Mail-enabled non-universal groups present

[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: 2005-11-17

The Microsoft® Exchange Server Analyzer Tool queries the Active Directory® directory service to determine the number of domains in the environment. If the Exchange Server Analyzer finds multiple discrete Active Directory domains in the forest, each domain is then queried to determine whether there are one or more mail-enabled, non-universal groups in those domains.

If the Exchange Server Analyzer determines that mail enabled non-universal groups exist in the multiple-domain forest, the Exchange Server Analyzer displays a warning.

If you use domain local or global distribution groups in a multiple-domain forest, e-mail delivery problems may occur for the following reason:

  • To expand distribution groups into individual recipients, Exchange contacts a global catalog server.

  • Although the global catalog server has a listing of groups of all types from each domain, the global catalog server does not contain the membership list for domain local and global groups created in remote domains.

  • If a message is sent to a global distribution group but expanded in a non-home domain, Exchange cannot correctly deliver the message to members of the group.

  • Because the categorizer cannot expand the distribution list, when a user sends a message to a global distribution or mail-enabled security group in a multiple-domain forest, the users in the global distribution group may not receive the message.

  • The last entry in the tracking logs is a submission to categorizer. The sender of the message does not receive a non-delivery report (NDR).

To resolve this issue and make sure of e-mail delivery, use universal distribution groups in a multiple-domain environment. The membership of universal distribution groups is replicated to each global catalog server in each domain

For more information about this issue in particular and about universal distribution groups in general, see the following topics:

In addition, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles: