XFOR: DirSync Deletes and Modifies Not Being Processed by DXA

ID: Q155727

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 4.0, 5.0

SYMPTOMS

Delete and modify directory synchronization (dirsync) transactions are not processed by the Microsoft Exchange Server Directory Synchronization Agent (DXA).

CAUSE

When using Microsoft Mail, it is common practice (although not recommended) to force names into the dirsync stream by using the IMPORT -E command. Everything is directory synchronized; the entire organization sees everyone and can send and receive from everyone.

When you use the IMPORT -E command with Microsoft Exchange Server as the dirsync server, you may run into problems. Every Microsoft Mail user in the Microsoft Exchange organization has an Imported-From value, which is the name of the Requester object that the transaction came from. Therefore, all Delete and Modify transactions for any Microsoft Mail user other than the Requester object the transaction came from are discarded by Microsoft Exchange Server. The reason is the Delete and Modify transactions come in from their appropriate postoffice and therefore do not match the Imported- From field.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server 4.0 and 5.0. This problem was corrected in the latest Microsoft Exchange Server 4.0 and 5.0 U.S. Service Packs. For information on obtaining the service pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

S E R V P A C K

MORE INFORMATION

After installing the service pack, use Registry Editor to add the following registry value:

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall Windows NT. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe or Regedit.exe, depending on your version of Windows NT).

Under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE subtree, highlight the following subkey:
```
SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Service\MSExchangeDX 
```

On the Edit menu, click Add Value and use the following entry:
```
Value: Requestors Used To Import From
Data Type: REG_MULTI_SZ 
```
When prompted for data, enter the Display Names of the Requester Objects in the Microsoft Exchange Server DXA that were used to run IMPORT -E from. Use a space as a seperator.

Quit Registry Editor.

Now when the DXA searches the directory and does not find a distinguished name (DN) and the registry value is set, the DXA will search again using those requester names. Every time the DXA searches again, it puts an event message with Event ID 282 in the event log.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbusage kbbug4.00 kbbug5.00 kbfix4.00.sp4 XFOR kbfix5.00.sp1
Version : winnt:4.0,5.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug