Exchange Connectivity Troubleshooter Available

Exchange Server administrators can use the free Exchange Remote Connectivity Analyzer (ExRCA) Web site to verify that important Exchange connectivity functions, such as remote access to e-mail and ActiveSync, are working correctly for remote users. In addition, the site diagnoses failures and offers troubleshooting help. It could prove a model for other Web-based diagnostic tools that can test connectivity functions for the increasing number of mobile workers.

ExRCA was implemented by Microsoft’s product support services to help Exchange administrators determine how well remote services are working, using an agent running on the Internet. Internal tests often indicate that Exchange services are running correctly, but those tests may not detect other problems, such as with firewall ports or Domain Name System (DNS) records, that prevent external users from accessing those services. In these situations, administrators aren’t aware of a problem until remote users report it.

The site checks connectivity for Exchange ActiveSync (which allows mobile devices to synchronize with Exchange Server), Outlook Anywhere (which allows Outlook users to connect to an Exchange Server on the Internet using Remote Procedure Call over HTTP), and inbound Simple Mail Transfer Protocol services.