Exchange server 2003 cannot replicate public folders

What does message tracking show when the content goes across?
Unusual for one folder not to replicate - normally it is either all or nothing.

Have you been through this article on troubleshooting replication

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=842273

Simon.

ok , i followed the step on the doc. I guess i have to wait for 15 hrs, and check . Since it is a calendar though , shouldnt the replication be taking place faster? Does it mean that everytime Houston is changing something , Dallas wont be able to see it until 15 hrs later?

Nick

hi there ,
i followed the step with the ADSI but under CN=exchangeservername i dont see CN=informationstore or CN=first storage group

any ideas ?

when i do right click services on the folder, i dont see any tab with exchange services etc....
is that why?  It should be an exchange recipient right ?

ok , i think that the public folders (on both servers ) are not stamped with a proxy address. How can i stamp the public folder with a proxy address?

under the ADSI ,  CN=exchangeservername i dont see CN=informationstore or CN=first storage group.

shall i try to rebuild the RUS on both servers?

ok , i did right click properties on the folder and did enable email address. I created an email address. But now when i go under the first storage group-public folders and double click the folder it says that the email proxy for this folder cannot be found. This may be due to replication delays. The email pages will not be shown. ID no C1038a21

any good ideas now? (we are getting close...)

Folders don't have to be mail enabled in order to replicate. Some folders are not suitable for mail enabling, or you don't want to mail enable them.

Are you looking in the right place in adsiedit.msc?

Configuration, CN=Services, CN=Microsoft Exchange, CN=<your org name>, CN=Administrative Groups.

Simon.

ok , this is what i see after i open the adsiedit.msc


configuration
    CN=SERVICES
           CN=MICROSOFT EXCHANGE SERVER
                      CN=ACTIVE DIRECTORY CONNECTORS
                      CN= LPRH

when i double click on the LPRH it says 'no items to show in this view'

Note: the way i open the adsiedit is through my XP workstation (start-run-adsiedit.msc)

I hope i am not missing something here...

Try running it from a server, preferably logged in as the administrator.

Simon.

ok , apologies..... i got it.....let me try

ok , i checked everything. Both fields , mail and proxyaddress have the same values

should i create a new folder and copy the calendar over? Actually this ia calendar where Dallas and Houston people both use for appointments.

would that work? If yes, how could i do it?

when i check on this public folder under status it says that the folder was accesses 04.03/06 at 7:00 pm and the last update was received at 7:00 pm as well. And this is written on both DAEXVS01 and HOEXVS01. Doesnt this means that it replicates?

Could it be an outlook issue?

Are the item counts the same?
That is a good indicator if there is a problem.
You could also look at the folder through OWA - that will rule out any issues with Outlook.

Simon.

yes, the counts are the same . to be more precise it says :


server               public store        size         last accessed              last update
DAEXVS01       public folder         2332           04/03/06 7:00        04/03/06  7:00
HOEXVS01       public folder         2261           04/03/06 7:00        04/03/06  7:00


notice that the size differs

Size difference isn't unusual.
Have you tried creating a new item - perhaps through OWA and seeing if it replicates across?

By using OWA you can be sure which server you have connected to, and that Outlook isn't getting in the way.

Simon.

OWA looks the same, so it should be a replication issue

ok ,  apologies again

If i connect to the Hoowa01 i can see the changes they made in Dallas......

if i connect to Daowa01 i can see the changes we made in Houston...

So , does it mean this is an outlook issue?

If you are seeing all the changes in OWA, but are NOT seeing them in Outlook, then I would have to look at Outlook as being the cause. OWA is very useful in this respect as it shows you what is in the database.

Are you using Outlook 2003 in cached mode?
If so, how are you managing public folders with cached mode? Are you caching the content, using live content?

It might be as simple as an ost file that has got corrupted, and deleting the OST and recreating it may well fix the problem.

Simon.

should i use cache mode or not?

Depends.
Cached mode is on my default on the initial Outlook configuration, and I tend to use it with my deployments.

Caching public folder content though is another matter. With laptop users I usually configure it to cache the public folders. With desktop users I don't.
Remember that it will only cache the folders that have been added to the Favourites list.

Cached mode is just a copy of the live content - basically offline folders on steroids.

Simon.

ok , what i did is i made a change on the calendar using my outlook. Then i got into the Houston OWA and saw the new change. Then i got into Dallas OWA and also saw the change.
so , so far so good right?

The point is , that the specific user's outlook looks different when she opens the calendar. And when she post a chnage it doesnt seem to replicate at all.
Maybe it seems to be cached or something ???
I will stop by and take a look at her outlook. Any specific things to check /look for ?

Nick.

ok , new data.

When i access the daowa01/exchange  i see the test appt i did from Houston
when someone in dallas access the same server daowa01/exchange he doesnt see the same contents and not the test appt.

when i type the http://outlook.<company name>.com/public/    then i see the test appt.
when the Dallas users type the same URR http://outlook.<company name> .com/public/ they dont see the same contents.

any ideas?

I guess you are using a frontend server there?
OWA will connect to the same public folder store as the mailbox is on. The only surefire way to connect to a public folder store on a specific server is to browse to http://servername/public  - where servername is the server's real name - remember to use http as you are internal and any SSL certificate will not match.

However based on what you said, you are back to square one - with the content not replicating.

Simon.

when i access the system manager under the admin group - dallas-server-<server name> i see system policies , routing groups and folders (they contain the public folders)

when i access (from the same system manager) admin group-houston-servers-<server name> i see system policies - routing groups BUT no folders.

if i go under servers , expand servers , expand first routing group then i see public foders. Isnt weird ?

how can i create a new public folder with calendar contents and copy the exact calendar to the new public calendar? That might resolve the issue. and see if they replicate since they dont seem to have any issue on the rest public folders.

Create the folder in the usual way, of type calendar. Set the permissions etc as required.
In the old folder, change the view to Category. This will put all the items in to a list. You can then select them all and copy/move them to the new folder.

Simon.

i am sorry Simon , where do i change the view to category ?

Depends on your version of Outlook.
Outlook, View, Arrange By, Current View on the one I am using at the moment (2003).

Simon.

also , simon under the status of the account calendar folder , the numbers differ.
for one server is 2008 and for the other 2061

If your replication isn't working, then I wouldn't be surprised if the numbers were out - as the users will be putting things in that aren't appearing in the other folder.

Simon.

when i access the system manager under the admin group - dallas-server-<server name> i see system policies , routing groups and folders (they contain the public folders)

when i access (from the same system manager) admin group-houston-servers-<server name> i see system policies - routing groups BUT no folders.

if i go under servers , expand servers , expand first routing group then i see public foders. Isnt weird ?

is it because i have one public folder tree per organization ? and if yes , then this public folder tree is connected to which server? how do i know who is the right server ? (i have two clusters thus two virtual servers)