XADM: DS/IS Fails to Re-create Mailboxes in Subcontainers

• Microsoft Exchange Server, version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

In certain cases of disaster recovery it may be necessary to use the DS/IS Consistency Checker to re-populate the Directory Store with the mailboxes that exist in the Private Information Store. If some of these users were located in subcontainers of the default Recipients container (or any subcontainer of a container that is on the same level as the default Recipients container)the DS/IS Consistency checker will fail to create the Directory object for these users with the following error in the application log.

The Event viewer will report as follows:

   Event ID: 7014
   Source: MS ExchangeIS Private
   Type: Information
   Category: Private IS/DS

   Description:
   Unable to add a mailbox
   /O=MICROSOFT/OU=ONE/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN=SUBCONTAINER1/CN=USER2 to the
   Directory service because the organization or site of the mailbox is
   different from this server's organization or site.

CAUSE

The DS/IS consistency checker assumes no longer than two /CN (common name) fields in the X.500 distinguished name. This means that the first /CN would be used for the server name and the second /CN for the first container. By not checking any further than two /CN's the object is assumed to not be a part of this site and fails with the above stated error.

WORKAROUND

Mailboxes that exist in such subcontainers must be re-created manually, using the Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator program.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server version 4.0. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.