Disappearing OWA and Exchange virtual directory settings

Please let others know how useful this tip is via the rating scale at the end of it. Do you have a useful Exchange or Outlook tip, timesaver or workaround to share? Submit it to SearchExchange.com. If we publish it, we'll send you a nifty thank you gift.

Administrators who work with Outlook Web Access (OWA) and other Exchange Server features that are integrated into Internet Information Server (IIS) occasionally report a strange phenomenon -- when IIS reboots, changes made to Exchange virtual directories disappear.

One consequence of this occurrence is that changes made to OWA's Basic Authentication settings will be lost, forcing users to sign into OWA using the domain\username convention (which can be annoying).

Why this happens

When IIS starts, it reads its configuration information from the IIS metabase file. However, Exchange Server keeps most of its configuration information in Active Directory, including configuration information for Exchange's IIS objects like virtual directories.

A process called DS2MB runs every 15 minutes to make sure that object information in the IIS metabase matches what's stored in AD. If there are any discrepancies, the metabase is changed; IIS will then read that information the next time it starts up. (If you have IIS set to allow direct changes to the metabase, it will reread the metabase as soon as it's edited.)

This synchronization is a one-way street. The IIS metabase is always updated by DS2MB to reflect what's in AD, but not the other way around. This is why any changes you make to virtual objects directly through the IIS metabase (or through IIS's MMC snap-in) get destroyed.

How to change OWA's IIS settings

So the lesson here is that, if you want to change the way OWA is set up in IIS, you need to do so ...

Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us

RELATED CONTENT Exchange Server Administration Tips Remove Exchange 2003 objects from AD to install Exchange 2010 Don'ts for optimal Exchange 2007 mailbox server efficiency Is your Exchange 2007 hub transport server healthy? Avoid Outlook 2007 performance issues during repairs Developing an Exchange 2007 server role DR plan How DSAccess service improves Exchange Server 2007 reliability An introduction to the Exchange Remote Connectivity Analyzer tool Monitor Exchange 2007 with disk- and RPC-related counters DPM 2007 replica inconsistencies in Exchange databases Track Exchange 2007 mailbox server health using database counters Outlook Web Access Block Web beacons and protect OWA users from spam OWA 2007 configuration tricks to boost performance Top 5 Exchange ActiveSync tips Lock down direct file access and protect OWA users Simplify an OWA URL on Windows Server 2008 Windows Mobile 6.5 touts Internet Explorer, OWA improvements When OWA's default configurations aren't good enough Digging deeper into Exchange Server 2010 Troubleshoot 'System Attendant' error messages in OWA Troubleshoot Microsoft Outlook Web Access problems Internet Information Services (IIS) and Exchange Server Interoperability Analyzing Exchange ActiveSync data from .CSV report files Automated redirects to OWA directories may fail when SSL is enforced Monitoring Outlook Web Access usage via IIS log files Exchange Server and Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) IIS 6 file corruption flaw impairs OWA Symantec Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange crashes IIS Outlook Web Access only displays parent directories Recreating IIS virtual directories for OWA, OMA and Exchange ActiveSync Exchange Server domain name changes -- don't forget about IIS Forms-based authentication errors with OMA and ActiveSync Internet Information Services (IIS) and Exchange Server Interoperability Research

RELATED RESOURCES 2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary

through Exchange System Manager, not IIS.

For instance, the aforementioned OWA authentication setting would be found in Exchange System Manager under <Organization> -> Administrative Group -> <Group name> -> Servers -> <Server name> -> Protocols -> HTTP -> Exchange Virtual Server -> Outlook Web Access (or whichever Exchange-governed virtual site you want to edit) -> Properties -> Access -> Authentication.

About the author: Serdar Yegulalp is editor of the Windows Power Users Newsletter.

Thanks for the article; it explains why my IIS settings are removed from time to time. I do have one question though. In the front-end server, I created a new HTTP virtual server with a new host name/IP address. However, when I configure the IP address/host/port/SSL settings, the SSL port field is grayed out and I can't put anything into it. Since Exchange System Manager (ESM) overwrites the settings in IIS, it overwrites the SSL port settings I specified in IIS. What am I missing?
—Gabriel V.

******************************************

As far as I know, SSL as configured through Exchange System Manager (ESM) will only work on port 443 (the standard port for SSL). Also, if you have no certificate available for SSL, SSL will not be available -- you may need to remove any existing certificate you have, set up ESM, and then add the certificate.

You may also want to look at this Microsoft Knowledge Base article. Apparently you cannot set both the TCP port and the SSL port at the same time when you're creating an HTTP protocol server through ESM. They have to be set separately.
—Serdar Yegulalp, tip author

******************************************

In Small Business Server 2003, I cannot find this setting in Exchange System Manager. I am redirected to IIS. Do you have any suggestions?
—Guido E.

******************************************

I think my instructions in the tip were a little abbreviated. Expand the Exchange Virtual Server node in Exchange System Manager (ESM) and each of the virtual sites in IIS will be listed there. You can then get properties for each of them.
—Serdar Yegulalp, tip author

Related information from SearchExchange.com:

Ask the Expert: Configuring IIS to authenticate OWA users

Rate this Tip To rate tips, you must be a member of SearchExchange.com. Register now to start rating these tips. Log in if you are already a member. Submit a Tip DISCLAIMER: Our Tips Exchange is a forum for you to share technical advice and expertise with your peers and to learn from other enterprise IT professionals. TechTarget provides the infrastructure to facilitate this sharing of information. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or validity of the material submitted. You agree that your use of the Ask The Expert services and your reliance on any questions, answers, information or other materials received through this Web site is at your own risk.