XADM: Offline Address List Generation Does Not Work on Exchange 2000 Server SP1

In Exchange 2000 Server Service Pack 1 (SP1), when you try to generate an Offline Address List (OAL) on the Global Address List or any other existing address list, generation of the list may not succeed. The following information may be recorded in the Application log:

This behavior can occur if the following registry key contains a "DS Server" string value specified with the name of a particular domain controller/global catalog server.

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 behavior, delete the "DS Server" value from the Exchange Provider key. Make sure that you remove the entire value, not just the value data. Follow these steps:

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
2. Locate the "DS Server" value under the following key in the registry:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Exchange\Exchange Provider
3. Select the "DS Server" value, click Edit, and then click Delete. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.
4. Quit Registry Editor.

You can use this registry entry on a client computer to load-balance or to specify which domain controller/global catalog server the Outlook client connects to. However, specifying the "DS Server" value on a server that runs Exchange 2000 Server SP1 does not allow generation of the Offline Address List to succeed.