Can't create a new Exchange Server 2010 Mailbox database in a multiple domain environment

Original KB number:  977960

Symptoms

When you create a Mailbox database in a multiple domain environment and then mount the Mailbox database on a Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 server, the Mailbox database mounting fails. Additionally, you receive the following error message in Exchange Management Console:

Failed to mount database ' <test3> '.

 <test3>
Failed Error: Couldn't mount the database that you specified. Specified database:
   <test3> ; Error code: An Active Manager operation failed. Error: The database action failed. Error: Operation failed with message: MapiExceptionNotFound: Unable to mount database. (hr=0x8004010f, ec=-2147221233) [Database:  <test3> , Server:
   <Servername> ]. An Active Manager operation failed. Error: The database action failed. Error: Operation failed with message: MapiExceptionNotFound: Unable to mount database. (hr=0x8004010f, ec=-2147221233) [Database:  <test3> , Server:
   <Servername>

An Active Manager operation failed. Error: Operation failed with message: MapiExceptionNotFound: Unable to mount database. (hr=0x8004010f, ec=-2147221233) [Server: e14mbxndb2.Enterprise.emory.net] MapiExceptionNotFound: Unable to mount database. (hr=0x8004010f, ec=-2147221233)

If you mount the Mailbox database by using a command in Exchange Management Shell, you receive the following error message:

[PS] C:\Windows\system32>New-MailboxDatabase -EdbFilePath <FilePath> -LogFolderPath <FolderPath> -Server <ServerName> -Name <DatabaseName>  Active Directory operation failed on <Mailbox>. This error is not retriable. Additional information: The name reference is invalid.  This may be caused by replication latency between Active Directory domain controllers. Active directory response: 000020B5: AtrErr: DSID-03152392,  #1: 0: 000020B5: DSID-03152392, problem 1005 (CONSTRAINT_ATT_TYPE), data 0, Att 200f4 (homeMDB) + CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: (0:Int32) [New-MailboxDatabase],  ADOperationException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : 8022381D,Microsoft.Exchange.Management.SystemConfigurationTasks.NewMailboxDatabase

Additionally, you see the following event logged in the Application log:

Log Name:      Application Source:        MSExchange Configuration Cmdlet - Remote Management Event ID:      4 Task Category: General Level:         Error Keywords:      Classic Description: (PID 8136, Thread 2652) Task New-MailboxDatabase writing error when processing record of index 0. Error: Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.ADOperationException: Active Directory operation failed on <Mailbox>. This error is not retriable. Additional information: The name reference is invalid. This may be caused by replication latency between Active Directory domain controllers. Active directory response: 000020B5: AtrErr: DSID-03152392, #1: 0: 000020B5: DSID-03152392, problem 1005 (CONSTRAINT_ATT_TYPE), data 0, Att 200f4 (homeMDB) ---> System.DirectoryServices.Protocols.DirectoryOperationException: A value in the request is invalid. at System.DirectoryServices.Protocols.LdapConnection.ConstructResponse(Int32 messageId, LdapOperation operation, ResultAll resultType, TimeSpan requestTimeOut, Boolean exceptionOnTimeOut) at System.DirectoryServices.Protocols.LdapConnection.SendRequest(DirectoryRequest request, TimeSpan requestTimeout) at Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.PooledLdapConnection.SendRequest(DirectoryRequest request, LdapOperation ldapOperation, IAccountingObject budget) at Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.ADSession.ExecuteModificationRequest(ADObject entry, DirectoryRequest request, ADObjectId originalId, Boolean emptyObjectSessionOnException) --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.ADSession.AnalyzeDirectoryError(PooledLdapConnection connection, DirectoryRequest request, DirectoryException de, Int32 totalRetries, Int32 retriesOnServer) at Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.ADSession.ExecuteModificationRequest(ADObject entry, DirectoryRequest request, ADObjectId originalId, Boolean emptyObjectSessionOnException) at Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.ADSession.Save(ADObject instanceToSave, IEnumerable`1 properties) at Microsoft.Exchange.Management.SystemConfigurationTasks.NewMailboxDatabase.SaveSystemMailbox(MailboxDatabase mdb, Server owningServer, ADObjectId rootOrgContainerId, ADSystemConfigurationSession configSession, ADRecipientSession recipientSession, ADObjectId[] forcedReplicationSites, TaskWarningLoggingDelegate writeWarning, TaskVerboseLoggingDelegate writeVerbose) at Microsoft.Exchange.Management.SystemConfigurationTasks.NewMailboxDatabase.WriteResult() at Microsoft.Exchange.Configuration.Tasks.NewTaskBase`1.InternalProcessRecord() at Microsoft.Exchange.Configuration.Tasks.NewADTaskBase`1.InternalProcessRecord() at Microsoft.Exchange.Management.SystemConfigurationTasks.NewDatabaseTask`1.InternalProcessRecord() at Microsoft.Exchange.Management.SystemConfigurationTasks.NewMailboxDatabase.InternalProcessRecord() at Microsoft.Exchange.Configuration.Tasks.Task.ProcessRecord()

Cause

This issue occurs when the value of the ConfigurationDomainController parameter and the value of the PreferredGlobalCatalog parameter are different. In this scenario, the Mailbox database operation fails, because of the replication latency that occurs between the configured domain controllers and the preferred global catalog.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, set the preferred Active Directory server in Exchange Management Shell to the following cmdlet:

Set-ADServerSettings -PreferredServer <DC FQDN>

For more information about the Set-AdServerSettings cmdlet, see Set-AdServerSettings.

Status

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.