Since Exchange 2013 Microsoft has implemented a URL for each protocol that can be easily checked for the health state. The format would be:
https://fqdn/protocol/healthcheck.htm
This htm content is dynamicaly createt in the memory of the systeme at the runtime of the protocol. It does not exists in the directory of the IIS.
The Exchange Server response with the follwing content it the protocol works correctly:
For the protocol the follwoing values can be used:
| OWA | Outlook Web App |
| ECP | Exchange Control Panel (i.e. User Options in OWA) |
| OAB | Offline Address Book |
| Autodiscover | Autodiscover process (also something that is used by Lync clients) |
| EWS | for Exchange Web Services (i.e. Mailtips, Free/Busy etc. Also used by Lync clients, Outlook for Mac etc.) |
| Microsoft-Server-ActiveSync | Exchange ActiveSync |
| RPC | Outlook Anywhere |
| MAPI | MAPI/HTTPS (successor to the RPC over HTTPs protocol used in Outlook Anywhere). You’ll need at least Exchange 2013 SP1 |
This actually Healtcheck URLs can also be used by Loadbalancers to check the server health or the protocol health.
- No authentication is needed
- Depend on the FQDN the check works from inside and outside
- If the server have an issue , you can expect other repsones the „200 OK“, or timeouts
- If you have multiple Exchange Severs behind a Loadbalancer, you will only get the respone from one server at a time. Depending of the configuration resumbitting the request can reult in a response from another Exchage Server.
Picture: Thommy Weiss / pixelio.de
