Slow after rebuild 1

[RockChalk]

We recently had to rebuild our exchange server. We thought that we might as well make the server windows 2k. We are having speed issues. We notice it more when an email has an attchment or is on stationary. We are using dual processors and upgraded to 1.5 gig memory.

We didn't have this issue before the rebuild, with one processor and 512 mb memroy. All I can think of is that we change something in the setup of Exchange 5.5. We weren't here when the server was setup the first time so we aren't sure what change.

We are willing to turn things off and on to get back to normal.

RC

 

[fuego007]

Check the NIC configuration. If it's set to Autoset speed and duplex to match your network, change it to static settings. If your network is running at 100Mbps/full duplex adn the NIC is going to 100Mbps/half-duplex, it will be very slow. Any mismatch will cause a problem.

 

[RockChalk]

We changed the settings of the NIC from auto config to full duplexing. We are still having problems with attachments.
We still get the following message:

"Requesting data from Microsoft Exchange Server"
"Outlook is retrieving data from the Microsoft Exchange Server "Name of server". You can cancel the request or minimize this message to the Windows taskbar until Outllok closes the message automatically."

It has a progress bar and a check box "always minimize this message when a delay occurs" and a big button "Cancel Request"

Something has changed in our exchange settings.

Thanks for any help on this problem
RC

 

[sectorboot]

When you say speed problem... is it when login first time (starting of mail client) or when it reads mails ?

I have experienced slow login before (from outlook) there's an article on ms knowledgebase about it but I forgot the address... it's about how DHCP not making TCP/IP as it' first choice of protocol to resolve addreses.

Try to use fix IP and see if it makes a different... if it doesn't... am wrong.

Good luck.

 

[RockChalk]

The problem is when a users clicks on or tries to open an email with an attachment. The users gets the message that I stated in a previous post.

I have experinced this at my workstation and it's a pretty powerful machine. Login isn't a problem at all. Outlook fires up with no problems and works fine until I hit an email that has a attachment.

One thing to take note of is after I been to that email with the attachment and come back I don't get the message.

I'm reaching here so try to hang on, Is there a setting in exchange that deals with attachments and how to handle them?

RC

 

[30362]

Try right-clicking on the message with the attachment and choosing "MARK AS UNREAD", see how long it takes to mark it unread, then try opening it again and see if the "Requesting Data" error comes back.

A few other questions, I am trying to find a trend here...

1) How many other Exch servers are in your site?
2) Was the server you rebuilt the primary server?
3) What model / brand is your new server?

Thanks.

 

[RockChalk]

I right click on it and the message box comes up.
We have one Exchange server.
It isn't our primary domain controller.
It's a Dell Power Edge 2300.

If you are following the tread Requesting Data error on this same forum. We seem to have a link between moving from NT 4 to 2k servers.

RC

 

[30362]

Yes I have, I started that thread.

I am seeing two things, Dell PowerEdge servers and NT4 to Win2k.

How many drives, what RAID level are you running and what RAID controller?

 

[RockChalk]

Sorry I didn't look to see who the post was from.

We have two 73 gig hard drives that are mirrored.

I have a feeling its a nt4 to a 2k box problem.

Did you say that you are running a Nt domain?

RC

 

[30362]

I would agree that migration from NT4 to Win2K seems to be the common factor, however I deployed a new server (not a migration) in my enterprise on a Win2K box and they have the problem too.

Additionally, I have 3 more servers, all Exch55 over Win2k that don't have the problem at all. Two of the three were new installs for new offices, but the third, the largest, was a migration from NT4 to Win2K.

I think my next course of action is to build another Exch55 box on NT4, and migrate my smaller office back to NT and see if that makes a difference - anybody got a free server?

 

[sectorboot]

Maybe we're looking this at the wrong end...
How about the application that is associated with the attachment ?

Just an idea...

 

[RockChalk]

Ok I sorted my emails in outlook by attachment. I started at the top and worked down. So far it doesn't matter. I tried emails that have word docs and pdfs and html attachments.

I did notice that if I go back to an email that I have accessed today and click on it, I don't get the message box. So what do make of that?

RC

 

[30362]

In my discussions w/ Microsoft they explained that it was because once the object had been opened it was handled differently by the store.

Try right-clicking on the message and marking it as unread and the box should pop up again when you try to open it.

 

[kjetilm]

Got the same issue with one out of 12 servers in 12 different sites. Not resolved :-(

The rebuild in trouble was made by installing a new server into one site and moving mailboxes from old to new server.
Trouble seemed to start when old server was removed. Not sure about this, though.
This the method you used RC?

Have done another rebuild in another site but this time by restoring the database to a new server with the same name.
Works fine...

 

[RockChalk]

We had our server hard drive crash. We didn't have any info on the server. We were unable to recover completely. We were running a Windows NT box with exchange 5.5 before the crash. We installed more memory and another processor and two 73 gig mirrored drives. We went ahead and rebuilt the box and installed Windows 2K. Installed the SPs and then installed exchange 5.5. We had to manually create all the users (imported) and then use a tool called power tools that could access the old private info store off a backup tape and import the old emails to the new server.

So to answer your question it’s kinda the same method we just didn’t have the old machine running. Did I answer your question?

 

[kjetilm]

ok. So did you still use the same hostname for the server?

If you changed the name:
Have seen some other postings on name related issues.
Check HKEY_USERS on the client and search for 001e660c(several) to see if any of them are pointing to the wrong name.

Also Gigabit NICs on W2k seems to be an issue and AV on the server.

Myself I`m working on the AV to see if turning it off has an impact. I`ll let you know.

kjetilm

 

[RockChalk]

We used the same server name. We didn't have the exchange info that we needed to recover.

AV? Sorry

RC

 

[30362]

Gigabit NICs w/ W2K and Exchange, or just Gig NICs in general?

Also, which AV, Netshield on the server or Groupshield on the store?

I ran without AntiVirus for a while and there was no change. Initially MS suspected that AV might be the problem, but creating a new server (with no AV) and moving some of the clients to that server still had the same result.

 

[RockChalk]

That's an intresting thought, because we went and upgrade our symantec ecxchange AV on the new server. I had forgot that we did that. What AV are you running?

RC

 

[30362]

We are running McAfee groupshield on the Store, we opted not to load Netshield on the server at all.