So, the question is: is there an easy way to export a complete Exchange user list (including passwords) to a text file, assuming you have the appropriate access rights? What's the best way to get that process done smoothly, without missing key information?

Once again, send your ideas in to me at david@ZATZ.com. I'll summarize them in a future article and if you have the most workable solution, you'll win a free Solutions Guide of your choice from the ZATZ Online Store (at http://store.zatz.com).

Challenge recap: requesting data from Exchange server
Back in October, we issued our first Network Manager Challenge. For those of you who might not recall the details of that challenge, here's a recap. We had an offsite machine that was constantly stuck attempting to get mail from the Exchange server, giving us the message "requesting data from Exchange server" but not doing anything more productive. We'd run out of ideas after uninstalling and reinstalling office, cleaning the registry, reinstalling the network drivers, and so forth, so we opened it up to our readers.

Our winner for this was Geoff Mason of ITS WorkGroup Services, whose answer "I'm wondering if the problem you described is a Black Hole Router issue" turned out to be the fix we needed. To learn more about Geoff's solution and many other incredibly useful suggestions, visit http://www.outlookpower.com/issues/issue200210/challenge001.html.

Recently, reader Todd Murray was perusing the back issues and had some thoughts about the question posed about FQDNs (Fully-Qualified Domain Names). Here's what he says:

In reference to the name being NetBIOS rather than FQDN. The answer is that when you authenticate and build your profile, the server puts in the name as its listen in Exchange's own address. I believe you would have to modify the X.400 server profile or the servers AD address book entry to utilize a FQDN. I saw this once a long time ago when I was running Exchange 2000. It's in there, but it's the servers profile, not the client.

Very cool, and very helpful. Thanks, Todd.

If you've got a burning question about the mysteries of Windows, Outlook, and Exchange networking, send your detailed question to me at david@ZATZ.com. If it looks like something that'll be of interest to our readership as a whole, we'll post it in a future Network Manager Challenge.

Product availability and resources To read "Network Manager Challenge: solving Exchange's requesting data problem," visit http://www.outlookpower.com/issues/issue200210/challenge001.html.

Francine Otterson is the President of the San Diego Outlook User Group and a Microsoft Outlook MVP. She has been in the IT industry for over 10 years, providing technical support, software customization solutions and training in corporate settings, and as a consultant. She balances her work around her daughter and husband in sunny San Diego, California.