Microsoft KB Archive/251245

= "Invalid Name" Error Message When You Log On to MMS Server with Compass =

Article ID: 251245

Article Last Modified on 11/1/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Metadirectory Services 2.1

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This article was previously published under Q251245



SYMPTOMS
When you log on to the Microsoft Metadirectory Services (MMS) server through the Compass client, you may receive the following error message:

Invalid Name



CAUSE
This behavior occurs if the user name is not found in the MMS database. The name may not be found in the database for any of the following reasons:
 * The logon name is misspelled.
 * The user does not exist in the database.
 * The hashing function in the database is not working correctly.
 * The database is damaged.

When you log on to MMS, you are identified in one of the following ways:
 * Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) e-mail address (for example, @microsoft.com)
 * Distinguished name (for example, cn= ,ou=Administration,dc=Microsoft International,dc=COM).

NOTE: Case is not significant, regardless of which method is used.



RESOLUTION
To resolve the problem, use the following troubleshooting steps:
 * 1) Determine if a specific user can log on to the MMS server using their SMTP e-mail address. If the problem is isolated to only one user, refer to the "Logon Name (SMTP E-Mail Address) Is Invalid" section of this article. If the problem is not isolated to just one user, continue to step 2.
 * 2) Determine if a specific user can log on to the MMS server using their distinguished name. If not, refer to the "User Does Not Exist in the Database" section of this article.
 * 3) Determine if any users can log on anonymously to the MMS server. If not, refer to the "Problems with the X500.db Database File" section of this article. (For more information about anonymous logon, refer to the "More Information" section of this article.)
 * 4) Determine if any users can log on (authenticated) to the MMS server (using either their distinguished name or SMTP e-mail address). If not, refer to the "Hashing Function in the Database Is Not Working Properly" section of this article. (For more information about authenticated logon, refer to the "More Information" section of this article.)

Logon Name (SMTP E-Mail Address) Is Invalid
To verify that the logon name is correct, use the following steps:
 * 1) Log on to Compass anonymously or as another user (this works unless the default Access Controls have been changed).
 * 2) In the Action panel, click Search.
 * 3) In the Search box, type the user's name, and then press ENTER.
 * 4) The default search method is for Match Attribute is Any, or any hashed attribute. At least one match should be displayed in the panel beneath the Search dialog box. Click the correct match and then double-click the user's name to display the user properties.
 * 5) On the General tab, click to select the Email check box. The name must be identical to the name you are typing to log on to Compass.

NOTE: To confirm that you use the exact string, it is recommended that you copy the value from the Email box and paste it into the logon dialog box.

User Does Not Exist in the Database
To verify that the user exists in the database, use the following steps:
 * 1) Attempt to log on anonymously through Compass.
 * 2) Click Known Universe.
 * 3) In the left-hand panel, click Search.
 * 4) Type administrator, and then press ENTER.
 * 5) If no Administrator entries are displayed below the Search dialog box, refer to the "Problems with the X500.db Database File" section of this article.
 * 6) If you find the Administrator entry, double-click the icon to display the entry's properties.

If you are unable to search anonymously,there may be a security restriction in place. If you are unable to log on as an administrator to check security access controls, contact Microsoft Product Support Services.

Problems with the X500.db Database File
If the database is deleted or renamed, the Zoomit Server service creates a new database when the service starts. To verify the size of the X500.db file, use the following steps:
 * 1) Go to the Zoomserv\Data\Db folder.
 * 2) Locate the x500.db file.
 * 3) Right-click the file, and then click Properties.
 * 4) On the General tab, note the size of the file.

NOTE: File sizes vary. A zero-byte file indicates a severe problem (there is no data in the Asn.1 database and the entire database must be recovered from backup).
 * 1) If the size of the file is normal, refer to the "Hashing Function in the Database Is Not Working Properly" section of this article.

Hashing Function in the Database Is Not Working Properly
Make sure you have ruled out all preceding scenarios. In this situation, you are unable to log on to the database as any user, although the X500.db file size is greater than 0 bytes. If you confirm this, use either of the following methods to attempt to resolve the issue:
 * Run Viahashtool.exe with the server online and regenerate only the hash tables (for additional information, refer to the "More Information" section of this article).
 * Run Viacompact.exe with the server offline and regenerate the entire database. (For additional information about the Viacompact tool, refer to the "More Information" section of this article.)

NOTE: This is the most radical and costly option because the process can take many hours. In addition, the server must remain offline for the entire process and the process cannot be stopped.

If you are still unable to resolve the invalid name issue, contact Microsoft Product Support Services.



How to Perform Anonymous Logon in MMS

 * 1) Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Zoomit Directory Services V2.
 * 2) Click Zoomit Compass.
 * 3) Click Advanced.
 * 4) Click Anonymous in the Type of Login area.
 * 5) If you receive a Servers dialog box, click the appropriate server, and then click OK.

How to Perform Authenticated Logon in MMS

 * 1) Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Zoomit Directory Services V2.
 * 2) Click Zoomit Compass.
 * 3) Click Advanced.
 * 4) Click Based on Identity in the Type of Login area.
 * 5) In the Name box, type either the user's SMTP e-mail address or the user's MMS distinguished name.
 * 6) In the Password box, type the user's password.
 * 7) If you receive a Servers dialog box, click the appropriate server, and then click OK.

How to Regenerate Hash Tables
To regenerate hash tables, use the following steps:  Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then press ENTER. Go to the Zoomserv\Bin folder. Type the following command, and then press ENTER:

viahashtool -regenerate

 When Viahashtool has finished, stop the Zoomit Server service. Delete the Zoomserv\Data\Db\Hash*.db and Hashwild.db files. Rename the Zoomserv\Data\Db\Hash*.temp and Hashwild.temp files to Hash.db and Hashwild.db, respectively.</li> Restart the Zoomit Server service.</li></ol>

How to Run Viacompact

 * 1) Stop the Zoomit Server service.
 * 2) Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Zoomit Directory Services V2.
 * 3) Click Zoomit Via Compact Utility.
 * 4) Click Start to run the tool.
 * 5) After the tool is finished running, check for any error messages, and then try to log on to the MMS server through Compass.

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

250484 Using the VIA Compact Utility in Microsoft Metadirectory Services

Additional query words: corrupt corrupted dn

Keywords: kbenv kberrmsg kbprb KB251245

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