How to Fix Exchange 2019 slow performance issue?
Updated On - April 18, 2024
Exchange Server is a service offered by Microsoft for handling email communications. This service is preferred and availed by many fortune 500 companies. Exchange Server is deployed on a MS Server operating system (OS) like Windows Server 2019 or the latest one Windows Server 2022.
Often as time passes, the performance of the Exchange Server starts to diminish. This could be the result of increased server loads, outdated software, issues with hardware, poor bandwidth, slow read/write speed of hard disk, etc.
Slow Exchange Server could significantly impact an organization’s productivity and workflow. Delayed email delivery (even for small mails with no attachments), slow response time, laggy Outlook are some common symptoms users may experience.
Such a situation is obviously not good for any enterprise’s growth and productiveness. Immediate resolution of this is crucial.
Methods for improving Exchange Server 2019 performance.
We will discuss the most common ways for achieving optimal performance on your server. The solutions will cover both hardware and software optimization.
Note: It’s highly recommended to create a backup of your data before proceeding.
Common troubleshoots to try.
- Before proceeding with any costly operation, it’s better to perform some basic troubleshoots.
- Restart your system and check if the issue persists.
- Check if the issue is with faulty network. Confirm with the IT department.
- Verify if you are using the latest cumulative update. If not, then update it and check if performance to back to standard.
An organization Exchange Server handles an excess number of mailboxes daily. As the size of these mailboxes grows it becomes more complicated for the server to manage them which affects the server performance in an unfavorable way.
User may follow some common practice to prevent these:
- Create multiple databases for different work groups to avoid excess load on a single database.
- Splitting data between heavy users can also improve server’s performance.
Also check for any ongoing migration process that might be running on the server. Migration operations are very costly and demands high resources. Any such operation in the background will have a huge impact on any server’s performance. The migration process must be initiated during the non-office hours. You may consider a 3rd party tool for a fast and efficient migration.
Similarly, keep track of backup process and antimalware application. They might be running and eating resources in the background which would result in Exchange Server reduced performance.
As the load on server increases, the server’s configuration might become insufficient. Try upgrading them to the latest, fast, and more powerful CPU configuration.
The number of requests, for a read/write or other operation, that server handles in a second will only increase with time. If the CPU or storage disk is not powerful or fast enough to deal with these requests in sufficient time, then the server would end up with a large queue length. This all results in slow system performance due to slow server’s response time. Therefore, it’s crucial to have a system which is capable of effortlessly handling high requests.While installing the new configuration keep in mind to go for the top-of-the-line infrastructure as this latest hardware may become insufficient again in the future.
The user can check the server logs to get information about the server’s hard disk different parameters and based on that can determine if a storage hardware upgrade is required. The logs will show you data like the average time taken for read/write operations, disk queue length, etc.
Ample read/write request requires high bandwidth for smooth transmission of data over the network. Therefore, do check if your organization has adequate network bandwidth and upgrade it accordingly.
As the organization grows the number of users accessing the server’s public folder increases. Therefore, the folder size may increase dramatically over time due to being accessed by so many users continuously.
This oversized public folder will require more resources to provide smooth user interaction, thus increasing load on the server. The tons of data items stored in it when accessed by users will have a direct impact on the server’s performance as more read/write requests will be made. This will demand more internet bandwidth and I/O requests on server’s storage.
Also, Public folders are replicated in multiple databases to ensure high availability. Constant synchronization between these folders at different locations eats up server’s resources which may lead to slow performance issue.
Try deleting obsolete data that is no longer needed. Also delete mail attachments of old email which are not crucial.
Microsoft regularly releases new updates for the Sever OS. These updates include patches that are essential for smooth functioning of the OS. Also, they include the latest security patches for improved user security from external factors. Therefore, always keep the system up to date with the latest cumulative updates.
Also verify if Hyper-V host is not having any update in pending. Microsoft makes use of Hyper-V to create multiple virtual systems for work handling. Any issue with Hyper-V can adversely impact the Exchange Server performance.
A server system generally contains multiple processors and an ample amount of primary and secondary storage. Therefore, it makes more sense to make use of these resources to the fullest and Hyper-V by creating virtual machines help with that. If so, then immediately update them.
Users can use this script to identify issues related to services, permissions, or other configurations that may lead to performance issues. The script highlight sections where user’s attention is needed for optimizations.
When you run the script, it collects essential information about the server and with that assists in diagnosing the problem. It also validates the default configuration and provides recommendations if needed.
The script can be used to validate the configuration of Exchange Server 2013, Exchange Server 2016, and Exchange Server 2019.
To run the script:
- Open Exchange Management Shell as administrator.
- C:\> .\HealthChecker.ps1
- This cmdlet will run script against the local server.
- It is optimized for 100% data restoration.
- Capable of maintaining data integrity and original hierarchy.
- Can export data to different formats like PST, EML and MSG.
- Can migrate EDB file to Office 365.
- Swiftly recover data from corrupted EDB files.
- Allow user to preview before saving the recovered items.
- Capable of recovering the deleted files, too.
- Migrate mailbox items of EDB files to Office 365, Outlook profile, and Live Exchange
Run the command
Note: The user must be assigned the role of local administrator and must be a member of Organization Management to run this script.
The manual methods discussed above will most probably provide you with a solution. However, they are complicated and require some degree of technical expertise. Any inexact step may cost you your crucial data permanently. Therefore, experts recommend using a professional tool.
Recoveryfix for Exchange Server is equipped with unparallel features to handle any issue related to the Exchange Server. The tool offers a minimalistic user interface design for less confusion and more user accessibility.
Advantages of this tool:
Conclusion
Slow Exchange Server is a situation that every organization wants to avoid anytime. It has a direct impact on a company’s productivity. The methods discussed above will help the user to get the performance back to its supreme. Users must regularly monitor issues like mailbox size and convert EDB file to multiple PST files to defragment database. Also, for an efficient migration and backup process Recoveryfix for Exchange Server could be used to minimize the load on server.
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