Microsoft Exchange Server Support Utilities
Disclaimer
This document is provided for informational purposes only and Microsoft Corporation makes no warranties, either express or implied, in this document. The entire risk of the use or the results of the use of this document remains with the user. Companies, names, and data used in examples herein are fictitious unless otherwise noted. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation.
Overview
This file contains documentation on the support tools you’ll find on the Microsoft Exchange Server CD-ROM. Some of these tools are intended for use only under the direction of Microsoft Product Support Services. 
You can find the following tools in the Support\Utils directory under the subdirectory for your platform
File	Title	
authrest.exe	Authoritative Restore	
error.exe	Error Converter	
imcdump.exe	IMC Queue Dump	
imcremot.exe	IMC Remote Console	
mdbvu32.exe, propvu32.dll, statvu32.dll, tblvu32.dll, xvport.dll	Information Store Viewer	
replver.exe	Public Folder Replication Verification Tool (available only for Intel)	
restest.exe	IMC DNS Resolver Test	
testadmn.exe	Administration Utility	

Authoritative Restore 
The Authoritative Restore tool (Authrest.exe) allows you to force a restored directory database to replicate to other servers after restoring from a backup. You can receive assistance using this tool from Microsoft Product Support Services.
Normally, a restored database is assumed to be more out-of-date than the collective information held on all the other directory replicas in the organization. A restored directory would normally replace its own information with the more recent data held by other servers. This functionality is correct when the reason for the restore is that a database or server was destroyed, but it is not correct in all cases. For example, if an administrative error deleted thousands of mailboxes or vital configuration information, the goal of restoring from backup is not to restore one server to functionality, but to move the entire system back to before the undesired changes were made. 
Without Authoritative Restore, you would need to restore every server in the organization from a backup that predates the error or restore every server in the site, and then force all bridgeheads in other sites to resynchronize from scratch. If only one server were restored, or if servers were restored one at a time, the restored server would quickly overwrite its restored data with the more recent (incorrect) information held by all other servers in the site.
Using the Authoritative Restore tool, object versions and USNs can be advanced on all writable objects held by that directory so that the data held on the backup appears to be more recent than any copy held by other servers. Normal replication then causes the restored information to spread to all servers throughout the organization. This tool allows you to restore one server (presumably the one server with the most recent premistake backup) rather than all servers.
Installing Authoritative Restore 
Copy Authrest.exe from the \Support\Utils\<platform> directory of the Microsoft Exchange Server CD-ROM to the \Exchsrvr\Bin directory of the Microsoft Exchange Server that has had its directory restored.
Using Authoritative Restore
Run Authoritative Restore from a command prompt. You can specify two parameters on the command line. The first is the object version increment and the second is the USN increment. These numbers specify how many versions ahead to increment the version numbers of objects in the directory so that they appear to be later versions than the objects in other replicas of the directory in your organization. A reasonable number to enter for both of these parameters is 1000.
After running the Authoritative Restore tool, restart the directory. Its objects replicate to the rest of your organization, superseding objects in the other replicas.

Error Converter
The Error Converter (Error.exe) is an MS-DOS executable file that converts most information store, MAPI, directory, and database error codes to error message strings. For example, the error string for the error code 0x8004010f is MAPI_E_NOT_FOUND. This tool is most useful when you’re troubleshooting problems with Microsoft Product Support Services. When using this tool, you should have knowledge of MAPI. It does not require Microsoft Exchange Server to run. 
Using Error Converter
Use the following procedure to run the Error Converter.
	To convert an error code
	1.	In MS-DOS, switch to the Support\Utils <platform> directory on the Microsoft Exchange Server CD-ROM.
	2.	At the MS-DOS prompt, type the following:
error error_code 
where error_code is the decimal or hexadecimal error code. The Error Converter displays the error string for the specified error code. Begin hexadecimal error codes with 0x; otherwise, the error code is interpreted as a decimal error code.

IMC Queue Dump
The IMC Queue Dump displays information about the internal representation of the Internet Mail Connector queues, which is stored in the queue.dat file of the IMCDATA directory.
To use IMC Queue Dump, contact Microsoft Product Support Services.

