Mailbox Rights aren't working correctly

[sdepriest]

Okay, here's the situation.

We are using Exchange 2003 with Active Directory.

A new user account (User1) was created and mailbox-enabled. The User1 is also disabled because it's not an actual person, the mailbox is going to be monitored by another person (User2). The User1 account is just their so we can have this extra mailbox. So I added User2 in the Mailbox Rights dialog box and gave her Full Mailbox Access.

So User2 now has the User1 mailbox added to her folder list in Outlook 2000. But when she tries to open it, she gets the error:

Unable to expand the folder. The set of folders could not be opened. The information store could not be opened.

So what gives? We have other mailbox-enabled user accounts (that are also disabled) and other people can access them fine.

Does User1 have to log into the domain, onto the PC, and open their mailbox at least once before User2 can view the mailbox?

Sarah

[jhelfer]

<hr>Does User1 have to log into the domain, onto the PC, and open their mailbox at least once before User2 can view the mailbox? <hr>

I think this may be it. I recall that a mailbox created for a mail-box enabled user doesn't actually get created until certain things happen , such as authenticating.

Anyway, I don't think this is the way the Exchange wants you to set up this kind of mailbox. Exchagne is a pretty subtle beasty, I try to do things the way they are laid out. Maybe Public Folders ?

[unkamunka]

You have set up the mailbox correctly for your purposes. Have you tried activating the mailbox by sending a Test message to it yourself? HTH

[sdepriest]

The issue is resolved.

I found MS KB article 278966 and the resolution is to give the account SELF the permission of "Associated External Account" in the Mailbox Rights area. This immediately fixed the problem. User2 could open and use the mailbox with no errors.

We had considered a public folder for the resource purpose, but the moderated folder option did not work like we thought it would. User2 didn't get the email notice even though we had her name in the Forward New Items To area. An we had added her to the Moderators too, but she never got a meeting notice. (The public folder was set up for calendar entries.)

So we decided to use a mailbox instead and add User2 to the Send On Behalf Of property in Exchange. She doesn't get notified in her mailbox, but she can easily tell a meeting notice had arrived when she has it open in her folder list.

Sarah

[sdepriest]

Yes, I had tried sending an email to the mailbox, but it never got there, it was stuck in the queue.

See my other response in the thread on how I resolved the problem.

Sarah

[jhelfer]

Oh yeah, the "Self" permissions problem. We had that issue as well, but it manifested itself in a different problem. I must admit I don't understand that permission at all.