Changes in Exchange 2013

There are many changes in Exchange 2013. Some of them are major changes but most are minor. However, some changes aren't mentioned anywhere. A couple of days ago, I noticed a few changes that really doesn't make any sense at all. I was attempting to transition an Exchange 2003 environment to 2013. Granted, this transition isn't supported and indeed not possible in a normal sense. Still, when transitioning from one Active Directory to another, this doesn't matter as we'll be using PST-files to copy mail content.

Using the trusted, old ExMerge tool, I began extracting all mailboxes below 2GB. After copying the files to the Exchange 2013 server, I then ran the command to import the PST-files to the appropriate mailboxes. Lucky for me, I decided to start with just one mailbox and see how it went. The new mailbox was of course riddled with gibberish causing much distress to the user in question. After some research, it appears that Exchange 2013 as opposed to its predecessors cannot handle PST-files in Ansi format. A rather strange feature to remove in my opinion.

Well, it doesn't end there. Once I was able to import the PST-files after converting them to Unicode, it would appear that the localized names of the folders have been changed. For instance, instead of just using the old name "Sent", this has now been changed to "Sent objects". What was wrong with the old folder names that have been used since... Well, since forever.

Still, it was worth it in the end as Exchange 2013 is just so much better than 2003.

2013 went RTM

A couple of days ago, both Exchange and Lync 2013 went RTM. What kind of impact this will have on the industry is yet to be unfolded. What we do know is that Microsoft is pushing towards the cloud with a closer integration and a seemingly seamless experience (pun intended). In my book, the biggest news will have to be the offline feature of Outlook Web App in Exchange 2013 which just turns the table upside-down.

Oh, there's Sharepoint and Office too but I'll leave that for others to mention...

Windows Server 2012 Launch

Just came back from the Windows Server 2012 Launch at a packed Rival in Stockholm. Lots of interesting topics were covered and indeed a few surprises too. Overall, a well organized event by the people at TrueSec. One of the surprises was the fact that Hyper-V now have the ability to allow virtual machines to use hardware accelerated SSL offloading. Another interesting point was the power of the new PowerShell 3.0 (pun intended) which seem to open up endless opportunities with new workflow feature. Great stuff!

Direct Access Teredo Ping

Just noticed today that when a Direct Access client connected with Teredo is attempting to make contact with a host on the inside, it will first send an ICMP Echo request (i.e. Ping) to the host. If this fails, it will not be able to establish a connection. This could be relevant in complex environments with firewalls protecting various zones, such as the DMZ. Good to know...

Microsoft extreme makeover

Yes, that's right. Microsoft has indeed decided to throw away the old logo and replace it with a new one. Or is it really a new logo? Does it look any better? Will it change life as we know it?

Windows Server 2012 availability

I missed that the Windows Server Blog also informed us that Windows Server 2012 is complete (RTM) and will be available within the next couple of weeks. One could assume that both the client and server version will be available on technet the very same day. And there was much rejoicing!

Windows 8 availability

Fresh information from Blogging Windows tells us that Windows 8 will be available in a couple of weeks. MSDN and Technet subscribers will be first in line followed by SA customers and partners the day after. Consumers will have to wait until the last week in October. This is excellent news as I'm about to lay my paws on a new laptop which indeed will be blessed with Windows 8. I'll take that with Hyper-V, thank you!

No official word about Server 2012, though. What's up with that?