IMC Remote Console
IMC Remote Console dumps detailed information about internal queues and structures of the Internet Mail Connector to a file. It creates a remote procedure call connection to the Internet Mail Connector service, so the service must be running.
To use IMC Remote Console, contact Microsoft Product Support Services.

Information Store Viewer
With Information Store Viewer (Mdbvue32.exe), you can view or set details about a user’s message storage files, which consist of the private information store, the personal folder file (.PST), and the offline folder file (.OST). The Information Store Viewer shows the properties available for each message, how you can use them, and in what format they appear. For example, you can use the Information Store Viewer to determine why a message can be saved but not sent. This tool uses the files Propvu32.dll, Statvu32.dll, Tblvu32.dll, and Xvport.dll.
This tool is most useful when you’re troubleshooting problems with Microsoft Product Support Services. When using this tool, you should have knowledge of the messaging application programming interface (MAPI). For more information, see the MAPI Programmer’s Reference. 
Using the Information Store Viewer 
Use the following procedure to run Information Store Viewer.
	To view a message store 
	1.	Run Mdbvu32.exe from the Support\Utils\<platform> directory on the Microsoft Exchange Server CD-ROM.
	2.	In the MAPILogonEx(MAPI_LOGON_UI) dialog box, select Mapi_New_Session, and then choose OK.
	3.	Select the user profile for the information stores you want to view. 
	4.	From the MDB menu, choose OpenMessageStore. 
	5.	In the Select Message Store dialog box, select the information store you want to view, and then choose Open. The profile can contain a public information store, a private information store, and personal folders. 
	6.	From the MDB menu, choose Open Root Folder or Open IPM Subtree. The Open IPM Subtree is not available for gateways.
The properties of the currently selected information store are displayed.

Public Folder Replication Verification Tool
The Public Folder Replication Verification tool (Replver.exe) compares public folders on Microsoft Exchange Server computers to determine if their contents have been successfully replicated. The tool compares messages in public folders and the MAPI properties of messages and folders. This tool is most useful when you’re troubleshooting problems with Microsoft Product Support Services. When using this tool, you should have knowledge of MAPI. This tool is only available for Intel platforms.
Installing the Public Folder Replication Verification Tool
Before you install the Public Folder Replication Verification tool, do the following:
	Make sure the versions of Microsoft Exchange Client and Microsoft Exchange Server are compatible for all servers on which you plan to verify replication.
	On each server you are testing, create a test mailbox named rv-server, where server is the name of the server being tested. For example, on a server named SANFRANCISCO01, create a mailbox named rv-SANFRANCISCO01. 
	The Windows NT user account that you use on the Microsoft Exchange Client computer must have user permissions for the test mailboxes.
	If you plan to compare the internal properties of public folders, the Windows NT user account on the mailboxes must have administrator permissions for the site. 
	To install the Public Folder Replication Verification tool
	1.	On a Microsoft Exchange Client computer, create a directory for Public Folder Replication Verification.
	2.	On the Microsoft Exchange Server CD-ROM, copy replver.exe from the Support\Utils\i386 directory to the new directory.
Using the Public Folder Replication Verification Tool
Using the Public Folder Replication Verification tool, you can verify public folder replication and compare public folders on servers in multiple sites.
To interrupt the Public Folder Replication Verification Tool while a test is in progress, choose Abort Test from the Test menu. The Public Folder Replication Verification Tool completes any messages or folders it is currently processing before quitting.

	To verify public folder replication on a server
	1.	From the Public Folder Replication Verification directory you created on the Microsoft Exchange Client computer, run Replver.exe.
The Public Folder Replication Verification tool searches for Replver.ini in the same directory on the local computer that contains Replver.exe. If the file does not exist, the Public Folder Replication Verification tool creates one.
	2.	From the Config menu, choose Topology. 
	3.	In the Test Topology dialog box, choose Add Server. 
	4.	In the Server Properties dialog box, type the organization name, the site name, and the server name for each server you’re testing. If the server containing the test mailboxes does not contain both a public and private information store, select Different public server and specify another public folder server.
	5.	Choose OK twice to close the dialog boxes.
	6.	From the Preferences menu, choose Options. 
	7.	In the Verification Options dialog box, specify an output file name and any additional options required (such as the starting public folder), and then choose OK. The options for this dialog box are described in a table following this procedure. 
	8.	From the Preferences menu, choose Tags. 
	9.	In the Output Tags dialog box, select the information you want recorded in the main display window and the output file, and then choose Enabled. The options for this dialog box are described in a table following this procedure. 
	10.	From the Test menu, choose Run Test. The Public Folder Replication Verification tool logs on to all servers and runs the test.

