XCCC: White Paper - Troubleshooting Outlook Web Access in Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server

Microsoft Outlook Web Access (OWA) in Exchange 2000 provides convenient access to Exchange 2000 mailbox data through a Web browser. Administrators can use this white paper to troubleshoot configuration problems and common network issues that prevent users from successfully logging on and using OWA. This white paper is intended for Exchange 2000 or OWA administrators who are familiar with Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and basic Microsoft Windows 2000 concepts. To troubleshoot issues that may occur, you may find it useful to have some familiarity with Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS).

Use the five steps that are presented in this paper to troubleshoot the most common OWA logon errors. These steps help you to determine the following information:

• The type of error that is occurring
• What the error means
• Possible causes for the error

Even if none of the steps that are described in this white paper help you fix the problem, you can use the information you gather from the steps if you call Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS). As you troubleshoot, clearly document each step because you may need to refer back to those steps or give the information to a Microsoft PSS representative.

NOTE: This white paper focuses on problems that prevent you or your customer from using OWA, such as the inability to log on or the inability to see items in your folders, as opposed to problems that may occur during an OWA session. This white paper covers the following steps to help you troubleshoot your problem:

• Best Practices in Troubleshooting. This step describes reliable administrative practices to help you maintain consistent OWA performance, and it describes solutions for the most common errors.
• What Are the Symptoms? This step helps administrators isolate the cause of an error by describing the most common categories. Microsoft Product Support Services uses these same categories to troubleshoot OWA.
• What Do These Symptoms Mean? After administrators determine the symptoms of the problem, this step helps determine the source of the problem and some possible ways to solve it.
• Additional Troubleshooting Steps. This step describes more specific troubleshooting methods, including checking Exchange 2000 and Microsoft Windows 2000 components that may cause OWA errors to occur.
• Troubleshooting Tools. This step provides an overview of Windows 2000 and Exchange 2000 tools that can help administrators solve OWA problems.

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

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