Exchange Server Forums

Virtual Directory Problem.

Users viewing this topic: none

Logged in as: Guest

Printable Version

All Forums >> [Microsoft Exchange 2003] >> Outlook Web Access >> Virtual Directory Problem.

Page: [1]

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

Limited time MSExchange.org offer! -- 1.Sep.2008 1:00:00 PM

TechGenix and SolarWinds have partnered to provide free copies of SolarWinds Exchange Monitor to all visitors who join the MSExchange.org Forums. SolarWinds Exchange Monitor is a handy desktop dashboard that continuously monitors Microsoft Exchange to deliver real-time insight into Exchange services, mail queue sizes, and host server health. Learn more about Exchange Monitor and the free offer!

Virtual Directory Problem. - 12.Nov.2008 1:12:10 PM

Chares

Posts: 8
Joined: 12.Nov.2008
Status: offline

Hi my fellow administrators of exchange,

Ill try to explain as further as i can since this problem is BIG inside our exchange organization.

In Simple terms, i cannot access OWA, so i tried researching the problem a little further, and i found out that the IIS's virtual directories didnt exist, even the L2MB (or something similar) in the metabase didnt exist; the default echange applications werent there too.

So i tried to repair windows 2003, reinstall IIS, reinstall roles, repair exchange2003, use the disasterrecovery switch. Nothing.

even using the method described by microsoft and some articles in here at msexchange.org, the "regeneration of IIS V. Directories" doesnt work.

i dont know whta exactly is messed up, the only thing i know that might have some relevance that this organization was made originally of an exchange server 5.5, migrated with ADconector to 2000, and then passed on to 2003.

if you have any solution that could work by keeping the AD users, its SID's and exchange mailboxes, im all ears, maybe the solution to the problem is more simple, but is not a common one.

thanks in advance

cheers

Post #: 1

Featured Links*

RE: Virtual Directory Problem. - 13.Nov.2008 3:36:51 AM

Neko

Posts: 152
Joined: 11.Nov.2008
From: The Netherlands
Status: offline

I gather you tried recreating the virtual directories? I tried that procedure once or twice from this page http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/883380, and for me it worked exactly like advertised.

There are three methods described in that, all three failed you?

_____________________________

I reject your reality, and substitute my own - Adam Savage

(in reply to Chares)

Post #: 2

RE: Virtual Directory Problem. - 13.Nov.2008 9:10:58 AM

Chares

Posts: 8
Joined: 12.Nov.2008
Status: offline

yup, already tried the 3 methods shown in the kb article. still, i created the virtual directories manually, and edited the metabase to look exactly as it was. at least now it says access denied if i enter in the servername/exchange site. but i cant find a workaround for this, and when i untick integrated auth. and access it with user and password, it shows me a list of the mailboxes, not the OWA UI. very strange.

(in reply to Chares)

Post #: 3

RE: Virtual Directory Problem. - 14.Nov.2008 6:12:27 AM

123raghu

Posts: 59
Joined: 18.Mar.2008
Status: offline

Hiya,

It's called DS2MB ;) [Directory Services 2 Metabase].....

Anyways FYI....when you follow the KB article 883380 and delete all the virtual directories from IIS, then delete the DS2MB key and then when you restart the SA service, the Information is picked from DS and then replicated to IIS......

So, first check if the Exchange Virtual directories are present in the Exchange System Manager....Open ESM -> expand until you see your Exchange Server, then expand protocols -> Expand HTTP -> Expand Exchange virtual Server and then verify if you are able to see Exchange, Exadmin, Public, Microsoft-Server-ActiveSync over there.....if it's missing over here, then there's no use of resetting the virtual directories......

If you have all the virtual directories in ESM and if its not getting replicated then increase the diagnostic logging on Microsoft System attendant and then check the event logs for the replication errors......

quote:

and when i untick integrated auth. and access it with user and password, it shows me a list of the mailboxes, not the OWA UI. very strange.

Now this is very strange to me.....ensure that u do not create the virtual directories using IIS, as you need to create the virtual directories using the ESM......

hope this helps....

_____________________________

It is not how much you do, but how much love you put in the doing......

(in reply to Chares)

Post #: 4

RE: Virtual Directory Problem. - 18.Nov.2008 6:51:25 AM

Chares

Posts: 8
Joined: 12.Nov.2008
Status: offline

The virtual directories actually show themselves in exchange http protocol, but after some serious digging with a metabase explorer, DS2MB doesnt exist, and as far as i know its key holds another 3 keys which are "highwatermarks" and another 2. and the funny thing is that while navigation through the W3SVC metabase key, in root, the virtual directories (manually created) had variables that where nothing about exchange.

Note: I used another exchange organization on another domain to compare. the funny thing is that in the one which works, in IIS, SMTP and NNTP dont show up.

And even i tried to uninstall IIS completely, and then erase exchange with the removeorg switch, uninstall, delete all the registry keys which had something with exchange, rebooted, cleaned the registry, rebooted, installes IIS completely, installed exchange.
(and here it had given me an error on the WebDAV service, which is fixed by registering oledb32.dll in common files, under system). this is what it had me thinking.
So, when i run IIS, surprise, again, the zero-installation of exchange didnt even bother to create me the exchange app pool, no V. Directories, no Web components at all.
So, because of a faulty dll registration, could it be that the operating system itself has a good bunch of dll's unregistered, or is it something else having to do with the AD schema?

< Message edited by Chares -- 18.Nov.2008 7:44:10 AM >

(in reply to 123raghu)

Post #: 5