The following table describes the options in the Verification Options dialog box.
Option	Description	
		
Show Time	Shows the time of the test in every line of output.	
Output to File	Specifies the file to be used for all output generated by the Public Folder Replication Verification tool. By default, Replver.out is in the directory from which the Public Folder Replication Verification tool is running.	
Overwrite Previous File	Overwrites any data in the output file. If this option is not selected, data in the output file is overwritten whenever the Public Folder Replication Verification tool is opened. Otherwise, output is appended to existing data in the output file. 	
Starting folder 	Choose one of the following options:
Compare site folders alone 
Compares only special public folders for the site, such as the Schedule+ Free/Busy public folder and the offline Address Book.	
	Folder tree root 
Compares public folders, beginning with the root folder.	
	Other 
Compares any selected public folder.	
Comparison options 	Choose one or more of the following options:
Compare subfolders too 
If this option is selected, the test starts from the specified starting folder and also compares the subfolders. If this option is not selected, only the starting folder is compared.
Compare messages 
Compares all messages in the folders and verifies that the messages on one server are also located on the others.	

Option	Description	
	
	Compare MAPI properties 
Compares the MAPI-supported properties on the folders and the messages.
Compare Internal Properties 
Compares the internal replication-related properties on each replicated folder. The properties are ptagMidsetDeleted, and ptagCnsetSeen, ptagCnsetSeenFAI. If you select this option, the Windows NT user account on the test mailboxes must have administrator permissions for the site. 	
Continue after mismatches	Folders continue to be compared even if mismatches are found on some folders. If this option is not selected, the comparison stops after the first mismatch is found.	

The following table describes the options in the Output Tags dialog box.
Tag	Generates information about	
		
Start of new folder	The next folder that is being compared.	
Start of new message	The messages that are being compared in the folder. This information appears only once for all messages in a given folder.	
Folder mismatch	Folder mismatches.	
Message mismatch	Message mismatches.	
Folder property dump 
(all properties)	All folder properties. This tag should not be used unless you are comparing only one or a few folders or messages.	
Message property dump 
(all properties)	All message properties. This tag should not be used unless you are comparing only one or a few folders or messages.	
Internal properties dump	All internal properties. It is recommended that you use this option only in special cases.	
Folder property mismatches	The folder properties that mismatched.	
Message property mismatches	The message properties that mismatched.	
Summary information	All the errors and warnings that the Public Folder Replication Verification tool found. 	

IMC DNS Resolver Test
The IMC DNS Resolver Test performs a domain name service (DNS) query for mail exchange (MX) records that match the specified domain. A list is created of one or more IP addresses in the same order of preference the Internet Mail Connector uses in its attempt to deliver mail for that domain.
If the MX query returns no results, a query for the address (A) record matching the domain is performed. The result is a single IP address. If the A record search returns no results, the host file on the local machine is checked. If a match is found, the result is a single IP address.
This tool is useful for checking DNS or host file configurations and for troubleshooting delivery problems.
Installing IMC DNS Resolver Test
No installation is required. You can run the IMC DNS Resolver Test from the Support\Utils directory on the Microsoft Exchange Server CD-ROM. You should run the IMC DNS Resolver Test from the same computer that runs the Internet Mail Connector after TCP/IP and DNS are configured.
Implementing IMC DNS Resolver Test
To run the IMC DNS Resolver Test with options, type the following from the command line:
restest [-debug] domain
Using -debug causes additional information to be displayed at each step of the search. 

Testadmn.exe
Testadmn.exe is a low-level administration utility for communicating with the information store.

Important
You can perform all the functions necessary for normal use of a Microsoft Exchange Server using the Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator program. Testadmn.exe should be used only with the assistance of Microsoft Product Support Services.

With Testadmn.exe, you can perform low-level administration tasks, such as:
	View and manipulate internal tables of the information store.
	Synchronize the directory with the information store.
	Delete a mailbox or pause mail delivery to a mailbox.
	Observe directory changes.