Using Perl to Automate Exchange 2000 Tasks?

en4ca asks: "We have recently started using Exchange 2000 on a W2k platform with Active Directory at work. Previously, we used a mailsystem that could be easily controlled by command-line paramaters (and hence by perl). What I wanted to ask was, has anyone used perl to automate boring, mundane tasks in Exchange like mass creating mailboxes? What did you use to do this? [code would be very much appreciated] I've tried using Win32::OLE, but havn't had much success"

Scripting Exchange 2K

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

With Exchange 2000, you are really looking for the ADSI [web.cern.ch] scripting interface to ActiveDirectory - as the Exchange DS is merged into AD. Check out Microsoft Technet [microsoft.com].

Trolls

[pongler]

Wow, there haven't been any trolls yet about exchange sucking (tho there was only one message posted so far)! On a different note are there any exchange clients for Linux?

Re:Trolls

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

Exchange client for Linux? Try Ximian's Evolution, with the "Premium" Exchange connector they are releasing next month.

Otherwise, Netscape etc. work as decent IMAP clients - as long as you don't expect to use calendar/scheduling, tasks or notes!

Re:Trolls

[Mr. Foogle]

There are indeed - but I have not tried it yet - if I recall right Bynari sells a version of the client, and open sourced an older version ..

http://www.bynari.net

Re:The real way to do it (typical pro-linux /. rep

[Snafoo]

Well, I suppose if you want it to work, you should also call newaliases somewhere in there....

Sigh. Maybe I'm increasing my boss' total cost of ownership after all..... :)

Re:Step back and think

[MindStalker]

WTF has Turing-complete have ANYTHING to do with this. Lay off the buzzword crackpipe for just a moment, please!

Re:Step back and think

[carleton]

Turing-complete!

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

(with apologies to Princess Bride).
Actually, the last time I heard the words "Microsoft products" and "Turing-complete", it was in the context of how too many Microsoft features are essentially Turing-complete, specifically things like Word Macros.

Check out this book

[SuiteSisterMary]

ADSI Scripting For System Administration [amazon.com] should give you a starting point.

Other interfaces

[jbert]

ADSI edit is one way to twiddle active directory.

You can also get in over LDAP. This can be done nicely from perl with the 'Net::LDAP' module, available under the name 'perl-ldap' from CPAN and with a homepage on sourceforge.

It is a useful interface, the biggest hurdle you are likely to face is authenticating yourself properly to the directory. There may be bits and pieces of example code in the distribution, otherwise do the web search thing and check the mailing list (and archives) for answers.

Re:Other interfaces

[rkhalloran]

The problem with using vanilla LDAP to get to Active Directory is that the authentication part (i.e. passwords) is actually in Kerberos, so you can't do the usual LDAP password tricks.

Just another case of MS supporting 'open' standards: jam two of them together into a bastard blend that only MS can/will support...

Use Exmerge

[vinay_k_gupta]

If you are just moved to exchange then download exmerge, one of the best exchange utility that is free from microsoft. Start using exmerge for backup, recovery and virus removal from database. It has both GUI and config file options.

Have fun.

Hm.

[mlc]

I'm totally making this up, as I haven't done any Windows development in about 1.5yrs, but you might try looking at ActiveState's Perl COM stuff [activestate.com]. I did use it for something, but don't recall if it worked well or not.

If it works well, then you can read MS docs to figure out what kind of COM interfaces are exposed by Exchange, and work from there.