XADM: Function & Effects of Running the DS/IS Consistency Adjustment

• Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 4.0, 5.0, 5.5

SUMMARY

This article explains the function and effects of performing DS/IS Consistency Adjustment. Due to the potential problems that the DS/IS Consistency Adjustment may cause, it is recommended that you contact Microsoft Technical Support before running it.

MORE INFORMATION

The DS/IS Consistency Adjustment function is used in disaster recovery scenarios where it is not possible to restore the directory to the recovery computer, or where the information store (the Priv.edb and/or Pub.edb file) is copied to a recovery computer with a name that is different from that of the original server.

The DS/IS Consistency Adjustment is run to re-create the directory objects for the mailboxes and for public folders that are in the store and not in the directory. This process also resets the Home-MDB attribute on all public folders in the hierarchy that are homed on unknown sites or servers. In addition, the process strips the public folder access control lists (ACLs) of any invalid entries (that is, users who do not exist in the current directory). Servers and sites are "unknown" and invalid entries exist when replication has not completed to the server that the DS/IS was run on or when a replication connector to another site has been removed.

After the rehoming process has been completed, if you then re-create a replication connector into the organization, there will be a conflict for each rehomed public folder. The new server will win the conflict, because it has newest changes to the public folders in question. Accordingly, the public folder will be homed on the new server, and the new ACL will be kept. This will result in lost permissions for any users not on the site where the DS/IS was run.

Exchange 5.5 has modified the DS/IS Consistency Adjustment process, and each of these functions (making new directory entries for mailboxes, modifying ACLs in mailboxes, rehoming public folders, and modifying ACLs in public folders) must be selected manually to take effect. Additionally, a new attribute of public folders in Exchange 5.5 is to "Limit Administrative Access" to a public folder to a home site, which prevents other sites from being able to rehome those particular folders. Note that this property is only fail-safe in an environment that is completely Exchange 5.5. In a mixed 4.0/5.0/5.5 Exchange environment, 4.0 and 5.0 Administrator Consistency Adjustment programs ignore the Administrative Access flag and rehome the folders anyway.

NOTE: A DS/IS adjustment is not required if the user is restoring only an Information Store to a production Server that has a good working directory.

Additional query words: exfaq

Keywords          : kbusage XADM 
Version           : WINDOWS:4.0,5.0,5.5
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbinfo 

Last Reviewed: April 3, 1999