Exchange Server Maintenace Mode

Exchange servers play a critical role in ensuring seamless email communication within organizations. As such, maintaining their stability and functionality is essential. Regular maintenance tasks like applying Windows updates, installing Microsoft Exchange updates, or troubleshooting require precise planning and execution to avoid service disruptions or data loss.

To ensure a smooth maintenance process, administrators must first place the server in maintenance mode. Maintenance mode isolates the server from active operations by suspending services, redirecting workloads, and preventing new connections. This ensures the maintenance tasks can be performed without impacting end-users or the overall Exchange environment.

In this article, we’ll delve into the options available in the Exchange Maintenance Mode Wizard, a powershell script I have developed to simplify the management of maintenance mode and ensure a structured approach to maintaining Exchange servers. Below, we outline each menu item to provide a better understanding of its purpose and functionality.

Menu Options Explained

1 – Display all Exchange Maintenance Mode Status

This option provides an overview of all Exchange servers in the forest, displaying their current maintenance mode status. It helps administrators quickly determine which servers are in “Maintenance Mode ON” or “Maintenance Mode OFF,” ensuring operational visibility.

2 – Display all Exchange Services Status

This menu dives deeper into the status of services running on Exchange servers. It contains several sub-options for more granular information:

1. Display All Exchange Services for a Selected Exchange Server
   Allows administrators to select a specific Exchange server and view the status of all services running on it. This is particularly useful for identifying the operational health of an individual server.
2. Display Stopped Services for a Selected Exchange Server
   Lists only the services that are stopped on a selected Exchange server. This targeted approach makes troubleshooting and restarting essential services faster and more efficient.
3. Display Stopped Services for All Exchange Servers in the Forest
   Offers a comprehensive view of all stopped services across all Exchange servers in the forest. This helps identify widespread issues or anomalies that require immediate attention.
4. Display Cluster / Maintenance Mode Services for Each Exchange Server
   Provides details about cluster services and maintenance mode states for each Exchange server. Administrators can view the operational state (e.g., “Active” or “Inactive”) of critical components in a clear and actionable format.
5. Go back to the Main Menu
   Returns to the main menu for easier navigation without exiting the tool.

3 – Enable Exchange Maintenance Mode

This option puts a selected Exchange server into maintenance mode. It suspends services, prevents database activation, and ensures the server is isolated for updates or troubleshooting without impacting the overall environment.

4 – Disable Exchange Maintenance Mode

This option reverses the maintenance mode state of a selected server. It re-enables services, resumes database activation, and reintegrates the server into the Exchange environment, making it fully operational again.

5 – Exit

Exits the tool, concluding the session. It’s a simple yet essential option to close the wizard after tasks are completed.

