PC DirSync: Commonly Asked Questions

This is expected behavior. When a user is excluded from Dir-Sync, the user's address will not be propagated to other postoffices. However, the user will be visible to users on the postoffice that the user belongs to and will show up in the GAL on that postoffice.

No. Requestors can be registered with only one Dir-Sync server. Also, the Dir-Sync server cannot be registered as a requestor with another Dir-Sync server.

When you change the template file ADMIN.TPL that contains the template definition, you must select Config, Dir-Sync, Requestor, Export command to distribute the updated template file to all postoffices.

No. Changes to ADMIN.INF are automatically distributed. For more information, please refer to page 160 of the version 3.2 "Administrator's Guide."

For gateway addresses to propagate to all the postoffices participating in Dir-Sync, you should use Import with the -e option. Changes made through Admin or Import (without -e option) will not be distributed to other postoffices.

You can use Import with the -x option to extract the addresses, and then use Import with -e option to get them into the Dir-Sync stream (REQTRANS.GLB).

No. Extended information can be added only to gateways that conform to the 10/10/10 addressing.

Variation in the number of entries in the GAL on each postoffice by itself is no cause for concern. Some possibilities are:

a. Users excluded from Dir-Sync will be included in the GAL of the home postoffice but will not show up on the GAL of other postoffices.

b. Not all postoffices may be requesting all types of addresses (for example, gateway addresses). This choice is available under Config, Dir-Sync, Requestor, Options, Types.

c. Groups containing external users will not be propagated to other postoffices.

A GAL rebuild problem manifests itself in the form of a Check names problem in the Windows client. There were some problems with Rebuild version 3.0.x that were fixed with Rebuild version 3.2.x.

Yes, on each postoffice, the administrator can add a user with a full name that reflects the current date, the network, and postoffice name (for example, Jul21 Network Postoffice). The administrator needs to modify the full name each day to reflect the current date.

When this procedure is used, each administrator can log into the Windows client and do a Check Names on the current date, Jul21. This will bring up an entry for each postoffice that participated in Dir-Sync. The logs can be checked for those postoffices that did not participate in Dir-Sync.

NOTE: This method introduces administrative overhead, (although Import can facilitate the process) and relies on the Administrator making the modification at each postoffice.

The DISPATCH.LOG gives an indication of the return code for the Dir- Sync processes namely "NSDA -RT," "NSDA -S," and "NSDA -RR". The DIRSYNC.LOG on each postoffice provides more detailed information.

No. Dispatch appends a break relative time to the idle process command line automatically.

With version 3.3 and 6.x of MS-DOS, this will work provided that COMMAND.COM is copied to the same directory where the dispatch executables reside. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

        ARTICLE-ID: Q101752
        TITLE     : PC Ext: Dispatch Cannot Spawn Batch File Without
                    COMMAND.COM

No, only one Dispatch process should be run against a postoffice.

When a Dir-Sync process runs, it is rescheduled to run a week later at the same time. If the rescheduled time falls after a DST change, the process time is changed. The administrator has to manually change the process times on each postoffice after the DST change has been effected.

Please refer to the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

        ARTICLE-ID: Q101753
        TITLE     : PC DirSync: When to Use the Time Zone Option with
                    Dir-Sync

No. Rebuild will process all the addresses available in the mail database (postoffice) into the Global Address List.

No. Dispatch creates Dir-Sync mail messages, but External is the agent that transfers the message between postoffices.

Yes, to participate in Dir-Sync, the foreign mail system should create a foreign requestor. The Dir-Sync process considers the foreign requestor as a requestor postoffice. For more information, please obtain the "Directory Synchronization with Foreign Mail Systems" guide (part number 34524) from the Microsoft Sales and Information Center at (800) 426-9400.

NOTE: Bound applications are designed and built so that they can be run under either OS/2 or MS-DOS.

All Dir-Sync files, except DISPATCH.EXE, are bound executables. The bound executables run on both OS/2 and MS-DOS.