Exchange ECP HTTP Error 500.19 MSExchangeECPAppPool.config ApplicationHost.config (0x8007000d)

Spoiler alert!: IIS keeps history of config files!

Well, Somethings wrong!

2 days ago, I helped the customer deploy their new Exchange 2013.  Everything is fine then, we had OWA and ECP running. Today I was called because they decided to add new mailboxes and cant access the ECP.

As troubleshooting, I opened the IIS Management Console and was presented with this:

Opened the File and this came up. My reaction: What’s this!? Config files for aliens?!

More background first for troubleshooting:

1. Client Installed .NET Framework 3.5 and ASP.NET 3.5 thinking this is missing.

2. Client Restarted everything. Yea, the have you tried turning it on and off again.

 

So le me, going back to the original problem: the Config file is corrupt!

Good guy IIS, always create a copy of the config history under INETPUB!  So I just go to that folder and under the second to the last CFG History I copied the applicationhost.config.

Now go to The Inetserv Config folder under System32 (as the error said and rename the applicationhost with .old so that you have a backup copy of it. Then paste the applicationhost.config here.

Back to work now and Happy deployment!

Exchange setup /PrepareAD /OrganizationName

Quick Blog on Exchange, Oh man I miss blogging.

So here I am, helping a Exchange 2013 deployment client side at their production (really, long story about production) when they asked me – What’s an example value for the /OrganizationName parameter with the preparead on setup?

Right after the /PrepareSchema Command (or PS)

We will run:

setup /PrepareAD /OrganizationName:<organization name>

And client said, there are no example in http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb125224(v=exchg.150).aspx

Actually, they just need to enter their a resemblance of their company name.

An examples are

setup /PrepareAD /OrganizationName:VFTSINC

setup /PrepareAD /OrganizationName:YOURCOMPANY

setup /PrepareAD /OrganizationName:CONTOSO

 

On and don’t forget these:

1. Add yourselves to Enterprise AND Schema Admins Security Group! Yea the prompt will tell you and/or but based on experience, it should be AND. Then I read the TechNet article again and it says, Schema AND Enterprise Admin group.

2. Run as Administrator the CMD prompt

3. Nah, don’t bother coming up with a way to put spaces on your organization name. We tried a lot of examples, quotes, double quote or without it but only the ones on the screenshot below worked. We made sure that no spaces before and after the name as well, if you had to ask me if I did try that and didn’t worked.

3. Include the /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms

4. We do not know what happens if we closed the command prompt while the schema is being extended. Be sure not to accidentally click it.

Finally on the setup on /PrepareAllDomains step, we opted to have the IAccept parameter again. So  that’s it!

Happy exchange deployment and my I say the traditional, You had me at EHLO 🙂