Microsoft Knowledge Base

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Exchange Server, version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

Non-valid directory objects will occasionally remain in some directories even though they have been removed from the source server\site. For example, a mailbox that was deleted a week ago might still be visible in other servers or sites.

CAUSE

This might be due to replication problems or expired tombstones, or even a mismatch of restored or newly installed directories.

RESOLUTION

It is possible to delete an orphaned object if you know the exact distinguished name (DN) of the orphaned object. The directory value Obj- Dist-Name (for Object Distinguished Name) can be found for every object in the directory by looking at the object's raw-properties. This value will include the full path to the object's place of origin. For instance, the Obj-Dist-Name for a mailbox can have the following format:

   /o=Organization/ou=Site/cn=RecipientContainer/cn=UserA

Deleting the Orphaned Object

To delete the orphaned object, a new tombstone must be created and then replicated to the rest of the organization. To do this:

1. Find the Obj-Dist-Name of the orphaned object. To find this:

   a. Run Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator in raw mode (admin /r).

   b. Select the orphaned object. On the file menu click Raw

         Properties.
   

   c. Look for the Obj-Dist-Name attribute and note the value given for it.

2. Examine the Obj-Dist-Name value and determine the source of the object. When looking at this entry, the first two values always refer to the organization and site names; the rest of the values refer to the containers under the site hierarchy. For example, consider this value:

         /o=Microsoft/ou=Northamerica/cn=Recipients/cn=JohnD
   

   The /O= value points to the organization and/OU= refers to the site name. The following /CN= refers to the recipient container were the object exists, and the last /CN= refers to the users DN (same as alias name). There is always at least one /CN value in addition to /O and /OU.

3. Once the origin of the orphaned object has been identified, create an identical object through the Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator program on the original site and container(s).

4. Wait for replication to take place or force it. The server that contains the orphaned object will see this update and ignore it because the object already exists in its directory.

5. Once replication has taken place, delete the temporary object you created in step 3. This will create a tombstone for this object that will get replicated throughout the organization and will eventually delete the orphaned object.