Setting up Exchange 2000

[Aaron P]

  eggnima said:

agenta: No problem. Give me 2 hours and I'll post my results here. A couple of questions though:

1. With regards to Step 4, when you say 'forwarders', do you mean pointers?

2. I would assume that if I were to run this setup in school where I have 5 physical server machines, I would configure the DNS server settings to point to the DNS machine, right?

1. No. see the screen shots I posted earlier. In the DNS administration tool, open the properties for the DNS server and you will see a Forwarders tab. When your DNS server receives a request for a host that is cannot resolve itself i.e. in domains that it is authorative for it will forward the request to the configured forwarders to be resolved.

2. Five physical servers seems like over kill. Why so many? BUt if you want to run DNS on a seperate server, then the answer is yes. Point all machines including the DNS server to the DNS server in TCP/IP and use forwarders in the DNS admin tool. This way you will ensure that DNS requests are handled correctly. With DNS on a machine that is not a DC you will lose out on replicating DNS in AD. With that many servers, I would setup two DCs with DNS on each. Then use one a primary and the other as secondary for your client machines (including member servers). (AD integrated zones don't technically have primary and secondaries, go here for more info: http://www.microsoft.com/Windows2000/techn...dns/default.asp )

For AD and Exchange 2000/2003 to work correctly, your internal DNS configuration must be correct.

I'm off to bed, I'll look forward to reading how you got on in the morning.

Edited April 5, 2004 by agenta

[eggnima]

agenta: Nada. It failed again. *tears hair out by clumps*

Netdiag attached. Thanks for helping me out. I really appreciate it.

Netdiag.zipFetching info...

[Aaron P]

Which part process is failing now? The NETDIAG output looks good.

On each server where you have run Exchange SETUP (i.e. for ForestPrep and DomainPrep and for installing Exchange) there will be a text file name Exchange Setup Process.txt (or similar) can you please post that.

[eggnima]

agenta: I'm having the same problem: I cannot log into my Exchange mailbox using an account I created from the Exchange ADUC. It keeps prompting me for my username, password and domain, but when I enter the necessary information, I get this message:

  Quote

Your logon information was incorrect. Check your username and domain, then type your password again. If your account is new or if your administrator requested a password change you need to click Change Password then logon with your new password.

After I click OK, the same authentication prompt appears and asks me to enter in my username, password and domain once again. This keeps looping on and on. I read that this might be caused by a RPC patch released by Microsoft, but I have checked my registries and the correct registry entries are there.

Exchange_Server_Setup_Progress.zipFetching info...

[Aaron P]

Have you tried with only Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 and no post hotfixes? What Service Pack are you running on Exchange? I'll check the Exchange setup log when I get a chance.

[CubanPete]

Are you trying to access the exchange web client or just standard through Outlook?

If your accessing the web client, IIS could be the problem.

Also when your inputting your domain are you adding the .com, if so try just the netbios version.

Can you access the administrators e-mail box?

[eggnima]

agenta: I'm running Windows 2000 Advanced Server and Windows 2000 Professional in school with no patches but the same thing happens. I'm using an evaluation version of Microsoft Exchange 2000 and I did not apply any service packs.

CubanPete: I'm trying to access it via Outlook, not OWA. The administrator is able to log in to his mailbox just fine.

I asked my lecturer about it and he claims that it's due to a 'setting problem' but he refused to elaborate further past that point.

*shrieks*

[Aaron P]

You havent removed the Global Catalog role from the DC at all?

Any pointers in the event log on the Exchange server or the DC?

[eggnima]

agenta: Forgive me, but how do I do that? Removing the role of GC from the DC, I mean. What pointers are you referring to? I have attached the Event Logs of my Exchange server and DC. For the DNS Server log of the DC, please ignore the most recent DNS Forwarder errors. Those occurred when I tried to add in the forwarders after I had run dcpromo.

Event_Viewer_Logs.zipFetching info...

[Aaron P]

If you don't know where to change the GC role then I'll assume you haven't changed it then, which is good.

[Aaron P]

The following error on the Exchange server don't look good, have you installed Windows from scratch on this machine?:

  Quote

The computer or domain EXCHANGESVR trusts domain EXCHANGE.  (This may be an indirect trust.)  However, EXCHANGESVR and EXCHANGE have the same machine security identifier (SID).  NT should be re-installed on either EXCHANGESVR or EXCHANGE.

Everything else looks OK, but that just a quick check. On another note, don't install IIS on the DC unless it's required.

[eggnima]

agenta: I would believe that it's arising because I'm copying my images of Windows 2000 Advanced Server from a clean pre-installed image. I'll uninstall IIS right now.

[Aaron P]

ah....... now the truth comes out. I would try a fresh installation for the Exchange server and try again - or to be sure and clean installation of both machines.

I'm outta here is a couple of hours, so unfortunatley I won't be around to help further. I'll check this thread when i get back however in the middle of May.

[CubanPete]

check out what agenta says. If you still have a problem i'd look around active directory and the system manager for exchange, with the administrators mailbox being fine this sounds like a sercurity or rights problem.

Examine the differences between the administrators account and the one you have created, obviously there will be some permissions and such that are different but you shoul dbe able to spot where the problem is.

[eggnima]

CubanPete: I created a copy of my Administrator account under a different name, but it refused to work for that copied account as well. Strange.

[CubanPete]

this is all really wierd, there must be something you've missed in the system manager (Contains all the exchange settings) try checking the policy's. Just out of coincidence are you using the Active Directory User's and Computers from the domain controller or from the one in the exchange menu on the exchange machine?

If your using the one on the exchange machine check if its replicating to the root active directory tree.

I'd say theres a active directory problem (Security) or an exchange setting somewhere. Its all really really wierd due to the administrator account working.

Probably a silly question but is the exchange server a member of the domain?

Also try logging onto the exchange machine as the newly created user.

See if the administrator can send an e-mail to the user created, i.e. if the user is in the global address book.

[Aaron P]

  eggnima said:

CubanPete: I created a copy of my Administrator account under a different name, but it refused to work for that copied account as well. Strange.

hey eggnima, greetz from London. The Administrator will work because the SID is the same on all machines. Reload from scratch on both machines at will work. I guarantee it.