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GAL not updating in Outlook 2003/2007

I am currently running Exchange 2007 SP1 on Server 2003 SP2. The issue we are having is that our Global Address List is not updating on the clients computers. The users are running Outlook 2003 and there are a couple Outlook 2007's out there. I dont know how long this has been going on but when i add users to Exchange they do not appear in the GAL.

If i turn off cached exchange mode the list will show the users but when i turn cached mode back on they dissappear.

I have found some articled regarding Exchange 2003 having this issue nothing worked.
- I have tried manually updating the Address book.
- I have looked in teh registry and could not find the cached exchange mode folder. i found a related post regarding 2003 and it said to make changed to the registry.

Did you do a preview to make sure the GAL works from the exchange server?

Then do a rebuild of the offline GAL?

ASKER

I dont know how to preview the GAL to make sure it is correct.

I have already done a rebuild and nothing changed.

ASKER

How can i preview the GAL? i looked and have found nothing so far.

"offline GAL" - this is referred to default offline address list in Exchange terminology.
If you are using OL2k3 with E2k7SP1 - OAB would be downloaded from Public folders - check if they are accessible using OL.

Also, rebuild OAB and check for events related to MSExchangeAL in your event viewer.

Go to the property of OAB in EMC and verify "enable public folder distribution" checkbox is checked.

Verify that PF store is mounted.

ASKER

I found these errors - i have removed the contect in the past and it rebuilt the Address book but they were still missing. Also there is enough disk space for this.

Event Type:      Error
Event Source:      MSExchangeSA
Event Category:      OAL Generator
Event ID:      9328
Date:            10/20/2008
Time:            3:46:51 PM
User:            N/A
Computer:      KODIAK
Description:
OALGen encountered file error ffffffff (internal ID 505026a) while generating the offline address list for address list '\Global Address List'. Make sure there is enough disk space available.
- Default Offline Address Book

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Event Type:      Error
Event Source:      MSExchangeSA
Event Category:      OAL Generator
Event ID:      9369
Date:            10/20/2008
Time:            3:46:51 PM
User:            N/A
Computer:      KODIAK
Description:
OALGen encountered an error while publishing the OAB files to the distribution point 'Default Offline Address Book'. Check other logged events to see more information about the problem.
- Default Offline Address Book

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Event Type:      Error
Event Source:      MSExchangeSA
Event Category:      OAL Generator
Event ID:      9373
Date:            10/20/2008
Time:            3:46:51 PM
User:            N/A
Computer:      KODIAK
Description:
OALGen detected that the file '\\KODIAK\ExchangeOAB\fe523945-a05a-46b9-a5c2-9f450e651161\68124156-5986-495d-859f-9cfa5a17f039-data-39.lzx' is corrupted or missing. This indicates data tampering or disk problems. Restore files in this folder from the recent backup or clean up folder content and force a full OAB generation.
- Default Offline Address Book

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/23233439/Problem-with-Offline-Address-Book-generation.html

Does that one help?

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Wow WilyGuy isn't those the steps mentioned same as what i wrote, lol.

Those steps outlined are the first steps MSFT always uses to troubleshooting such issues, apart from using tools such as oabinteg - oab validate - netmon traces.

ASKER

First thank you for all the posts.

I am working on knocking these out one at a time. This is what i have done so far.
- Verify "Enable Public Folder Distribution" checkbox is checked.
- This was already checked
- Public Folder store is mounted
- Done and mounted
- Went to link and checked to make sure that the permissions were correct on the ExchangeOAB folder
- They were all set and the folder was shared.

Things i am working on
- Creating a new OAB and associating it with the mailbox store.
- OABinteg tool
- I am also thinking about cleaning up the OAB folder and completly rebuilding it to see if there are any different errors that may help.

Perfect, also please increase diagnostic logging for OAL Generator under MSExchangeSA to -expert.
So, when you rebuild once you create the new OAB (and associate with the mailbox store) - you should get event 9106 (indicates start of the rebuild) 9107 (indicates end of the rebuild)

Error: 9730 (indicates do not get worried if this is the first rebuild of the new OAB)

Hope for the best.

ASKER

Just an update

Created another OAB and it everything seemed to work when i viewed the address list from outlook. it still was not my default though i had to find it in the dropdown list of avalible address books.

Increased MSExchagneSA\OAL generator to Expert logging. Nothing changed everything was working i recieved the same errors as above and then right after the errors it said it finished.

