Reporting Outlook Client Versions Using Log Parser Studio

Earlier, I wrote an article referencing Chris Lehr's Log Parser script to identify and report which Outlook client versions are being used to access Exchange. You can read that article here.

Today, I'm showing you how to do the same thing with Log Parser Studio using a configuration written by my friend Lars Eber, an Exchange Premier Field Engineer at Microsoft. Log Parser Studio 2.0 is a customizable GUI tool that greatly simplifies creating complex Log Parser 2.2 command-line queries and presents the output natively in an easy to read fashion.

If you don't have Log Parser 2.2 or Log Parser Studio 2.0 installed yet, you will need to do so. Just follow the links to download and install them (you'll need both). Then run LPS.EXE from the C:\LPSV2.D1 folder to run Log Parser Studio.

Download Lars' ExchangeClientVersion.zip configuration from my website and unzip it to a temporary location. In Log Parser Studio, click File > Import > .XML to Library, select the ExchangeClientVersion.XML file you just extracted, and click the Merge Now button.

To run the query, first configure Log Parser with the log folder location. Click the yellow folder icon and browse to the folder where the IIS logs exist. Normally, this is \\servername\c$\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15\Logging\RPC Client Access. Then select the Exchange Client Version Overview query in the library and click the red exclamation point icon to run it.

Log Parser Studio will run the query and provide easy to read results showing the user name, DN, client software, version, client mode (cached or online), client IP address, and the protocol used. Very useful!

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Reporting Outlook Client Versions Using Log Parser

I'm doing a little cross-pollination today. Chris Lehr, one of my colleagues at ExtraTeam, worked up a Log Parser script that produces a report showing all the clients versions connecting to Exchange.  This is very helpful to show which clients are running Office versions in your organization that should be updated prior to migration.  Check out his blog post here.

Outlook Client Version Report

Clients will always get the best experience using the latest version of Office, currently Office 2013 SP1. The best practice is to always update your clients with the latest cumulative update prior to migration. this is especially true when you're migrating to Office 365, since most updates pertain to Office 365, Exchange Online, and Exchange 2013 compatibility.

If you find that you need to upgrade clients to a new version of Office, I recommend that you install the x86 version of Office to provide the best compatibility with add-ons and third-party products. Some customers think they need to install Office x64 on Windows x64 operating systems, but that's not the case. See 64-bit editions of Office 2013 for details on when it makes sense to install Office x64.

If you're an Office 365 customer, I strongly recommend checking out using the Office 2013 ProPlus software deployment that's most likely part of your Enterprise license. This version of Office 2013 can be installed on up to 5 PCs, iPads, tablets, etc. and is always up-to-date since it's a cloud-managed service.

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Office 2010 Release to Manufacturing

Microsoft has released Office 2010 to manufacturing.  This means that PC manufacturers can immediately include Office 2010 on their PCs and laptops.

We're excited to announce that the final, completed version of Microsoft Office 2010 has been released to manufacturing (RTM), and we're on our way to the general-availability release. With a single, preloaded image and a streamlined product lineup, Office 2010 makes it easier to attract customers and drive PC sales.

General release, the time when you can buy a copy at your local store, is expected to happen in June.

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