XFOR: Missing Postoffice in the MSMI Connection Tab (201120)

SYMPTOMS

One or more postoffices suddenly disappear from a once fully-functional Microsoft Mail Connector (MSMC) configuration. When any administrator attempts to recreate the missing postoffice, an error message states that this postoffice already exists and can not be recreated.

You may also notice the following error messages in the Windows NT Event Viewer:

Event ID: 2558
Source: MSExchangeMSMI
Category: Session Error
Type: Error
Description: The thread in the MSMail connector that delivers to MSMail has failed waiting on the MSExchange queue.

Event ID:2590
Source: MSExchangeMSMI
Category: Session error
Type: Error
Description: The MSMail connector interchange wait on Exchange queue failed 0x5

Event ID: 2550
Source: MSExchangeMSMI
Category: Session Error
Type: Error
Description: The thread in MSMail connector that delivers to Exchange has failed creating MSExchange MTA object. Check that the MSExchange MTA is running. When the MSExchange MTA is restarted, the MSMail connector will automatically establish a session with it.

CAUSE

When the Microsoft Mail Connector starts, it reads files from the connector postoffice, Exchangeservername\Maildat$, to build what is displayed in the MSMC. These files are Network.glb and all of the .xtn files. If these files are corrupted, the MSMC displays incorrect information.

Specifically, if the Network.glb file is corrupted, if a valid postoffice is changed to indirect by the MSMAIL record, this valid postoffice will not be displayed in the Microsoft Mail Connector. Additionally, because the record still resides in the Network.glb file, it cannot be recreated.

RESOLUTION

The best resolution to this problem is to obtain a copy of the Network.glb file from backup tape. If no changes have been made to the Exchange routing to Microsoft Mail, this file can be restored by itself. Otherwise, please contact Microsoft Product Support Services

MORE INFORMATION

The Exchange Connector postoffice (shadow postoffice) has a special record in the Network.glb file. There is an Microsoft Mail network name defined in every Exchange Connector postoffice. However, this Microsoft Mail network name is not viewable in the Microsoft Mail Connector. This is one of the differences between a shadow postoffice and the standard postoffice.