Fixing GroupWise Directory Anomalies Without Rebuilds

There are other problems in the GroupWise directory that can't be readily fixed with system maintenance routines. In some cases, system maintenance routines could fix the problem, but you might want to avoid the downtime associated with rebuilding the databases.

We have seen cases in which an object is acting stubborn. You might need to slap it around a bit to get it to behave. Usually, these kinds of problems occur with user objects.

Note

Technically, user objects cannot act stubborn. We simply enjoy the anthropomorphism more than we should. The cases described here usually result when a single field in a record is out of sync, and perhaps damaged. By repeatedly attempting to rewrite that record, you can correct the field problem.

Following are the actions you can take with a user object to get it to behave. They are listed in the order of least drastic to most drastic measures. Most of the ideas here also apply to other GroupWise objects:

• Synchronize the user.

• Edit the user and make a minor change, click OK, and then remove the change.

• Remove GroupWise-specific eDirectory attributes on the user.

First, when zeroing in on an object, be sure to connect to the domain that owns that object. This will speed up your troubleshooting significantly, because GroupWise administration snap-ins will write the change directly, instead of passing the change through multiple MTAs.

Synchronize the User

Following are the steps for synchronizing a user object:

1.	Highlight the user object.
2.	Choose Tools, GroupWise Utilities, Synchronize.
3.	Click Yes in the resulting dialog box.

This action rewrites the user's object to the WPDOMAIN.DB file, with much of the information coming from eDirectory. The synchronize operation also rebroadcasts the user's object record to all GroupWise directory databases. For a complete look at this process, refer to Chapter 7.

Edit the User

This is much like synchronizing the user object because it repropagates the record, but sometimes you'll have more success this way than by synchronizing the user. Follow these steps to edit the problematic user object:

1.	Highlight the user object.
2.	Right-click and select Properties.
3.	Make an unobtrusive change to the object. Don't change the object name, post office, or anything like that. Change a fax number or something similar.
4.	Click OK.

This action also repropagates the record to every domain and post office on the system. The difference here is that there is new record data involved, which might help solve the problem in some cases.

Remove GroupWise-Specific eDirectory Attributes

This procedure uncouples a user's GroupWise Directory Service object from its eDirectory counterpart. After performing this step on a user, you will see that the user's object in the GroupWise view has a white shirt. The user's object in the eDirectory browser view has a red shirt.

Note

You might need to exit ConsoleOne after performing this operation to see the shirt color difference.

Follow these steps:

1.	Highlight the user object.
2.	Choose Tools, GroupWise Utilities, GW/eDirectory Association, Disassociate GroupWise Attributes.

By uncoupling a user's GroupWise object from the eDirectory object, you eliminate one more factor. Sometimes your GroupWise Directory Services is perfectly healthy, but your eDirectory tree is having problems. Under these circumstances, you use the Disassociate GroupWise Attributes utility.

When you need to recouple a user's GroupWise object with the eDirectory object, do the following:

1.	Highlight the user object in the GroupWise view.
2.	Select Tools, GroupWise Utilities, GW/eDirectory Association, Associate Objects.
3.	Choose the Select Existing eDirectory Object option.
4.	Browse to the user's eDirectory object, and then click the OK button.

We often use these procedures when moving users. We disassociate the eDirectory object from the GroupWise object, move the user, and then reassociate the GroupWise object with its eDirectory counterpart.