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Understanding Routing Table Logging

 

Applies to: Exchange Server 2010 SP3, Exchange Server 2010 SP2

Routing table logging periodically records a snapshot of the routing table that's used by the computer that's running Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 that has the Hub Transport server role or Edge Transport server role installed. The routing table is used to route messages to their destinations. The routing table log is recorded in these cases:

  • After a fixed time interval.

  • After the Microsoft Exchange Transport service is started.

  • After a routing configuration change is detected.

The routing table log can be used to help troubleshoot mail flow and routing issues.

You can control the automatic routing table recalculation interval in the EdgeTransport.exe.config application configuration file. This value controls how frequently the routing table is automatically recalculated and how frequently the routing table is logged. However, regular routing table updates may cause the routing table to be recalculated and logged earlier than the specified automatic recalculation interval as explained later in this topic.

You use the Set-TransportServer cmdlet to perform all other routing table log configuration tasks. The following options are available for the routing table logs on an Edge Transport server or Hub Transport server:

  • Specify the location of the routing table log files.

  • Specify a maximum size for the directory that contains routing table log files. The default size is 50 megabytes (MB).

  • Specify a maximum age for the routing table log files. The default age is seven days.

By default, the Exchange 2010 server uses circular logging to limit the connectivity logs based on file size and file age to help control the hard disk space that's used by the log files.

In Exchange 2010, you can use the Routing Log Viewer in the Exchange Management Console to view and search the routing table logs. For more information, see Using the Routing Log Viewer.

Looking for management tasks related to managing transport servers? See Managing Transport Servers.

Structure of the Routing Table Log Files

By default, the routing table log files exist in C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V14\TransportRoles\Logs\Routing.

The naming convention for the routing table log files is RoutingConfig#1@UTCcreationdate-time.xml. For example, depending on your regional date-time format settings, the routing table log files may be named RoutingConfig#1@mm_dd_yyyy hh_mm_ss.xml. The placeholders represent the following information: yyyy = year, mm = month, dd = day, hh = hour, mm = minute and ss = second. The date-time is always represented in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

The routing table log is a complete snapshot of the routing table that's stored in memory. The routing table is written to the routing table log when the following events occur:

  • A routing configuration change is detected. An example of a configuration change is adding or removing a Send connector in the Exchange organization or a Receive connector on the local server. A regular routing configuration change occurs when the Hub Transport server or Edge Transport server renews its Kerberos token with an Active Directory domain controller. The renewal of the Kerberos token causes a recalculation of the routing table and the creation of a new routing table log. The Kerberos token is renewed every six hours.

  • The time interval specified by the RoutingConfigReloadInterval parameter in the EdgeTransport.exe.config has passed. This value specifies how frequently the routing table is automatically recalculated and logged if no routing configuration changes are detected. The default value is 12 hours.

  • The Microsoft Exchange Transport service is started.

Circular logging deletes the oldest log files when the routing table log directory reaches its maximum specified size, or when a log file reaches its maximum specified age.

The routing table log files are text files that contain data in XML format. The routing table log files contain a large amount of information. However, the actual file size depends on the size and complexity of the Exchange organization.

Information Written to the Routing Table Log

The routing table log is composed of several sections. Each section identifies a particular element of the Exchange organization, such as connectors, address spaces, or Active Directory sites. The information that's defined in one section is connected to the information that's defined in another section to build a complete routing table for the whole Exchange organization. For large Exchange organizations, the amount of information in the routing table log can be very large. The following table provides a description for each section of the routing table log.

Sections of the routing table log

Section Description

RoutingTables ID

This section contains basic information about the routing table, such as the following information:

  • The routing table creation date-time in UTC.

  • On Hub Transport servers, the ExchangeTopology ID, ADSiteRelayMap ID, and RoutingGroupRelayMap ID that are being used by the routing table.

  • On Hub Transport servers, the identity of every Mailbox server, Hub Transport server, Edge Transport server, and legacy Exchange server in the Exchange organization. Each identity maps to a ServerRoute ID.

