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🔐 Why You Cannot “Switch Exchange to LDAPS (636)” — and Why You Don’t Need To
Why Exchange cannot use LDAPS (636) — and why it doesn’t need to. Auditors often require “LDAPS everywhere,” but Exchange relies on LDAP over SASL (Kerberos/NTLM), which already provides encryption and integrity via signing/sealing on ports 389/3268. No plaintext data is ever transmitted. This post explains the architectural reasons, shows packet captures, and provides a…
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📨 SMTPUTF8 in Mixed Exchange Environments (2019 ⇄ 2016): Why Your Go (gomail) App Fails — and How to Fix It
Mixed Exchange 2019↔2016 can break SMTP submissions from Go/gomail when FE 2019 advertises SMTPUTF8 and the session is proxied to BE 2016 that doesn’t support it. The fix: disable SMTPUTF8 on the 2019 connector, adjust the client, or finish migrating to 2019.
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🔍 Granting Cross-Forest Mailbox Access: Linked Mailbox or Full Access?
Two forests, one mailbox. Should you just assign Full Access or go with a Linked Mailbox? Here’s the difference, a real-world error we hit, and why linked mailboxes often win for long-term stability.
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🧩 When a Security Policy Breaks Exchange Installation: WinRM Troubles Uncovered
At first glance, the Exchange 2019 setup seemed smooth – clean OS, a well-planned migration scenario. But the installation hit a snag when WinRM refused to cooperate. What went wrong? This post dives into a surprising root cause tied to an old security policy and shows how understanding hidden production settings can save hours of…
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🛡️Default FrontEnd Connector in Exchange: Open Door or Necessary Entry Point?
Did you know that your Exchange server might be allowing anyone to send anonymous emails to internal users by default? In this post, I explore the security implications of the Default FrontEnd receive connector, why it matters in hybrid environments, and how attackers might exploit it. Based on findings from real Risk Assessment Programs, I…
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📅Cross-Forest Free/Busy with Meeting Rooms: Making It Work in Exchange
Free/Busy lookups between forests are tricky enough — and meeting rooms make them even more so. In this post, I walk through a scenario where calendar sharing works fine for users, but room mailboxes stay silent. If you’re dealing with a cross-forest Exchange setup and struggling with room availability, this guide will help pinpoint where…
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🌐Federation Trust in Exchange: When Trust Breaks Down
Federation Trust is the backbone of cross-organization sharing in Exchange – but what if it breaks? In this post, I cover a real-world case where the trust silently failed, impacting Free/Busy lookups and external sharing.
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🧩Recreating Exchange Virtual Directories: When Reset is the Fix
Virtual directories in Exchange can get messy – corrupted configs, wrong URLs, failed authentication… In this post, I show how and when recreating them solves persistent issues with Outlook, OWA, ECP, and more. Whether you’re troubleshooting client access or just want a clean slate, here’s a practical guide to doing it safely.
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🧮Mastering LogParser for Exchange and IIS: Powerful Queries Made Simple
Exchange and and it’s logs hold the answers – if you know how to ask the right questions. In this post, I walk through using LogParser, a free and powerful tool, to extract, filter, and visualize key data from your environment. Whether you’re troubleshooting mail flow, performance, or security issues, LogParser turns raw logs into…
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🔄Migrating Exchange Online Mailboxes Without a Cross-Tenant License
Microsoft officially requires a cross-tenant migration license to move mailboxes between tenants – but there are cases where it’s not strictly needed. In this post, I share a real-world scenario of cross-tenant Exchange Online migration without purchasing the license. Learn what’s possible, what risks are involved, and how to stay compliant (or at least well-informed).
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