The official blog for Windows Server Essentials and Small Business Server support and product group communications.
[Today's post comes to us courtesy of Justin Crosby and Shawn Sullivan from Commercial Technical Support]
If you uncheck the IPv6 protocol from your network interface card on your Windows SBS 2011 server you may see the following issues after a reboot:
This can also happen on SBS 2008 servers when IPv6 is disabled incorrectly/incompletely.
Log Name: Application Source: MSExchange ADAccess Date: 1/12/2011 3:02:20 PM Event ID: 2102 Task Category: Topology Level: Error Keywords: Classic User: N/A Computer: SBS7.contoso.local Description: Process MSEXCHANGEADTOPOLOGYSERVICE.EXE (PID=1736). All Domain Controller Servers in use are not responding: SBS7.contoso.local Log Name: Application Source: MSExchangeRepl Date: 1/12/2011 3:01:39 PM Event ID: 3154 Task Category: Service Level: Error Keywords: Classic User: N/A Computer: SBS7.contoso.local Description: Active Manager failed to mount database Mailbox Database on server SBS7.contoso.local. Error: An Active Manager operation failed. Error: The database action failed. Error: Operation failed with message: MapiExceptionNotFound: Unable to mount database. (hr=0x8004010f, ec=-2147221233)
Log Name: Application Source: MSExchangeRepl Date: 1/12/2011 3:01:38 PM Event ID: 3154 Task Category: Service Level: Error Keywords: Classic User: N/A Computer: SBS7.contoso.local Description: Active Manager failed to mount database Public Folder Database <> on server SBS7.contoso.local. Error: An Active Manager operation failed. Error: The database action failed. Error: Operation failed with message: MapiExceptionNotFound: Unable to mount database. (hr=0x8004010f, ec=-2147221233)
Log Name: Application Source: MSExchange Mailbox Replication Date: 1/12/2011 3:01:08 PM Event ID: 1007 Task Category: Service Level: Warning Keywords: Classic User: N/A Computer: SBS7.contoso.local Description: The Mailbox Replication service was unable to determine the set of active mailbox databases on a mailbox server. Mailbox server: SBS7.contoso.local Error: MapiExceptionNetworkError: Unable to make admin interface connection to server. (hr=0x80040115, ec=-2147221227) Log Name: Application Source: MSExchangeIS Date: 1/12/2011 3:00:46 PM Event ID: 5000 Task Category: General Level: Error Keywords: Classic User: N/A Computer: SBS7.contoso.local Description: Unable to initialize the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service. - Error 0x96f.
Log Name: Application Source: MSExchangeIS Date: 1/12/2011 3:00:46 PM Event ID: 1121 Task Category: General Level: Error Keywords: Classic User: N/A Computer: SBS7.contoso.local Description: Error 0x96f connecting to Active Directory.
Log Name: Application Source: MSExchange ADAccess Date: 1/12/2011 3:00:37 PM Event ID: 2604 Task Category: General Level: Error Keywords: Classic User: N/A Computer: SBS7.contoso.local Description: Process MSEXCHANGEADTOPOLOGY (PID=1736). When updating security for a remote procedure call (RPC) access for the Microsoft Exchange Active Directory Topology service, Exchange could not retrieve the security descriptor for Exchange server object SBS7 - Error code=80040a01. The Microsoft Exchange Active Directory Topology service will continue starting with limited permissions.
Log Name: Application Source: MSExchangeThrottling Date: 1/12/2011 3:00:33 PM Event ID: 1002 Task Category: General Level: Error Keywords: Classic User: N/A Computer: SBS7.contoso.local Description: The Microsoft Exchange Throttling Service encountered an Active Directory error while building an RPC security descriptor. This failure may indicate that no Domain Controllers are available at this time. The service will be stopped. Failure details: Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.NoSuitableServerFoundException: The Microsoft Exchange Active Directory Topology service on server localhost did not return any suitable domain controllers.
Log Name: Application Source: MSExchangeRPC Date: 1/12/2011 3:00:29 PM Event ID: 1008 Task Category: General Level: Error Keywords: Classic User: N/A Computer: SBS7.contoso.local Description: Encountered unexpected error when starting MSExchangeRPC service. Error details: The wait operation timed out (258)
Log Name: Application Source: MSExchangeProtectedServiceHost Date: 1/12/2011 3:00:27 PM Event ID: 2011 Task Category: General Level: Error Keywords: Classic User: N/A Computer: SBS7.contoso.local Description: An unexpected failure has occurred. No modules were loaded and the service will perform no work. Diagnostic information: Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.NoSuitableServerFoundException: The Microsoft Exchange Active Directory Topology service on server localhost did not return any suitable domain controllers.
Log Name: Application Source: MSExchangeRepl Date: 1/12/2011 3:00:18 PM Event ID: 2155 Task Category: Service Level: Error Keywords: Classic User: N/A Computer: SBS7.contoso.local Description: The Third Party Replication Manager could not access Active Directory. Error: The Microsoft Exchange Active Directory Topology service on server localhost did not return any suitable domain controllers.. Initialization will be retried automatically.
To resolve this issue all you have to do is re-check IPv6 in the properties of you NIC and reboot.
NOTE: IPv4 must also be enabled.
Properly Disabling IPv6
SBS 2011, like SBS 2008, is designed to fully support IPv6 and has IPv6 enabled by default. Most users should never need to disable IPv6, however if you must disable IPv6 here is how to disable it properly:
Important: This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 322756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/)
RRAS (VPN) Note: If you plan to enable VPN on your SBS 2011 server, you MUST also Export and then Delete the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RemoteAccess\RouterManagers\Ipv6
If you do not delete this key you will get an 20103 Event when trying to start RRAS with IPv6 disabled. You must reboot after removing this key.
For more information please see:
To disable unnecessary networking services is a natural decision by any server administrator, especially when IPv6 is not widespread. I guess that Microsoft might have a look at making the process smooth in the next SP, rather than create a situation when the protocol is disabled, problems encountered, hours lost to fix it and the problem is fixed after reading this article. I had a similar situation with SBS 2008; other I know had two. Lost time was in hours.