Article ID: 830189 - Last Review: January 7, 2010 - Revision: 5.0

Exchange Server 2003 computer cannot bring the Microsoft Search resource online

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For a Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server version of this article, see 282122  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/282122/ ) .
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:
256986  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986/ ) Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry
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SYMPTOMS

On a Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 computer that is in a clustered environment, you may experience the following symptoms:
  • You receive an error message that indicates that the server cannot bring the Microsoft Search (MSSearch) resource online.
  • The MSSearch resource instance appears as Failed in the Cluster Administrator utility.
  • An event with a description that is similar to the following is logged in the system log of Event Viewer:
    The server threw an exception.
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RESOLUTION

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 resolve this issue, follow these steps:
  1. If the server cluster is an Active/Active cluster configuration, make sure the affected Exchange virtual server is running on a cluster node that is not running any other Exchange virtual servers.

    If the server cluster is an Active/Passive cluster configuration, perform the remaining steps on the Active cluster node.
  2. Delete the failed MSSearch resource in the affected virtual server, if the MSSearch resource exists.
  3. Delete the MSSearch program. To do so:
    1. Copy the following code to a new text file, and then save the file as Deleteapp.vbs.

      Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied. This includes, but is not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language that is being demonstrated and with the tools that are used to create and to debug procedures. Microsoft support engineers can help explain the functionality of a particular procedure, but they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality or construct procedures to meet your specific requirements. 
      Sub Usage
    WScript.Echo "Microsoft Search Version 2.0"
    WScript.Echo "Deletes an Application"
    WScript.Echo
    WScript.Echo "Usage: Deleteapp.vbs Application"
    WScript.Echo
end Sub

Sub Main

    if WScript.Arguments.Count = 1 then
        if WScript.Arguments(0) = "/?" or WScript.Arguments(0) = "-?" then
            Usage
            WScript.Quit(1)
        end if
    end if

    if WScript.Arguments.Count < 1 then
        Usage
        WScript.Quit(1)
    end if

    dim applicationName
    applicationName = WScript.arguments(0)

    WScript.echo "Deleting Search Application " & applicationName
    Set objHost = WScript.CreateObject("MSSearch.Admin")

    'Delete the application
    objHost.Applications.Remove(applicationName)

End Sub

call Main
    2. Start the Cluster Administrator utility, right-click the Network Name resource that is associated with the affected Exchange virtual server, and then click Properties.
    3. Click the Parameters tab, and then confirm that the name of the Exchange virtual server that has the failed MSSearch resource appears in the Name box.

      Note In the following steps, the virtual server named MSExchServer1 is used as an example to represent the affected virtual server.
    4. Click Cancel.
    5. Start a command prompt, change to the folder that contains the Deleteapp.vbs file that you created, and type the following command where virtual server is the name of the Exchange virtual server that you confirmed in step c, and then press ENTER:
      cscript deleteapp.vbs ExchangeServer_virtual server
      If you receive the following message when you press ENTER, the MSSearch program may not exist:
      The specified object cannot be found. Specify the name of an existing object.
      Typically, this behavior occurs if the program has been removed or if it has not been created. If you receive this message, you can safely ignore it only if the following registry keys do not exist:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\search\1.0\applications\ExchangeServer_<virtual server>

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\search\1.0\catalognames\ExchangeServer_<virtual server>

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\search\1.0\gather\ExchangeServer_<virtual server>

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\search\1.0\gathering manager\applications\ExchangeServer_<virtual server>

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\search\1.0\indexer\ExchangeServer_<virtual server>
      These registry keys should be deleted automatically by the Deleteapp.vbs script. However, sometimes if the script is not successful, you must remove them manually by using Registry Editor. Steps 4 through 7 of this procedure describe how to use Registry Editor to delete one of the keys that are not removed by Deleteapp.vbs. Use the same steps to delete the five registry keys that are listed in this step.
  4. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
  5. Locate the following registry subkey:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Search\1.0\Databases
  6. Under the Databases registry subkey, export and then delete all ExchangeServer_ virtual server registry keys, where virtual server is the name of the Exchange virtual server that you noted in step c earlier in this article. For example, export and then delete ExchangeServer_MSExchServer1.
  7. Stop and then restart the Microsoft Search (MSSEARCH) service. To do this, type the following commands at a command prompt, and press ENTER after each command:
    net stop mssearch
    net start mssearch
  8. In the Cluster Administrator utility, delete the Microsoft Exchange System Attendant resource from the affected Exchange virtual server. Because this is an Exchange 2003 cluster, this action does not remove the configuration from Active Directory. Only specific parameters or settings that you have configured on the clustered resources and on the System Attendant resources are lost by this deletion. Make sure that you note any changes that you made from the default. Additionally, any existing full-text indexes are deleted.

    Note Your Exchange databases remain intact with no loss of information.
  9. In the Cluster Administrator utility, create a new Microsoft Exchange System Attendant resource in the same Exchange virtual server group. You are not presented with many options during the re-creation of the System Attendant resource because the configuration already exists in Active Directory. When you re-create the System Attendant resource, the MSSearch program, Exchange HTTP Virtual Server Instance 101, the Exchange Information Store instance, the Exchange Routing Service instance, and the SMTP Virtual Server instance are automatically re-created.
  10. Bring the Exchange virtual server online.
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MORE INFORMATION

The steps in this article are different from the steps that are outlined for Exchange 2000 in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 282122 because of changes in the underlying security architecture of Exchange Server 2003 in a clustered server environment. For additional information about changes to Exchange Server 2003 cluster security, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
821834  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/821834/ ) Required Cluster service account permissions are different in Exchange 2000 and Exchange Server 2003
For additional information about the changes that have been made to cluster resource dependencies in Exchange Server 2003, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
821833  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/821833/ ) Exchange cluster resource dependencies in Exchange Server 2003
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APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
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Keywords: 
kbprb KB830189
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