How to re-create the MTA resource on an active/active Exchange Server 2003 cluster (922254)

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In a scenario in which the Exchange Server 2003 MTA resource was deleted on an active/active cluster, you can re-create the MTA resource.

Use Method 1 if the MTA resource was deleted from the Cluster Administrator but the "CN=Microsoft MTA" object for that Exchange Virtual Server (EVS) still exists in the Active Directory directory service.

Use Method 2 if the MTA resource was deleted from the Cluster Administrator and the "CN=Microsoft MTA" object for that EVS does not exist in Active Directory.

These methods assume that the following conditions are true:

• There is only one MTA resource on the cluster.
• This MTA resource is on the first EVS that is created.

Note If the MTA resource in the Cluster Administrator is deleted, that individual resource cannot be re-created. In this case, the System Attendant resource must be re-created.

Method 1: Delete and then re-create the System Attendant resource

If the MTA resource was deleted from the Cluster Administrator, but the "CN=Microsoft MTA" object for that EVS still exists in Active Directory, follow these steps:

1. In the Cluster Administrator, right-click the System Attendant resource, and then click Take Offline.
2. Note any non-default settings that were made to the configuration, and then delete the System Attendant resource.
   
   To do this, right-click the System Attendant resource, and then click Delete. Do not use the Remove Exchange Server option.
   
   Note No Exchange Server data is lost when you delete the System Attendant resource. When you re-create the resource, the resource objects are created by using the information in Active Directory.
3. In the navigation tree, right-click Resources, point to New, and then click Resource. Complete the wizard to re-create the System Attendant resource. Most options are unavailable because the information is read from Active Directory.
   
   Notes
   • Make the System Attendant resource dependent on Disk and Name resources.
   • Make sure that the System Attendant resource is re-created on the node that currently owns the Disk resource for that group.
4. After you follow these steps, the MTA resource will be displayed in the Cluster Administrator.
5. Restart the resources.

Method 2: Re-create the "CN=Microsoft MTA" object, and then re-create the System Attendant resource

If the MTA resource was deleted from the Cluster Administrator, and the "CN=Microsoft MTA" object for that EVS does not exist in Active Directory, follow these steps.

Notes

• These steps can also be used to move the MTA resource from one EVS to another.
• The server object in Active Directory contains the msExchResponsibleMTAserver attribute. On both EVS nodes of the active/active cluster, this attribute points to the "CN=Microsoft MTA" object on the first EVS that was created on the cluster.
• When you use the Remove Exchange Server option on the EVS that contains the MTA resource, you receive a message that states that there are EVSs that rely on the MTA. You can change the msExchResponsibleMTAserver attribute on both EVSs to point to another MTA in the organization. This lets you bypass this message and to delete the first EVS. However, when you re-create that first EVS, the EVS will not have an MTA resource. Additionally, the EVS will not create an MTA resource in the Active Directory.
• These steps require the Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI) Edit tool (Adsiedit.msc). For more information about how to obtain and to install the ADSI Edit tool (Adsiedit.msc), click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  892777 Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 Support Tools

1. Start the ADSI Edit tool, expand the Domain container, expand CN=computers , right-click the server object that represents the EVS on which you want to re-create the MTA, point to New, and then click Object.
2. In the Select a class box, click MTA, and then click Next.
3. Type the following values in the wizard:
   • cn = Microsoft MTA
   • transTimeoutMins = 20
   • transRetryMins = 5
   • mTALocalDesig = EVS_Name
     
     Note Use the name as it appears in the Exchange System Manager.
4. Click Finish.
5. Copy the distinguishedName attribute from this new MTA object, and then paste the attribute in the msExchResponsibleMTAServer attribute of each EVS on the cluster.
6. On the EVS on which you want to re-create the System Attendant resource, stop the System Attendant resource.
7. In the Cluster Administrator, right-click the System Attendant resource on the EVS on which you want to re-create the System Attendant resource, and then click Take Offline.
8. Note any non-default settings that have been made to the configuration, and then delete the System Attendant resource.
   
   To do this, right-click the System Attendant resource, and then click Delete. Do not use the Remove Exchange Server option.
   
   Note No Exchange Server data is lost when you delete the System Attendant resource. When you re-create the resource, the resource objects are created by using the information in Active Directory.
9. In the navigation tree, right-click Resources, point to New, and then click Resource. Complete the wizard to re-create the System Attendant resource. Most options are unavailable because the information is read from Active Directory.
   • Make the System Attendant resource dependent on Disk and Name resources.
   • Make sure that the System Attendant resource is re-created on the node that currently owns the Disk resource for that group.
10. After you follow these steps, the MTA resource will be displayed in the Cluster Administrator.
11. Start Exchange System Manager, expand the EVS on which you want to re-create the System Attendant resource, expand Protocols, right-click the X400 object, and then click Properties.
12. On the General tab, click Modify under Local X400 Name, clear the password fields, and then click OK.
13. In the ADSI Edit tool, expand the Domain container, expand CN=computers, expand the server object that represents the EVS on which you want to re-create the MTA, right-click the MTA object that you created in step 2, and then click Properties.
14. On the Attribute Editor tab, double-click the following attributes, and then type the corresponding value:
    • rtscheckpointsize: 30
    • transfertimeoutnonurgent: 3000
    • transfertimeouturgent: 1000
15. In the ADSI Edit tool, expand the Configuration container, and then expand the following folders:
    • CN=Configuration
    • CN=Services
    • CN=Microsoft Exchange
    • CN=Domain_Name
    • CN=Connections
16. The folder that is opened contains the MailGateway objects for servers in the organization. Identify all objects that belong to any EVSs on the cluster on which you are working. Then, set the homeMTA attribute to the domain name of the MTA that you created earlier.
17. In the Cluster Administrator, right-click any resources that are offline, and then click Bring Online.