KnowledgeBase Archive

An Archive of Early Microsoft KnowledgeBase Articles

View on GitHub

Q185575: XADM: Home Server Attribute Does Not Work In Mailbox Template

Article: Q185575
Product(s): Microsoft Exchange
Version(s): WINDOWS:4.0,5.0,5.5
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 12-APR-1999

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 4.0, 5.0, 5.5 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


SYMPTOMS
========

When you add the Home-MDB list-box value to the mailbox details template on a
computer running Exchange Server, the field appears blank on the Exchange Client
computer.

The Home-MDB value is added when it is necessary for users to be able to
determine another user's mailbox home server from their Exchange Client's
address book.

Mailbox detail templates can be edited in the Exchange Server Administrator
program to add to or remove the pages and properties displayed when a client
accesses user properties in the Global Address List.

WORKAROUND
==========

To resolve this problem, perform the steps in any of the following three
workarounds:

- From the client computer, access the properties of the Outlook or Inbox icon
  on your desktop, or click the Mail icon in Control Panel. The properties of
  these icons will bring you to the MAPI service configuration dialog window.
  In this window, perform the following steps:

  1. Choose Show Profiles, and then click Add to create a new profile.

  2. Choose Manually Configure Information Services and add Microsoft Exchange
     Server as a service.

  3. Choose the Exchange Server service properties, and type in the name of any
     Exchange Server computer in the site and the Name or Alias of the user
     whose home server you wish to determine.

  4. Choose Check Names. The Exchange Server name will resolve to the user's
     home server.

  5. Close all windows to prevent saving of the new profile.

- Fill in a Custom Attribute field with the Home Server value, and add this
  attribute to your mailbox details template. The information can be created in
  bulk with the Export/Import feature in the Exchange Server Administrator
  program by performing the following steps:

  1. Export mailboxes to a .csv (Comma Separated Values) file from the Exchange
     Administrator's Tools/Directory Export dialog.

  2. Open the file in Microsoft Excel and add an Extension-Attribute-<N>
     column, where <N> is the number of the custom attribute you have
     selected to hold Home-Server information.

     NOTE: If you rename the Custom Attribute field, some versions of the
     Exchange Administrator program may not be able to handle the field under
     its new name or as Custom Attribute <N> in an export file. Using the
     underlying directory name of the attribute (Extension-
     Attribute-<N>) will avoid this problem.

  3. Copy and paste the Home-Server column into the Extension-Attribute-
     <N> column.

  4. Save the file as a .csv file, and then import it in the Exchange
     Administrator's Tools/Directory Import dialog to update your mailboxes
     with the new attribute.

     NOTE: Importing this file will cause each mailbox to replicate to each
     server in your site and to sites which you have configured directory
     replication. Therefore, you should avoid doing this during peak usage
     hours.

  5. Alter your mailbox details template as desired to display this field.

  Keep in mind that this workaround requires that you decide on a procedure to
  add or change the attribute whenever you add or move users. These fields will
  never update automatically.

- If you wish to have Home Server information available outside of the Exchange
  Server Administrator program for helpdesk or other administrative personnel,
  you can automate the creation of an export file with the appropriate
  information as follows:

  1. Create a .csv header file with the fields you wish to export.

     NOTE: A .csv header is created as a simple plain text file, with each field
     separated by a comma. For example, the following header:

     Obj-Class,Alias Name,Display Name,Home-Server,Issue warning storage
     limit,Prohibit send storage limit,DXA-Task


     shows you home servers and storage limits. The DXA-Task is valid only in
     Exchange Server 5.5 and corresponds to the Prohibit Send and Receive
     limit, which is new to Exchange Server 5.5.

  2. Use the header.exe utility (available in the BackOffice Resource Kit) to
     see a list of all fields available for an object type. By default, the
     Exchange Administrator program exports only common and required fields. By
     exporting to your custom header file, you can obtain other fields of
     interest.

  3. Export mailboxes to this header file. This can be done in the Exchange
     Server Administrator program through Tools/Directory Export or from a
     command line similar to the following:

  <exchsrvr>\bin\admin /e myheader.csv

     After running the export, the file will look similar to the following:

     Obj-Class,Alias Name,Display Name,Home-Server,Issue warning storage
     limit,Prohibit send storage limit,DXA-Task
     Mailbox,KirstenC,Kirsten Carver,SERVER1,,,
     Mailbox,DavidC,David Carver,SERVER2,10000,20000,40000


     The first user in the example is homed on SERVER1 and has no limits set.
     The second user is on SERVER2 and has all limits set.

     Each time you export data to a header file, all the contents of the file
     except for the header line are deleted prior to export. Thus you can
     export repeatedly to the same file to update information in it.

  4. If desired, automate and schedule the creation and distribution of this
     file using a command line export and a scheduling utility such as the AT
     command in Windows NT. A batch file similar to the following can be
     scheduled to run periodically:

           <exchsrvr>\bin\admin /e myheader.csv
           copy myheader.csv \\SERVER\DIRECTORY
      

     The file can be loaded in any text editor or in Microsoft Excel, or it can
     be easily searched by helpdesk personnel using a command similar to the
     following:

  FIND /I "<string>" textfile.csv

     where <string> is the alias, the display name, or a fragment of any
     line in the file.

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Exchange Server versions 4.0,
5.0 and 5.5. We are researching this problem and will post additional
information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

======================================================================
Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbExchangeSearch kbExchange500 kbExchange550 kbExchange400 kbZNotKeyword2
Version           : WINDOWS:4.0,5.0,5.5
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbpending

=============================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.