After installing Security Update KB950159 for Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2, it no longer will display the last logoff time in the Exchange System Manger for user mailboxes in the following tree: Administrative groups => << Administrative group >> => Servers => << Exchange Server >> => First Storage Group => Mailbox Store => Mailboxes Any mailboxes accessed after KB950159 is installed will no longer display the last logoff time when the user logs off.

Hi, I have re-produced this issue in my lab,I'll try to confirm whether it is a known issue. Any update,I will post here. Best regards, Xiu

Hi, I have checked with Microsoft on the missing last logoff time column, they confirmed that it is not true. Now that you mentioned that you are able to duplicate this issue, I am quite confused as to who is correct. May I know are you a microsoft member?

Hi, I need to confirm it. Any solution from that guy? If possible,I'd like to know who confirmed it with you,I need to consult it with him. Thanks. Regards, Xiu

Hi Xiu, I related your findings to Kejia Lee who went to his lab to do further testing. His earlier confirmation was that there is no such problem. Well, pls check it out with him. I am still waiting for his reply. By the way, are you aware of the issue with KB950159 that cannot complete the installation. I got hang for 4.5 hrs. I had to force cancellation, the cancellation did not prompt until i manuall start all the services that were shut by the patch.

Hi Xiu, Kejia Li of Microsoft is keen toexplore furtherwith you. He is asking for your mail address. He hadreplied to me on hisfurther testing again in his lab and he could not duplicate the problem. So I it is best that two of you gets connected to discuss it out and determine if the patch KB950159 is problematic.

Thanks for your cooperation. I will consult with him about his issue, more researches will be done on this issue. Any update, I would post here. Regards, Xiu

Hi, Base on further research, we suspect that the issue may be affected by the outlook installing together with Exchange Server. We tested this issue in our lab and found that if we installed outlook on Exchange Server, the issue will occur. Besides, Microsoft does not support installing Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 (including Exchange System Manager), Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server (including Exchange System Manager), or Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 on the same computer. The Product Support group does not support the coexistence of Outlook and Exchange on the same computer in a production environment. So please check your environment and try to correct this issue. Related knowledge article share with you: Microsoft does not support installing Exchange Server components and Outlook on the same computer http://support.microsoft.com/kb/266418 Hope it helps. Xiu

I also get the server hang when trying to install the patch. Walt

Xiu, Thanks for the detailed findings. This is good advance info for me as Ihave yet todo 2nd attempt onpatch KB950159.I checked the article KB266418, it did not mentioned specifically that the last logoff times will go missing. Anyway, if that article disallowed outlook to coexist with exchange, then I think it is better for Microsoft to instill preventive measure byrejecting any attempt toinstall outlook on exchange server. Looking at the nextsucceeding thread, Wbrannonis yet anothervictim to be having hang problem on KB950159 patch.I supposed it is the same problem that I encountered when I attempted on 10-Jul-08. Since we have quite a few people in the exchange community are experiencing this problem, something ought to be explored, anlayzed and resolved assecurity issue has been identified that could allow an attacker with limited access to increase their privileges to compromise Outlook Web Access for Microsoft Exchange Server and gain control over it. I am quite concern as OWA is widely used by many users of our organization in different geographical regions. I hope this issue be escalated to engineering team for a quicker resolution.

