Requesting Data Error 2

[30362]

I currently have 5 locations all separated by T1 links, 4 of these locations have their own exchange server all of which exist in the same site.

A few months ago we needed to replace the mail server hardware in our central site as well as rename the server, so instead of forklifting the mailboxes I created a new server in the site. I moved the primary server role from the old to the new and then moved all the mailboxes using the TOOLS / MOVE MAILBOX command from Exchange admin.

Since that time, all the users in our 5th location (which previously didn't have their own Exchange box) started getting the "Requesting Data" popup in Outlook whenever they did anything.

Initially we thought it might be a client issue, so we completely removed and re-created the mail profiles on each user's workstation but the problem remained. In addition, any new users setup on the server have the same problem.

To help remedy this we decided to install an Exchange server at that location and move all their mailboxes from the primary site to their office, thinking it might be because their exchange box wasn't local.

After doing so we still get the "Requesting Data" box at a majority of the workstations. And their mail server is now on the same LAN.

Next I shelled out $250 to Microsoft, and their only solution was to make a registry change to the workstations so the box doesn't appear, and they blame the network.

To rule this out I have tried taking a new Cisco 3550 and connecting only the mail server, a BDC and a client PC and the same problem occurs.

I have tried defragmenting the store and still no luck.

Help please, I am out of hair.

 

[smoss51]

What is the client you are using?

SueM

 

[30362]

Oops, sorry. A mixture of Outlook 2000 and 2003.

 

[smoss51]

Are only the Outlook 2003 clients affected? I don't have that version yet, but am guessing that, like 2002, it has Instant Messaging capability - if so, make sure it's not enabled (Tools/Options/Other in 2002).

 

[30362]

It is affecting all the clients, I will check out the IM setting...

Thanks.

 

[RockChalk]

30362,
I not going to be much help but I'm having the same message problem. We had our exchange server crash and we had to rebuild the box. We went to Windows 2k server and installed exchange 5.5. We used a tool move the old emails to the new server because we didn't have info of the old server.

We have been getting the message sense the building of the new box.

Are you getting the message on every email or just ones that have an attachment?

RC

 

[30362]

I get the message on pretty much every email, it only pops up for a few seconds on the smaller messages, and hangs for up to 20 or 30 seconds on messages with attachments.

For my users that travel w/ laptops from location to location it has become horrible, they can't work (even those with an OST) and are forced to use WebMail.

I am wondering if it is the migration to Exch over Win2k. My previous box was NT4, was yours as well?

 

[Microsloth]

"Next I shelled out $250 to Microsoft, and their only solution was to make a registry change to the workstations so the box doesn't appear, and they blame the network."

This is very disturbing news. Did they give you any raw data (in terms of what benchmarks you need to achieve) that your "faulty" network is supposed to have in regards to performance? This excuse that it's a "network problem" is very lame. I too have this very annoying problem, and I'm amazed at how many other people have it, and also how little data there is from Microsoft. In fact, when you query their site with the term "Requesting data from the Exchange server", it brings up absolutly nothing? Unless I'm not doing something right, I find this to be very strange that MS seems to be almost ignoring the problem.
Of course, everyone in my office seems to think that I should be able to solve the problem in ten minutes. I can only support what MS gives me. For the record, I'm running Exchange 5.5 (SP4) on a Windows 2000 server in a NT 4.0 domain. No active directory, no DNS, nothing extraxagant or sexy on this network. I'm also running the network through fairly new 3COM 3300 XM 24 port switches.
I think's it safe to say that the first person to figure out the problem here will win the Nobel prize.

 

[30362]

Microsloth - have you always had this problem, or did it manifest itself after a conversion / upgrade.

So far I have noticed the following trend - RockChalk, you and I all have Exch 5.5 on Win2k, I know that RockChalk and I both upgraded from Exch 5.5 (sp4) on NT4 to a Win2K box. Perhaps it is the OS and Exch5.5 that don't play well together?

The box I upgraded from NT4 to Win2K was also the primary server in the site. How about you?

Like you I am running on a NT domain w/ several Win2K servers, nothing special, and my switches are all brand-new Cisco Catalyst 3550 - I upgraded these after the problem started happening so I don't consider them a variable in this equation...

 

[Microsloth]

I upgraded from a fairly old compaq "server" (400MHZ, 396MB RAM) to a Dell PowerEdge 4600 (1.5 GHZ Zeon, 1 GB RAM). I moved the mailboxes from one server to the next, performed all of the correct steps, and had a very succesful upgrade (all events are CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN). This problem didn't seem to crop up over night, but over time. It does seem to be getting worse, though. I'm really starting to wonder is it's a "hot fix" related problem, either on the server itself or on the clients. I smell a rat, and his name is MS-RAT.

