The EHLO blog is born out of almost 10 years of personal experience with Exchange Server, since version 5.0.

Contained here is inside information about Microsoft Exchange and messaging, news, technical articles and details about the new trends: mobility, unified messaging, and PowerShell. Exchange server is the top email messaging solution around with new features, tools, and scripts created every week, so make sure to check here often!

Do you want to know more about the next version of Microsoft Forefront, codename “Stirling”? TechNet Radio, an Internet radio show with content for IT professionals, has a couple of shows about this subject:

Microsoft Forefront Codename “Stirling” Overview (Part 1 of 2)
Microsoft Forefront codename “Stirling” is an integrated security system that delivers comprehensive, coordinated protection across endpoints, messaging, and collaboration applications. It also provide the network edge that is easier to manage and control. By delivering simplified management and providing critical visibility into threats, vulnerabilities, and configuration risks, “Stirling” helps you reduce costs and achieve greater insight into your enterprise security state. Attend this session to get an overview of this new security system from Microsoft.
Length: 0:19:24
WMA | MP3 High | MP3 Low

Microsoft Forefront Codename “Stirling” Overview (Part 2 of 2)
In the second part of our overview on Microsoft Forefront codename “Stirling,” we cover the next-generation versions of Forefront Client Security, Forefront Security for Exchange Server, Forefront Security for SharePoint, and Microsoft Internet Security & Acceleration Server (ISA), which is to be renamed the Forefront Threat Management Gateway.  We also have our June 2008 Security Bulletin.
Length: 0:26:15
WMA | MP3 High | MP3 Low

Don’t miss this TechNet Webcast: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Storage Deep Dive (Level 300)!

Language(s): English.
Product(s): Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.
Audience(s): IT Professionals.
Duration: 90 Minutes
Start Date: Friday, July 18, 2008 8:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada)

Event Overview
In this webcast, we provide advanced training and tools to help you design the right storage architecture for your Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 deployment, with an emphasis on the Mailbox  server role. Expand your knowledge of Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) architecture. Learn how to properly balance disk performance and capacity. See the Exchange Server 2007 mailbox storage requirements calculator  in action. Understand the Microsoft best practices for designing, testing, and monitoring your storage solution.

Presenter: Ross Smith IV, Technology Architect, Microsoft Corporation
Ross Smith joined Microsoft in 2001 as a messaging systems engineer working for Microsoft IT where he focused on Microsoft Exchange Server 2000 and Windows SharePoint Services designs. After a stint in Microsoft IT, Ross moved to Premier as an alliance support consultant supporting a variety of customers’ Exchange Server and Active Directory implementations. For the last several years, Ross has been a member of the Exchange Center of Excellence (ECoE). The ECoE’s goal is to provide high impact, value, and volume expertise to Microsoft customers, Microsoft field personnel, and the product groups. Ross is a jack of all trades and focuses on most aspects of Exchange Server, including storage, security, client access, and transport.

Before You Migrate: 5 Considerations in Protecting against Email Outages and Data Loss is a webcast sponsored by Dell and MessageOne that’s freely available through ZDNet’s site (free registration required).

Overview:
According to Osterman Research, more than 50 percent of organizations using Microsoft Exchange will upgrade to Exchange 2007 by 2009.
While in the final planning stages of an upgrade, are you considering how your new email infrastructure will address high availability, archiving, recovery, compliance, e-Discovery and the growing costs of storage management? These aspects of email management are critical not just to IT but to the highest level of business functions at your company: coming up short in any of these areas is just not acceptable. And, knowing how Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 addresses email compliance and continuity is essential.
Check out this Webcast to hear from a Microsoft Exchange MVP and experts from Dell MessageOne to get the inside scoop on how to manage your most important email challenges with Exchange 2007. You will also learn how Dell MessageOne’s Email Management Services complement Exchange 2007, providing the availability and integrity that is critical to your organization and business process, and helping to lower your overall cost of ownership.

Community Day is an event organized by 9 Belgian tecnhical groups: Belgian Dynamics Community, Biwug, IT-Talks, Pro-Exchange, SCUG, SQLUG, Visug, Winsec, and XNAbug.

