Knowledge Base

XADM: How to Install, Configure, and Use the InterOrg Synchronization Tool

PSS ID Number: 198789

Article Last Modified on 4/21/2005

The information in this article applies to:

This article was previously published under Q198789

SUMMARY

The InterOrg Synchronization tool is available in the Microsoft BackOffice Resource Kit, Second Edition. Microsoft Product Support Services will use commercially reasonable efforts in addressing all support problems. Please do not confuse the InterOrg Synchronization tool with the InterOrg Replication utility for public folders, which is available on the Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.5 Service Pack 2 compact disc.

This tool allows multiple Microsoft Exchange Server organizations to synchronize the contents of their directories.

The connector works hierarchically, with a master service running in the master organization, and multiple requestor services running in the branch organizations. The Exchange Server computer of the master organization collects and distributes all of the directory changes from the branch organizations.

The requestor service in each branch organization collects any changes that have occurred in the directory of that organization and exports these changes to the master service. At the same time, the requestor receives the updated directory information from the master service. When the master agent receives updates from a requestor, the master agent creates a new entry and assigns it an Update Sequence Number (USN) that is greater than the USN for the last entry processed. Each requestor stores the largest master USN that it has received, so it requests only new entries to be posted to the global directory. The master and requestor services communicate using the Exchange Server Internet Mail Service. Therefore, you must have an SMTP infrastructure in place prior to configuring this service.

Processing Events

On a scheduled basis, the requestor service generates a mail message for the master service. This message includes any changes that have been made to the directory of the requestor organization, and the most recent (largest) master USN of the requestor. Note that the requestor exports only the directory information that is maintained on the General property page of an address book entry. That is, the requestor service does not export the information available in any of the custom attributes.

When the master receives a mail message from a requestor, it updates the master database with the appropriate changes, and then sends a reply message to the requestor. The message to the requestor contains all updates to the master database that have a higher USN than the one that was sent by the requestor. Although the master agent processes all requestor messages immediately, changes may not replicate throughout the entire system for at least 24 hours.

MORE INFORMATION

The InterOrg Synchronization tool is available in the BackOffice Resource Kit, Second Edition, under Administrative Tools.

For best results please download and use MDAC Drivers version 2.1.2.4202.3 from the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=10730

These have been tested using the Latest InterOrg Synch Tool from Microsoft.

Requirements for Installing the InterOrg Synchronization Tool

Before you install the InterOrg Synchronization tool, you must make sure that your server computers meet the following conditions:

Installing the InterOrg Synchronization Tool

To install the InterOrg Synchronization tool, perform the following steps:
  1. Log on to the computer running Windows NT Server using the Exchange Server service account.
  2. Insert the BackOffice Resource Kit, Second Edition, Tools and Utilities compact disc into the CD-ROM drive.
  3. On the Autorun page, click Install InterOrg Synchronization tool.
  4. In the Master Setup dialog box, specify the drive where you want to install the tool.
  5. Choose whether or not to back up any files that are replaced.
  6. Specify the Exchange Server master agent mailbox alias name.
  7. Specify the requestor agent mailbox alias name.

Configuring the InterOrg Synchronization Tool

To configure the InterOrg Synchronization tool, perform the following steps:
  1. Configuring the Master and Requestor Mailboxes

    After you install the InterOrg Synchronization tool, you must configure the master and requestor mailboxes. To configure the mailboxes, perform the following steps:
    1. Use the Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator program to create two mailboxes in your site for the master and requestor agents. You should use Master and Requestor for the alias names.
    2. Verify that the Exchange Server service account has account permissions to the mailboxes.
    3. Shut down the server, and then restart it.
  2. Configuring the Master and Requestor Services

    After installation is complete, you must configure the master and requestor services. To select the type of service that you want to configure, perform the following steps:

    1. Using the Exchange Server Administrator program, click the Configuration container, and then click Add-Ins.
    2. Double-click InterOrg Synchronization Manager.
    3. In the Server Type properties page of the InterOrg Extension Properties dialog box, click to select the service that you want to configure. To configure a requestor service, click Requestor Exchange Server. To configure a master service, click Master Exchange Server. If you are configuring the Exchange Server computer for the master organization, you should configure both services.
    4. Click OK.
    5. In the Exchange Server Administrator window, press the F5 key to view the new add-in listings for the services you have selected. The master add-in is displayed as InterOrg Master Configuration.
    Note: When you configure the Exchange Server computer for the master organization, install both the master and requestor services.
  3. Configuring the Master Service

    To configure the master service, perform the following steps:
    1. Using the Exchange Server Administrator program, click the Configuration container, and then click Add-Ins.
    2. Double-click InterOrg Master Configuration.
    3. In the Master InterOrg Synchronization Properties dialog box, click the Configuration tab.
    4. In the Requestor E-mail Addresses box, type the e-mail addresses for all valid requestor agents. This prevents users from creating rogue requestor agents and participating in the InterOrg directory scheme illegitimately. These addresses should be the SMTP addresses of the requestor services, with one exception. The exception occurs if the master and requestor service are both installed on the same Exchange Server computer (as is the case for the master Exchange Server computer). In this case, instead of the SMTP address, you must provide the Exchange Server Distinguished Name (DN) of the requestor service. The DN resembles the following:

      /o=ORG2/ou=Site2/cn=Recipients/cn=REQUESTOR.

