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5.5 Free/Busy connector service logon failure, credentials are correct

This is a weird issue;

I have a Exchange 5.5 server and a Exchange 2000 server. If a member of e2k creates a meeting with a member on 5.5, the member on 5.5 accepts and the meeting goes into their calander. Now if another member on e2k then tries to check the availability of that person in 5.5, that person appears free.

I think i have located the root of the issue although am looking for alternatives to my thought of fixing this issue. The free/busy service is not started on 5.5 and it has not been running for a year or so. This has never been an issue since this was the only server in my org and the free/busy didnt need to run. I think the connector is messed up. If i try to start the service i get a logon failure, and yes i have carefully made sure the service account is correct and that it has all the correct privelages and that it has the correct password. The service just wont start.

My thoughts are to remove the service and re-add the connector. I dont want to do this unless necessary. Any thoughts?

The service you're referring to is just for replicating availability information between MS Mail Schedule+ and Exchange. It does not affect free/busy replication between any Exchange product. Therefore you can safely ignore this connector not starting.

Free/busy data is replicated between Exchange servers using public folder replication. If that is not working correctly this will fail. You could just have both servers use the E2k server for free/busy data. To do this, just remove the 5.5 server from the replica list for the free/busy folder. Since this is happening, I would also verify that other public folders are replicating as expected, you may have a bigger issue.

If both server are in the same organization they are using the Schedule+/Free-Busy-Systemfolder of the Org. Do you replicate the Systemfolder between 5.5 and 2000? There may be an delay ...

Another tip is to regenerate the Free-/Busy-Infos of that user with Outlook.

Start Outlook with parameter /cleanfreebusy ( see: http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;q311823)

BTW, the Free-/Busy-Connector is only for connecting MS Mail !!

ASKER

Marc,

under the 5.5 server, public information store properties, instances i see 5 listings in the "Folders on this information store". should i select these and then hit remove? will this automatically transfer these pub folders to e2k?

You actually want to go to public folders, the hierarchy listed near the top in your exchange 5.5 admin program. Drill down under system folders, and find the free/busy folder. Open properties and go to the replicas tab. In here you can remove the 5.5 server. Oh, make sure the 2k server is already listed. If its not, add it.

ASKER

it shows my e2k server under servers and only my 5.5 box under replicate folders to. could this be the problem? should i move my e2k server to the replicas tab?

ASKER

looks like that fixed it! lemme test some more

It very well could be. First, we need to verify that 2k even has a free/busy folder replica. Open Exchange System Manager. Find the folders node and expand it. Right click on the public folders node and click view system folders (if you do not have that option you're already viewing system folders). Find the free busy folder here, open properties, and look at the replicas tab.

If the 2k server is listed and the 5.5 server is too, remove the 5.5 server from here. In Exchange 5.5 admin, add the 2k server and remove the 5.5 server. Note that if this is happening then its a PF relication issue, we're just "tricking" it into working.

If both sides show just the 5.5 server, add the 2k server from the 5.5 admin program and give it time to replicate. Once it does, test free busy.

Ah ok, didn't see your response. Glad to hear that worked!

ASKER

i think i spoke too soon, not replicating. im trying your last comments...

Ok, in the replication tab it shows both of my servers on e2k, i am changing this to only show the 5.5 server. and i will change 5.5 to only show the e2k server.

close, but not quite. Change the 2k server to only show 2k. In 5.5 add the 2k server and remove the 5.5 server. The goal is to have the folder only in 1 location.

ASKER

now all i get is ///////// under availabilities and if i try to go to properties of the free busy i get error saying exchange server may be down or pub folder has not replicated.

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ASKER

that error was on 5.5, so i should create a meeting and sent it to a 5.5 user and they need to accept?

exactly. The availability for 5.5 users will show up that way until they accept a meeting and update the free/busy data.

ASKER

i sent a mtg request to my HR manager and had her reload outlook, is their a way besides the /// in the availability screen to tell if this is working correctly? something on the server that can confirm this?

The way you're doing it is really the only way.

ASKER

i am getting a lot of these in my E2k server.

