It seems like every month I get a call about someone not being able to send or receive an email due to size limits. If you know where all the limits are in the Exchange Management Console (and if you’re aware of the 30% bloating that happens with email attachments) you can usually resolve that issue pretty quickly. If you’re new to Exchange, or a bit rusty, it might take longer.

Here’s a way to see all of your Exchange attachment limits in one screen.

Simple PowerShell Script to Show Exchange Message Size Limits

1. Copy and paste the following commands into Notepad.exe:

get-transportconfig | ft maxsendsize, maxreceivesize
get-receiveconnector | ft name, maxmessagesize
get-sendconnector | ft name, maxmessagesize
get-mailbox |ft Name, Maxsendsize, maxreceivesize

2. Save that text document with a .PS1 file extension, and you now have your PowerShell file. I named my file “email_limits.ps1”.

Example contents of file email_limits.ps1:

Note: You can reuse this .PS1 file on any SBS 2008 (Exchange 2007) or SBS 2011 (Exchange 2010) servers.

3. Copy that file to your SBS server in a folder on the C: or D: drive.
I use a folder called “Scripts” on the D: drive.

4. Right-click the Exchange Management Shell and Run as Administrator.

(Say Yes to any User Account Control prompt, if needed.)

5. In the Powershell window type the name of your .PS1 file (including the full path) and hit Enter.
Example: D:\scripts\email_limits.ps1

RESULTS

Example 1
SBS 2008 / Exchange 2007 (showing increased limits for a true 20 MB)*

Example 2
SBS 2011 / Exchange 2010 (w/ factory defaults)

*As you can see from Example 1, the Fax connector is still set at 10 MB, but the other limits have been changed to 29257 KB to allow for true 20MB attachments with the attachment bloating.
Formula for calculating overhead: (x MB * 1024) /.70 = limit in KB
Example: (20 MB x 1024) /.70 = 29257KB

Of course, you can also use PowerShell to change the limits, but I don’t have a script saved for that because the Set-ReceiveConnector, Set-SendConnector, etc.  commands require that the server name be included in the script.
Example: Set-ReceiveConnector “Windows SBS Internet Receive Servername” –MaxMessageSize 29MB

If I need to change the limits, I still just go old school and use the GUI in the Exchange Management Console.

Remember – there are four common places in Exchange where the email attachment size could be limited:

1. Transport limit
2. Receive limit
3. Send limit
4. Mailbox limit

We’ll show you where each one of those is located.

Exchange 2007 / 2010 Management Console Size Limit Locations

• 1. Transport Limit

  Exchange Management Console | Organization Configuration | Hub Transport | Global Settings | Transport Settings | Properties | General | Transport Limits

  

  Note: a blank transport limit box means ‘unlimited’.

• 2. Receive Limits
  (In SBS 2008 or 2011 there are typically 3 Receive Connectors)

  

  Exchange Management Console | Server Configuration | Hub Transport | Receive Connectors | right-click the receive connector | Properties | General | Maximum Message Size (KB)

  

  Note: The “Default {servername}” is your internal / .local connector.
  The “Windows SBS Internet Receive {servername}” is your external / .com connector. You’ll notice the difference in the Properties window on the FQDN line – one is .local and the other is .com/.org/etc.

  Also, regarding the internal connector, you may sometimes need to increase your “Default {servername}”(.local) connector to accommodate on-site scanners / multi-function copiers that scan to PDF and email internal employees. If so, this is where you do it. Just make sure the employees can receive attachments that large.

• 3. Send Limit

  Exchange Management Console | Organization Configuration | Hub Transport | Send Connectors | Windows SBS Internet Send {servername} | Properties | General | Maximum Message Size (KB)

  

• 4. Mailbox Limits

  Exchange Management Console | Recipient Configuration | Mailbox | {username} | Properties | Mail Flow Settings | Message Size Restrictions | Properties | Maximum Message size (in KB)

  

  

  Note: a blank message size limit box means ‘unlimited’, but the user will still be restricted by the other the limits (shown in 1-3 above).

Bottom line: Use the sample .PS1 script to quickly make sure that all limits are set properly. Life is too short to dig through the GUI and check 4 or 5 locations manually if you don’t have to.