# Welcome to Exchange Maintenance Mode Wizard
# Script Created by: Abdelchafik Zahzah
# Script Version: v1.2 21/January/2025
# Refer to www.Everything4it.com for further details.
Write-Host "Welcome to Exchange Maintenance Mode Wizard - $(Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss')" -ForegroundColor Cyan
function DisplayMaintenanceModeStatus {
Write-Host "Displaying all Exchange Maintenance Mode Status for all servers in the forest:" -ForegroundColor Green
$servers = Get-ExchangeServer
$serversStatus = $servers | ForEach-Object {
$status = (Get-ServerComponentState -Identity $_.Name | Where-Object { $_.Component -eq "ServerWideOffline" }).State
$displayStatus = if ($status -eq "Inactive") { "Maintenance Mode ON" } else { "Maintenance Mode OFF" }
[PSCustomObject]@{
ServerName       = $_.Name
MaintenanceMode = $displayStatus
}
}
$serversStatus | Format-Table -AutoSize
}
function DisplayExchangeServicesStatus {
while ($true) {
Write-Host "Please choose your selection:" -ForegroundColor Cyan
Write-Host "1 - Display All Exchange Services for a Selected Exchange Server"
Write-Host "2 - Display Stopped Services for a Selected Exchange Server"
Write-Host "3 - Display Stopped Services for All Exchange Servers in the Forest"
Write-Host "4 - Display Cluster / Maintenance Mode Services for Each Exchange Server"
Write-Host "5 - Go back to the Main Menu"
$subSelection = Read-Host "Enter your choice (1-5)"
switch ($subSelection) {
"1" {
$servers = Get-ExchangeServer
$index = 0
$servers | ForEach-Object {
Write-Host ("{0}: {1}" -f $index, $_.Name)
$index++
}
$selectedNumber = [int](Read-Host "Enter the number of the server to display all services")
if ($selectedNumber -lt 0 -or $selectedNumber -ge $servers.Count) {
Write-Host "Invalid selection. Returning to submenu." -ForegroundColor Red
continue
}
$selectedServer = $servers[$selectedNumber].Name
$table = @()
Get-Service -ComputerName $selectedServer | Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like '*Exchange*' } | ForEach-Object {
$table += [PSCustomObject]@{
'Exchange Server Name' = $selectedServer
'Exchange Service'     = $_.DisplayName
'Service Status'       = $_.Status
}
}
$table | Format-Table -AutoSize -Wrap
}
"2" {
$servers = Get-ExchangeServer
$index = 0
$servers | ForEach-Object {
Write-Host ("{0}: {1}" -f $index, $_.Name)
$index++
}
$selectedNumber = [int](Read-Host "Enter the number of the server to display stopped services")
if ($selectedNumber -lt 0 -or $selectedNumber -ge $servers.Count) {
Write-Host "Invalid selection. Returning to submenu." -ForegroundColor Red
continue
}
$selectedServer = $servers[$selectedNumber].Name
$table = @()
Get-Service -ComputerName $selectedServer | Where-Object { $_.Status -ne "Running" -and $_.DisplayName -like '*Exchange*' } | ForEach-Object {
$table += [PSCustomObject]@{
'Exchange Server Name' = $selectedServer
'Exchange Service'     = $_.DisplayName
'Service Status'       = $_.Status
}
}
$table | Format-Table -AutoSize -Wrap
}
"3" {
$table = @()
$servers = Get-ExchangeServer
$servers | ForEach-Object {
$serverName = $_.Name
Get-Service -ComputerName $serverName | Where-Object { $_.Status -ne "Running" -and $_.DisplayName -like '*Exchange*' } | ForEach-Object {
$table += [PSCustomObject]@{
'Exchange Server Name' = $serverName
'Exchange Service'     = $_.DisplayName
'Service Status'       = $_.Status
}
}
}
$table | Format-Table -AutoSize -Wrap
}
"4" {
$servers = Get-ExchangeServer
$index = 0
$servers | ForEach-Object {
Write-Host ("{0}: {1}" -f $index, $_.Name)
$index++
}
$selectedNumber = [int](Read-Host "Enter the number of the server to display cluster services")
if ($selectedNumber -lt 0 -or $selectedNumber -ge $servers.Count) {
Write-Host "Invalid selection. Returning to submenu." -ForegroundColor Red
continue
}
$selectedServer = $servers[$selectedNumber].Name
Write-Host "Cluster Services for $selectedServer" -ForegroundColor Cyan
Get-ServerComponentState -Identity $selectedServer | ForEach-Object {
if ($_.State -eq "Active") {
Write-Host "$($_.Component): Active" -ForegroundColor Green
} else {
Write-Host "$($_.Component): Inactive" -ForegroundColor Red
}
}
}
"5" {
Write-Host "Returning to the main menu." -ForegroundColor Cyan
return
}
default {
Write-Host "Invalid choice. Please enter a number between 1 and 5." -ForegroundColor Red
}
}
}
}
function EnableMaintenanceMode {
Write-Host "Enabling Exchange Maintenance Mode:" -ForegroundColor Yellow
$servers = Get-ExchangeServer
$serversStatus = $servers | ForEach-Object {
$status = (Get-ServerComponentState -Identity $_.Name | Where-Object { $_.Component -eq "ServerWideOffline" }).State
[PSCustomObject]@{
ServerName       = $_.Name
MaintenanceMode = $status
}
}
$index = 0
$serversStatus | ForEach-Object {
Write-Host ("{0}: Server: {1}, MaintenanceMode: {2}" -f $index, $_.ServerName, $_.MaintenanceMode)
$index++
}
$selectedNumber = [int](Read-Host "Enter the number of the server to enable maintenance mode")
if ($selectedNumber -lt 0 -or $selectedNumber -ge $serversStatus.Count) {
Write-Host "Invalid selection. Exiting." -ForegroundColor Red
return
}
$selectedServer = $serversStatus[$selectedNumber].ServerName
Set-ServerComponentState -Identity $selectedServer -Component ServerWideOffline -State Inactive -Requester Maintenance
Set-MailboxServer -Identity $selectedServer -DatabaseCopyActivationDisabledAndMoveNow $true
Suspend-ClusterNode -Name $selectedServer
Write-Host "Maintenance mode enabled for $selectedServer." -ForegroundColor Green
}
function DisableMaintenanceMode {
Write-Host "Disabling Exchange Maintenance Mode:" -ForegroundColor Yellow
$servers = Get-ExchangeServer
$serversStatus = $servers | ForEach-Object {
$status = (Get-ServerComponentState -Identity $_.Name | Where-Object { $_.Component -eq "ServerWideOffline" }).State
[PSCustomObject]@{
ServerName       = $_.Name
MaintenanceMode = $status
}
}
$index = 0
$serversStatus | ForEach-Object {
Write-Host ("{0}: Server: {1}, MaintenanceMode: {2}" -f $index, $_.ServerName, $_.MaintenanceMode)
$index++
}
$selectedNumber = [int](Read-Host "Enter the number of the server to disable maintenance mode")
if ($selectedNumber -lt 0 -or $selectedNumber -ge $serversStatus.Count) {
Write-Host "Invalid selection. Exiting." -ForegroundColor Red
return
}
$selectedServer = $serversStatus[$selectedNumber].ServerName
Set-ServerComponentState -Identity $selectedServer -Component ServerWideOffline -State Active -Requester Maintenance
Set-MailboxServer -Identity $selectedServer -DatabaseCopyActivationDisabledAndMoveNow $false
Resume-ClusterNode -Name $selectedServer
Write-Host "Maintenance mode disabled for $selectedServer." -ForegroundColor Green
}
while ($true) {
Write-Host "Please choose your selection:" -ForegroundColor Cyan
Write-Host "1 - Display all Exchange Maintenance Mode Status"
Write-Host "2 - Display all Exchange Services Status"
Write-Host "3 - Enable Exchange Maintenance Mode"
Write-Host "4 - Disable Exchange Maintenance Mode"
Write-Host "5 - Exit"
$selection = Read-Host "Enter your choice (1-5)"
switch ($selection) {
"1" {
DisplayMaintenanceModeStatus
}
"2" {
DisplayExchangeServicesStatus
}
"3" {
EnableMaintenanceMode
}
"4" {
DisableMaintenanceMode
}
"5" {
Write-Host "Exiting the wizard. Goodbye!" -ForegroundColor Cyan
exit
}
default {
Write-Host "Invalid choice. Please enter a number between 1 and 5." -ForegroundColor Red
}
}
}