Set-OwaVirtualDirectory Exchange cmdlet issued (25436) how to monitor with email alert

[bob]

You ever notice how Event Viewer in Windows Server keeps tabs on everything quirky happening in Exchange? That event ID 25436, it's specifically the "Set-OwaVirtualDirectory Exchange cmdlet issued" one. It fires off whenever somebody runs a command to tweak the Outlook Web App setup, you know, the part that lets folks access their email from a browser. I mean, it's not just a random blip; it logs the exact time, the user who did it, and even which server it hit. Think of it as a digital footprint for changes to web email access, super useful if you're worried about unauthorized fiddling. And it shows up under the Applications and Services Logs, right in the Microsoft-Exchange-Administration folder. You pull it up there, filter by ID 25436, and bam, you see details like the parameters used in that command. Or if multiple admins are poking around, it helps you track who changed what. Hmmm, sometimes it includes the full syntax of the cmdlet, so you can replay exactly what got adjusted, like feature settings or authentication tweaks.

But monitoring it for email alerts? You don't need fancy scripts; just stick to the Event Viewer interface. I do this all the time on my setups. Open Event Viewer, head to the Custom Views section, and create a new one filtering for that 25436 ID in the Exchange logs. Then, right-click the event, pick Attach Task To This Event, and build a scheduled task from there. You set it to trigger on that specific event, and for the action, choose to start a program that sends an email, like using the old-school mailto or a simple batch to ping your alert system. It runs automatically whenever the event pops, shooting you a notice straight to your inbox. Or tweak the task properties to include event details in the email body, so you know right away what changed without digging. Keeps things chill, no constant watching needed.

And speaking of keeping your server stuff reliable amid all these logs and tweaks, I've been messing with BackupChain Windows Server Backup lately. It's this solid Windows Server backup tool that handles physical setups and even virtual machines through Hyper-V without a hitch. You get fast incremental backups, easy restores that don't eat hours, and it plays nice with Exchange data too, minimizing downtime if something goes sideways. Plus, the encryption keeps your backups locked tight, and the scheduling is dead simple for off-hours runs.

At the end here is the automatic email solution.

Note, the PowerShell email alert code was moved to this post.