Hello, Needing recommendations to create an application Health Monitor for MS Exchange 2010. Currently I have two pool members health check monitor is https(443), I know I can use SMTP, but Exchange engineers say thats not good enough. They want and application layer monitor, they tell me that when they are updating IIS it stops the email function on the node. They want it to be marked down. I said I can use SMTP, but they say nope, need something at the application layer to monitor exchange. I have no idea what they are asking for, to me SMTP should be fine, other than that, what else can I use?

A similar situation arose here and the solution was to let the folks who run exchange decide from themselves - simply by using a RECV string on the https monitor. Fetch, say, /status.html and check for 'Service is up'. Then the application folks can decide whenever they want a node removed from service by changing the string - no guesswork on the F5 side and they are feeling empowered by having control over availability.

Hi Gilbert, have you looked at the "advanced" health monitors that are listed in the "Microsoft Exchange 2010 and 2013" deployment guide (http://www.f5.com/pdf/deployment-guides/microsoft-exchange2010-iapp-dg.pdf)? You can find them on pages 72 - 75.

Ok, thank you. These are great recommendations. I will check into these.

Hi all, I created the advanced health monitor on the deplyment guide, but don't seem to be working. The Node always stays up using this monitor. Even if I use a fake login name and password or create an error on the Send Sting. I'm using a https parent. I really could use help on this, of cource the exchange engineers are playing the blame game, because the F5 didn't do what they expected. Issue is they never asked for this, they only asked for smtp and https monitors. Its always the networks fault...below is what I have.. Any idea? Send String- GET /owa/auth/logon.aspx?url=https://smtp2.bigmail.local/owa/&reason=0 HTTP/1.1\r\nUser-Agent: Mozilla/4.0\r\nHost: smtp2.bigmail.local\n\r\n Rec String- OutlookSession= I also have the user and password....but no matter what I do, its always up.

Send String- GET /owa/auth/logon.aspx?url=https://smtp2.bigmail.local/owa/&reason=0 HTTP/1.1\r\nUser-Agent: Mozilla/4.0\r\nHost: smtp2.bigmail.local\n\r\n Rec String- OutlookSession= I also have the user and password....but no matter what I do, its always up. it is form based login page. there is no authentication. outlooksession is cookie name. e.g. [root@ve11a:Active:In Sync] config curl -Ik "https://208.85.209.171/owa/auth/log...p;reason=0" -H "Host: owa.f5.com" HTTP/1.1 200 OK Cache-Control: no-cache, no-store Pragma: no-cache Content-Length: 8776 Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 Expires: -1 Set-Cookie: OutlookSession=5c3edfd827f046dfb5a523e328974a63; path=/; secure; HttpOnly X-OWA-Version: 14.3.123.3 X-Powered-By: ASP.NET Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 14:51:40 GMT Set-Cookie: BIGipServerexch__single_owa_pool=3692079296.47873.0000; path=/

Exchange application Custom Health Monitor

12 Replies

pete_71470
Cirrostratus
Jun 20, 2013
A similar situation arose here and the solution was to let the folks who run exchange decide from themselves - simply by using a RECV string on the https monitor. Fetch, say, /status.html and check for 'Service is up'. Then the application folks can decide whenever they want a node removed from service by changing the string - no guesswork on the F5 side and they are feeling empowered by having control over availability.
ReganAnderson
Employee
Jun 20, 2013
Hi Gilbert, have you looked at the "advanced" health monitors that are listed in the "Microsoft Exchange 2010 and 2013" deployment guide (http://www.f5.com/pdf/deployment-guides/microsoft-exchange2010-iapp-dg.pdf)? You can find them on pages 72 - 75.
Gill_32697
Nimbostratus
Jun 20, 2013
Ok, thank you. These are great recommendations. I will check into these.
Gill_32697
Nimbostratus
Jun 21, 2013
Hi all, I created the advanced health monitor on the deplyment guide, but don't seem to be working. The Node always stays up using this monitor. Even if I use a fake login name and password or create an error on the Send Sting. I'm using a https parent. I really could use help on this, of cource the exchange engineers are playing the blame game, because the F5 didn't do what they expected. Issue is they never asked for this, they only asked for smtp and https monitors. Its always the networks fault...below is what I have.. Any idea?

Send String- GET /owa/auth/logon.aspx?url=https://smtp2.bigmail.local/owa/&reason=0 HTTP/1.1\r\nUser-Agent: Mozilla/4.0\r\nHost: smtp2.bigmail.local\n\r\n

Rec String- OutlookSession=

I also have the user and password....but no matter what I do, its always up.
nitass
Employee
Jun 21, 2013
Send String- GET /owa/auth/logon.aspx?url=https://smtp2.bigmail.local/owa/&reason=0 HTTP/1.1\r\nUser-Agent: Mozilla/4.0\r\nHost: smtp2.bigmail.local\n\r\n

Rec String- OutlookSession=

I also have the user and password....but no matter what I do, its always up.
it is form based login page. there is no authentication. outlooksession is cookie name.

e.g.

[root@ve11a:Active:In Sync] config curl -Ik "https://208.85.209.171/owa/auth/log...p;reason=0" -H "Host: owa.f5.com"

HTTP/1.1 200 OK

Cache-Control: no-cache, no-store

Pragma: no-cache

Content-Length: 8776

Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8

Expires: -1

Set-Cookie: OutlookSession=5c3edfd827f046dfb5a523e328974a63; path=/; secure; HttpOnly

X-OWA-Version: 14.3.123.3

X-Powered-By: ASP.NET

Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 14:51:40 GMT

Set-Cookie: BIGipServerexch__single_owa_pool=3692079296.47873.0000; path=/
Gill_32697
Nimbostratus
Jun 21, 2013
nitass, I don't understand. Can you simplify your explaination...I am not an expert. So I could user a simpler example please.
nitass
Employee
Jun 21, 2013
sorry to not explain it well. the send string you use is to request form based login page. authentication is not needed to retrieve the login page (i.e. user and password do not matter). the health monitor will mark pool member up if the response contains "OutlookSession=".

if you want health monitor which also does user authentication, you may have to find another url.
Gill_32697
Nimbostratus
Jun 21, 2013
ok, so the most basic, if use a http monitor, set the timers as recommended and use

Send string- GET /owa/\r\n

Re string - OutlookSession=

Would this check if the application is up?

If they wanted to use user login for health monitor, can you recommend the process for that?
Gill_32697
Nimbostratus
Jun 21, 2013
Ok, it seems the exchange engineers what to use User Login function for use with a Advanced Health Monitor for Exchange 2010. I used the outlook deployment guide, but its not working. It always shows up even it I error out the user name...Sure could use some help.
Gill_32697
Nimbostratus
Jun 21, 2013
Ok, it seems the exchange engineers want to use User Login function for an Advanced Health Monitor with Exchange 2010. I used the outlook deployment guide, but its not working. It always shows up even it I error out the user name...Sure could use some help.

send string- GET /owa/auth/logon.aspx?url=https://webmail.mycomp.com/owa/&reason=0 HTTP/1.1\r\nUser-Agent: Mozilla/4.0\r\nHost:webmail.mycomp.com\n\r\n

rec string- OutlookSession=

I also added the user name and password. But its not working, monitor is always uo, even if I change the login name to a fake name, still shows up.