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Public Folder store does not have an e-mail address

[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: 2010-07-21

The Microsoft® Exchange Best Practices Analyzer Tool queries the Active Directory® directory service to determine the configured value for the mail attribute for each public folder store. If the Exchange Server Analyzer finds that the mail attribute is not configured for any public folder store, an error is displayed.

If a public folder store is not configured with a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) address, public folder hierarchy replication will not function correctly for the store.

Technically, a public folder store is a special type of Exchange mailbox. Like all mailbox-enabled objects, a public folder store must have the following attributes correctly configured to send and receive mail:

  • legacyExchangeDN   This is the Exchange-style distinguished name for the object.

  • proxyAddresses   This attribute holds all the e-mail addresses that may be used to send mail to this recipient.

  • textEncodedORAddress   This attribute contains the primary X.400 address.

  • Mail   This attribute contains the object's primary SMTP address, without an address prefix.

  • mailNickname   This attribute is used to generate the URL to access the mailbox.

  • displayName   This attribute contains the display name of the object as it appears in the global address list and any other address lists that the object is a member of.

If the mail attribute is not set for a public folder store, it often means that the Recipient Update Service is not configured or working correctly. There are two types of Recipient Update Services. One is responsible for processing Exchange system objects in the Configuration container (the Enterprise Recipient Update Service), and the other is responsible for processing recipients in each domain (a domain Recipient Update Service).

There is only one Enterprise Recipient Update Service in the entire Active Directory forest because there is only one Configuration container. It is this Recipient Update Service that is responsible for configuring, among other items, the mail attribute for public folder stores. If this Recipient Update Service is disabled, incorrectly configured, or if the Recipient Update Service encounters a problem, the attributes might not be configured correctly, and public folder replication will not operate correctly. You should resolve this issue by verifying the configuration of the Enterprise Recipient Update Service.

To correct this error

  1. Open Exchange System Manager.

  2. Expand Recipients, and then select the Recipient Update Services node.

  3. In the right pane, right-click the Recipient Update Service that has (Enterprise Configuration) as part of its name, and then click Properties.

  4. Verify that the Domain field has the correct domain name listed.

  5. Verify that the computers listed in the Exchange server and Windows Domain Controller fields are operating normally and available on the network. If these systems are down, unavailable, or not the required systems for performing Recipient Update Service tasks, you can use the field's Browse button to specify an alternate machine.

  6. Verify that the Update interval is set to Always run.

  7. Click OK to save the changes.

  8. In the right pane, right-click the Recipient Update Service that has (Enterprise Configuration) as part of its name and select Rebuild. The following message will be displayed:

    "This operation will recalculate the Address List membership and the Recipient Policy settings of all recipients in 'contoso.com' upon the next scheduled update interval. Depending on the number of recipients in the domain, this could take several hours. Do you want to continue?"

  9. Click Yes to rebuild the Recipient Update Service.

  10. After 15 minutes, start monitoring the progress of Recipient Update Service by following the procedures outlined in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 246127, "XADM: How to Check the Progress of the Recipient Update Service" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=3052&kbid=246127).

For more information about the Recipient Update Service, see the following Knowledge Base articles: