Offline address book site public folder deleted

[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: 2006-12-03

The Microsoft® Exchange Server Analyzer Tool queries the Active Directory® directory service to determine the value for the siteFolderServer attribute of each public folder store object. If the Exchange Server Analyzer finds that the value of the siteFolderServer attribute contains the string DEL:, an error is displayed.

The siteFolderServer attribute represents the public folder store used for the offline address book server. By default, Exchange Server generates offline address book files on the Site Folder Server (the first server that is installed in the administrative group). If you have designated a different server to act as the offline address book server, the public folder store listed in this attribute will be the store on the new offline address book server, and not the store on the administrative group's actual Site Folder Server.

When Exchange Server 2003 generates offline address book files, it attaches the files to mail messages and puts the messages in special public folders. Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003 retrieves the messages from the folder and downloads the attached files.

The offline address book messages are stored in subfolders of the Offline Address Book folder, which is one of the system folders in the default Public Folders tree. This folder contains a subfolder for each administrative group or site in your topology. By default, a content replica of a specific administrative group folder resides on the first server that is installed in the administrative group (named the Site Folder Server).

If your Exchange organization is Exchange Server 2007, with no down level (Outlook 2003 or earlier) clients, you can safely disregard this warning or Error. If your Exchange Server 2007 organization is hosting clients running Outlook 2003 or earlier, follow the procedure below to enable public folder distribution of the offline address book files. Public folder distribution is the distribution method by which clients running Outlook 2003 or earlier that are working offline or through a dial-up connection access the OAB.

To correct this error

  1. If you know that the server exists, in Exchange System Manager, under Servers, expand the server, expand the storage group, and then click Public Folder Store. Check the right pane to make sure that the Exchange store is running.

  2. To designate a new offline address book server, under Recipients, click Offline Address Lists. Then in the right pane, click Default Offline Address List (or any other offline address list that produces this message).

    If you do not want to use an offline address book, right-click Default Offline Address Book, and then click Delete. Otherwise, use the rest of this procedure to set a schedule.

  3. Right-click Default Offline Address List, and then click Properties.

  4. On the General tab, under Offline Address Book server, click Browse to select a server.

To correct this warning for Exchange Server 2007

  1. Open the Exchange Management Console.

  2. Expand Microsoft Exchange, expand Organization Configuration, and then select Mailbox.

  3. In the results pane, click the Offline Address Book tab.

  4. On the Offline Address Book tab, select "Default Offline Address Book".

    1. To enable public folder distribution of the offline address book, from the Distribution tab, select Enable public folder distribution.

    2. Click OK to save the changes

  5. To designate a new offline address book server, from the action pane, click Move to start the Move Offline Address Book wizard. This wizard allows you to move OAB generation to a different server. It will also copy the existing OAB files to the specified server..

To use the Exchange Management Shell to enable public folder distribution of the offline address book files.

  • Run the following command:

    Set-OfflineAddressBook -Identity <OAB> -PublicFolderDistributionEnabled $true
    

    Where: <OAB> is the distinguished name (DN), Domain\Account name, or GUID of the OAB.

    For example, to enable public folder distribution of the default offline address book, you would enter:

Set-OfflineAddressBook -Identity "\Default Offline Address Book" -PublicFolderDistributionEnabled $true

To use the Exchange Management Shell to set the server that will host Offline Address Book generation

  • Run the following command:

    Move-OfflineAddressBook -Identity <OAB> -Server <Server>
    

    Where: <OAB> is the distinguished name (DN), Domain\Account name, or GUID of the OAB and <Server> specifies the Exchange server on which to perform the selected operation.

    For example, to move OAB generation to the SERVER01., you would enter:

Move-OfflineAddressBook -Identity "My OAB" -Server "Server1"

For more information about working with offline address books in Exchange Server 2003, see "Configuring Exchange Server 2003 Offline Address Books" in Working with the Exchange Server 2003 Store (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=47595).

For more information about working with offline address books in Exchange Server 2007, see "Organization Configuration > Mailbox > Offline Address Books" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=79247).