• Article

A global catalog server does not exist in the local site

[This topic is intended to address a specific issue called out by the Exchange Server Analyzer Tool. You should apply it only to systems that have had the Exchange Server Analyzer Tool run against them and are experiencing that specific issue. The Exchange Server Analyzer Tool, available as a free download, remotely collects configuration data from each server in the topology and automatically analyzes the data. The resulting report details important configuration issues, potential problems, and nondefault product settings. By following these recommendations, you can achieve better performance, scalability, reliability, and uptime. For more information about the tool or to download the latest versions, see "Microsoft Exchange Analyzers" at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=34707.]  

Topic Last Modified: 2006-06-06

Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007 setup cannot continue because there is no Global Catalog server in the site in which you are trying to install Microsoft Exchange.

Microsoft Exchange setup requires that the Active Directory® directory service site of the computer that is running setup contain a server that acts as a global catalog.

To resolve this issue, take one of the following steps:

  • Make an existing domain controller in the site a Global Catalog server.

  • Install a new server in the Global Catalog server role.

To make an existing domain controller a global catalog server

  1. Open Active Directory Sites and Services.

  2. Expand Sites, expand the Site, and then expand Servers.

  3. Select the domain controller that you want to specify as a global catalog server.

  4. In the right pane, right-click NTDS Settings and select Properties.

  5. On the General tab, select the Global Catalog check box. The change occurs dynamically without restarting the server.

  • For more information about how to create global catalog servers, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 313994, "How to create or move a Global Catalog in Windows 2000" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=3052&kbid=313994).

  • For more information about global catalog server placement and availability as it relates to Exchange Server, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 875427, "Global catalog server placement and ratios in an Exchange 2000 Server organization or in an Exchange Server 2003 organization" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=3052&kbid=875427).