How to Configure the Replay Directory

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 will reach end of support on April 11, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.

 

Applies to: Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP3

By default, the Replay directory exists on every Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 computer that has the Hub Transport server role or the Edge Transport server role installed. Correctly formatted e-mail message files that you copy to the Replay directory are submitted for delivery. The Replay directory receives messages from non-SMTP foreign gateway servers and resubmits messages that administrators export from the queues of Exchange 2007 servers.

Before You Begin

To perform the following procedures, the account you use must be delegated the following:

• Exchange Server Administrator role and local Administrators group for the target server

To perform the following procedures on a computer that has the Edge Transport server role installed, you must log on by using an account that is a member of the local Administrators group on that computer.

For more information about permissions, delegating roles, and the rights that are required to administer Exchange Server 2007, see Permission Considerations.

Note

You cannot configure the Replay directory by using the Exchange Management Console. To configure the Replay directory, you must use the Exchange Management Shell. For more information about how to use the Exchange Management Shell, see Using the Exchange Management Shell.

Configuring the Replay Directory Location

By default, the Replay directory is located at C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\TransportRoles\Replay. The directory must be local to the Exchange 2007 computer.

To use the Exchange Management Shell to configure the location of the Replay directory

• Run the following command:

  Set-TransportServer <Identity> -ReplayDirectoryPath <LocalFilePath>
  

  For example, to set the Replay directory to C:\Replay Directory on an Exchange 2007 computer named Exchange01, run the following command:

  Set-TransportServer Exchange01 -ReplayDirectoryPath "C:\Replay Directory"
  

Setting the value of the ReplayDirectoryPath parameter to $null disables the Replay directory. The directory that is specified by the ReplayDirectoryPath parameter and the PickupDirectoryPath parameter can't be the same.

Changing the location of the Replay directory does not copy any existing message files from the old Replay directory to the new Replay directory. The new Replay directory location is active almost immediately after the configuration change, but any existing message files are left in the old Replay directory.

The following permissions are required on the Replay directory:

• Administrator: Full Control

• System: Full Control

• Network Service: Read, Write, and Delete Subfolders and Files

By default, the Microsoft Exchange Transport service uses the security credentials of the Network Service user account to create the new Replay directory and apply the correct permissions. If the new Replay directory does not already exist and the Network Service account has the rights that are required to create folders and apply permissions at the new location, the new Replay directory is created, and the correct permissions are applied to it. If the new Replay directory already exists, the existing folder permissions are not checked. When you move the Replay directory by using the ReplayDirectoryPath parameter with the Set-TransportServer cmdlet, it is a good idea to verify that the new Replay directory exists and that the new Replay directory has the correct permissions applied to it. If the Replay directory change is not successful, you can create the new Replay directory and apply the correct permissions to it before you use the ReplayDirectoryPath parameter with the Set-TransportServer cmdlet.

Configuring the Maximum Rate of Message Processing for the Replay Directory

By default, the Replay directory can process messages at a rate of 100 messages per minute. Limiting the rate of message processing helps prevent performance issues caused by processing lots of messages in the Replay directory.

To use the Exchange Management Shell to configure the maximum rate of message processing by the Replay directory

• Run the following command:

  Set-TransportServer <Identity> -PickupDirectoryMaxMessagesPerMinute <MessagesPerMinute>
  

  For example, to set the maximum rate of message processing by the Replay directory to 200 messages per minute on an Exchange 2007 computer named Exchange01, run the following command:

  Set-TransportServer Exchange01 -PickupDirectoryMaxMessagesPerMinute 200
  

The valid input range for the PickupDirectoryMaxMessagesPerMinute parameter is 1 to 20000. The Replay directory scans for new message files once every 5 seconds, or 12 times per minute. This 5 second polling interval is not configurable. This means the maximum number of messages that can be processed during each polling interval is the value that you assign to the PickupDirectoryMaxMessagesPerMinute parameter divided by 12 (PickupDirectoryMaxMessagesPerMinute/12). By default, a maximum of just over 8 messages can be processed during each 5-second polling interval.

The rate of message processing for both the Pickup directory and the Replay directory is specified by the PickupDirectoryMaxMessagesPerMinute parameter. Each directory can independently process message files at the rate specified by the PickupDirectoryMaxMessagesPerMinute parameter. By default, the Pickup directory can process 100 messages per minute, and the Replay directory can process 100 messages per minute simultaneously.

For detailed syntax and parameter information, see Set-TransportServer.

For More Information

For more information about the Replay directory, see Managing the Replay Directory.