Event Type:      Warning
Event Source:      MSExchangeIS
Event Category:      General
Event ID:      9548
Date:            10/21/2004
Time:            8:55:55 AM
User:            N/A
Computer:      E2K
Description:
Disabled user /O=COLORBOK PAPER PRODUCTS/OU=COLORBOK/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN=JMALLEY does not have a master account SID. Please use Active Directory MMC to set an active account as this user's master account.

For more information, click http://www.microsoft.com/contentredirect.asp.

ASKER

btw, this user is the one i am testing with.

These should only happen if the user in AD is disabled. If this is the case, are all of your 5.5 users disabled and still logging into an NT 4.0 domain?

ASKER

now the meeting i just sent her is not showing up, although the rest of her free busy stuff is in there (other meetings created by other 5.5 users).

ASKER

yes, they are still using nt 4.0 to login and using 5.5 as mail. when i migrate them, i migrate their account, email box all at once.

This error is a problem, since missing a master account sid will break permissions for these users. To fix a user, find the disabled account in ADU&C. Open properties of the user, go to Exchange Advanced, and click on Mailbox Rights. See if the NT 4 Domain account is listed, if its not add it. Either way, grant the account "Associated External Account" rights. Once you've done this test it again. At the very least the 9548's should go away.

ASKER

the free busy is now allowing me to see properties on 5.5. this is good, although problem remains the same.

Let me know the results after you've set the associated external account.

ASKER

i dont see exchange advanced, only features and general

Click view, advanced features.

ASKER

i get the error:

you cannot specify jmalley as the associated external account of this mailbox. hresources is either already the associated external account of another mailbox, or it belongs to the same forest as this mailbox.

now this user is the default user on the hresources mailbox. can she be both?

You were on the jmalley disabled user when you made this change? Is there a disabled user called hresources as well? If so, what is the associated external account for that user?

ASKER

i was on jmalley when i attempted the change (change wouldnt take) jmalley is the associated external for the hresources account. can a single user not be the associated account with more than one box?

ASKER

i dont see a problem with taking her off of hresources as long as she can still access that box and i can make her the associated account on her own box...should i try this?

No they cannot. There needs to be a 1-1 mapping. If you have a shared mailbox, then set the built in "SELF" account as the associated external account.

Let me clarify that... any resource mailbox should have the SELF account listed as associated external account. Disabled users that are tied directly to a single mailbox should have the NT 4 account as the associated external account.

ASKER

dumb question, but what is the self account and does it open up access to the box? i only want 2 users to access this box since it is confidential information. i gave self control of the box. i will not assign jmalley to her own box.

Setting SELF will not open access to the mailbox. If you wish to enable users to open this mailbox, add them under mailbox rights and give them read and full mailbox access.

ASKER

will i have to do this for all the users in my org? Lots of users to do by hand!

You only need to set associated external account for users that show up in the 9548 event. Most likely the only ones affected are resource mailboxes.

ASKER

ok, that is all done. any other thoughts on the replication issue?

Actually we haven't been talking about the replication problem, just trying to work around it. Public Folder replication is a whole other set of troubleshooting. If you wish to troubleshoot that we can but I suggest we get another question going.

Unless you were talking about free/busy availability, in which case I would ask that you test it again now that the 9548 has been fixed.

ASKER

not seing the error anymore. I can see the free/busy data for that 5.5 user although all the appointments/mtg requests i setup with her as tests are not showing. but all of her 5.5-5.5 requests are.

Try making a new request since this problem has been fixed. Also, are you saying that the free/busy data is not showing up, or the appointments are missing from her calendar?

ASKER

well, everthing is in her calander. all of the free busy is showing up if i look her up except for anything sent from an exchange 2000 user. my account is on e2k, hers is on 5.5. if i send her a mtg request, she can see it in her outlook, i can see it in mine, but if i create a second meeting request and look her up, she appears available during the time of the previous set meeting when she should be viewed as busy. now, 5.5 users setting meeting requests to 5.5 users is fine. e2k users sending to e2k users is fine. 5.5 to e2k or e2k to 5.5 does not update the fb.

Can you test this on a mailbox that is not a resource mailbox and see if the same thing happens? If so it sounds like they are still using different F/B folders. Check the instances list on the public folder store on 5.5, if the F/B folder is there remove it.