Knowledge Base

Manual dirsync with Exchange Server as dirsync server

Article ID: 147464

Article Last Modified on 3/5/2007

APPLIES TO

Microsoft Exchange Server 4.0 Standard Edition
Microsoft Exchange Server 5.0 Standard Edition
Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 Standard Edition
Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Standard Edition

This article was previously published under Q147464

Important This article contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure that you back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows registry

SUMMARY

This article describes how to perform a manual directory synchronization (dirsync) between Microsoft PC Mail Postoffices and Exchange Server or Exchange 2000 Server, using the Exchange Server or Exchange 2000 computer as the dirsync server.

MORE INFORMATION

Preparations before manual directory synchronization

This section describes how to prepare for manual directory synchronization; this section is divided into the following three parts, which are expanded on below:

Import and export the postoffices.
For Exchange Server version 4.0, Enable Pause for the Exchange Directory Synchronization (Dirsync) in the Windows NT Server Registry.

Note For Exchange Server version 5.0 and later, Pause is already enabled by default, so you do not need to edit the registry. If you have upgraded from Exchange Server version 4.0, you need to Enable Pause for the Exchange Directory Synchronization in the Windows NT Server Registry.

Options to Assist You in Troubleshooting the Manual Directory Synchronization Process.

Import and export the postoffices

To ensure that the Microsoft PC Mail addresses are propagated to the Exchange Server or Exchange 2000 computer that is the directory synchronization server and that the Exchange Server or Exchange 2000 addresses are propagated to Microsoft Mail, import and export the directory synchronization addresses from each of the Microsoft PC Mail postoffices that participate in this manual directory synchronization before you begin this procedure.

Run the Microsoft Mail for PC Networks Administrator program (Admin.exe) click Config, click DirSync, click Requestor, and then click Export.
When you are prompted to Export Local Users and Groups, click Yes. On the same menu (click Config, click DirSync, and then click Requestor), click Import. Click Yes to confirm.

Enable Pause for the Exchange Directory Synchronization (DirSync) in the Windows NT Server Registry

Note You do not need to add the PauseKicksDX registry entry to Exchange Server version 5.0 or later because this functionality is already included. If you have upgraded from Exchange Server version 4.0, you need to add the PauseKicksDX registry entry.

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe) and locate the following Registry subkey in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE subtree:

SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeDX
On the Edit menu, click Add Value.
Enter the following:

Value Name: PauseKicksDX
Data Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 1
Click OK and quit the Registry Editor.
In Control Panel, double-click Services, and then stop and restart the Exchange Server Directory Synchronization service.

Options to assist you in troubleshooting the manual directory synchronization process

To configure options to troubleshoot the manual directory synchronization process using the Exchange Server Administrator program for Exchange Server or Exchange System Manager for Exchange 2000:

In the Container window, click the appropriate site's configuration, and then click the Connections container.
Click the Exchange dirsync server, and then press ALT+ENTER to open the properties.
Click the General tab, and then click to select the Copy administrator on outgoing message check box.
On the General tab, click to select the Forward incoming dirsync messages to administrator check box. Click OK.
Double-click each remote dirsync requestor (found as child folders to the Exchange dirsync server object), click the General tab, and then click Export on Next Cycle.
Double-click Microsoft Mail Connector. For Exchange 2000, right-click on the Exchange server object, and then click Properties.
Click the Diagnostics Logging tab, click MSExchangePCMTA, and then click Maximum under Logging level.

Manual Directory Synchronization

NOTE: If you run Microsoft Mail executable files from an MS-DOS command prompt in Windows NT, use the forcedos command. For example (for T1)

forcedos reqmain -ddrive -t

where drive is the drive letter that is connected to the Microsoft Mail database.

Note You must run commands from the folder where the executable is located or you receive the following error message:

FORCEDOS: Program file not found.

Usually, the Mailexe folder contains all of the Microsoft Mail executable files.

To configure manual directory synchronization:

(T1) In all of the Microsoft Mail postoffices that are involved in dirsync as requestors, type the following command in the Microsoft Mail directory:

reqmain -ddrive -t

Where drive is the drive letter that is connected to the Microsoft Mail database. This generates the outgoing dirsync mail messages and places them in the P1 directory.
Verify that the dirsync messages have been transferred to the Exchange Server or Exchange 2000 computer that is the dirsync server. To do this:
1. View the following events (for each requestor) in the application event log of Windows NT Event Viewer:
  
  Event ID: 4395
  Category: Moved Out
  Description: Mail sent from \\requestor server\MAILDATA
  FROM: requestor network/requestor PO/$SYSTEM
  TO: DXA server organization/DXA server site/$SYSTEM
  
  Event ID: 4355
  Category: Received
  Description: Mail received on \\DXA server\MAILDAT$
  FROM: requestor network/requestor PO/$SYSTEM
  TO: DXA server organization/DXA server site/$SYSTEM
  
  Note In Exchange 2000, the From address for the event ID 4355 and 4395 messages has changed to DXA instead of SYSTEM.
2. Log on to the Exchange Client by using the DXA Administrator account (specified on the General tab of the container for the Exchange Server or Exchange 2000 computer that is the dirsync server) to verify that at least two messages have been received from each requestor's $SYSTEM.
  - One message is a status report with a Subject field that contains the following:
    
