Exchange Server 2013 Preview – Part 3: How to configure site URL’s, Databases and Outlook Anywhere

I suppose you already have, but if you haven’t read my previous parts in this Exchange 2013 serie, have a look at the links below.

Part 1: Complete guide of how to perform the installation
Part 2: How to do the Basic configuration

This part will include details on how the configuration could be made for Site URL’s/Virtual Directories, Databases, Outlook Anywhere and MAPI vs RPC over HTTPs together with connecting using Outlook 2013.

In the previous part we did install the certificate which included the following names, so we can use these names in the site configuration. (If using HTTPS, the configured name needs to be included into the certificate.)

• mail.testlabs.se
• autodiscover.testlabs.se
• tlcas01
• tlcas01.testlabs.se

Sites / URL’s

Let’s go through the steps for configuring the sites with the ExternalURL and other settings.
I’ll go through both the EAC and the PowerShell, so you have the opportunity to select which method you prefer.

Let’s start..

In EAC: Go to Servers, select Virtual Directories.

Select the server in the menu and which type you want to show. Then press Edit.

Let’s start with Autodiscover.

By default, Integrated Windows Authentication and Basic authentication is enabled. Press Save.

Next, select Exchange ActiveSync (EAS). Press Edit.

General settings shows the URL’s, I did type in the ExternalURL like the pic below. Press Authentication.

Make sure that Basic authentication is enabled. Press Save.

Next, select ECP. Press Edit.

General settings shows the URL’s, I did type in the ExternalURL like the pic below. Press Authentication.

Authentication default settings is “Use forms-based authentication” enabled. Press Save.

A warning, make sure to change all virtual directions. Press OK.

Next, select EWS. Press Edit.

General settings shows the URL’s, I did type in the ExternalURL like the pic below. Press Authentication.

Authentication settings, Integrated Windows authentication is enabled by default. Press Save.

Next, select OAB. Press Edit.

I did type in the ExternalURL in this setting, the InternalURL was already configured. I did also change the Polling interval from 480 minutes to 60. For having a faster update of the OAB. Press Save.

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Next, select OWA. Press Edit.

General settings shows the URL’s, I did type in the ExternalURL like the pic below. Press Authentication.

Forms-based authentication is selected, I did select the Logon format: User name only and did select my domain by the browsing button. Press Features.

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Showing the default settings. Press File Access.

Showing the default settings. Press Save.

Next, select PowerShell. Press Edit.

General settings shows the URL’s, I did type in the ExternalURL like the pic below. Press Authentication.

Both Integrated Windows authentication and Basic authentication was selected by default. Press Save.

Using PowerShell

Start the Exchange Management Shell (EMS) and the following commands will do the same work that’s done in EAC.

Autodiscover:
Get-ClientAccessServer | fl *uri*
Set-ClientAccessServer –Identity TLCAS01 –AutoDiscoverServiceInternalUri https://autodiscover.testlabs.se/Autodiscover/autodiscover.xml

Exchange ActiveSync (EAS):
Get-ActiveSyncVirtualDirectory | fl *url*, ide*
Set-ActiveSyncVirtualDirectory –Identity “TLCAS01\Microsoft-Server-ActiveSync (Default Web Site)” –ExternalUrl https://mail.testlabs.se/Microsoft-Server-ActiveSync

Exchange Control Panel (ECP):
Get-EcpVirtualDirectory | fl *url*, ide*
Set-EcpVirtualDirectory –Identity “TLCAS01\ecp (Default Web Site)” –ExternalUrl https://mail.testlabs.se/ecp

Exchange Web Services (EWS):
Get-WebServicesVirtualDirectory | fl *url*, ide*
Set-WebServicesVirtualDirectory –Identity “TLCAS01\EWS (Default Web Site)” –ExternalUrl https://mail.testlabs.se/EWS/Exchange.asmx

Offline Address Book (OAB):
Get-OabVirtualDirectory | fl *url*, ide*,pol*
Set-OabVirtualDirectory –Identity “TLCAS01\OAB (Default Web Site)” –ExternalUrl https://mail.testlabs.se/OAB –PollInterval 60

Outlook Web App (OWA):
Get-OwaVirtualDirectory | fl *url*, ide*
Set-OwaVirtualDirectory –Identity “TLCAS01\OWA (Default Web Site)” –ExternalUrl https://mail.testlabs.se/OWA

PowerShell:
Get-PowerShellVirtualDirectory | fl *url*, ide*
Set-PowerShellVirtualDirectory –Identity “TLCAS01\PowerShell (Default Web Site)” –ExternalUrl https://mail.testlabs.se/powershell

Databases

Let’s go through the steps that’s required for renaming the default database, dismount and mount. Also creating new databases. Let’s start with the EAC and then do it in PowerShell.