Hello again! I have constructed a totally new lab from scratch--right off of installation CDs and Virtual PC 2007. Everything 100% totally fresh. The lab consisted of two Windows Server 2003 SP2 machines, one being the domain controller along with all the necessary servers (DNS, etc...) and the other as a Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 server. It also consisted of two workstations, one being Windows XP SP3 and the other Windows Vista SP1. All workstations and servers were fully patched, including the Exchange Server to SP2, but without the KB950159 patch. Here are some things I found (remember--this was before applying KB950159): - Mailbox logoff times were displayed in the Exchange System Manager. - Outlook Web Access' fonts (under Internet Explorer 7) default to Arial 10 pt font after installing the OWA S/MIME control.You try and change the font to something fancier (such as Comic Sans MS) and it keeps jumping back to Arial 10 pt. It didn't matter if I was using the XP workstation or the Vista workstation. But I'm guessing that's a different issue. I've noticed it does the same with my real-time Exchange server/Vista workstation. - Using Microsoft Outlook 2007 to connect to it using the Vista workstation or XP workstation still logged the logoff times for each mailbox. - Using Outlook Express in Windows XP and Windows Mail in Windows Vista setting up IMAP accounts, still logged the logoff times in Exchange Manager. - Using Outlook Express in Windows XP and Windows Mail in Windows Vista setting up POP3 accounts still produced the desired logoff times under Exchange Manager. AFTER applying the KB950159 patch: Logoff times will no longer be logged or displayed under the Exchange System Manager. It didn't matter if I was using the OWA client, the IMAP client or the POP3 client. It refused to log the times the mailboxes were logged off. Login times, however, were logged. Logoff times were just blank. Now keep in mind, this was done on a totally fresh install of all servers and workstations. Here is another factor, however, to take into consideration: My discs are original Windows Server 2003--that is without service packs and Exchange Server 2003--without service packs as well as the XP and Vista. I had to patch them all to the latest service packs. Now while this SHOULD not be an issue, it MIGHT be a factor. I felt it was necessary for me to do so since someone above stated that the claim was false without actually doing the leg work themselves first-hand. I felt that perhaps it was because my Exchange Server installation is already a couple years old and perhaps something has become corrupt? But this is not the case. In my totally fresh lab, the same bug occurred.

Oh yes, one further note... I have also UNinstalled KB950159 in my lab and have found that the maibox logoff times began to be logged again. Of course, it did not restore the missing logoff times of the mailboxes last accessed under the KB950159 patch until I logged into them again and logged out of them. I have, since, done the same to my live production Exchange server, uninstalling KB950159,and logoff times are once again resumed being logged.

Mike, thanks for your efforts to duplicate the issue on a clean setup enviroment, indeed an excellent illustration to depict the flaw in the patch KB950159. I admire your sharpness in noticing the missing logoff times, typically one would not have noticed what the patch had done. Your concern on the service packs for windows 2003 server and exchange server 2003 should not be an issue if you control all the patches just before the KB950159, it should beconsidered a fair test. Just out of curosity, after KB950159 is patched, did you actually get a prompt on screen that you need to restart the server? I never get to that stage, it appears hanged, the progressbar showed almost done but never get done,but when I sneaked into the dos to check what are the lastest files being accessed by the patch, i noticed it keeps updating mapisvc.inf. I had to cancel the patch and the cancellation never happen until I manually restart all the services that were shut by the patch.

Hi Mike, I have created the lab and test this issue.What we found is that if we install Outlook on Exchange Server,then the above issue would happen,but when we uninstall it,last logoff time displays. Regards, -Xiu

Hello, Xiu. That is strange because I've never installed Outlook directly on an Exchange server: neither on my live server nor in my lab. The Outlook clients were installed on the XP Client and the Vista Client, but not on the Exchange server itself, as I have been aware for years of issues with Outlook installed on an Exchange Server. Are you suggesting that I can, perhaps, correct this issue by actually installing Outlook on a KB950159-patched Exchange Server and then uninstall it? An interesting scenario! I shall have to try it.