If you have any feedback or helpful PowerShell scripts that relate to email limits in Exchange 2007 or 2010, please feel free to post them in the comments.

More details: Official SBS Blog

Each month when we do test restores of client servers, we pick a few files to demonstrate and verify that the files are valid. And typically the files we choose are JPGs because you can ‘see’ that there is content in them, not just some hollow Word or Excel doc that ‘looks’ OK.

Using JPGs works great for SBS 2003. However, Server 2008 doesn’t show thumbnails by default, even if you select the Icon view, like this…

…you don’t get thumbnails. You get little pointless icons.

But it’s easy to turn those icons into real thumbnails:

In Windows Explorer click Tools | Folder Options | View | uncheck the box that says Always show icons, never thumbnails | click OK.

Now you see thumbnails, even though the menu says ‘Icons’:

One of the nice things about Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 is that you can use a variety of clients to connect to it and control it. Clients like:

• Desktop PCs
• Laptops
• Netbooks
• Thin clients
• USB stations
• Even iPads (yes, you read that right)

I put together a short two-part video showing how to:

1. Remote control your iPad from a Windows PC, and
2. How to control a MultiPoint 2011 server from an iPad.
    

Note: Part 1 of the video shows a jailbroken iPad. You do NOT need to jailbreak the iPad to control the MultiPoint server. I jailbroke it so I could remote into the iPad to shoot the video (and because jailbreaking is fun and lets you do stuff that Apple should have done originally).

You can do Part 2 of the video (controlling the WMS 2011 Server) with an off-the-shelf iPad 1 or iPad 2 and an RDP program from the iTunes App Store – rest assured that your warranty will still be intact.

Well, it’s kind of short – 12 minutes

A little over a year ago, my beloved little Xbox 360 Elite decided to take a dirt nap. No more Netflix, no more games, no more MP3 / AVI / DVD-MS / Media Center on my big TV. Just three flashing lights, taunting my soul.
It was the fabled ‘Red Ring of Death’.

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put my Xbox back in the media lineup again.  My most favorite digital possession had taken it’s last breath.

I knew it was out of warranty so I got out my screwdriver to peek inside and see what the deal was. No joy. Afterwards I heard that you can pay for an ‘out of warranty’ repair. My Xbox was over 1 year old and I had definitely voided the warranty when I opened it. So I tried to pay for an out of warranty repair though the official channels, but that didn’t work out.

Long story short, I want the world to know a few key things about getting the Xbox 360 repaired if it dies on you. Things I didn’t know back then. Things that Microsoft, in my opinion, is still not making clear on their website or on their phone support.

Note: This is not intended to be a rant, and I’m not trying to get Microsoft to change their policy on anything. I care about you, dear reader, and about the fine folks who work at Microsoft. And because I care, I’m trying to get the Xbox repair facts out there. Facts that may not be readily (or even remotely) clear or available on their website.

First – If your precious goes blinky-blinky, there is a handy troubleshooter to determine what the flashing lights mean.

Second – Stay AWAY from all of the eBay, Youtube, and mom & pop ‘Xbox repair’ offers.

Third – If your Xbox 360 has 3 flashing lights (probably an E74 error), here’s what you need to know:

• If your Xbox is < 1 year old – the box should be under warranty.
  Request a repair online
• If your Xbox is > 1 year old and your warranty is expired – You may still be covered for an E74 error. Don’t throw the Xbox away.
  Request a repair online
• For a non-E73/E74 error you usually can pay for an ‘out of warranty’ repair for about $99.99-$119.99 + shipping.

Fourth – And MOST IMPORTANT – NEVER open your Xbox 360. Microsoft will never repair it (any any price) if the case has been opened. Even if you request to pay for an ‘out of warranty’ repair (listed above) if the case has been opened, they will return it to you and refuse to repair it.

That point is pretty much the crux of this blog post. The web pages for Request a repair, Warranty FAQ and Repair FAQ pages do not make this point clear.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking, “Oh well, it’s out of warranty. I’m a smart computer guy/gal and I always wondered what these look like inside. I’ll open it up, see if something’s loose, and if I can’t figure it out I’ll just pay for them to fix it. After all, $99.99 is still cheaper than a new Xbox”. 