I am working with OABinteg.exe right now.
Anyone know a good resource on how to use this tool?

ASKER

Well i have been working with the server all day and i have not found anything out of the ordinary with it. Nothing has worked so far. Does anyone have any more suggestions?

There was a reason why i stated that those events would appear - did you get the events which i specified or the ones that you were getting earlier ??

At the moment how many files do you see in the location

\\MailboxServer\ExchangeOAB\GUID Value

On IIS console of CAS server - default web site - OAB - GUID.

I am talking precisely about .lzx files.

ASKER

I currently have 102 lzx files in the OAB directory.

I am not sure if this means anything but the old OAB directory had an OAB.XML file and the when i cleared the folder out and rebuilt the OAB it did not create that file. Also in old oab directory i had 162 lzx files.

I also recieved all the messages you stated before except there was one that was slightly different i have posted them below. I recieved the 9390 event id instead of the 9730.

Event Type:      Warning
Event Source:      MSExchangeSA
Event Category:      OAL Generator
Event ID:      9390
Date:            10/21/2008
Time:            2:59:31 PM
User:            N/A
Computer:      KODIAK
Description:
OALGen failed to find the OAB version 4 manifest file '\\KODIAK\ExchangeOAB\fe523945-a05a-46b9-a5c2-9f450e651161\oab.xml'. This is normal if it is the first time this offline address list has been published to the file system. Check other logged events to see if this is a serious error.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Event Type:      Information
Event Source:      MSExchangeSA
Event Category:      OAL Generator
Event ID:      9106
Date:            10/21/2008
Time:            2:59:26 PM
User:            N/A
Computer:      KODIAK
Description:
Offline address list generation started.
- Default Offline Address Book

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Event Type:      Information
Event Source:      MSExchangeSA
Event Category:      OAL Generator
Event ID:      9107
Date:            10/21/2008
Time:            2:59:34 PM
User:            N/A
Computer:      KODIAK
Description:
Offline address list generation finished.
- Default Offline Address Book

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

"I currently have 102 lzx files in the OAB directory"

Please restart File Distribution Service - since this is responsible for copying all those files from Mailbox role shared folder to CAS server. Compare the number of files in IIS of CAS and Mailbox role shared folder.

ASKER

After i restarted Microsoft Exchange FIle Distribution

IIS = 115 lzx files
Mailbox shared folder = 102 lzx

the IIS folder contains the oab.xml file and the mailbox share does not. I am not counting the oab.xml in my total for IIS.

That is not possible - are you looking at the same folder GUID in IIS and corresponding to Mailbox Server.

Mailbox server is the one who generates those files - CAS server simply copies it - how can CAS produce new files by itself.

You definitely are not looking at the correct location.

Is there any folder with the name "fe523945-a05a-46b9-a5c2-9f450e651161" under ExchangeOAB - you would see couple of folders under ExchangeOAB and under IIS - the bet is to match the latest one generated and ensure that CAS copies all contents from Mailbox role server.

ASKER

here is where i recieved those numbers.

c:\program files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\ExchangeOAB\fe523945-a05a-46b9-a5c2-9f450e651161 = 102

c:\program files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\ClientAccess\OAB\fe523945-a05a-46b9-a5c2-9f450e651161 = 115

Am i looking in the wrong places?

ASKER

I have never cleared the Client Access folder i have always been clearing the ExchangeOAB folder when i rebuild.

Could this be part of the issue?

You should not be clearing the ExchangeOAB folder - you should be concentrating on CAS server.
Please clear the contents of CAS server - cut paste the .lzx files in some other folder.

Restart File Distribution service.

ASKER

I emptied the Client Access OAB folder and restarted the file distribution service and the folder did not repopulate. it is still empty.

Try re-generating the OAB (it would not delete anything from Mailbox / CAS Server) - and wait for replication to take place.

ASKER

How long can it take to replicate?
After i restarted the File distribution service and noticed that nothing was ther ei re-generated the OAB.

there is still nothing in the folder and i ran the update about 30 min ago.

ASKER

Is there a way to force the File Distribution service to replicate. I was doing some research and it said that it replicates every 8 hours or every day at 5am.

I want to make it go now if hta tis possible.

ASKER

The CAS folder is still empty and not my users are getting sync errors

13:00:06 Microsoft Exchange offline address book
13:00:06 0X80190194

ASKER

I recreated it and just pointed everything to the new OAB and everything is working fine.