 

[30362]

I upgraded from an old HP Netserver to a Dell PowerEdge 4650 (dual 2.0Ghz Xeon, 1.5gb Ram). I moved the mailboxes as well, following the proper steps. The upgrade went well, all my events are also clean, however the problem started almost immediately. It was only a few people that complained, and we pretty much wrote it off as normal client behavior with big attachments, but over time the volume level of complaints increased - it is now #1 on my hit list, and I hear about it every day.

MS had me install hotfixes, can't remember the #, as well as upgrade to the latest STORE.EXE and MTA.EXE - none of which made a bit of difference. They also recommended I defrag my IS, however at just over 40gb there is no way I can be down long enough to justify that - especially since the nightly defrag reports no errors, nor do any of the other ISINTEG reports, I think it was a last-ditch effort on their part before blaming my network.

After performing my test on an isolated switch w/ just the server, a BDC and a client - to no avail, I called MS back and re-opened the case, they are now waiting on me to do a defrag before we proceed...

I think they are stalling - it is probably a known issue and they are waiting for the Exchange 5.5 end-of-life coming soon so they can wash their hands of it.

 

[RockChalk]

Yes our old server was a NT box. I thought that sense it crashed I might as well upgrade the box to 2K. I've been wondering if that was a mistake.

 

[RockChalk]

30362,
Was your old server a single processor?
When our server went down we went ahead and installed a second processor.
We are a single site. We have no remote locations.
We have only one exchange server with about 200 mailboxes.
The server before the hard drive crash was a single 700 mhz with 512 mb running on NT 4 with SP 6 the primary Domain Controller is the same box running NT 4. oh We had exchange 5.5 with Sp 4

The server went down and we didn't have the information about the server to recover easily.

We got two 73 gig hard drives and upgraded the memory to 1.5 gig. We added the second processor. We did all the bios upgrades before the crash so luckly the server was ready for the hardware and 2K.

So the machine now is twice the machine as the old server.

We had to use software called power tools to transfer the old mail out of the old DB, off a backup tape. There were a few problems but everyone was happy yo get their mail back.

So much has changed that I don't know where to start.
Our hardware seems to be running great. Watching the proformance does seem to show stress anywhere.

I'm thinking that my site is smaller than yours what where Microsoft's suggestions and maybe we can try it here. (In our free time ha )

RC

 

[SgtBeavis]

2 weeks ago the IS in our Exchange server (Helix) died and had to be restored from tape. We encountered other issues and decided to rebuild with a new server.

The new Server (Optimus) went up and running just fine with SP4 installed and all patches. The mailbox moves went smoothly. The Outlook Web Access is running like a champ.

The one thing I didn't do was unplug Helix from the network.

Yesterday, after everything seemed to be running fine, I unplugged Helix from the network. In about two minutes I got two calls from users that had the "Requesting Data" error. I plugged Helix back in and everything worked fine again.

This morning. I unplugged HELIX, went into my DNS server, and changed all of Helix's DNS assignements to that they had the same IP as OPTIMUS. I also changed HELIX's WINS entries so that they pointed to OPTIMUS. Finally I did a registry hack on OPTIMUS dealing with anti virus and how it handles attachments. You can read more on that here:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;

[LN];Q264731

It has been a few hours and so far no issues. I'll report back as issues pop up.

 

[RockChalk]

That is very interesting. I wonder how that effects us. We named the server the same and used the same ip. You would think that our dns server would handle it.

RC

 

[chgrec]

We have had the exact same issue that has gotten increasingly worse over the last several days. We run Win2k and Exchange 5.5 in a clustered environment. I have been running a fluke & HP Openview on our network monitoring all traffic & the nics on the exchange cluster. This is not a network issue, I can assure you as we have minimal traffic on our Cisco 6509, even on our individual vlans.....
I have tried the change of the background scanning flag per the article

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;

[LN];Q264731; (thanks for the suggestion)
We shall see....If it gets better, I will post again....

 

[SgtBeavis]

RC

First search your WINS (If you are running WINS) and make sure the old name for the exchange server ISN'T there. If it is and the entries are not tombstoned, then change the IPs to point to the new server name.

Then make sure your DNS (I'm using Windows 2000 DNS) and look for any entries pointing to the old server name. Change it so that the old server name is still there but pointing to the IP of the current exchange server.

If the old name isn't in DNS, add it and point it to the IP of the new server.

It's been running all day now and no problems. **fingers crossed**

 

[RockChalk]

SGT,
The name and the ip are the same as the old server. We are going to try to shut it down and remove it for the DNS server. Then restart and add it back in.
RC

 

[DontGetIt]

This article may help:

http://www.outlookpower.com/issues/issue200210/challenge001.html

 

[30362]

This article references the black-hole router phenomenon, which doesn't apply (at least in my case) since the clients and server are all on the same local network segment.

I have a feeling that RockChalk and others are in the same boat....

This issue is a great point though, I have experienced a number of other problems in the past due to this issue.

Thanks.