The Recipient Update Service does not update objects correctly when Exchange 2000 Server is running in a Windows Server 2003 forest (873059)

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Recipient Update Service in Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server to update recipient objects in a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 forest, the Recipient Update Service does not update the objects correctly. For example, the Recipient Update Service does not recognize changes that are made to group membership.

If you use the Exchange 2000 Active Directory Connector (ADC), the ADC may not replicate group membership changes from the Active Directory directory service to the Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 directory.

CAUSE

This problem occurs because the Recipient Update Service on an Exchange 2000 Server computer does not accurately detect updates to linked attributes in Active Directory when the following conditions are true:

The updates occur on a domain controller that is part of a Windows Server 2003 forest.
The Windows Server 2003 forest is set to the Windows Server 2003 forest functional level (level 2).

This problem also affects Exchange Server 5.5 computers if you are running Exchange Server in mixed mode. Because the Recipient Update Service does not detect all the updates, not all the changes are replicated through the ADC to the Exchange Server 5.5 directory.

For additional information about forest functional levels, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322692 How to raise domain and forest functional levels in Windows Server 2003

RESOLUTION

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

Prerequisites

Because of file dependencies, this hotfix requires Exchange 2000 Server Service Pack 3 (SP3) and the July 2004 Exchange 2000 Server post-SP3 update rollup.

For additional information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

301378 How to obtain the latest Exchange 2000 Server service pack

870540 Availability of the August 2004 Exchange 2000 Server post-Service Pack 3 update rollup

Restart requirement

You do not have to restart your computer after you apply this hotfix. However, Exchange-related services are automatically restarted when you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

   Date         Time   Version            Size    File name
   --------------------------------------------------------------
   04-Aug-2004  00:50  6.0.6615.0        602,112  Abv_dg.dll

MORE INFORMATION

Windows Server 2003 Active Directory introduced a new feature that is named linked value replication. Linked value replication lets individual values of a multivalued attribute be replicated separately. For example, in Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, when you make a change to a member of a group, the whole group membership value has to be replicated. With linked value replication, only the group member that has changed is replicated instead of the whole group.

When you make a change to a linked attribute such as group membership, the update sequence number for the object is updated, but the metadata for these particular attributes does not change. Exchange 2000 Server searches for metadata changes to particular attributes to decide whether the Recipient Update Service must update an object. Because this metadata does not change when the forest functional level is set to enable linked value replication, the Recipient Update Service does not update the object.

If you have Exchange Server 5.5 computers in your Exchange organization, distribution group membership changes do not replicate between a Windows Server 2003 domain controller that uses linked value replication and the Exchange Server 5.5 computer when the group membership change originates in Active Directory. For example, if you remove the linked homeMDB attribute from a mailbox-enabled user in Active Directory, you expect the Recipient Update Service to detect the change and to repopulate the attribute. However, when linked value replication is enabled in Active Directory, the Recipient Update Service does not detect the change and does not update the homeMDB attribute of the user. Therefore, the update is not replicated through the ADC.

For additional information about Microsoft software updates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

824684 Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates