In the recently released Exchange 2007 Service Pack 3, there’s a version mismatch between the Outlook Web Access (OWA) S/MIME Control, an Active X control used to provide S/MIME support in OWA. After you install SP3, users who have the control installed will get prompted to install the latest version of the control.
The way this works – the code compares the “Version” property of the client S/MIME control (MIMECTL.DLL) on the user’s computer with the ProductVersion property of the MSI file (OWASMIME.MSI) on the Client Access Server.
During the released SP3 build, the version of the MSI file was incremented to 8.3.83.2. However, due to an error, the DLL file in the MSI retained its old version number (8.3.83.0). As a result, when Outlook Web Access users using Internet Explorer use S/MIME functionality, they get the same prompt to upgrade the S/MIME control even after they’ve upgraded.
Here are two ways to resolve this issue.
- If you have the Orca.exe utility, you can change the version number of the \Microsoft\Exchange Server\ClientAccess\Owa\smime\owasmime.msi file from 8.3.83.2 to 8.3.83.0.
- Download and run the PatchMSIProductVersion.vbs script which changes the version number. Note, the download is named PatchMSIProductVersion.vbs_txt. Remove the _txt from the file extension before running it.
After you use either of the above methods, restart IIS. (Use the IISReset command.)
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused users.
Update: The issue has been fixed in Update Rollup 1 for Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 3
So…has the SP3 installer been updated? Is there a HF? Will there be either?
@Max: Will be in a post-SP3 roll-up update.
When this update rollup will be released? Is there any major issues for SP3 other than this one?
After installing SP3, Outlook Web Access Remote Document Access stopped working on our Exchange 2007 server. Microsoft support duplicated the problem on their test servers and has their coders working it. No resolution yet.
After installing SP3 and running the vbs file to fix the smime issue we still have the same problem.
the following versions show
Outlook Web Access version: 8.3.83.4
S/MIME control: installed, version 8.3.83.0
Microsoft Exchange Client Access server version: 8.3.83.0
Mailbox server Microsoft Exchange version: 8.3.83.0
Users mailboxes still show that the file installed is out of date, if they do reinstall the message does not go away. any thoughts?
Might this be related to a problem we have with OWA post (and possibly pre) SP3?
We want to completly disable auto replies sent to external users being configured by users from any client. However, even if the mailbox has the value: -ExternalOofOptions: InternalOnly set a user is able to login to the light version of OWA and is able to see the section for auto replies sent to external senders. If that same user logs into the Premium version they do not see the auto replies to external senders. What’s more, when configured and enabled to sent auto replies to external senders in the light version the auto replies are actually sent out to the external sender. A bug perhaps?
@Gregg Leatherwood: Same here! Direct attachment opening is just fine, but using the Remote File Server option in OWA it opens a blank page. Although using the HTML server converter users can at least view their documents.
Quite annoying in the vacation period
any progress from PSS?
@Greg Leatherwood: Yep, me too. Installed SP3 on the weekend, starting fielding calls from users this morning stating they only get blank window when trying to get docs via OWA from UNC share. Very boring.
@Nico B and Deegz: Thanks for confirming our experience. No update from Microsoft yet. I’ll post something as soon as I hear from PSS.
@Nico B and Deegz: Yesterday, PSS acknowledged the bug concerning the loss of remote document access with SP3: "The problem you have with opening attachments from OWA using Direct File Access after installing Exchange Server 2007 SP 3 has been accepted as a bug and will be worked on internally to provide a fix for this loss of functionality. I do not have a date yet for the release of a fix but I estimate it being 3 to 4 weeks from now".
Neither fix helps.
By changing the version number on the owasmime.msi file we break the digital signature on it! Having done that we can’t install the msi at all. And the vbscript doesn’t change anything in the msi, it just changes the version to the version it already is…
Could we have a proper .msi with a valid signature that we can download and use to just replace the one that comes with SP3 please?
@ Greg Leatherwood: Thanks for updating the status..
I recently upgraded to SP3 to also find we just get a blank page when opening files from within documents. I couldn’t understand it because attachments in emails worked fine I could choose to download or or view them in the document viewer but direct file access would fail. I have found a work around though and what I do is right click the file and choose send to email and then within that new mail right click on the files to download.
@Greg – do you have a ticket number or some other official reference from Microsoft PSS concerning the broken file access?
I have install Exchange 2007 Sp3 today. At the end of the installation process i tried to open attachments in OWA by a Win7 Professional PC. With Firefox and Chrome (Owa Light) there are no problem.
With Intenet Explorer 8 i cannot open directly an attachment and i have this error: "unable to download attachment.ashx from xxxxx.xxxxxx.xx". However with a right click on the attachment, if i select "open" from the menu, the attachment is open fine
@Nick Clark – We are having the same problem here, I tried using the vbs script, not orca.exe..
Could anyone fix this?
Thanks!
So is there a KB article on this? Hotfix update? I called Microsoft and they said to post here. School is almost starting for us. Many users are complaining about the lack of remote document viewing. Any updates from MS are appreciated.
@Jeff Jakubowski – My MSSolve ticket number for the broken file access issue is 110063060206242. A Microsoft Senior Support Engineer emailed on July 21st that "this fix should be included in a future Rollup of Exchange 2007 SP3…released in a month’s time…" I haven’t heard anything from Microsoft since then. I plan to wait about a week before contacting MS again. Like many others, my nonprofit relies heavily on OWA remote document access, and are struggling without it.
No news from Microsoft about this issue?
@Greg Leatherwood, @NicoB, @Graha, @Andrea: This is not related to remote document viewing or auto-replies.
Ok I updated exchange 2007 to sp3 then ran the script to fix the s/mime issue
Now I have a whole new issue where the digital certificate for the s/mime installer is no longer valid.
Please somebody help
What are the plans for the release date of rollup 1 for Exchange Server 2007 SP3?
@Bharat Suneja: Thank you for explaining that the bug in SP3 that causes remote document access to fail is not related to remote document viewing or auto replies. Has the Exchange Team been able to identify the reason remote document access no longer works? Will a fix be forthcoming? Remote document access is an important feature of Exchange 2007 to many customers. It’s been over ten weeks since SP3 broke this feature. I hope it can be repaired soon.
@Bharat Suneja: I would like to echo what Greg Leatherwood has asked as well as question why these issues have not been added to the known issues list on the release notes for SP3 here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff607233(EXCHG.80).aspx
Surely it is worth warning other sys admins of the dangers involved in installing this rather broken service pack?
I too am monitoring this thread as it is the best reference I can find for the blank page appearing when my company tries to access remote documents since installing Exchange 2007 SP3.
Please tell me if there is a more suitable place to monitor for a solution to the broken remote document access? Otherwise, I and others are watching this thread hoping someone will mention here where we can find a hot fix or patch to this important issue.
There are likely to be many like me, constantly checking this thread for any updates.
It’s just plain sad that Microsoft released rollup 1 to Exchange 2007 SP3 without fixing Remote Document Access, which they broke with SP3. Microsoft has been promising a fix for well over two months now. It’s a crying shame that has left many of their customers in the lurch.
The silence from Bharat speaks volumes.
I tried to add a user comment (a warning for any other admins that are considering installing SP3) to the Technet page for SP3, but get ‘an error occured while saving your data’ every time I try to save. It would be hilarious if it weren’t from the fact that we system admins have to answer to our employers.
@Deegz, Greg Leatherwood, Aussie: A fix for the remote document issue w/Exchange 2007 SP3 will likely be included in the next rollup for SP3 – it’s not included in the just-released rollup 1. If you can’t wait for rollup 2, an interim update will be available this week from CSS. You will need a bug reference – please look for it in a follow-up comment soon.
Thanks for the update Bharat. It is a shame that we have to monitor this comment section which originally had nothing to do with the remote document viewing for information…..
@Bharat Suneja: Thank you very much for providing information on the fix for the remote document issue. I look forward to getting the bug reference. It will be great to get this capability back.
We also have the OWA document access and blank document issue, I was hoping Update Rollup 1 would address this, however I can see this is not the case. Can we also have Bug Reference number as we would like this interim fix installed as soon as possible. Many Thanks.
We have experienced this issue since installing SP3. Rollup Update 1 fixed the s/MIME issue in OWA, but OWA document access still seems to be an issue. Forcing WebReady will allow users to at least open documents in the browser, but the converter feature still does not work. Please provide the bug reference number for the fix.
Any word on the follow up comment with the bug reference number? Was the interim update released last week?
Sorry folks, release of the interim update (for the remote document issue) was postponed from last week, but it’s ready now and can be requested from CSS – please provide KB 2290105 as reference.
Thanks Bharat. Contacted CSS – it’s not in their database…Maybe I try again in a few days. Anyone else have any luck getting hold of the fix? Also, would I have to install RU1 as well? I am hoping to avoid it if possible – have read a few horror stories…
Sweet, thanks Bharat. I called and they found the KB reference. An active case number has been opened, waiting on a call from the Security Team :)
Just installed update rollup 1 for sp3 and still im having issues, anyone else have any ideas? this is killing me not to mention our CFO is pissed :(
let me rephrase that since there is multiple issues here, Im still having issues with the remote access of documents and im looking for the patch for KB 2290105 is there anyone that has recieved it thats willing to share? I don’t really feeling like opening a support ticket with microsoft for something that will be released to the public in a couple weeks.