    Status report from requestor network/requestor PO
  - The other message has a Subject field that contains the following:
    
    ReqTx R=R# (was r#), S=S#, I=I#, ## sent
    
    where:
```
        Message         Description
        ---------------------------------------------------------------
        ReqTx           Indicates this is the requestor update to
                        the dirsync server.
        R=R#            The current requestor sync number from
                        the Reqtrans.glb file.
        (was r#)        The old requestor sync number from the 
                        Reqconf.glb file.
        S=S#            The requestor server sync number from the
                        Reqconf.glb file.
        I=I#            The number of imports requested to date from
                        the Reqconf.glb file.        
        ## sent         The number of address updates contained in the
                        attachment.
                            
```
  Note To ensure that the mail is transferred quickly, you can modify the polling frequency to check for mail once every minute. To change the polling frequency, use the Exchange Server Administrator program for Exchange Server or Exchange System Manager for Exchange 2000, and perform the following steps:
  1. In the Container window, for the appropriate site, click the Configuration container, and then click the Connections container.
  2. Double-click Microsoft Mail Connector, and then click the Connector MTA tab.
  3. Click the appropriate Microsoft Mail Connector (PC) MTA service, and then click Configure.
  4. In the Check for mail every __ minute box, type 1.
  5. Stop and restart the service.
3. (T2) At the Exchange Server or Exchange 2000 computer that is the dirsync server, double-click Services in Control Panel, and then pause the Exchange Server Directory Synchronization service. The following error message is displayed:
  
  Could not pause the Microsoft Exchange Directory Synchronization service on \\server.
  
  Error 2140: An internal Windows NT error occurred. Click OK.
  
  This is a harmless error message. Ignore the error message and click OK.
4. Verify that the dirsync message has been transferred to the Microsoft Mail requestor postoffices.
  1. View the following events (for each requestor) in the application event log of Event Viewer:
    
    Event ID: 4395
    Category: Sent
    Description: Mail sent from \\DXA server\MAILDAT$
    FROM: DXA server organization/DXA server site/$SYSTEM
    TO: requestor network/requestor PO/$SYSTEM
    
    Event ID: 4355
    Category: Moved In
    Description: Mail received on \\requestor server\MAILDATA
    FROM: DXA server organization/DXA server site/$SYSTEM
    TO: requestor network/requestor PO/$SYSTEM
    
    Note In Exchange 2000, the From address for the event ID 4355 and 4395 messages has changed to DXA instead of SYSTEM.
  2. Log on to the Exchange Client by using the DXA Administrator account (specified in the General page of the container for the Exchange Server or Exchange 2000 computer that is the dirsync server) to verify that the message has been distributed. This message appears in the Inbox and possesses the following attributes:
    
    From: Microsoft Exchange DX
    To: X.400 address of the $SYSTEM of the requestor
    Subject: SrvTx R=R# S=S# (was s#), I=I# ## sent
    
    The following table contains information about how to interpret this message:
```
      Message         Description
      -----------------------------------------------------------------
      SrvTx           Indicates this is the server's update to the
                      requestor.
      R=R#            The requestor sync number that is sent from the
                      requestor. This is an acknowledgment of the
                      updates received by the server.
      S=S#            The new server sync number for the requestor.
      (was s#)        The old server sync number for the requestor.
      I=I#            The number of imports requested to date by the
                      requestor.
      ## sent         The number of updates sent back to the requestor.
                            
```
5. (T3) On each Microsoft Mail postoffice that is involved in the dirsync as a requestor, type the following commands in the Microsoft Mail folder:
  
  reqmain -ddrive -r
  
  import -ddrive admin -ppassword -q -y
  
  rebuild -ddrive -f
  
  Where drive is the drive letter that is connected to the Microsoft Mail database.
  
  Description of commands above:
  - The reqmain -r command receives the updates and moves them into the Srvtrans.glb file.
  - The import command takes the Srvtrans.glb file records and moves them to the temporary transaction files, depending on what types of addresses they contain. Then, the import command moves the names into the .usr and .nme files. The -q switch causes the import command to use the Srvtrans.glb file for the update, and the -y switch causes the import command to run without user intervention to continue.
  - The rebuild -f command uses the network names, the .nme files and the .usr files to build the global address list and the global address list index file. The -f switch informs the Rebuild utility to continue running without user intervention.

The manual dirsync process is finished.

For more information about Microsoft Mail for PC Networks directory synchronization, please refer to the Directory Synchronization (Dirsync) document. For additional information about how to obtain the dirsync document, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

96060 PC DirSync: Directory Synchronization (Dir-Sync)

For additional instructions on Exchange Server directory synchronization, please see Chapter 14 of the Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator's Guide.

For more information about how to perform manual directorysynchronization between Microsoft PC Mail postoffices and Exchange Server or Exchange 2000, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

148309 Manual dir-sync with Exchange as dir-sync requestor

Additional query words: faq exch2kp2w

Keywords: kberrmsg kbinfo kbusage KB147464

Microsoft KB Archive/147464

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