  • The ConnectorRouting ID for all Send connectors, Receive connectors that are linked to Send connectors on the local server, foreign connectors, and legacy gateway connectors in the Exchange organization. Legacy gateway connectors exist on the server that's running Exchange Server 2003. Legacy gateway connectors send messages to other messaging servers, such as Lotus Notes or GroupWise.

ExchangeTopology ID

This section contains all the Exchange servers, Active Directory sites, and Active Directory site links that exist in the Exchange organization.

TopologyServer ID

This section contains details about every Exchange server in the Exchange organization.

TopologySite ID

This section contains details about every Active Directory site in the Exchange organization.

TopologySiteLink ID

This section contains details about the IP site links that exist in the Exchange organization.

ADSiteRelayMap ID

This section links an ADTopologyPath ID to each remote Active Directory site that contains an Exchange 2010 Hub Transport server.

ADTopologyPath ID

This section contains details about the least cost routing path from the current Active Directory site to any remote Active Directory site.

TargetSite ID

This section contains the names of all remote Active Directory sites that exist in the Active Directory forest, and a list of Hub Transport servers that exist in each remote Active Directory site.

RoutingGroupRelayMap ID

This section maintains the interrelationship between a routing group, the RgTopologySite ID, the RgTopologyPath ID, and the RgConnectorRoute ID.

RgTopologySite ID

This section contains details about each routing group that exists in the Exchange organization.

RgTopologyLink ID

This section contains details about routing group connectors and SMTP connectors with connected routing groups.

RgTopologyPath ID

This section contains details about remote routing groups and is used to link remote routing groups to a routing group connector or an SMTP connector that contains connected routing groups.

RgConnectorRoute ID

This section contains the route to the first hop routing group that can be used to route mail to a remote routing group.

ServerRoute ID

This section lists every Hub Transport server, Edge Transport server, Mailbox server, and legacy Exchange server object in the Exchange organization, and associates a route to that server.

ConnectorRouting ID

This section contains routes to all Send connectors, foreign connectors, and legacy gateway connectors. It also contains a mapping of Receive connectors on the local server that are linked to Send connectors on the local server. When a Receive connector is linked to a Send connector, all messages that arrive on the linked Receive connector are immediately forwarded out through the corresponding Send connector.

ConnectorRoute ID

This section lists all the Send connectors, foreign connectors, and legacy gateway connectors in the Exchange organization, and associates a route to the connector.

SmtpSendConnectorConfig ID

This section contains details about every Send connector that exists in the Exchange organization.

AddressSpace ID

This section lists all the address spaces that are configured on every Send connector, foreign connector, or legacy gateway connector in the Exchange organization.

LegacyGatewayConnector ID

This section lists details about every legacy gateway connector that exists in the Exchange organization. Legacy gateway connectors exist on servers that are running Exchange 2003.

ForeignConnector ID

This section contains details about every foreign connector that exists in the Exchange organization. Foreign connectors are homed on Exchange 2010 Hub Transport servers and use a Drop directory to send messages to non-SMTP messaging servers.

AddressTypeRouting ID

This section maps an address type to an SmtpConnectorIndex ID.

SmtpConnectorIndex ID

This section contains the SMTPIndexNode ID of the root index that's supported by this SMTPConnectorIndex ID.

X400ConnectorIndex ID

This section contains the X400IndexNode ID of the root index that's supported by this X400ConnectorIndex ID.

GenericConnectorIndex ID

This section contains the IndexEntry ID of the root index that's supported by this GenericConnectorIndex ID.

SMTPIndexNode ID

This section contains the SMTPIndexNode ID, which represents a part of an SMTP address space. The values of the index nodes are combined to form the complete SMTP address space. For example, the domain exchange.contoso.com has the following four index nodes:

  • The root SMTP index node

  • The com SMTP index node

  • The contoso SMTP index node

  • The exchange SMTP index node

X400IndexNode ID

This section contains the X400IndexNode ID, which represents a part of an X.400 address space. The values of the index nodes are combined to form the complete X.400 address space.

IndexEntry ID

This section contains the IndexEntry ID, which represents a part of a non-SMTP address space, such as Lotus Notes or fax. The values of the index entries are combined to form the complete non-SMTP address space.

ConnectorRouteWithCost ID

This section links an address space cost to a connector route.

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