    5. In the E-mail Attachment box, type the maximum message size that the master server can generate. This is especially useful if there are message size limits on any of the requestor servers. Make sure that this number is configured for the lowest common denominator on the system.
  4. Configuring a Requestor Service

    To configure a requestor service, perform the following steps:

    1. Using the Exchange Server Administrator program, click the Configuration container, and then click Add-Ins.
    2. Double-click InterOrg Requestor Configuration.
    3. In the InterOrg Requestor Configuration Properties dialog box, there are three properties pages that you can configure: the Export Config properties page, the Import Config properties page, and the Schedule properties page.
    The Export Config Properties Page:

    The Export Config properties page contains the following sections:

    • The USN section displays the most recent Update Sequence Number. If you click Import All Recipients, it resets the Master USN to 0. This forces the master agent to send the requestor a complete list of names from its database. If you click Export All Recipients, it resets the Requestor USN to 0, forcing a complete export of all the requestor entries.
    • In the Exported Containers box, you can specify the containers that you want to export. The requestor agent can export multiple containers. In an Exchange Server organization with multiple sites, you need to select a container from each site. For each container that you want to export, click to select the type of contents that you want to export (Exchange Server mailboxes, distribution lists, and/or custom recipients).
    • If you want to append a text string to the display name of the users that are exported, click Append to Display Name, and then type the name to be appended in the text box.
    • By default, the InterOrg Synchronization tool always exports the primary SMTP address defined for the users. If you want to configure the InterOrg service to replace the domain portion of the user's primary SMTP address with other text, click Modify SMTP Address. This is useful in corporate scenarios where an SMTP mailer is used to change the SMTP From header to something else. For example, if the primary address is SMTP:User1@Org1.company.com. The SMTP mailer might change the From field to User1@Org1.com.Com.
    • The maximum MDB size option allows you to control how large a message generated by the requestor agent can be. If the size of the directory exceeds this number, the requestor breaks up the information into multiple messages.
    • In some cases, you may not want to export a particular recipient address. If so, you can use the Trust Level box to control the recipients that are exported. The InterOrg service exports all mailboxes with a trust level below or equal to the one number in this box.
    The Import Config Properties Page:

    The Import Config properties page of the Requestor InterOrg Synchronization dialog box allows you to configure information necessary for the import cycle of the process. It includes the following sections.

    • The Master Server Address box.

      As its name implies, the Master Server Address box contains the e-mail address of the master service. In most cases, this is be the SMTP address of the master server (for example, Master@MyCo.Com). However, if the master and requestor agents reside in the same Exchange Server organization (as is true of the master organization), you need to use the distinguished name address of the master (for example, /o=ORG1/ou=Site1/cn=Recipients/cn=MASTER). If the distinguished address is used, you need to select the EX address type instead of SMTP.
    • The Container for Importing box.

      In this box, specify the container that the requestor service uses to import the information it receives from the master agent. Note that the requestor agent uses a single Exchange Server site container for importing. It is HIGHLY recommended that you select a different container to import than the one you use for export.
    • The Domains to Import box.

      In this box, you can specify which SMTP domains are imported into your directory, or you can click Import All to accept all domains known to the master agent.
    The Schedule Properties Page:

    In the Schedule properties page you can specify how frequently the requestor agent processes updates. You can schedule the service to start processing any new changes on a daily basis. Or you can click Execute Now to start the process on demand, provided that you are logged on using the Exchange Server service account and password.

Configuring the InterOrg Service to Run on Windows NT

The last step in configuring the InterOrg service is to configure it to run on Windows NT.

To configure the InterOrg service to run on Windows NT, perform the following steps:
  1. In Control Panel, click Services.
  2. In the Services dialog box, double-click InterOrg Synchronization.
  3. In the Service properties page, to select the automatic startup type, click to select the Automatic check box, if it is not already selected.
  4. Click This Account.
  5. Log on using the user ID and password of the Exchange Server service account.

    Important: Any changes that you make to the service configuration after the service is running do not take effect until the service is restarted.

Additional query words: resource kit t-shoot tshot dirsynch Synch BORKIII GAL replication deploy deploying deployment

Keywords: kbhowto KB198789
Technology: kbExchange500 kbExchange550 kbExchangeSearch kbZNotKeyword2


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