@steve-oh: The fixes included in SP3 Rollup 1 can be found in KB 2279665 — the fix for remote document access isn’t one of them. We recommend waiting for the next update rollup, but if you need a fix urgently you can request the interim update (KB 2290105) from CSS.
I’m happy to report that the Interim Update KB 2290105 fixed the remote document viewing in OWA with Exchange 2007 SP3! Thank you so much Bharat for being "active" in this comment thread.
Thanks a bunch Bharat do you have any idea when the next update rollup might be scheduled for?
@steve-oh: Can’t provide an exact release date until it’s ready. Stay tuned to this blog for an announcement when that happens. :)
In general Exchange Server rollups are released every six to eight weeks, as stated in Exchange 2010 Servicing (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff637979.aspx).
I’m having the blank page/remote docs over OWA problem as well. I just tried going through the CSS hoops but was eventually told that the hotfix would not be made available to me b/c it was in "pre-release" phase. I would just LOVE to know how some people on here were able to obtain this thing…
Can someone email / host the direct file access patch?
C’Mon FFS let’s get this patch going!
I now have 3 issues with SP3 and Rollup 1 that are not reported in the Known Issues.
1. The s/mime issue which is patched in RU1.
2. There is an issue with the EMC not being able to manage a CCR cluster after installing RU1 without adding special ports to the firewalls on all nodes.
3. If you use DPM for backups, truncating logs doesn’t work anymore after SP3.
Why is it that we try to trust Microsoft to have reliable products but their patches break more than they fix and us admins are the ones that have to do the testing. Stop putting out alpha products Microsoft. I trust in you way too much.
Is there a location that I can download KB 2290105 patch to fix my Exchange 2007 SP1 with Rollout 1. It still does not allow my clients to use direct file access in OWA. It is a very important part of my Exchange client function.
@PSarawit: As posted in earlier comments to this post, you can request the interim update from CSS. It’s not available for download. It will be included in the next update rollup.
As posted in earlier comments KB 2290105 is not available to everyone, I for one was not able to get it.
What irks me is not so much that SP3 broke this functionality, but a rollup has been released since then that has not restored it. And it seems the only place to discuss the issue is in a random thread on the team blog. Absolutely ridiculous. Google is looking better all the time.
This has been broken since June!
Maybe I can find the patch on a torrent site?
After installing installing 2007 sp3 rollup 1 our version numbers still do not match and the s/mime file was not updated. I have tried reinstalling the control.
Outlook Web Access version: 8.3.106.1
S/MIME control: installed, version 8.3.83.0
Microsoft Exchange Client Access server version: 8.3.83.0
Mailbox server Microsoft Exchange version: 8.3.83.0
Has anyone else had a similar issue?
Since this is a specific fix I don’t see why people should suffer. I can host the file on my Personal FTP. While this post will probably get deleted, people affected by the remote document viewing bug with Exchange 2007 SP3 ONLY can email me and i’ll send the link – counterfeit1 at gmail.com
@Timmy "No Doc" Johnson, @Kurt: Were you unable to get the interim update from CSS? Please send me an email (bsuneja AT microsoft DOT com) with your contact details so we can follow up.
@Timmy "No Doc" Johnson: In general we don’t recommend installing interim updates. The number of support cases for this issue has been extremely low. If your users are impacted by this issue and you can’t wait for the update rollup, you can obtain the interim
update from CSS. There’s no charge for the call.
@Kurt & @Everyone: Without getting into the legal/licensing aspect,
downloading and installing code from untrusted sources is a security risk. It’s not recommended and may also violate your organization’s security policies.
Bharat – I called MSFT and got the interim update. Everything now works great. I’m shocked that the support cases are low since it is a major feature of OWA that is broken after SP3. This is a very specific fix that has worked for everyone who has installed it (per my conversation with MSFT). I have no idea why it can’t be made available publicly? I was going to host the file so people didn’t have to call MSFT.
Microsoft has contacted me – Can’t give the file out. I’m not getting involved. Too many people have emailed me asking for it. I’m not sure why you guys are having such a hard time getting the file through MSFT.
Whats the microsoft phone number?
my assumption on why this is a "low volume problem" is because either A) how do you google the problem "exchange 2007 web documents dont load?" the only way i found this thread was by googling all sorts of things for hours untill i came up with it. or B) i’ve been an exchange admin but never called CSS nor do i know what it stood for untill i started reading this thread. I’m glad that i waited untill last month to apply the service pack.
I recently updated to Ex2007, SP3 (V08.03.0106.001) which killed OWA file access along the lines described above. I also see that SP3 doesn’t appear to be available any longer from the download site.
Is the only fix for the issue available via calling Microsoft?