Recipient Update Service Did Not Process All Changes

[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: 2006-03-16

The Microsoft® Exchange Server Analyzer Tool queries the Active Directory® directory service to determine whether values exist for the gatewayProxy attribute of any Recipient Update Service object in Active Directory. If the Exchange Server Analyzer finds values set for the gatewayProxy attribute of any Recipient Update Service object, a warning is displayed.

This warning indicates that the gatewayProxy attribute of a Recipient Update Service object contains old data that was not fully processed. This data should be removed manually.

Old data from the gatewayProxy attribute must be removed; otherwise, these addresses will be in an 'applied' state. If the administrator chooses to change a policy using 'Rebuild' or 'Update Now' options, then valid user addresses may be accidentally overwritten, causing SMTP addresses to be changed for each user. For more information, see Exchange blog article Recipient Policies and pure Exchange 2000/2003 sites.

Note

The link to this blog is provided for informational purposes. The content may change without notice.

The gatewayProxy attribute of a Recipient Update Service object may contain old data that was not fully processed if any of the following conditions exist:

  • There are problems with Active Directory replication. If Exchange System Manager uses a domain controller that is not the domain controller that is used by the Exchange server that runs the Recipient Update Service, latency issues or other issues with Active Directory replication may exist.

  • There are non-transaction timing issues that cause changes to be lost. This behavior may occur when Exchange System Manager and System Attendant access the gatewayProxy attribute at the same time. Both Exchange System Manager and System Attendant try to read the attribute, make changes, and then write back the attribute.

You must remove the old data by using a tool, such as Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI) Edit (AdsiEdit.msc), the LDP (ldp.exe) tool, or another Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) version 3 client.

Warning

If you incorrectly modify the attributes of Active Directory objects when you use ADSI Edit, the LDP tool, or another LDAP version 3 client, you may cause serious problems. These problems may require that you reinstall Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003, Exchange Server 2003, or both. Modify Active Directory object attributes at your own risk.

To correct this warning

  1. Set the update interval to the Recipient Update Service to Never as follows:

    1. Open Exchange System Manager.

    2. Expand Recipients and expand Recipient Update Services.

    3. Right-click the Recipient Update Service that you want to modify, and then select Properties.

    4. On the General tab, using the Update interval list, set the schedule to Never run.

  2. Wait approximately one to two minutes.

  3. Next, use ADSI Edit or a similar tool to locate the Recipient Update Service object whose gatewayProxy attribute contains old data. Recipient Update Service objects are located at:

    CN=Configuration,CN=Services,CN=Microsoft Exchange,CN=Organization,CN=Address Lists Container,CN=Recipient Update Services

    1. Right-click the Recipient Update Service object that contains the old data, and then select Properties.

    2. On the Attribute Editor tab, scroll down and select the gatewayProxy attribute.

    3. Click Edit to edit this attribute.

    4. In the Value(s) box, select the legacy address type to be removed, click Remove, and click OK. Repeat this step until all address types have been removed.

    5. Click OK to save the changes, and then close ADSI Edit.

  4. Force a directory replication to occur after you clear the gatewayProxy attribute. Make sure that replication occurs before you let the domain Recipient Update Service run again.

  5. Reconfigure the Recipient Update Service to its original schedule.

  6. If you have to, reapply the specific recipient policies. Use the Active Directory Sites and Services snap-in to perform a manual Active Directory replication.

For more information about this issue, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 821743, "The gatewayProxy attribute on the Recipient Update Service object is not cleared" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=3052&kbid=821743).

For more information about using the LDP tool, see Knowledge Base article 260745, "XADM: Using the LDP Utility to Modify Active Directory Object Attributes" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=3052&kbid=260745).

For more information about forcing directory replication, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 232072, "Initiating Replication Between Active Directory Direct Replication Partners" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=3052&kbid=232072).

For more information about using ADSI Edit, see the "Adsiedit.msc: ADSI Edit" topic in Windows Server 2003 Help.