Exchange Server Question

[medicnick83]

Hi guys,

This is probably not possible but I thought I'd ask.

Okay, so when I have to fix PC's, sometimes, I have to backup and reload (last resort) but then we have to take the PC back to the site and then connect it to Exchange and then move all the data back into it's proper place.

Any way you can (off site) connect it to the exchange (but not really) ? - it creates the profile, blah blah blah, I can put files where it should be and then take it back and connect it and login and away it goes (but obviously, have to do all the minor settings)

I ask, and yes, it's probably a stupid question, but you know if you take a PC from a site and you try to login say at the office, so long you use the correct username/password, it will login, obviously, things won't work (shares on a 'not available' server etc)

The idea here is, I'm obviously trying to find a way of doing this all in 1 foul swoop and thus save the client time since we and most companies charge per hour or half hour or whatever not.

 

[bekdik]

The exchange data lives on the exchange server. You do have the option when using outlook to cache a copy of the data on the workstation, this will refresh automatically if it's deleted.

I think you are refering to AD, not exchange, in which case you'll need to join the machine to AD. This needs to be done by someone with admin rights

 

[phiber]

Sorry not too sure what you are asking, but have you looked at OWA to connect to exchange remotely? Not sure if it can do much more than read/send mail, but it might be worth looking into.

 

[herbertk]

Not entirely sure what you are trying to do... but you can tell outlook to only download the headers of the emails and download full items later... are you trying to create the profile offline so a user can connect and eveerything is already set up ? Give us some detail as to version of exchange and outlook it will determine some of the newer available options to do this.

 

[herbertk]

Sorry not too sure what you are asking, but have you looked at OWA to connect to exchange remotely? Not sure if it can do much more than read/send mail, but it might be worth looking into.

Newer versions of OWA gives full functionality so all depends on what gdiza is trying to do...

 

[swsup97]

What u asking is not possible unless you have remote access to the network for example a VPN (Virtual Private Network ) connection - this would enable you to connect to the network and then remote into a AD server and add the computer account/user account onto the domain, to do this
you would need to have domain admin access. That's one way - the other is to install admin pack on your machine and use that configure accounts when connected to the network and AD.
Once a member of the domain you would then be able to configure the exchange account and other network access such as shares and printers
This is assuming that you DO have access into the network at the office.

U also get software that you can log into machines remotely via an IP address over HTTPS and you take control over the keyboard and mouse to configure the machines.

 

[herbertk]

What u asking is not possible unless you have remote access to the network for example a VPN (Virtual Private Network ) connection - this would enable you to connect to the network and then remote into a AD server and add the computer account/user account onto the domain, to do this
you would need to have domain admin access. That's one way - the other is to install admin pack on your machine and use that configure accounts when connected to the network and AD.
This is assuming that you DO have access into the network at the office.

U also get software that you can log into machines remotely via an IP address over HTTPS and you take control over the keyboard and mouse to configure the machines.

Well not entirely true, exchange has mapi (rpc) over https has to be enabled and allowed through the fire wall etc... but it is possible if OWA is enabled that is another option...

 

[Nod]

You could play around with the Outlook profile settings in the registry. I think, it might work to create it in the registry beforehand.
You should be able to create like a "template" registry file that you can just import, and edit for the correct exchange server.

 

[Asha'man X]

If Outlook is using cached Exchange mode, an OST file will be sitting in the users profile which is essentialy a shadow copy of their mail. The problem is, after you've formatted a box, that box needs to be joined to the domain again in order to create profiles and so on. Outlook and Exchange 2007 make things radically simple for an end user the 1st time they log on, it picks up everything from Active Directory.

In short, what you are trying to do isn't really possible. Once you've joined the domain again though, things become easier.

 

[bekdik]

AFAIK once you rejoin the ost won't be accessible, but, as you say, it will be rebuilt.