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Running Windows antivirus software on Exchange servers

When you run Windows antivirus programs on Microsoft Exchange servers, you can help enhance the security and health of your Exchange organization. However, if they aren't configured correctly, Windows antivirus programs can cause problems in Exchange Server.

There are two basic components of any Windows antivirus program:

  • Memory-resident scanning or real-time protection monitors all files and processes that are loaded and running in a computer's active memory.

  • File-level scanning refers to checking files on the hard disk for viruses manually or on a regular schedule. Some antivirus programs start an on-demand scan automatically after the virus signatures are updated to make sure that all files are scanned with the latest signatures.

Another issue is that Windows antivirus programs can't replace email-based antispam and antimalware solutions because Windows antivirus programs that run on Windows servers can't detect viruses, malware, and spam that are distributed only through email.

The biggest potential problem is that a program (such as antivirus) might lock or quarantine an open log or database file that Exchange needs to modify. This can cause severe Exchange Server issues, including potential data loss. Therefore, excluding these files from being scanned by such scanning programs is critical. This recommendation supersedes any guidance from vendors on how their software works with the file system, due to the unique nature of Exchange servers.

Note: The %ExchangeInstallPath% value is typically C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15\ (includes a trailing "\"), the %SystemRoot% value is typically C:\Windows (doesn't include a trailing "\"), and the %SystemDrive% value is typically C: (doesn't include a trailing "\").

The locations of many of these Exchange folders are configurable in the Exchange Management Shell. To learn how to open the Exchange Management Shell in your on-premises Exchange organization, see Open the Exchange Management Shell.

Note

Using third-party security software on your Exchange servers might introduce unexpected behaviors even if guidance on this page is followed. Bear in mind that remote scanning can also contribute to file locks that can interfere with Exchange functionality. When troubleshooting such issues, Microsoft might recommend to temporarily disable or uninstall such software to confirm baseline Exchange behavior.

Folder exclusions

Exclude the following folders from file-level scanning and memory-resident scanning on Exchange servers.

Note

Unified Messaging is not available in Exchange 2019.

Folder Category Description Servers
%SystemRoot%\Cluster DAGs The cluster quorum database and other files for database availability groups (DAGs). Mailbox servers
%SystemDrive%\DAGFileShareWitnesses\<DAGFQDN> DAGs The witness directory on the witness server that's configured for the DAG. The witness server can be virtually any Microsoft Windows server in the local Active Directory forest that isn't already a member of the DAG.

To see the actual location, run the following command: Get-DatabaseAvailabilityGroup <DAGName> | Format-List *Witness*

Any
%ExchangeInstallPath%ClientAccess\OAB Offline Address Books Offline Address Book files. Mailbox servers
%ExchangeInstallPath%FIP-FS Antimalware and DLP Content scanning that's used by the Malware agent and data loss prevention (DLP). Mailbox servers
%ExchangeInstallPath%GroupMetrics MailTips Group Metrics files that are used to calculate values for the Large Audience and External Recipients MailTips. Mailbox servers
%ExchangeInstallPath%Logging Exchange process logs This folder contains many different types of Exchange logs in subfolders. For example:
  • Calendar Repair Assistant logs
  • Managed Folder Assistant logs
  • IMAP4 protocol logs
  • POP3 protocol logs

To see the actual locations, run the following commands:

Get-MailboxServer -Identity <ServerName> | Format-List *LogPath*

Get-PopSettings <ServerName> | Format-List LogFileLocation

Get-ImapSettings <ServerName> | Format-List LogFileLocation

Mailbox servers
%ExchangeInstallPath%Mailbox Mailbox databases Exchange databases, checkpoint files, and log files. By default, these files are located in subfolders based on the name of the database. To see the actual locations, run the following command: Get-MailboxDatabase -Server \ServerName> | Format-List EdbFilePath,LogFolderPath

By default, database context index files are located in the same folder as the database files in a subfolder that's named after the GUID of the database.

