The 'HTTP Activation' feature is not installed

[This topic is intended to address a specific issue called out by the Exchange Server Analyzer Tool. You should apply it only to systems that have had the Exchange Server Analyzer Tool run against them and are experiencing that specific issue. The Exchange Server Analyzer Tool, available as a free download, remotely collects configuration data from each server in the topology and automatically analyzes the data. The resulting report details important configuration issues, potential problems, and nondefault product settings. By following these recommendations, you can achieve better performance, scalability, reliability, and uptime. For more information about the tool or to download the latest versions, see "Microsoft Exchange Analyzers" at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=34707.]  

Topic Last Modified: 2008-10-20

The Microsoft Exchange Analyzer Tool examines the following registry entry to determine the version of the Microsoft Windows operating system that is running on the computer:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\CurrentVersion

Version values are as follows:

CurrentVersion value Microsoft Windows operating system

4.0

Microsoft Windows NT® Server 4.0

5.0

Microsoft Windows 2000 Server

5.2

Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003

6.0

Microsoft Windows Server 2008

Additionally, the Exchange Analyzer reads the following registry branch to determine whether the HTTPActivation key exists:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v3.0\Setup\Windows Communication Foundation\HTTPActivation

If the Exchange Analyzer determines that the following conditions are true, the Exchange Analyzer displays an error message:

  • Exchange Server 2010 is installed on a computer running the Windows Server 2008 operating system.

  • The HTTPActivation registry key is not present in the registry.

This error means that the Windows Server 2008 Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 HTTP Activation feature is not installed on the computer.

.NET Framework 3.0 HTTP Activation supports process activation over HTTP. Applications that support HTTP Activation can start and stop dynamically in response to requests that arrive via HTTP. With HTTP, the application and the computers with which it communicates need to be online to pass active communications back and forth without the need for queuing requests.

Exchange Server 2010 requires the HTTP Activation be installed for the Web management interface to function.

To address this error, use Windows Server 2008 Server Manager to install the HTTP Activation feature.

Install .NET 3.0 HTTP Activation

  1. Click Start. Point to Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager. In the Features section of the Server Manager home page, click Add features.

  2. On the Select Features page of the Add Features Wizard, expand .NET Framework 3.0 features.

  3. Expand WCF Activation and then select HTTP Activation.

  4. Click Next, and then click Install.

  5. When installation is complete, close the wizard.