Exchange 2003 cannot control link state updates that are caused by user version changes (888231)

RESOLUTION

Service pack information

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Exchange Server 2003. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

836993 How to obtain the latest service packs for Exchange Server 2003

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

This software update requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1).

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

836993 How to obtain the latest service packs for Exchange Server 2003

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) 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
   --------------------------------------------------------------
   09-Feb-2005  04:09  6.5.7232.79       826,368  Reapi.dll

MORE INFORMATION

Warning If you use the ADSI Edit snap-in, the LDP utility, or any other LDAP version 3 client, and you incorrectly modify the attributes of Active Directory objects, you can cause serious problems. These problems may require you to reinstall Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server, Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, or both Windows and Exchange. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems that occur if you incorrectly modify Active Directory object attributes can be solved. Modify these attributes at your own risk.

After you install this hotfix, you can use the ADSI Edit tool to suppress user version changes. To suppress user version changes, set the Heuristics property as follows on the organization object:

If the current value of the CN=OrganizationName attribute is zero or is undefined, set the Heuristics property to 0x800.
If the current value of the CN=OrganizationName attribute is defined and is not zero, add 0x800 to the attribute value. For example, if the current value is 0x2000, the new value would be 0x2800.

NoteThe 0x800 value is equal to the decimal value 2048.

Note In the following procedure, you must use the ADSI Edit tool that is included in Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Support Tools.

To edit the CN=OrganizationName attribute, use the following steps:

Click Start, click Run, type adsiedit.msc, and then click OK.
In the ADSI Edit tool, expand Configuration Container, expand CN=Configuration,DC=DomainName,DC=com, expand CN=Services, and then expand CN=Microsoft Exchange.
Right-click CN=OrganizationName, and then click Properties.
In the Select a property to view box, click Heuristics.
In Edit Attribute box, use one of the following steps to modify the Heuristics property:
1. If the current value of the CN=OrganizationName attribute is zero or is undefined, type 0x800.
2. If the current value of the CN=OrganizationName attribute is defined and is not zero, add 0x800 to the attribute value. For example, if the current value is 0x2000, the new value would be 0x2800.
Click Set, and then click OK.
Close the ADSI Edit tool.

The Heuristics property on the organization object will be updated at least one hour after the last time that Active Directory read the organization object. If Active Directory cannot retrieve the new property, the last read time is not changed. If there are propagation delays in Active Directory, it may take more than one hour for the Heuristics property on the organization object to be updated.

User version changes occur when there is a base-level directory service update. A base-level directory service update may occur when an Exchange Server administrator changes something at the routing group level. For example, a user version change occurs when an administrator changes a routing group name, adds a server, or removes a server. However, the primary cause of user version changes is the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) data that is in each server. This data states which services are running. If you stop and start a service, user version changes in the link state table (LST) will be replicated to all Exchange Server computers in the organization.

For more information about how to configure the registry to control link state updates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

271996 SMTP / Routing Group connector state changes cause needless connector state toggling in Exchange 2000 Server