PC DirSync: Cross-Postoffice Groups Showing in the GAL

• Microsoft Mail for PC Networks, versions 3.0 and 3.2

SYMPTOMS

Groups that span multiple postoffices are not allowed to participate in directory synchronization (Dir-Sync). In general, the Mail administrator will create a cross-postoffice group on a specific postoffice and will administer that group at that particular postoffice.

In many cases, the Mail administrator will create such a group for each postoffice and will give these groups the same name. Generally, this procedure works well because the groups cannot participate in Dir-Sync and the group name will show up only once in each postoffice's global address list (GAL).

If the administrator performs an External-Admin, Export function from within the Mail Administrator program (ADMIN.EXE), this cross-postoffice group name will be exported, along with all other groups and users, to the postoffices specified. REBUILD.EXE will now include this cross-postoffice group name in the GAL of each postoffice exported to. In this case, the GAL will contain the group and, if the group names are identical per postoffice, the GAL will contain multiple entries of the same group name.

RESOLUTION

To remove the "incorrect" cross-postoffice groups from the GAL, perform the following steps:

1. Remove the group from the external postoffice address list by running the ADMIN.EXE program against the postoffice containing the cross- postoffice group in the GAL and performing an External-Admin, List.

2. Choose the network and postoffice of the postoffice on which the group is defined and maintained. Choose Delete.

3. All of the users and groups residing in the address list for this externally defined postoffice at this local postoffice will be listed. Delete the cross-postoffice group. This group will remain in the GAL until REBUILD.EXE is run against the postoffice.

A second solution to this problem is for the administrator of the postoffice on which the original External-Admin, Export was performed to run the ADMIN.EXE program and do a Config, Dir-Sync, Requestors, Export. After one Dir-Sync cycle, the cross-postoffice groups should be removed from the GALs of all other requestors.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about cross-postoffice groups, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE ID: Q103379
   TITLE     : PC Adm: How to Create Groups Spanning Multiple Postoffices