From all the great technical content, I would like to highlight a presentation made by Ilse Van Criekinge and Joris Poelmans, which is now available at TechNet Chopsticks:

• Exchange Public Folders vs SharePoint: The Battle (Community Day 2008)

“Recorded at Community Day 2008, this session will first give an overview of Exchange Public Folders and what Microsoft is planning with Public Folders. After that we will dive into wheather or not SharePoint is a possible replacement for Public Folders and if it can enhance the features provided by Public Folders. Session is based on real life scenarios.”

The Powerpoint deck is available to download here.

If you didn’t have the opportunity to attend TechEd North America 2008, Jason Langridge lets you watch his presentation: Windows Mobile 6.1 - the latest advances.

“At Tech-Ed US I presented a session on Windows Mobile 6.1 and the enhancements within it provides.  I’ve had quite a few requests from customers wanting to get access to the deck so I’ve uploaded it to Slideshare and embedded it below.“

Related links:

• Microsoft Tech·Ed North America 2008 IT Professionals
• Windows Mobile 6.1

As you probably heard, Microsoft released Update Rollup 3 for Exchange Server 2007 SP1 and Update Rollup 7 for Exchange Server 2007 RTM last week. These Update Rollups address the vulnerabilities described in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-039.

Since Exchange Server 2003 is also affected by the vulnerabilities described, you should download and install Security Update for Exchange Server 2003 SP2 (KB950159).

Brief Description
This update addresses the Microsoft Exchange Server vulnerability addressed in the Microsoft Security Bulletin MS07-039.

Overview
About this download: A security issue has been identified that could allow an attacker with limited access to increase their privileges to compromise Outlook Web Access for Microsoft Exchange Server and gain control over it. You can help protect your computer by installing this update from Microsoft on all Microsoft Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2 servers in your organization. Installation instructions and more information about this issue are available here.

Making Backups Cool with DPM is a video from the collection TechTalks that was recorded during TechEd NA 2008 IT Professionals.

“Jason interviews MVP Devin Ganger, presenter of MGT369, “Advanced Data Protection for Microsoft Exchange,” about why DPM helps remove the pain from backups and restores. With Devin Ganger and Jason Buffington.“

Both Jason and Devin posted this information on their blogs:

• Tech-Talk: Making Backups Cool with DPM
• Live from TechEd 2008 - Jason and Devin !!! (video)

The latest Unified Communications technical rollup covers the following topics:

• News/Blogs
• Downloads
• Events/Webcasts
• Workshops
• New KB Articles

As usual, this information is posted every month at the Technical Rollup blog.

Technorati : exchange server, technical rollup, unified communications
del.icio.us : exchange server, technical rollup, unified communications

The Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2007 Feature Pack is now available for download here:

• System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 Feature Pack (x86)
• System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 Feature Pack (x64)

Brief Description
This Update bundles the following features: Windows Server 2008 support, SQL Server 2008 support, enhanced support for sharing tape libraries and better tape utilization.

Overview
The DPM 2007 Update Rollup is a feature pack that includes previously released hotfixes alongside several new features aimed to enhance overall applicability and usability of DPM. Added features include: System state for Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 support, enhanced support for sharing tape libraries with other DPM servers, and support for better utilization of tape capacity by sharing tapes between multiple protection groups media co-location on tapes.
This Data Protection Manager Update Package consists of three separate updates. Note: Depending on your configuration, some updates may not apply. Please see “Installation Instructions” for details.
Feature Bullet Summary:
Issues Fixed:

• 946647 Description of the Data Protection Manager 2007 hotfix package: January 9, 2008
• 948373 The backup image may be corrupted if you use System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 to perform an online backup of a virtual machine that is running in Virtual Server 2005
• 950082 Description of the Data Protection Manager 2007 hotfix package rollup 2
• 948936 When synchronization runs in Data Protection Manager 2007, the DPM service may unexpectedly crash
• 951557 getKB -Data Protection Manager 2007 - Hotfix

Features Added:

• Support for backing up virtual machines on clustered Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 hosts
• Support for sharing tape libraries between multiple DPM servers
• Better tape utilization of tape capacity by co-locating data from multiple protection groups with similar retention range
• System state protection for Windows Server 2008

Note: Backup of SQL 2008 (Katmai) is not supported until the released version is publicly available.