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Curing two Exchange 2010 mailbox move headaches

by
Brien Posey

s o n
Moving Exchange 2010 mailboxes may seem like a breeze, but two common problems can stand in the
way.

2
f

Issues often occur when moving Exchange 2010 mailboxes from one database to another.
The following fixes address...
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the two most common problems admins encounter when moving mailboxes -- lingering
move requests and inadequate access rights.

The Exchange 2010 mailbox has already been moved


When you move a mailbox in Exchange 2010, the server appends an In Transit flag to the
mailbox. The problem is that the flag remains -- even after the move is complete. If you try to
issue a move request against a mailbox that you already moved, the New Local Move
Request option wont appear in the menu. Exchange wont allow you to move the mailbox
because it thinks a move is still in progress.
If you encounter any other problems when moving mailboxes in Exchange 2010, you may want
to check that all Exchange-related services are running properly. You should also check that
youve correctly mounted mailbox databases and that Exchange servers can access Active
Directory.

To fix this, youll need to get rid of the previous move request. Open the Exchange
Management Console (EMC) and navigate to the Recipient Configuration -> Move
Requests node. Select the mailbox or mailboxes with the existing move request, right-click
on the mailbox or mailboxes and then select Clear Move Request
Request.
If you want to clear move requests for a large number of mailboxes, I recommend using the
following command in the Exchange Management Shell (EMS).

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Get-MoveRequest MoveStatus Completed | Remove-MoveRequest


This command also examines the mailboxes' move status and ensures that the previous
move has completed before removing the move request.
Note: To find out which mailboxes have been moved already without clearing existing move
requests, use the Get-MoveRequest MoveStatus Completed command.
Insufficient access rights
When you try to move an Exchange 2010 mailbox, you may also encounter this common
error:

Error:
Active Directory operation failed on {Domain Controller Name}. This error is
not retriable. Additional information: Insufficient access rights to perform
the operation.
Active directory response: 00002098: SecErr: DSID-03150E8A, problem 4003
(INSUFF_ACCESS_RIGHTS), data 0
This message indicates that the person attempting to move the mailbox lacks the required
permissions. Two primary factors usually cause this error.
1. Inadequate Exchange admin permissions. A domain administrator is not allowed to
manage Exchange Server until he has been granted the necessary administrative
permissions.
2. Blocked account inheritance. If the account inheritance is blocked, mailbox
permissions cannot be assigned to the Exchange account.
To assign the proper permissions to yourself or another administrator, open ADSI Edit and
right-click on the ADSI Edit container. Next, select the Connect To option. Then choose the
connect to a well-known naming context option and click OK
OK.
Now, navigate to Default Naming Context -> DC=<your domain>, DC=com ->

CN=Users
CN=Users. Locate the Active Directory object that corresponds with the person who is
trying to move the mailbox (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Locate the corresponding object for the Exchange admin who can't
move mailboxes.
Right-click on the object and select the Properties command. Next, select the Security
tab and click on the Advanced button. Finally, select the Include inheritable
permissions from this objects parents checkbox (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Select the Include inheritable permissions checkbox to give the


administrator mailbox move rights.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Brien Posey is a seven-time Microsoft MVP with two decades of IT experience. Before
becoming a freelance technical writer, Brien worked as a CIO for a national chain of

hospitals and healthcare facilities. He has also served as a network administrator for some
of the nations largest insurance companies and for the Department of Defense at Fort
Knox.
This was first published in April 2011

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