Exchange Server Remote Connectivity Analyzer: Test Exchange from outside the firewall

Exchange 2007 brought with it a number of Exchange shell cmdlets that let you test Exchange functionality (scroll down to the end of this post for a list of the test cmdlets). But how do you test Exchange services are actually available and usable from the Internet?

Have you longed for an Exchange cmdlet like Test-ExchangeConnectivity which could test your Exchange services such as Outlook Anywhere, AutoDiscover, Exchange ActiveSync, and SMTP from outside your firewall?



Now there is! Exchange Remote Connectivity Analyzer is a web-based service that lets you test Exchange functionality and availability from the Internet. Best of all— it's free!

Exchange Remote Connectivity Analyzer answers your Exchange operations questions, such as:

1. Can my Exchange server receive inbound Internet/SMTP email?
   
2. Can my Outlook Anywhere (aka "RPC over HTTP" in Exchange 2003) clients connect from outside the firewall?
   
3. Can my mobile users connect using Exchange ActiveSync phones/devices?
   
4. Does AutoDiscover work for Outlook 2007 clients?
   
5. Does AutoDiscover work for Exchange ActiveSync clients?
   
6. Are the certificates used for these services valid?

Head over to Exchange Remote Connectivity Analyzer at testexchangeconnectivity.com. More details, and a great video, in Announcing the release of Exchange Server Remote Connectivity Analyzer on the Exchange team blog.

Exchange 2007's Built-In Test Cmdlets
Here's a list of Exchange 2007 Test Cmdlets. Although these test cmdlets aren't intended to replace full-fledged monitoring software or diagnostics systems, they do allow you to test a lot of Exchange functionality quickly and easily, without having to fire up a console or browser!

1. Test-ActiveSyncConnectivity: Lets you test ActiveSync synchronization
   
2. Test-EdgeSynchronization: Test EdgeSync status of subscribed Edge Transport servers, including whether a specified recipient is synchronized
   
3. Test-ExchangeSearch: Test Exchange Search status/health for a specified server or individual mailbox.
   
4. Test-ImapConnectivity: Test IMAP functionality on a Client Access Server
   
5. Test-IPAllowListProvider: Test if an IP address is listed in an IP Allow List Provider (a DNS-based list, think of it as the opposite of an IP Block List Provider or RBL)
   
6. Test-IPBlockListProvider: Test whether an IP address is listed in an IP Block List Provider (aka RBL)
   
7. Test-Mailflow: Test mailflow, including mail submission, transport, and delivery, from the System Mailbox on an Exchange Server to another Exchange Server or specified email address
   
8. Test-MAPIConnectivity: Test MAPI connectivity to an Exchange server or a specified mailbox. A MAPI logon is performed. This test will also create a mailbox in the MDB for those freshly created/enabled mailboxes that haven't been logged on to.
   
9. Test-OutlookWebServices: Test AutoDiscover configuration for Outlook 2007.
   
10. Test-OwaConnectivity: Test connectivity to Outlook Web Access, including certificate validation.
    
11. Test-PopConnectivity: Test POP3 connectivity for a specified Client Access Server
    
12. Test-ReplicationHealth: Test the health of Continuous Replication
    
13. Test-SenderId: Test SenderID status for a specified IP Address (the sending host) and domain.
    
14. Test-ServiceHealth: Test the status of services set to start automatically.
    
15. Test-SystemHealth:
    
16. Test-WebServicesConnectivity: