XADM: Directory Service Restore to Cluster fails with Event 1002 (188674)

SYMPTOMS

When attempting to bring the Microsoft Exchange Directory resource online after an online restore, the resource will not start and enters a failed state. The Application Event Log reports an event 1002.

CAUSE

When a service is brought online, the state of the registry is restored to the last known good state. This is the state of the registry prior to the failure and is known as a Registry CheckPoint. During an online restore, the backup program adds the registry key "Restore in Progress". This key is required to recover from an online restore. Because of the Registry CheckPoint process in Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS), the Restore in Progress key is overwritten. When the directory service is brought online, the Exchange database engine does not find a Restore in Progress Key and enters the normal initialization process. The Exchange database engine is expecting to find a consecutive log sequence to include an EDB.log file. Because this is not the case, the Exchange database engine fails to initialize with a -528 JET_errMissingLogFile.

WORKAROUND

When you are restoring to a cluster setup of Exchange, use the Start Services after Restore option. As an alternative, you can start the Microsoft directory service from the Services dialog box in Control Panel. This process will preserve the Restore in Progress key and allow the Exchange database engine to read this key and initialize properly. As a final step, go into Cluster Administrator and bring the Microsoft Exchange directory resource online. This produces the following System Event log entry, which can be ignored:

   Event ID 1024
   Source:  ClusSvc
   Type: Error
   Category:  (64)

   Description:
   The registry checkpoint for cluster resource Microsoft Exchange
   Directory could not be restored to registry key
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeDS. The
   resource may not function correctly. Make sure that no other processes
   have open handles to registry keys in this registry subtree.

MORE INFORMATION

If the Registry CheckPoint process in MSCS overwrites the Restore in Progress key, the following events are logged:

   System Log
   ==========
   Event ID:  1042
   Source: ClusSvc
   Type: Error
   Category (2050)
   Description:
   Cluster generic service 'Microsoft Exchange Directory' failed.

   Application Log
   ===============
   Event ID: 1002
   Source:  MSExchangeDS
   Type: Error
   Category: Internal Processing
   Description:
   The Microsoft Exchange Server database (EDB) could not be initialized
   and returned error -528. Unrecoverable error, the directory can't
   continue.

For more information about the Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS) Registry CheckPoint, see Knowledge Base article 174070.