I thought that, and I was dead wrong. I’m now the proud owner of a $399 Xbox 360 Elite paperweight, which is not as cool as it sounds.

Logically, if you own a car that’s out of warranty and needs repairs (even if you broke it yourself trying to repair it or crashed it into a wall) you can always take it to the car dealer and pay to have it fixed. It’s gonna cost you some cash, but you’ll drive away with a lighter wallet and you’ll have a functioning car.

However, where Microsoft is concerned, an “out of warranty” Xbox repair is only possible on a pristine Xbox that has never been opened or modified. Period. I hate to beat this dead horse, but if you open it, you might as well have just crushed it with a steamroller. It’s a dumb policy, but it is what it is.

If it’s too late and you already did open your Xbox, your only recourse is to surf eBay / YouTube / local Xbox-fixer-guy and have them take a crack at it. I guess it can’t hurt at this point.

I can vouch for multiple ‘easy fixes’ that didn’t work for me:

• Towel trick
• Q-tip trick
• Penny trick
• Washer trick / X-clamp replacement trick

None of them worked for more than a few minutes to a few hours. You’re probably just better off saving the time and frustration and just buy a new Xbox. Unless you have a lot of time to kill. Personally, staring at this paperweight is bugging me, and on the next rainy day I’m probably going to try the heat gun trick.

The Cincinnati Networking Professionals (CiNPA) SBS SIG is hosting a Windows Small Business Server 2011 LoadFest, and since our regular KYSBSUG event was canceled due to bad weather, we’re crashing the party!

Note: Even if you can’t attend in person, you can watch the LIVE streaming webcast. Scroll down to the bottom for info on the webcast.

In-person Event Details
Title: Small Business Server 2011 LoadFest
Date: Saturday January 29, 2011
Time: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Eastern
Venue: Hamilton County Community Mental Health and Recovery Services Board
Address: 2350 Auburn Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45219
Cost: FREE, but registration is required
Map: Click here
Registration: REGISTER TODAY 

What to bring:

• A server (physical or virtual)
• dual or quad core processor
• 8GB RAM minimum
• 250gb drive (or a pre-prepared equivalent virtual environment)
• Monitor
• Power cords
• Power strip
• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Small network switch with CAT5 cable
• A copy of SBS 2011 Standard from the Microsoft Action Pack, TechNet MSDN, Volume Licensing, or the SBS 2011 Trial (available here).

Note: This is a 6+ GB download, so it’s best put it on a flash drive and not a dual layer DVD. Details for creating a bootable SBS 2011 flash drive are on the blog in a previous post.

Also bring your laptop for taking LOTS of notes.

Matt Hester from Microsoft is attending, and is going to pick up some of the food costs.

Streaming Webcast Details
Time: Sat Jan 29, 2011 9AM – 6PM Eastern
URL: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/kysbsug
Location: Your personal computer

Note: The remote streaming will happen in 2 parts (9AM – 1PM & 1PM – 6PM). We’ll try to answer questions via the Q&A as time allows. But please keep in mind that on-site attendees will get the primary focus and support, since this is a hands-on event. The streaming is a courtesy (not a remote lab)

The folks on the Windows Small Business Server team at Microsoft have recently released a batch of training videos called “Learning Bites”. These short videos (typically under 5 minutes each) focus in on specific tasks and demos on SBS 2011 Standard.

SBS 2011 Standard “Learning Bites” Videos

As additional videos are released, you can find them here:
http://www.microsoft.com/showcase/en/us/search?phrase=SBS%202011

Whitepaper title: Migrate to Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard from Windows Small Business Server 2003
File name: SBS7_Migrate2003.doc
Date Published: 01/12/2011
Language: English
File size: 724 KB
Pages: 83
Version: 1.0
Download URL: Click here

Description:

This guide explains how to install Windows SBS 2011 Standard in Migration Mode on a new server, and then migrate the settings and data from the old server that is running Windows Small Business Server 2003 to the new server that is running Windows SBS 2011 Standard. This guide also helps you demote and remove your old server from the network after you finish the migration process.

