can't create exchange mailboxes anymore

[fluid11]

I tried to create a new user this morning and it didn't create an Exchange mailbox for that user. It said that it created it successfully, but there isn't a mailbox in the mailbox store. Under the user account, it says that the mailbox is created at MAIL/First Storage Group/Mailbox Store (MAIL). If you look on the email addresses tab under the user account, nothing is listed. If you go to Exchange tasks on the user account, the only thing listed is "Delete mailbox" and "Move mailbox", so it thinks it created the account. There are no error messages in the logs. Any ideas?

The only thing that was changed since the last time I created a new user is I ran the fbfix.exe utility on a domain controller. Other than that, no changes.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[fluid11]

I fixed the problem by re-applying Exchange SP2 and restarting. I don't know what was causing it, but its working and thats all I care about right now since I'm planning on migrating our Exchange 2000/Windows 2000 servers to Lotus Domino/UNIX in the future anyway. I've had enough of these M$ problems.

 

[Xybertron]

Yeah you seem to have the most problems of anyone I've seen

The issue was with the RUS not stamping the user yet. But anyways... Dan
Microsoft Exchange Support @ Microsoft

 

[fluid11]

Not all of these problems are on my box (this one was though). Most of the questions I ask aren't problems I'm experiencing, they are issues I'm curious about, or I'm asking for someone else.

I never heard of the RUS. Do you know what caused this?

 

[Xybertron]

RUS - Recipient Update Service.

It stamps all users with mail attributes.

I don't know what caused it at this point since I don't have any events. Next time turn up logging on the MSExchangeAL and then rebuild the RUS and you will see lots of stuff. Dan
Microsoft Exchange Support @ Microsoft

 

[fluid11]

Didn't recognize the abbreviation.

There weren't any events in the Event Logs, but I'll try your recommendation if it happens again. Thanks.

By the way, are you Dan W...?

 

[Xybertron]

Nope but he knows me. I work days he works nights. He is also very good though. Dan
Microsoft Exchange Support @ Microsoft

 

[forbsy]

The problem was you have to log into a Users mailbox before a mailbox will show up in the store. RUS takes a little while to propagate the policy, but you could have forced propagation.

 

[Xybertron]

"If you look on the email addresses tab under the user account, nothing is listed."

This means the RUS hasn't stamped it. Until this happens you can't check name on the account and thus can't login to get the object in the Store. Dan
Microsoft Exchange Support @ Microsoft

 

[fluid11]

forbsy - I sent a piece of mail to the new mailbox and it still didn't show up in the store. I also tried to force propagation. Dan is right about the RUS not stamping it, but I still have no idea why. I guess whats important right now is that my server is working perfect now. Although, I would like to know what caused it, I dont' anticipate it happening again.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[Xybertron]

Doh. You sent it mail? For it to show in the GAL the RUS would have to stamp it! Did you see it in the GAL or did you just type in the SMTP address that is should get? Any NDR? Dan
Microsoft Exchange Support @ Microsoft

 

[fluid11]

I sent it mail (SMTP address) as a test and it was returned as unknown recipient just like I thought it would.

 

[Xybertron]

Ah I fell better now I was about to get totally confused Dan
Microsoft Exchange Support @ Microsoft

 

[fluid11]

 

[dasein47]

Guys,

I am experiencing the same problems as described above. And before i try the obvious reapplication of ServicePack and reboot, i would like to know how to "turn up logging on the MSExchangeAL" as Xybertron put it. I've found no place to enable logging of that service. (Actually, rebooting the server seems to fix it temporarily because it runs RUS automatically on boot - w/out fail.)

My reason for this is simple, it doesn't seem like the RUS is working at all. I have forced it manually, the mailbox is still not created. I setup counters to monitor the service "MSExchangeAL" in perfmon, forced an update of AL, and have seen no movement in the counters shown for that exchange service. This indicates to me that RUS is not stamping new users as they are created - at ALL now - unless i reboot.

Thanks in advance.

Kip

 

[Xybertron]

Properties of the Server via Exchange System Manager -> Diagnostic Logging -> MSExchangeAL

Make sure you do it on the server that is listed for the Recipient Update Service.

"I have forced it manually, the mailbox is still not created."

Are you checking on properties of the user? If your looking in ESM for this you need to send the person mail or open the mailbox before the object is created in the store. Dan
Microsoft Exchange Support @ Microsoft

 

[dasein47]

Xybertron,

I enabled the logging and am currently trying to figure out how to view the log (i.e. where is it created, where i go to see it, etc).

As far as sending an email to the new user's in order to create the mailbox, i have never found this to work.

I sent 3 from outside their exchange server and 2 from within and the messages come right back stating:

The following recipient(s) could not be reached:

username@evansxxxxxx.com on 9/12/2002 10:57 AM
The e-mail account does not exist at the organization this message was sent to. Check the e-mail address, or contact the recipient directly to find out the correct address.

I don't have much faith in the "send an email and mailbox will be created" theory i've heard so often.

I'm also beginning to think this is a bigger problem and more people than just myself are experiencing it.

i'll try and find the cause and post it if i do.

dasein47

 

[dasein47]

Addendum to last post -

duh! i found where to view the logs - in the eventviewer. i recommend turning logging onto the maximum level if you want to see everything that is happening.

kip

 

[dasein47]

i think it is fixed, though the only true measure is that it still works a week from now - so i'll keep monitoring it.

in my situation, we were getting "message not processed due to insufficient memory" -eventid 12800 in the eventviewer. this was due to the fact that we had too much virual memory. i found a doc on msoft's website that said exchange2000 should not be run with more than 2 GB of virt mem, or it will decrease the performance of the machine. in this instance it was true. we had about 2.5 GB of virt memory. was this the fix? i'm not sure.

i also deleted the recipient update services. our system was originally exchange2000 regular and we upgraded it to exchange2000 enterprise. there were 2 update services - one for the regular domain and one for the enterprise. i was able to delete the regular one. after thinking that fixed it and finding it didn't, i recreated it. only then was the RUS running properly.

i hope this may help anyone with a similar problem.

dasein47

 

[nth78]

can you force the RUS to stamp it? I'm having the same problems. It's been several hours.

Thanks