Let’s start..

In EAC: Go to Servers, select Databases.

Select the default database, named “Mailbox Database 0883045..”. Press Edit.

General settings is shown. Press Cancel.

Select the database, Dismount it by pressing the … icon and press Dismount database.

It does show a warning, that mailboxes being on this database now will be unavailable. Press Yes.

Select the database. Press Edit.

Give the database a friendly name, example: DB01. Press Maintenance.

Maintenance settings is shown. Press Limits.

Mailbox limits are shown, these are the default values. Press Client Settings.

By default, no Offline address book was selected. Press Browse and make sure to select the address book. Press Save.

What about if you want to create a new database?

Let’s start in EAC

Press the Add button (+).

Give the database a friendly name, example: DB02. Browse for a mailbox server. And also put in the database path and log path. Press Save.

During the creating of the database, there is not option for associate the database with the offline address book. When the database is created, press Edit. Then go to Client Settings and select the Offline address book.

Using PowerShell

Start the Exchange Management Shell (EMS) and the following commands will do the same work that’s done in EAC.

Retrieve database information
Get-MailboxDatabase
Get-MailboxDatabase | fl name,*path*

Dismount Database
Dismount-Database –Identity DB01

After the default database is renamed to DB01, I want to move the database file and the logs to another drive. It’s done by the commands below:

Move-DatbasePath –identity DB01 –EdbFilePath “E:\Database\DB01\DB01.edb” –LogFolderPath “F:\Logs\DB01”

Mount-Database DB01

Get-OfflineAddressBook

For creating a new database (DB02), we have the opportunity in PowerShell to specify all parameters that’s needed for having all options configured.

New-MailboxDatabase -Name DB02 -EdbFilePath “E:\Database\DB02\DB02.edb” -LogFolderPath “F:\Logs
\DB02” -OfflineAddressBook “\Default Offline Address Book” -Server TLMB01

Mount-Database DB02

Note that the OfflineAddressBook is specified during the creation of the database.

Outlook Anywhere

Configuration of the feature Outlook Anywhere can also be done from both the EAC and EMS, in various ways.

Let’s start with the EAC:

Go to the servers menu, and select Servers. Press Edit.

Then go to the “Outlook Anywhere” option, type in the external name, example: mail.testlabs.se.
I’m using Basic authentication for Outlook Anywhere. Press Save.

And the Configuration is completed.

Using PowerShell

Start the Exchange Management Shell (EMS) and the following commands will do the same work that’s done in EAC.

Enable Outlook Anywhere:
Enable-OutlookAnywhere –Server TLCAS01 –ExternalHostname mail.testlabs.se –InternalHostname tlcas01.testlabs.se –ExternalClientAuthenticationMethod Basic –InternalClientAuthenticationMethod Ntlm –IISAuthentication Ntlm –SSLOffloading:$false

Get-OutlookAnywhere –Server TLCAS01

MAPI and RPC

The MAPI/RPC (RPC over TCP) traffic is now gone and  replaced with RPC over HTTP/s instead. With that said no more load balancing of static RPC ports, as far as I know this will make both the Firewall team and the Load Balancer teams work easier, less ports is used together with the requirement of load balancing affinity/sticky session settings is not required anymore. This because of there is no need anymore to have the affinity settings, it can now be load balanced based on IP addresses. Just make sure that the load balancer verifies the Exchange services before sending traffic to it.

Outlook instead will use port 443 (HTTPS) or port 80 (HTTP). I think (and hope) most of you will use RPC over HTTPS, with this said I’ll show you the new Outlook 2013 Preview/beta and how it connects and also the traffic it’s using.

Outlook 2013 Preview, connects to my mailbox in Exchange 2013. It’s using HTTPS to initiate the connection, using port 6001 by default for it’s connection, using RPC over HTTPS.

A small picture from Network Monitor when the connection initiated by Outlook 2013.

More information around What’s new in Exchange 2013 can be found here.

Next parts will cover Public Folders, Client Access Server Array, Database Availability Groups and more.
Next part can be found here.

Thanks for reading, I hope it helped you guys/girls out there.
If you want me to cover anything special around Exchange 2013, leave a comment.