XADM: How to Load Exchange Symbols for Dr. Watson

Debug Symbol files (symbols) are required for both kernel and user-mode debugging in Microsoft Windows NT. Symbols provide a way to reference global variables and function names in the loaded executable.

Symbols are produced by the linker. They are removed from the retail product and saved in a separate (.dbg) file. This considerably reduces file size, decreasing file load time and increasing system performance. Symbols represent Function/API names and global variables.

Load the Microsoft Exchange Symbols on the Microsoft Exchange Server computer to help in debugging Dr. Watson event logs on the Exchange Server computer. After you load the symbols, Dr. Watson logs contain references to the global variables and function names which aid you in troubleshooting.

Steps to load Microsoft Exchange Symbols for Dr. Watson:

1. If the computer is running Exchange Server on Windows NT 3.5x, copy the Symbols folder and subfolders from the Windows NT Server CD, Support\Debug\Symbols\platform, to the Winnt folder on the Microsoft Exchange Server computer. In the Symbols folder, you now have Winnt\Symbols with nine subfolders. In Windows NT 4.0, run Expndsym.exe from the Support\Debug\Symbols folder.
   
   You may need to run the Expndsym.exe from a command line with the following syntax:
   expndsym f: c:\winnt
   where \winnt is the %SystemRoot% where Windows NT is installed. This creates a C:\%SystemRoot%\Symbols folder structure and places the *.dbg files in the appropriate subfolder (Dll, Exe, and so on).
2. Determine the version of Exchange Server:
   1. For version 4.0, run Setup.bat from the Support\Symbols\Debug\platform folder on the Exchange Server 4.0 distribution compact disk as follows:
      support\symbols\debug\platform\setup.bat
      to ensure that the symbols are collected the next time Dr. Watson traps a fault.
      
      NOTE: You must also install Symbols for any service packs and hotfixes installed on the computer. For Service Packs 1-3:
      SP1: Run Setup.bat from Support\Symbols\platform.
      SP2: Run Setup.bat from Server\language\Support\Symbols\platform.
      SP3: Copy all files from the Support\Symbols folder into the Winnt\Symbols folder on your hard drive.
   2. For version 5.0, run Setup.exe from the Support\Symbols folder on the Exchange Server 5.0 distribution compact disk. The Setup program installs all necessary symbols in the correct locations.
   3. For version 5.5, run Setup.exe from the Server\Support\Symbols folder on the Exchange Server 5.5 distribution compact disk. The Setup program installs all necessary symbols in the correct locations.
   4. For Exchange 2000, run Setup.exe from the Support\Symbols\I386 folder on the Exchange 2000 distribution compact disk. The Setup program installs all necessary symbols in the correct locations.
3. From File Manager, run Drwtsn32 -I, and click OK. This sets Dr. Watson as the default debugger for Windows NT.
4. From File Manager, run Drwtsn32, and on the Options menu, click Create Crash Dump File.
   
   Note that the information contained in the crash dump file may not be useful for the system administrator; only collect a crash dump file if one is requested by a Microsoft Support Professional. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   141465  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/141465/ ) How to install symbols for Dr. Watson error debugging