Exchange Technology

Overview
Mike Pruett

Manager Information Technology

mpruett@istavision.com

System

Overview
Functional Architecture
RPC Primer
Client-Side Communications
DNS Requirements
Domain Controllers
MAPI
Use Case #1 Server Information Discovery
Use Case #2 Login to a Mailbox

Agenda

Exchange

servers provide a rich set of

interfaces with which clients can
interoperate.
Each protocol exposes a set of functionality
that pertains to specific classes of operation.
These classes (or core functions) are
described as such:
Message Processing System
Information Store

System Overview

Functional Architecture

RPC

or Remote Procedure Call is an Inter-process communication

technology that allows a computer program to cause a subroutine
or procedure to execute in another address space (commonly on
another computer/server) without the programmer explicitly
coding the details for this remote interaction. That is, the
programmer would write essentially the same code whether the
subroutine is local to the workstation, or remote.
RPC is used by the Message Processing System to support
transmitting data between clients & servers.
RPC is also utilized by the Information Store to support data
storage on remote storage systems.
In order to establish native Exchange Server to Outlook Client, or
Exchange Server to Exchange Server communications, RPC
protocols must be used.

RPC Primer

Client-Side Communications

The

Message Processing System utilizes RCP to

communicate to all Outlook clients.
In the absence of RPC, the MPS can default to
standards-based protocols such as SMTP, POP3,
IMAP4 for client communications. (Non-Outlook)
Clients use DNS to resolve Exchange Server hostnames. (Same is true for reverse)
Domain Controllers provide Directory Services for
Clients to resolve Global Address list requests.
Exchange Servers depend on Domain Controllers
for authentication services & security policies.

Client-Side Communications

DNS

or Domain Naming System services are required by the MPS for

routing.
An Exchange Server needs to have an IP Address that is resolvable
from the Inside (internal) network.
In order to receive external email, the Exchange Server needs to have
an IP Address that is resolvable from the internet.
When a Internal Server has a IP address that is both resolvable from
inside & external, its called Split-Brain DNS.
DNS is used by the client to resolve Exchange Server host-names.
Special type of DNS Records must exist to support email traffic. Each
Server must have an A record, and a MX record.
MX DNS records are configured to map the mail domain to the public IP
address corresponding to the externally available Exchange server.
The MX records are propagated to the extended private or public
networks so all intended clients can resolve the domain name.

DNS Requirements

Domain

Controllers provide security authentication for member

servers, and workstations.
Exchange uses DCs for access accounting for all clients by way of
LDAP/Kerberos authentication.
Domain Controllers provide Global Catalog services which store
Meta-Data about all configured users within that Domain.
This Global Catalog is often called Active Directory, as it not only
maintains Users Login information, but also other Meta-Data about
the user.
Exchange utilizes the Global Catalog data to store Mail-Related
objects for all accounts whom have been Mail-Enabled.
The use of GCs in an Exchange Environment is critical. If the
Exchange Server is unable to communicate with a Domain
Controller, the MPS will fail.

Domain Controllers

Client

applications (including Outlook) utilize MAPI or Messaging Application

Programming Interface to interface with Exchange Servers.
Any application can utilize the MAPI subsystem to become mail-enabled or mailaware. A prime example is Internet Explorer.
The MAPI/RPC combo is used heavily by Outlook to process items such as
Calendar Events, Tasks, Meeting Reminders, and Rich-Type Mail object rendering.
Due to its nature as a interface for other applications, MAPI is started as a
separate service to other Outlook functions.
MAPI has been around since 1987, and has been used as the primary subsystem
for all Microsoft Messaging Clients since CC mail.
Outlook clients can receive errors about communicating to the exchange server
because of a MAPI service problem. (Even though the Exchange Server is fine.)
CDO.DLL is a integral Client Library that the MAPI Service requires.
If the version of the clients MAPI is older than the version on the Exchange server,
the clients state is severely degraded. (Clients CDO.DLL should be the same
version or higher than the Exchange CDO.DLL version.)

MAPI

Server Information Discovery

1.
2.

3.
4.
5.

6.

Client contacts LDAP server (Directory Service) for Service

Connection Point (SCP) objects via LDAP.
LDAP server returns SCP objects, which reference an Autodiscover
server URI or another LDAP server. If the SCP returns another LDAP
server, then repeat step with the new LDAP server until URI are
returned for Autodiscover server.
Client parses the URI and adds the appropriate Autodiscover server
URIs to the list of possible Autodiscover server URIs.
Client executes a DNS search for SRV records that match the
returned Autodiscover server URI.
If the DNS server responds with any SRV records, then the
corresponding Autodiscover server URI records are added to the list
of possible Autodiscover server URIs on the client.
Client uses the Autodiscover server URI to contact the Autodiscover
server via HTTP to query server information.

Server Information Discovery

Logon to a Mailbox

1.

Client uses the discovery process from the previous use

case to identify the appropriate server.
2. The client connects to the Exchange server via RPC and
issues a EcDoConnectEx (or EcDoConnect) request, along
with the clients version information.
3. The Exchange server accepts the connection request and
responds with the server version and other connection
information.
4. The client issues a RopLogon Remote Operation (ROP)
request to attempt to log on to the mailbox DN.
5. Upon successful logon, the Exchange server returns a list
of special Folder IDs depending on the logon action
requested by the client.

Logon to a Mailbox

Exchange

Server Protocols System Overview

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc4
63895(v=EXCHG.80).
aspx
MAPI Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAPI
RPC Wikipedia
http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_procedure_call
KB171440 CDO Libraries
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/171440

References