It seems like every release of Windows Small Business Server is bigger than the last, and SBS 2011 is no exception.  In fact, it’s downright HUGE! If you’ve downloaded the SBS 2011 Standard ISO from TechNet or MSDN, you’ve probably noticed that it’s actually too large to burn with a conventional DVD drive:

Obviously, if you’re installing SBS 2011 as a Hyper-V child, downloading a 6.35 GB ISO straight onto the Hyper-V parent OS is no big deal. But if you want to install SBS 2011 on bare metal, you’ll probably need a bootable USB drive.

Here are the instructions on how to create your own bootable USB flash drive from scratch for installation of SBS 2011 Standard.

What you’ll need:

• ISO of SBS 2011 Standard (6.35 GB)
• USB flash drive (I use a Memorex 16 GB Mini TravelDrive)
• A way to mount the ISO (I prefer Virtual CloneDrive, Susan likes MagicISO)
• A Windows PC (not the SBS box itself) to create the bootable drive

Update 2011/01/10 – As Kendall Morrison reminded me, your Windows PC needs to be running a 64-bit OS when you do this.

The demo environment.

For the purposes of this walkthrough, here are the drive letters on my Win7 PC:

• The 6.35 GB SBS 2011 ISO is sitting in a folder on drive D:
• The ISO will be mounted using Virtual CloneDrive in drive G:
• The bootable USB drive will be drive H:

Go ahead and insert your USB flash drive, if you haven’t done so already.

Below is my drive layout in Disk Management.

Obviously, your drive letters will be different.

Step-by-step:

1. In Windows Explorer, right-click the SBS 2011 ISO and mount it.
   
    
   Close the AutoPlay window (if one pops up).
2. From the Start Menu, open an Administrative Command Prompt.
    
   
    
3. At the command prompt, type:

   DISKPART (hit Enter)

   LIST DISK (hit Enter)

   
    

4. Locate your USB flash drive in the list (mine is Disk 3).

   Type the following commands (hitting Enter after each one):

   SELECT DISK 3 (or whatever your USB disk number is)

   CLEAN

   CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY

   SELECT PARTITION 1

   ACTIVE

   FORMAT FS=NTFS QUICK

   ASSIGN
   
   
    

5. At this point, AutoPlay will probably pop up and tell you that a new disk was found which matches the drive letter of your USB flash drive.

   

   Close the AutoPlay window (if one pops up).
     

6. Back in the Command Prompt, type the following:

   EXIT (hit Enter)

   DiskPart will finish, but leave the Command Prompt window open.

   

7. Next we need to make the USB drive bootable. Type the following commands (hitting Enter after each one):

   G: (G: is my mounted SBS 2011 ISO drive)

   CD BOOT
   
   BOOTSECT.EXE /NT60 H: (H: is my USB drive)

   
    
   Close the Command Prompt window.
    

8. Now we need to copy the install bits from the ISO to the flash drive:

   Open the mounted SBS 2011 ISO drive (which is drive G: for me)
   
   Highlight and copy all of the contents of the SBS 2011 drive.

   

   Paste the contents into the root of the USB drive (which is H: for me)

   

   The file copy will take a while (about 5-10 minutes), depending on the speed of your USB flash drive.

   

9. Once the file copy is complete, safely eject the USB flash drive from your Windows PC and physically remove it.
    
   
    
10. Unmount the ISO of SBS 2011 (which is drive G: for me)
     
    
    

Now you just need to insert the bootable USB flash drive into your physical SBS 2011 box, set the boot option in the BIOS to boot from USB, and start the installation on the bare metal. Happy installing!

Props: IntoWindows.com blog

Complete one of these Windows Small Business Server 2011 courses between now and January 26, 2011 and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a Windows Phone 7 or an Xbox Kinect sensor.

Windows SBS 2011 Standard Technical Training:

• Module 1: SBS 2011 Overview
  (MGT99PSW – Duration 0:44)
• Module 2: SBS 2011 Server Installation and Migration
  (MGT100PSW – Duration 0:53)
• Module 3: SBS 2011 Server Management, Monitoring, Health & Security (MGT101PSW – Duration 0:40)
• Module 4: SBS 2011 User and Client Computer Management, Remote Access (MGT102PSW – Duration 0:52)
• Module 5: SBS 2011 Messaging and Collaboration 
  (MGT103PSW – Duration 0:39)
• Module 6: SBS 2011 LOB Support, Virtualization, and Troubleshooting 
  (MGT104PSW – Duration 0:48)

Note: You will need a Microsoft Partner ID credentials to log onto the training site to view this content.

