How to Troubleshoot Exchange 2003 Server Performance

Download the Microsoft Exchange Troubleshooting Assistant
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=4bdc1d6b-de34-4f1c-aeba-fed1256caf9a&displaylang=en

Install and run
1. Click on Go to Welcome Screen. You then will be asked if you would like to begin the troubleshooting process or review a result file from a previous troubleshooting session.

2. Click Start Troubleshooting, and you will be taken to the Troubleshooting Task Selection screen

3. To begin the troubleshooting process, enter an identifying label for the analysis. This involves naming the troubleshooting session so that you can identify the results later.

4. Choose the symptoms that most closely match your server's performance problem from the dropdown list, and click Next.

5. You then will be prompted to enter the name of the Exchange server that is experiencing performance problems. You also must enter the name of a global catalog server, and then click Next.

6. The Exchange Troubleshooting Assistant will perform a quick connectivity test, and return a series of server statistics, such as the number of databases and the number of mailboxes on the server

7. Check that the server statistics are accurate, and click Next. If they aren't correct, then your server may be experiencing more than performance problems.

8. When the collection process completes, the Exchange Troubleshooting Assistant will display a brief performance summary

9. You will finally come to the View Results screen. This screen contains a number of tabs, each of which has more detailed information about the previous analysis.


Optionally, download and run the Microsoft Exchange Server SMTPDiag Tool:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=BC1881C7-925D-4A29-BD42-71E8563C80A9&displaylang=en