As many of you know I really like ESET for computer security. As a result, I have used and recommended ESET for the server as well. Lately I have been dealing with issues regarding ESET’s Exchange version on Windows Small Business Server (SBS) 2008.
ESET was installed and running on SBS 2003 without any issues however, due to updated program needs and RAM constraints (SBS 2003 maxes out at 4GB RAM) this customer needed to get a new server. Based on their wants, for now, and the immediate future (next 12 months) together we chose to install a new SBS 2008 server.
BTW, the original network was defiantly designed by a cool-aid drinking Microsoft tech. Though I prefer and only support Microsoft operating systems, I still have not completely bought their recommendations. This SBS server was the DHCP, DNS and router, if anything hickuped on the server, the entire network and internet and email went down, everything (just as designed by Microsoft).
Last Christmas (2009) we began the migration from the old server to a brand new one. We were using Microsoft’s how-to documents, 3 days later it the domain and network were still in shambles. It turned out that the server had crashed the January before (which we did know about) and had been restored from a Ghost image (which we did not know about). Well we found out the hard way, you cannot migrate if the drive being migrated from is a recovery, let alone a Ghosted recovery.
Due to the type of work our customer did, we rolled back the customers server and put the network back as it was until this summer when work their work would slow down again.
Now May comes along and we begin again, this time with dozens more documents and ways of attack. Using two men, plus multiple Microsoft critical incident techs, three days of 16 hours per day per person, later the SBS system and network were up and running. At that time we installed ESET for Exchange Server. Almost immediately the network became flaky. Exchange services could be manually started but they would just shut off. A couple of Outlook OST files would not connect and one would not even open. Multiple attempts to contact ESET support (phone and Email) went ignored.
We decided it was best to uninstall ESET and the one major problem remained. The Exchange Services would start for about 30 to 45 seconds and then just shut off. Two more days during the workweek went by with research, different approached from three different technicians and still Exchange would not continue to run. At that point, the customer decided to have their in house person attack this issue with ESET.
At first ESET responded to emails quickly (same day) and their low level techs had the customer re-do many of the things we had done. There was normally a day delay in getting back to the 2nd email if it was sent at the end of the business day. Each time they sent questions or repairs after they were tried emails were sent which basically said that ESET’s recommendations, did not work. Multiple logs were sent to ESET per their request during this time also.