One sunny day while mowing the yard with the old John Deere I thought, “How cool would it be if I could mount a Small Business Server on this lawn tractor?"

The answer (as you already know) is “not very cool”. Nobody wants to see a lawn mower running Exchange and SharePoint.

Obviously, I need to drink more fluids when mowing the yard in the hot sun, but that’s neither here nor there. The proverbial wheels were turning, and I started brainstorming for something much faster and infinitely cooler than a green and yellow tractor…

Enter Matthew Snoddy – Microsoft Small Business Specialist and owner of Network Therapists in Lexington, Kentucky.

a.k.a. “The Stig” (nobody knows for sure)

Not only is Matthew a fantastic network engineer and wheelman, he’s got some beautiful muscle cars,
like this supercharged 2008 SRT8 Dodge Challenger:

 
A Challenger is much cooler than a John Deere, but it gets even better!

Recently, Matthew expanded his stable with the addition of a rare (one of only 20 ever made) 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR convertible. A street-legal race car.

(More pics of Matthew Snoddy’s Viper ACR here)

VIPER SRT10 ACR SPECS – BONE STOCK

• 8.4-liter aluminum V10 engine
• 600 horsepower
• 560 lb. ft. of torque
• 0-60 in 3.4 seconds
• Top speed 184 MPH (202 MPH w/o the rear wing, but you’ll die)

If you’re a gearhead, you know all about the ACR. Matthew’s red ACR is a convertible model of the car that broke the Nürburgring track record.

 
This video of a white hardtop ACR on the twisting Virginia City Hill Climb
(Nevada State Route 341) is pretty terrifying.

 
Suffice it to say, the word ‘awesome’ does not even begin to describe this car.

So one night Matthew and I discussed the viability of mounting a Microsoft Windows Small Business Server in the Viper, and “Project Daffy” was born.

“Why a goofy name like Project Daffy” you say? Check out what happens when you invert the Viper ACR logo:

Can you see Daffy Duck on the right? Thought so.

We took some measurements of the ACR and (shocker) it’s not really designed to hold a standard server like an HP ProLiant ML370 G6, or even a smaller one like the HP ML110 or ML150.

The trunk is so small, there’s not even a spare tire – just an air pump (left).

Enter Greg Starks – SMB Solutions Program Manager at Hewlett-Packard. Greg has been with HP and Compaq for over 20 years, has presented at over 10 SMB Nation events, and he really knows his stuff.

a.k.a. “Mr. Awesome” (of that we *are* sure)

We needed something that had enough horsepower to run a server OS, but not so big that it wouldn’t fit in the Viper. With limited space, heat and power requirements, it was a tall order. Greg hooked up Project Daffy with the brand new HP ProLiant MicroServer and got it to us in time to make it to the racetrack!

HP MICROSERVER SPECS:

• AMD Athlon II NEO N36L processor 1.3 GHz
• Supports up to 8 GB PC3 DDR3 RAM
• Embedded NC107i PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Server Adapter
• OCZ Vertex 2 200GB solid state SATA II drive*
• Cold boot to SBS 2011 login – 2 minutes 45 seconds
• Shut down – 14 seconds
• Operating System – Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard

*We took out the stock 160 GB LFF SATA drive and used the SSD instead to mitigate vibration from the car. (The SSD isn’t a factory option.)

The HP MicroServer is physically small enough (10.5" x 8.3" x 10.2") to fit perfectly in the Viper trunk with room to spare. The MicroServer doesn’t come with a DVD drive, so we took an ISO of SBS 2011 Standard Edition and made a bootable flash drive and installed SBS 2011 that way – no problem.

After the OS installation, we did some testing with the UPS to estimate battery life (about 55 minutes). SBS 2011 runs on that SSD like a scalded dog!