Mailbox servers
%ExchangeInstallPath%TransportRoles\Data\Adam EdgeSync Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) and log files. Edge Transport servers
%ExchangeInstallPath%TransportRoles\Data\IpFilter Connection filtering IP filter database, checkpoint, and log files. Edge Transport servers
%ExchangeInstallPath%TransportRoles\Data\Queue Queues Queue database, checkpoint, and log files. Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers

%ExchangeInstallPath%TransportRoles\Data\SenderReputation Sender reputation Sender Reputation database, checkpoint, and log files. Edge Transport servers

Mailbox servers

%ExchangeInstallPath%TransportRoles\Data\Temp Content conversion Content conversion that's done in the transport pipeline. Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers

%ExchangeInstallPath%TransportRoles\Logs Transport logs Mail flow and transport pipeline logs are located in subfolders, for example:
  • Agent logging
  • Connectivity logging
  • Message tracking
  • Pipeline tracing
  • Send and Receive connector protocol logging

To see the actual locations, run the following commands:

Get-TransportService <ServerName> | Format-List *LogPath,*TracingPath

Get-FrontEndTransportService <ServerName> | Format-List *LogPath

Get-MailboxTransportService <ServerName> | Format-List *LogPath,*TracingPath

Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers (Transport service only)

%ExchangeInstallPath%TransportRoles\Pickup Pickup directory The Pickup directory is used by administrators for mail flow testing or by applications that need to create and submit their own message files.

To see the actual location, run the following command: Get-TransportService <ServerName> | Format-List PickupDirectoryPath

Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers

%ExchangeInstallPath%TransportRoles\Replay Replay directory The Replay directory receives messages from foreign gateway servers and can also be used to resubmit messages that administrators export from the queues of Exchange servers.

To see the actual location, run the following command: Get-TransportService <ServerName> | Format-List ReplayDirectoryPath

Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers

%ExchangeInstallPath%UnifiedMessaging\Grammars Unified Messaging Grammar files for different locales, for example en-EN or es-ES. Exchange 2016 Mailbox servers
%ExchangeInstallPath%UnifiedMessaging\Prompts Unified Messaging Voice prompts, greetings, and informational message files. Exchange 2016 Mailbox servers
%ExchangeInstallPath%UnifiedMessaging\Temp Unified Messaging Temporary files generated by Unified Messaging. Exchange 2016 Mailbox servers
%ExchangeInstallPath%UnifiedMessaging\Voicemail Unified Messaging Voice mail files that are temporarily stored. Exchange 2016 Mailbox servers
%ExchangeInstallPath%Working\OleConverter Content conversion Transport Neutral Encoding Format (TNEF), also known as Rich Text Format (RTF), to MIME/HTML conversions. Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers

%SystemDrive%\inetpub\temp\IIS Temporary Compressed Files Web components Internet Information Services (IIS) compression folder that's used with Outlook on the web. Mailbox servers
%SystemRoot%\Temp\OICE_<GUID> Exchange Search Temporary files used by the Exchange Search service and Microsoft Filter Pack to perform file conversion in a sandboxed environment. Mailbox servers

Process exclusions

Many antivirus programs support the scanning of processes, which can adversely affect Microsoft Exchange if the incorrect processes are scanned. Therefore, you should exclude the following Exchange or related processes from process scanning.

Process Path Comments Servers
ComplianceAuditService.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Compliance Audit service (MSComplianceAudit) Mailbox servers
Dsamain.exe %SystemRoot%\System32 Microsoft Exchange ADAM service (ADAM_MSExchange) (Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) on subscribed Edge Transport servers) Edge Transport servers
EdgeTransport.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Transport service worker process Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers

fms.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%FIP-FS\Bin Content scanning component that's used by the Malware agent and DLP. Mailbox servers
hostcontrollerservice.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin\Search\Ceres\HostController Microsoft Exchange Search Host Controller service (HostControllerService) Mailbox servers
inetinfo.exe %SystemRoot%\System32\inetsrv Internet Information Services (IIS) Mailbox servers
Microsoft.Exchange.AntispamUpdateSvc.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Antispam Update service (MSExchangeAntispamUpdate) Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers

Microsoft.Exchange.ContentFilter.Wrapper.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%TransportRoles\agents\Hygiene Content Filter agent Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers

Microsoft.Exchange.Diagnostics.Service.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Diagnostics service (MSExchangeDiagnostics) Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers

