Troubleshooting a Virtualized Exchange Server

Issue

This article outlines steps to resolve Exchange 2007 & 2010 Services failing to start on virtualizations of Windows SBS/Server 2008, Windows SBS/Server 2008 R2, & Windows SBS 2011.

Environment

  • Microsoft Windows SBS/Server 2008
  • Microsoft Windows Server SBS/2008 R2
  • Microsoft Exchange 2007
  • Microsoft Exchange 2010

Cause

The Exchange Services failed to start because of a change in the machine's IP address when booted into the Virtual Environment hosted on the Datto SIRIS.

Resolution

Common Exchange 2007 & 2011 Services which fail to automatically start are:

  • Microsoft Exchange Information Store
  • Microsoft Exchange Service Host
  • Microsoft Exchange System Attendant services

Windows Event Viewer may list the following Error EventIDs in the System section:

  • EventID 7024: The Microsoft Exchange Information Store service terminated with service-specific error 0 (0×0).
  • EventID 7009: A timeout was reached (30000 milliseconds) while waiting for the Microsoft Exchange Service Host service to connect.
  • EventID 7000: The Microsoft Exchange Service Host service failed to start due to the following error: The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion.
  • EventID 7022: The Microsoft Exchange Transport service hung on starting.

The Exchange Management Console may also display the following:

ERROR: Could not connect to the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service on server Networknet.nl. One of the following problems may be occurring: 1- The Microsoft Exchange Information Store service is not running. 2- There is no network connectivity to server Networknet.nl. 3- You do not have sufficient permissions to perform this command. The following permissions are required to perform this command: Exchange View-Only Administrator and local administrators group for the target server. 4- Credentials have been cached for an unpriviledged user. Try removing the entry for this server from Stored User Names and Passwords.

How to fix it

  1. Open the Server's Services Console: Start > Run > services.msc
  2. Change the "Startup Type" for the following services to automatic :
    • Microsoft Exchange Information Store
    • Microsoft Exchange Service Host
    • Microsoft Exchange System Attendant
  3. Open up the Network Connections of the Server & Change the IPv4 address to the original IP address: Start > Run > ncpa.cpl ? Right Click Adapter & Select Properties
  4. Reboot the Virtual Machine: Start ? Restart

NOTE  If the Exchange Services still continue to fail to start then also try to disable IPv6 to remove Exchange 2007's dependency for IPv6 when enabled for Server 2008 and newer. To disable IPv6:

On the host :

  1. Open the System Registry Editor: Start > Run > regedit
  2. Locate the Registry Key for TCP/IPv6: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip6\Parameters
  3. Create a dword (32-bit) value and name it as “Disabled Components” and then click OK
  4. Double click “Disabled Components” and type 0xffffffff(hexadecimal value) or 4294967295 (Decimal value)
  5. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

For a specific network adapter :

  1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
  2. Click Network and Sharing Center.
  3. In the View your active networks area, click Local Area Connection, and then click Properties.
  4. On the Networking tab, clear the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) check box, and then click OK.

NOTE   The Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) check box affects only the specific network adapter and will unbind IPv6 from the selected network adapter. To disable IPv6 on the host, use the DisabledComponents registry value. The DisabledComponents registry value does not affect the state of the check box. Therefore, even if the DisabledComponents registry key is set to disable IPv6, the check box in the Networking tab for each interface can still be checked. This is expected behavior.