KB123856 - PC DirSync: How to Distribute Gateway Addresses with Dir-Sync

Article ID: 123856

Article Last Modified on 10/30/2006

Microsoft Mail for PC Networks 3.0
Microsoft Mail for PC Networks 3.2
Microsoft Mail for PC Networks 3.2a
Microsoft Mail for PC Networks 3.5

This article was previously published under Q123856

SUMMARY

No File Format Application Programming Interface (FFAPI) Microsoft gateway product (MHS, SMTP, X.400, or others) for Microsoft Mail for PC Networks can be a requester for directory synchronization (Dir-Sync). Therefore, these gateway addresses are not automatically distributed to downstream postoffices during the Dir-Sync process. To include gateway addresses in Dir-Sync, the gateway addresses, in an import-format text file, must be manually inserted into the Dir-Sync process using the Microsoft Mail for PC Networks IMPORT.EXE utility.

A Mail administrator can get the import-format text file by either extracting the addresses from an existing Microsoft Mail for PC Networks gateway postoffice (using IMPORT.EXE), creating it manually, or obtaining it from a gateway host administrator. Refer to Appendix A of the Microsoft Mail for PC Networks "Administrator's Guide" for more information about the format of the import-format text file.

NOTE: If you are including SMTP, X400, or MHS addresses in groups, you should NOT use Dir-Sync to distribute these addresses.

MORE INFORMATION

The REBUILD.EXE utility creates the Global Address List (GAL) on each individual postoffice from all the separate address lists on that postoffice. Therefore, if a gateway address list exists at a specific postoffice, these addresses will be included in the GAL. Most FFAPI-based gateways, the SNADS gateway, and the PROFS gateway store their address lists in a hexadecimal identifier (hex-id) .XTN file (<hex-id>.XTN). Other gateways, such as the SMTP, X.400, and MHS gateways, store their address lists in .NME and .GLB files. For example, the X.400 gateway uses X400.NME and X400.GLB.

On any postoffice, these gateway address lists will most likely be created by one of two methods:

The administrator will run the IMPORT.EXE utility against an import-format text file, thereby populating the .USR or .NME/.GLB files with user address information.
The administrator can run the Microsoft Mail Administrator program (ADMIN.EXE) and manually enter the addresses under the Gateway, List menu item.

Either method will create an address list that REBUILD.EXE will incorporate into the local GAL at that postoffice. Unfortunately, these addresses are not automatically added into the Dir-Sync process.

To automatically include gateway addresses in Dir-Sync, the administrator must first have an import-format text file. This file can be generated by one of two methods:

If the gateway addresses already exist on one of the postoffices, the administrator can extract these addresses into an import-format text file by using the IMPORT.EXE utility with the -X option.

NOTE: These addresses may have been added by the administrator with the ADMIN.EXE program (by selecting Gateway, List).

The IMPORT.EXE command line for this extraction process is (this command line has been wrapped for readability; you should type the entire command on one line):
import admin -p<password> -x -g<address_type> -f<ex_file>.txt -d<drive>
where <ex_file>.TXT is the extracted import-format text file (IMPORT.EXE will automatically create such a file with the proper format) and <address_type> is, for example, SMTP, SNADS, or X400, as outlined in Appendix A of the "Administrator's Guide."
If the gateway addresses do not already exist on one of the postoffices, use a standard text editor to create this import-format text file, as outlined in Appendix A of the "Administrator's Guide" under the "IMPORT Utility" description.

After the gateway software (gateway & access component) are installed and configured on the gateway postoffice and gateway access components are installed on downstream postoffices, create or acquire the import-format text file that contains your gateway addresses. (See Appendix A under the IMPORT.EXE utility of the Microsoft Mail for PC Networks Administrator's Guide for additional information on the format of this import-format text file.) Import these addresses for Dir-Sync on any postoffice (usually the gateway postoffice) that has the gateway access component installed by typing:
import admin -p<password> -e -f<ex_file.txt> -d<drive>
Where EX_FILE.TXT is the import-format text file created either by the extraction process listed in Step 1 above or by a text editor.

The use of the IMPORT.EXE utility with the -E option will populate the REQTRANS.GLB on the postoffice with all of the gateway addresses listed in the import-format text file. The Dir-Sync server must have the gateway access component installed for these addresses to be accepted and propagated.

NOTE: The administrator must install the gateway access component on each postoffice that will receive gateway address updates during Dir-Sync.

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

137865 PC DirSync: Incorrect SMTP Addresses in POL After Dir-Sync

Additional query words: 3.00 3.20 3.20a 3.50 dirsync dirsynch

Keywords: KB123856