Microsoft.Exchange.Directory.TopologyService.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Active Directory Topology service (MSExchangeADTopology) Mailbox servers
Microsoft.Exchange.EdgeCredentialSvc.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Credential service (MSExchangeEdgeCredential) Edge Transport servers
Microsoft.Exchange.EdgeSyncSvc.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange EdgeSync service (MSExchangeEdgeSync) Mailbox servers
Microsoft.Exchange.Imap4.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%FrontEnd\PopImap Microsoft Exchange IMAP4 service (MSExchangeImap4) Mailbox servers
Microsoft.Exchange.Imap4service.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%ClientAccess\PopImap Microsoft Exchange IMAP4 Backend service (MSExchangeIMAP4BE) Mailbox servers
Microsoft.Exchange.Notifications.Broker.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Notifications Broker service (MSExchangeNotificationsBroker) Mailbox servers
Microsoft.Exchange.Pop3.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%FrontEnd\PopImap Microsoft Exchange POP3 service (MSExchangePop3) Mailbox servers
Microsoft.Exchange.Pop3service.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%ClientAccess\PopImap Microsoft Exchange POP3 Backend service (MSExchangePOP3BE) Mailbox servers
Microsoft.Exchange.ProtectedServiceHost.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Service Host service (MSExchangeServiceHost) Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers

Microsoft.Exchange.RPCClientAccess.Service.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange RPC Client Access service (MSExchangeRPC) Mailbox servers
Microsoft.Exchange.Search.Service.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Search service (MSExchangeFastSearch) Mailbox servers
Microsoft.Exchange.Servicehost.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Service Host service (MSExchangeServiceHost) Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers

Microsoft.Exchange.Store.Service.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Information Store service (MSExchangeIS) Mailbox servers
Microsoft.Exchange.Store.Worker.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Information Store service worker process Mailbox servers
Microsoft.Exchange.UM.CallRouter.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%FrontEnd\CallRouter Microsoft Exchange Unified Messaging Call Router service (MSExchangeUMCR) Exchange 2016 Mailbox servers
MSExchangeCompliance.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Compliance Service (MSExchangeCompliance) Mailbox servers
MSExchangeDagMgmt.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange DAG Management service (MSExchangeDagMgmt) Mailbox servers
MSExchangeDelivery.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Transport Delivery service (MSExchangeDelivery) Mailbox servers
MSExchangeFrontendTransport.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Frontend Transport service (MSExchangeFrontEndTransport) Mailbox servers
MSExchangeHMHost.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Health Manager service (MSExchangeHM) Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers

MSExchangeHMWorker.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Health Manager service worker process Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers

MSExchangeMailboxAssistants.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Assistants service (MSExchangeMailboxAssistants) Mailbox servers
MSExchangeMailboxReplication.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Replication service (MSExchangeMailboxReplication) Mailbox servers
MSExchangeRepl.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Replication service (MSExchangeRepl) Mailbox servers
MSExchangeSubmission.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Transport Submission service (MSExchangeSubmission) Mailbox servers
MSExchangeTransport.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Transport service (MSExchangeTransport) Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers

MSExchangeTransportLogSearch.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Transport Log Search service (MSExchangeTransportLogSearch) Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers

MSExchangeThrottling.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Throttling service (MSExchangeThrottling) Mailbox servers
Noderunner.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin\Search\Ceres\Runtime\1.0 Microsoft Exchange Search service (MSExchangeFastSearch) Mailbox servers
OleConverter.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Converts rich text format (RTF) messages to MIME/HTML for external recipients. Mailbox servers
ParserServer.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin\Search\Ceres\ParserServer Microsoft Exchange Search service (MSExchangeFastSearch) Mailbox servers
ScanEngineTest.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%FIP-FS\Bin Content scanning component that's used by the Malware agent and DLP Mailbox servers
ScanningProcess.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%FIP-FS\Bin Content scanning component that's used by the Malware agent and DLP Mailbox servers
UmService.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Unified Messaging service (MSExchangeUM) Exchange 2016 Mailbox servers
UmWorkerProcess.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Unified Messaging service worker process Exchange 2016 Mailbox servers
UpdateService.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%FIP-FS\Bin Content scanning component that's used by the Malware agent and DLP Mailbox servers
wsbexchange.exe %ExchangeInstallPath%Bin Microsoft Exchange Server Extension for Windows Server Backup (wsbexchange) Mailbox servers

File name extension exclusions

In addition to excluding specific folders and processes, you should exclude the following Exchange-specific file name extensions in case folder exclusions fail or files are moved from their default locations.

Extensions Description Servers
.config Application-related extensions Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers

.chk
.edb
.jfm
.jrs
.log
.que
Database-related extensions Mailbox servers

Edge Transport servers

.dsc
.txt
Group Metrics-related extensions Mailbox servers
.cfg
.grxml
Unified Messaging-related extensions Exchange 2016 Mailbox servers
.lzx Offline address book-related extensions Mailbox servers