XADM: Directory Replication Does Not Work, Event 1171 with Parameters -1069 and 0

Intrasite replication does not work for the site naming context, and the Event Viewer application log displays the following event ID:

This issue occurs when a replication message is received that requires a very large number of changes on a single object in the directory, as is typically seen with distribution lists (DLs) that contain more than 5,000 members. For replication changes to finish successfully, all the members in the DL must be loaded into the Exchange Server computer's version store. If the version store is not adequate, event 1171 is logged and replication doesn't work.

To resolve this issue, limit the size of your distribution lists. Larger DLs can be achieved by nesting DLs together, rather than creating very large DLs.

WORKAROUND

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.


To work around this issue:

1. Start Registry Editor.
2. Locate the following key in the registry:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeDS\Parameters
3. On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry value:
   Value Name: EDB max ver pages (increment over the minimum)
   Data Type: REG_DWORD
   Radix: Decimal
   Value: 2000
   NOTE: You need to enter all the above text after "Value Name:", including the text in parentheses, exactly as it appears above.
   
   
4. Quit Registry Editor.
5. Re-start the Exchange Directory Service for these changes to take effect.

NOTE: If the value of 2,000 (default 1,000) is not adequate, increase this value in increments of 1,000. This value represents 16-kilobyte (KB) pages, so 2,000 X 16 KB of memory is allocated for the version store. It is important to not set this value too high as you deplete the memory resources on your Exchange Server computer and potentially hinder its performance.

This setting must be added to all Exchange Server computers in the organization that are receiving the events described in the "Symptoms" section.

This behavior is by product design.

If you run the Error.exe utility from the Exchange Server CD, it produces the following output: To determine the object that is causing the error, you need to do the following:

1. Increase diagnostics logging on MSExchangeDS, set Replication to maximum and Internal Processing to minimum.
2. Allow replication to take place, and observe the 1171 events.
3. Locate the 1171 error, and then scroll through the subsequent entries in the Event Viewer for the following event:
   Event ID: 1083
   Source: MSExchangeDS
   Type: Warning
   Category: Replication
   Description:
   Replication warning: The directory replication agent (DRA) couldn't synchronize naming context /o=<ORG>/ou=<SiteName> with naming context on directory <SourceServerName>.
   This event defines the server in the <SourceServerName> that is sending the replication updates that are causing the errors.
4. Search events previous to the 1083 event for the following event:
   Event ID: 1082
   Source: MSExchangeDS
   Type: Information
   Category: Replication
   Description:
   Replication warning: The directory replication agent (DRA) couldn't update object /o=<ORG>/ou=<SiteName>/cn=Recipients/cn=<OptionalContainers...>/cn=<ProblemDL> with changes made by directory <SourceServerName> because error 22. The directory tries to update the object later. If this condition persists, try to free more disk space or stop and restart this Microsoft Exchange Server computer.
   This event defines the distribution list that is causing the replication issues. As recommended, this distribution list needs to be re-architected to contain fewer entries, approximately 5,000 members for each list.