PC DirSync: How to Recover from Missing REQTRANS.GLB File

• Microsoft Mail for PC Networks, versions 3.2 and 3.5

SYMPTOMS

REQTRANS.GLB is the directory synchronization (Dir-Sync) transaction file that contains transactions created on that postoffice. Each transaction has a transaction number (sync number) associated with it. The REQTRANS.GLB file should never be deleted.

Deleting the REQTRANS.GLB file may prevent transactions from being processed. If the file is accidentally deleted, re-creating a zero-byte REQTRANS.GLB file is not sufficient to ensure that future transactions will be included in the Dir-Sync process.

CAUSE

After a zero-byte REQTRANS.GLB file is created, the new transactions will begin at zero. If the requestor synchronization (ReqSync) number in the REQCONF.GLB file is greater than zero, all transactions made at the postoffice will be ignored until the transaction number is greater than the ReqSync number in the REQCONF.GLB file.

RESOLUTION

The correct recovery for this problem depends on whether the postoffice is a requestor (Case 1) or the Dir-Sync server (Case 2).

Case 1: REQTRANS.GLB Has Been Deleted on a Requestor Postoffice

This situation can be resolved by creating a RESYNC file for that requestor postoffice as follows:

1. On the server postoffice, run the Import program (IMPORT.EXE):

         import admin -ppassword -s -ddriveletter
   

2. Copy the RESYNC.GLB file from the Dir-Sync server's GLB directory to the requestor's GLB directory, and delete the file from the server.

3. On the requestor postoffice, run the LISTDS utility available with Application Note WA0725, "Directory Synchronization (Dir-Sync)" to reset the requestor's Dir-Sync configuration:

         listds admin -ppassword -ddrive -r -z
   

   You can obtain this Application Note from the following sources:

        - Microsoft's World Wide Web Site on the Internet
        - The Internet (Microsoft anonymous ftp server)
        - The Microsoft Network (MSN)
        - Microsoft Download Service (MSDL)
        - Microsoft Product Support Services
   

   For more information about how to obtain this Application Note, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

         ARTICLE-ID: Q96060
         TITLE     : PC DirSync: WA0725: Directory Synchronization (Dir-Sync)
   
   

4. Run IMPORT to process the RESYNC file:

         import admin -ppassword -q -ddriveletter
   

Case 2: REQTRANS.GLB Has Been Deleted on the Dir-Sync Server Postoffice

It is somewhat more work on the Administrator's part to recover from a missing REQTRANS file on the Dir-Sync server. The steps above for resetting a requestor will not work on the server, as IMPORT will not process the RESYNC file.