administrator's daily life.

Navigate the Management Console

The EMC is based on the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) version 3.0. The MMC is a framework for administrative tools. Any application (even non-Microsoft applications) can provide a snap-in for the MMC. Version 3.0 of the MMC added a new layout, which improves on what was available in version 2.0. Figure 2-1 uses the EMC to depict this layout.

Figure 2-1: The EMC and its components

Four panels (also called panes) comprise this tool. The left panel is called the Console tree. The Console tree provides your main point of navigation throughout the snap-in. In the Console tree, you can drill down to different nodes and select the scope of what you are working on. For example, in the EMC, there is a node in the Console tree called Server Configuration. If you expand the Server Configuration node, you have the option to select which type of server you want to administer. Selecting the Mailbox node will populate the other panes with the options and information for administering Mailbox servers.

The middle of the EMC is split into two parts-the Result pane and the Work area. The Result pane is the top half, and it contains the results of what you selected in the Console tree. For example, when you select the Mailbox node in the Console tree, the Result pane will contain a list of Mailbox servers.

The Work area is at the bottom of the EMC. This area displays information about what you've selected in the Result pane. So if you select the Mailbox server EX-MBX1, the Work area will list the storage groups and databases available on that Mailbox server. What you see in the Work area depends on what type of item you select. For example, if you are working with Client Access servers and you select a server in the Result pane, the Work area will display things that pertain to that server.

The last panel on the right side of the EMC is the Actions pane. The Actions pane presents you with several actions that you can perform on the items you have selected in other panes, including the Console tree, Result pane, and Work area. The Actions pane will display a separate section for each of the panes, as shown in Figure 2-2.

Figure 2-2: The Actions pane provides separate sections for each area that you are working with.

Get Help on a Topic

While working in the EMC, you can get help at any time on the topic that you are currently working with. To do so, select the appropriate Help link in the Actions pane in the EMC. The help files for Exchange Server 2010 are maintained on the Internet, so selecting the Help link will launch the web browser and go to the URL containing the relevant help information. The Help links are context sensitive. This means that you can access multiple Help links if you are working in multiple contexts.

In the following example, we are working in the Recipient node of the EMC. The list of recipients is displayed in the Result pane and we have a specific recipient selected. You'll notice in Figure 2-3 that two Help links are available. The Help link in the top half of the Actions pane will give you help for the Recipient Configuration node of the EMC. The Help link in the bottom half of the Actions pane will give you help on configuring the options for the recipient that you have selected in the Result pane.

Figure 2-3: Context-sensitive help links in the EMC

Export Data to a File

At any time in the EMC, you can export the list of data displayed in the Result pane to a file. You can save this list in either a tab-delimited file (columns are separated by tabs) or a comma-delimited file (columns are separated by commas). Both of these files can be imported into Microsoft Excel to give you a way to manipulate the data and run various charts and statistics against it.

To export the contents of the Result pane to a file:

1. In the Actions pane on the right side of the EMC, choose the option Export List.

2. A Save File dialog box will be displayed. Browse to the location where you want to save the file, and in the File Name text box, type the name of the file.

3. In the Save As Type drop-down list, select the type of file that you want to save the results as (tab delimited or comma delimited; text or Unicode text). Click the Save button.

Filter Results

If you have a lot of items in the Result pane, you may have trouble sorting through them all to get the information that you want. At any time, you can filter the list of results and narrow down your options. To do this, you can create a filter in the Result pane and specify the criteria that you want to display. In this example, we'll show all mailboxes on the server CONTOSO-EX.

To filter the results in the Result pane:

1. At the top of the Result pane, click the Create Filter button. This will create an expression for the filter and allow you to select the criteria for the expression.

2. In the first drop-down list in the expression, select Server to create an expression based on the server the mailbox is on.

3. In the middle drop-down list, select Equals.

4. Click the Browse button next to the last text box to select the server that you want to filter the results for. This will launch the Select Mailbox Server dialog box.

5. In the Select Mailbox Server dialog box, choose the server that you want to filter for and click OK.

6. Click the Apply Filter button to apply the filter and only display mailboxes on CONTOSO-EX. This is demonstrated in Figure 2-4.

Figure 2-4: Applying a filter in the EMC

Change the Domain Controller Used for AD Operations

Domain controllers (DCs) are the servers that host Active Directory. Since Exchange uses Active Directory for many things, the EMC needs access to a domain controller on a regular basis. The DC that the EMC uses may not always be the one that you would prefer it to use.

While running the EMC, you can switch to a different domain controller. This is helpful if you are remotely running the EMC on a server and you want to make the changes on a different site's DC so the users in that site don't have to wait for Active Directory replication.

To change the current DC:

1. In the Console tree (the left pane) in the EMC, select the Organization Configuration node.

2. In the Actions pane (the right pane), select the option Modify Configuration Domain Controller. This will launch the Configuration Domain Controller dialog box.

3. In the Configuration Domain Controller dialog box, choose the option Specify A Domain Controller.

4. Click the Browse button next to the Domain text box to search for the domain. The Select Domain dialog box will launch. Click on the appropriate domain in the list of domains and click OK.

5. Click the Browse button next to the Configuration Domain Controller text box to browse for the DC that you want to use. The Select Domain Controller dialog box will launch and a list of DCs for the domain you selected will be available. Click on the DC that you want to use and click OK.

6. In the Configuration Domain Controller dialog box, click OK to switch the DC you selected.

Use Advanced Features

Advanced features of the EMC allow you to manage more complex aspects of the Exchange enterprise.

Manage Additional Exchange Forests

One of the most interesting new features of the EMC is the ability to manage other Exchange organizations in different Active Directory forests. To manage an additional forest, you need to have a trust in place between your Exchange forest and the forest you...