Hi Xiu, I am very interested in your lab test procedure, could you share so that I can do a validation on my test lab to experience your findings. However, I have managed to perform my own testings and procedure as shown below. The only problem I cannot duplicate is the hang problem when applying KB950159 in test lab conditions. I could see more folks experiencing the hang issues when I googled. Obviously, there must besome conditionsthat cause unsuccessful patching in production enviroment. Lab Test Revelation on KB950159 Initial Conditions of Test:Exchange 2003 and DC on same server (no outlook installed)XP client with outlook installed on seperate PC Patches applied for initial: Exchange server 2003, service pack 2 without KB950159Window server 2003, patched all excluded IE7 Outlook account setup: This is installed on seperate XP client.(outside of exchange server)Configure test account in exchange modeConfigure test account in POP3 mode Test#1: Before apply KB950159Tested mail flow in exchange mode, ok.Checked ESM, logoff time displayed with updates.Tested mail flow in POP3 mode, ok.Checked ESM, logoff time displayed with updates. Installed outlook on exchange server for verification purpose.Configure outlook in exchange mode, tested mail flow ok.Checked ESM, logoff time displayed with updates.Configure outlook in POP3 mode, tested mail flow, not functioning. But account test was ok.Checked ESM, logoff time displayed with updates. Test#2: Apply patch KB950159 (downloaded)Patch completed without hang problem, exchange services was up and running normally. Rebooted server. This was very much different experience from the patch in my production enviroment on 10-Jul-08 which hanged for 4.5 hrs and still cannot complete the patch. The only difference is that I am using windows auto update where the test lab is using a pre-downloaded version which I believe they are the same. Checked ESM logoff time display, it is still showing the last logoff time where it was left off in Test1.Tested mail flow in exchange mode, okChecked ESM, logoff time displayed with updates.Tested mail flow in pop3 mode were ok.Checked ESM, logoff time display disappeared.Repeated mail flow test in exchange mode, logoff time re-appeared.Repeated mail flow test in POP3 mode, logoff time disappeared. Uninstalled KB950159 and rebooted server.Checked ESM, logoff time info was not there as it was due to last step in Test2.Tested mail flow in both POP3 mode, ok.Checked ESM, logoff time info was displayed again.Test mail flow in exchange mode,ok.Checked ESM, logoff time info was displayed. Conclusion: Repeated Test#1 and Test#2 for serveral times, the outcome can be duplicated consistently. Prior to KB950159 patch, the ESM logoff time is updated on every access using any outlook test senarios. It is to be noted that the ESM logoff time disappeared only when using outlook in POP3 mode with KB950159 applied.Outlook in exchange mode has no impact on the logoff time display at all in any test senarios. The above tests should substantially qualify that KB950159 is the main culprit for causing the disappearance of the logoff time informations in the ESM. It has nothing to do with the Outlook installed on exchange server itself. The only problem is that outlook doesn't seems to operate properly in the exchange server using POP3 mode.

still no solution for this problem? I'm in the same situation, Exch2003 (on SBS), never installedOutlook on the server. thanks.

I installed this patch a week ago. WinServer 2003 std, ExchServer 2003, no Outlook installed and I also have the same problem. The only things about email installed on this server are the last version of Symantec Mail Security and the Blackberry Enterprise Server software. What's new about the problem? Thank you. Alessandro

Yep.. same problem here. I installed a brand new Exchange Server 2003 Ent over a week ago in production (as a second mailbox server), patched with SP2 and all Windows updates, upgraded to Microsoft Update and then installed all Exchange updates. KB950159 was one among them. Now I am not getting the Last Logoff Time column to update in the ESM. I remember this distinctly, because KB950159 was one of the last few patches I applied to the new Exchange server, and Last Logoff Time was working fine until then. Myother Exchange mailbox server does NOT have KB950159 installed, and the Last Logoff Time colum is updating fine inits ESM. Btw.. in my case too,Outlook hasNOTbeen installedoneither Exchange server. Has anyone found a solution for this yet..!? Thanks much guys..

I have the same issue since installing the patch on Dec 31,2008. My server does not have Outlook or any other portion of the Microsoft Office suite on it. Joe

Same here - Outlook has never been installed on any of our servers , the last login info shows the system account logging on but not logging off , But if the user logson and off again I the last login is populated. Confused !also if it does this what else does it do that we have not found yet?Please help

I have had this problem since my last post of Nov 17, 2008. No solution has been found yet; no updates/hotfixes on the Exchange server since then have fixed the issue. As I was digging into this issue from time to time, I did notice something though: the "Last Logoff Time" column is getting updatedfor Outlook clients in "Cached Exchange mode". My own Outlook 2003 clients (on 2 diff computers, XP Pro and Vista Ultimate)were on non-cached mode, so for testing, I changedthem bothto Cached Exchange Mode, and sure enough, when I close Outlook, the Last Logoff Time shows the time Outlook was closed. I changed my Outlook back to non-cached mode, and then it doesnt! Does that mean we would have to convert all our Outlook clients to cached mode, just for purposes of updating the Last Logoff Time..!? (for some reason, my predecessors did NOT deploy Outlook in cached mode.. I have no idea why!)Help please.. :)

Hello,This was a bug for POP3 users not for MAPI users... and there is no fix for this yet. Arun Kumar | MCSE - 2K3 + Messaging | ITIL-F V3

Well.. looks like I am getting it for MAPI users as well (weare notusing POP, IMAPorNNTPon our Exchange, those services are disabled)

Well, then i guess there something else... i would suggest you to open a new thread here for further investigation.Arun Kumar | MCSE - 2K3 + Messaging | ITIL-F V3