The next step was powering it and mounting it in the car.

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT:

• APC Smart-UPS 1500VA battery backup
• Buffalo WHR-HP-G300N 802.11b/g/n wireless router with DD-WRT
• TP-LINK TL-WN722N USB wireless n adapter w/ SMA connector
• External 6” 2.4 GHz omni-directional magnetic mount antenna
• 2.4 GHz Yagi 20 dBi WiFi antenna w/ SMA connector
• Acer Aspire One ZG5 netbook (Windows 7)
• “The Boom” – inverted DirecTV dish mounting hardware for Yagi mast
• “The Surfboard” – various mounting hardware from Home Depot

Due to the irregular shape of the Viper trunk, we used a spare piece of cardboard as a template to map out the shape, and then transferred that outline onto a plank of 3/4” plywood (“The Surfboard”). After some lengthy trial and error moving things around, appropriate measurements were laid out to make sure that there was sufficient room for the equipment, padding, cabling, and tie-down equipment.

HEADING TO THE TRACK:

It’s a pretty long drive from Louisville out to the Mt. Park Dragway in Clay City, Kentucky (about 120 miles). When we got there it was so cold out that the grass in the shadows was still frosted even though the sun had been up for a few hours. Sadly, that morning one of Matthew’s friends lost control of his Corvette on the track and put it into the wall! Fortunately he’s OK, but the same can’t be said for the Vette. Even with safety equipment, racing is still a dangerous occupation.

Mounting the server and network equipment in the Viper trunk went surprisingly smooth. All of the planning and measuring paid off and it fit like a glove. We powered up the server and the router and ran some connectivity tests while Matthew drove around the track. As long as we kept the Yagi antenna (attached to the netbook in our makeshift pits) pointed at the Viper, we never lost a single ping. That’s pretty impressive considering that the antenna was INSIDE the trunk. The car body is fiberglass (except for the carbon fiber rear spoiler) so there was nothing externally on which to stick the antenna.

Side note: One of the coolest parts of the whole project was seeing the looks when people walked around to the back of the car to see what was in the trunk.

The phrase of the day was, “You put a *server* in a Viper!?”

Everybody thought it was cool! So did we. My face hurts from grinning.

Using the netbook back at the pits, we logged into the HP MicroServer via RDP and ran System Information for Windows (SIW) to keep an eye on the internal temperature of the CPU and SSD drive with the trunk closed. Since it was such cool day, all the temps stayed nice and chilly in the server. In fact, the only moving parts in the entire trunk were one cooling fan in the server and another one in the UPS. The rig doesn’t build up much heat anyway.

By design, the Viper ACR doesn’t have electronic traction control. On a cold day with cold tires, the lack of traction control meant that Matthew couldn’t safely punch the pedal to the floor without risking having the Viper suffer the same fate as the Vette. We know what the car can do in warmer weather, so there’s no doubt that that we truly have The World’s Fastest Small Business Server on our hands.

PICTURES OF THE COMPLETED PROJECT:

A view of the Viper SRT10 ACR 8.4 liter 10-cylinder engine.	The blue tape keeps hot tire rubber from sticking to the paint.
Left – HP ProLiant MicroServer Right – APC Smart-UPS	Behold! The World’s Fastest Small Business Server.
Close-up – You can see Buffalo wireless B/G/N router in the front and the “Surfboard” underneath. The APC and all other equipment is mounted rock solid and can’t move even 1/4”.	This is what happens when you burn too much rubber – they have to literally scrape it off the track! I think they’ve been saving this for a while at the track, but I’m not sure how long.

If you’ve got questions about the project, please feel free to post them in the comments below.

PICTURES – You can see the rest of the pictures on Flickr (test fit before tie-down and different views of the car, etc.)

VIDEO – Matt Hester (IT Pro Evangelist for Microsoft) shot some video of Project Daffy today, so you may see it on his blog soon. If he does, we’ll link to it here.

THANKS – Super-special thanks go to Matthew Snoddy (Network Therapists) and Greg Starks (Hewlett-Packard) for making this dream a reality. Props to Andrew McIntosh too for the UPS, and to Lauren for assistance in the pits.
You guys absolutely rock!!