Export-ActiveSyncLog Exchange cmdlet issued (25164) how to monitor with email alert

[bob]

You ever notice that weird event popping up in your Event Viewer on Windows Server? It's ID 25164, the one that says "Export-ActiveSyncLog Exchange cmdlet issued." Basically, it logs when somebody runs that specific command in Exchange to pull out ActiveSync device logs. ActiveSync handles mobile stuff syncing with Exchange, like phones grabbing emails. This event fires right after the cmdlet starts exporting those logs to a file. It shows the username who did it, the time, and which server it happened on. Sometimes it includes details on what devices or logs got targeted. If you're running Exchange, this could mean an admin is troubleshooting mobile issues or checking for weird activity. But it might flag something fishy if it's not you or your team. The event lives in the Application log under Microsoft-Exchange-ActiveSync source. You can filter for it easily in Event Viewer by searching that ID or the description. It helps spot if exports are happening too often or at odd hours. I check mine weekly just to stay ahead. Keeps things from blowing up unexpectedly.

Now, to watch for this without staring at screens all day, you set up a scheduled task straight from Event Viewer. Open Event Viewer, find that log with the event. Right-click the 25164 entry, pick "Attach Task to This Event." It'll launch the task wizard. Name it something like "ActiveSync Export Alert." Set the trigger to when event ID 25164 hits in the Application log. For the action, choose "Send an e-mail," but wait, that's old school; actually, pick "Start a program" and point it to your email client or a simple batch to notify you. Nah, better yet, use the built-in option if your server has SMTP setup. Fill in your email details there in the wizard. Test it by triggering the event manually if you can. Once it's live, it'll ping you every time that cmdlet runs. I do this for a bunch of events; saves me headaches. You tweak the frequency or add filters so it doesn't spam you on normal runs.

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At the end of this is the automatic email solution.

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