XADM: Using DSEXPORT to Obtain MTA Configuration Information (230788)

SUMMARY

This article explains how to export the directory attributes for the Microsoft Exchange Server Message Transfer Agent (MTA) object. Some of the attributes forming the MTA object are:

MTA-Local-Desig = Local MTA name: Servername
MTA-Local-Cred = Local MTA password: None
Deliv-Cont-Length = Message size, maximum KB:
Expand-DLs-Locally = Expand remote distribution lists locally
Deliv-Ext-Cont-Types = Convert incoming messages to Exchange Server contents

The Microsoft Exchange Administrator program does not export MTA configuration data. In some cases, it may be useful to export the directory attributes associated with MTAs to verify that attributes are consistent across multiple servers in a site and multiple site organizations, for example, verifying that message size limits are set to the same values.

MORE INFORMATION

The Dsexport.exe utility, which is available in the Microsoft Platform Software Development Kit (SDK), can be used to export directory information about the Exchange Server MTA. Dsexport.exe is located in the Samples\Dbmsg\Exchange\Dsexport directory.

Dsexport.exe has some command-line arguments that are not recognized by the Microsoft Exchange Administrator Import\Export processor. These arguments make this tool particularly useful for dumping objects other than Mailbox or Recipient container objects.

For more information about Dsexport.exe, consult the Microsoft Platform SDK documentation.

Using Dsexport.exe

Dsexport.exe outputs information into a text file as comma separated values (CSV). If the target file exists prior to running Dsexport.exe, and this target CSV file lists the name of each of the object attributes you want separated by commas, the file is used as a template header file when Dsexport.exe is executed. This provides the ability to control which object attributes are dumped.

Copy Dsexport.exe to the Exchsrvr\Bin directory.
In the Exchsrvr\Bin directory, create a text file called Mta_attributes.csv with only the following single line of text in it:
Obj-Class,MTA-Local-Desig,MTA-Local-Cred,Deliv-Cont-Length,Expand-DLs-Locally,Deliv-Ext-Cont-Types
You can add any other attribute you require to the above header line. To determine the syntax for other attributes, run the Exchange Administrator program in raw mode.

WARNING: If you use the raw mode of the Exchange Server Administrator program (admin /r) incorrectly, serious problems may occur that may require you to reinstall Microsoft Windows NT Server, Microsoft Exchange Server, or both. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems that result from using raw mode incorrectly can be solved. Use raw mode at your own risk.

Start the Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator program in raw mode by typing the following at a command prompt:
c:\exchsrvr\bin\admin /r
Execute the following command-line (all on one line) from the Exchsrvr\Bin directory:
dsexport /no_ui /file=MTA_ATTRIBUTES.CSV /dsa=%1 /basepoint=/o=%2/ou=%3/cn=Configuration/cn=Servers/cn=%1 /CLASSES=MTA
where:
%1 = local_exchange_servername (Case sensitive)
%2 = organization_name (Case sensitive)
%3 = site_name (Case sensitive)
This will result in an Mta_attributes.csv file that includes the attributes specified in the CSV file. The /no_ui parameter is included in the January 1999 and later versions of the Platform SDK.