Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Interview Questions & Answers
21. How Messages Get to Exchange from the Internet?
To follow the flow of messages in an Exchange 2007 environment with all of the various
Server roles, the following flow occurs:
- An incoming message from the Internet first goes to the Edge Transport server.
- The Edge Transport server performs first-level recipient validation as well as spam and virus filtering. The message is then passed on to the Hub Transport server.
- The Hub Transport server performs compliance content assessment and then looks at the internal routing for messages and forwards the message to another Hub Transport server or directly to a Mailbox server.
- The Mailbox server places the incoming message into the user’s mailbox and notifies the user that a message has arrived.
- The user launches Outlook, OWA, their Windows Mobile device, or another client System and connects to the Client Access server. The Client Access server confirms the destination point of the user’s mailbox and provides the user access to their mailbox data.
- In parallel, if a voice mail message comes in for a user, the Unified Messaging server processes the incoming voice message, and then takes the message and places the voice message into the user’s mailbox residing on the Mailbox server for the recipient.
22. What is Mail Exchange Record?
A mail exchange (MX) specifies a mail forwarder or delivery server for SMTP servers. MX records are the cornerstone of a successful Internet mail routing strategy.
23. File structures in exchange server 2007?
.CHK – check point file, keeps track of which transactional logs moves into database files. Keep on check the log file entering the database in a current order
.LOG - 2 types of transactional logs –
- Current Transactional log – eoo.log file which write the current transactions into transactional logs. If it reaches 1 MB, it will rename the log file into E00000001.log
- Transactional log – If Current Transactional log reaches 1 MB , it will rename the log file into E00000001.log
.EDB – Stores the database files
Temp.EDB – Temporary database file, which will process the transactional logs that are to be to write in .EDB Database file
.JRS – Reserved Log files – if the size of the disk is full and you can’t write any mails as transactional logs these files will help into action
24. Explain the difference between Exchange Management shell and windows Power shell?
The Exchange Management Shell is based on Microsoft Power Shell, which provides access to all .NET objects and classes. When the administrator installs Exchange Server 2007, the setup program automatically installs the .NET Framework and Power Shell. It also installs all the Exchange 2007 specific cmdlets.
The cmdlets were written by the Exchange 2007 team to perform Exchange-specific tasks.
There are over 350 cmdlets unique to Exchange and each cmdlet has its own set of help.
25. What is Viruses or Trojan horse messages?
Viruses have existed in the computer world long before the first email message was sent. However, just as email provides users with an easy method of communication, it also is an extremely efficient method of spreading malicious or troublesome code. Once considered the largest problem that email administrators had to face, viruses have been combated by an entire industry devoted to their prevention.
26. What is Spam?
The proliferation of unsolicited messages, often referred to as “spam” mail, has truly become the bane of the messaging world with recent estimates stating that spam accounts for 85%–90% of the messaging traffic on the Internet today. These unsolicited, usually unwanted, and often offensive advertisements cost companies and users billions of dollars annually in lost time and productivity. Unfortunately, because sending bulk messages to thousands (or millions) of recipients can be accomplished with very little expense, offending companies do not need a large response to maintain profitability. It is sad to note that as long as this method of advertising is profitable and effective, spam will be with us to stay. Fortunately, Exchange 2007 has several features to help alleviate the problem.
27. What is Address spoofing?
One tool that is commonly used by the distributors of both viruses and spam is known as address spoofing. By changing the From line in a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) message, users can often be fooled into opening a message that they think is from a friend or co-worker, only to find that the message originated somewhere else entirely. This method has been especially effective in the distribution of email worms. Because the message appears to come from a known associate, and often has an intriguing Subject line, the unwitting recipient opens the message and, if not properly protected, becomes a distributor of the virus to others.
28. What is Phishing?
Over the past several years, a relatively new type of fraudulent email has emerged. Known as phishing, this attack comes in the form of an official looking email message, often appearing to be from a reputable organization, such as a credit card company or a large electronics retailer. The message usually contains a link that, once clicked, brings up an official looking website—often an exact replica of the official site that is being mimicked. However, the fraudulent site has one purpose, to fool you into giving away personal information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, or Social Security numbers. With this information in hand, the offending party can steal your identity, make charges to your credit card, or otherwise profit from your loss.
29. What are the planning considerations in installing Edge transport Server?
- Edge Transport Should not be included in Active Directory
- Should be installed in a Standalone Server
- Edge Transport Should not be Part of the domain
- ADAM Should be installed
- Prerequisites .Net framework, Windows Management Shell, MMC 3.0 to be installed
- Two networks cards
30. What are the options available in Edge transport Server to configure?
- Anti Spam / Anti Virus
- Transport Rules and Accepted Domain
- Address Rewriting
31. What is Edge Sync in Exchange Server 2007?
Edge Sync – it’s a one way replication from Hub Transport Server to Edge Transport Server, while Edge Sync happens the recipient configuration will be replicated from Active Directory to ADAM in Edge Transport Server
32. What is Address Rewriting?
Address Rewriting Agent runs in Edge Transport Server. The main purpose of Edge Transport Server is to rewrite the Address the address to some other address. This plays an important role, consider if there are 5 Sub domain inside a forest and the entire sub domain want send mail outside with a unique address space.
33. What happen if mails come into exchange server?
Once the mail comes into the exchange server it writes the mails as transactional logs and also the same in system memory simultaneously. What the transactional log will do in the sense, it will hold the mails for a while until the mailbox database is freed up. The transactional logs are 1 MB in size and if the mail comes with size of 5 MB, the transaction log will first write the 1Mb log and creates a another transactional log, it will write the log files until the mails have completed.
34. Suggest a good Storage solution for Exchange Server?
Operating System: System files to be backed up. RAID 0 or RAID1
Database Files: if we move the database to different disk and if you are making backup the transactional logs will be added into the Backup. Provides better recoverability, RAID5 (Stripe set with Parity)
Transactional Log Files: in order to handle load, it’s good to have Transactional log files in different disk. If both the log file and database file are in same disk, increase performance and reliability. RAID1 (Mirroring)
35. What are the preparation switches used in while installing exchange Server 2007? Why?
- /prepare legacy exchange permissions – when we are having exchange 2000 or 2003 in our existing environment
- /prepare schema – this will add various objects and attributes related to that object
- /prepare AD – prepare the current domain and prepare a universal security group for the new exchange 2007 installation
- /prepare domain “domain name”– only in the domain on the remote sites, or in the different domain going to have Exchange Server 2007
