Exchange 2010 and Netbios domains with dotted notations

We've had a small number of cases come in where customers are unable to manage their Exchange 2010 environments via the Exchange Management Console. Attempts to do so result in the following error:

"Initialization failed
The following error occurred when getting user information for 'domain.com\alias':
The operations couldn't be performed because object 'domain.com\alias' couldn't be found on 'somedomaincontroller.domain.com'. It was running the command 'Get-LogonUser'."

This issue can occur when the Netbios name for your domain contains a dotted notation. Generally, Netbios domains traditionally are one word values (in the sense of what we consider as "Internet" domains, such as DOMAIN. Netbios domain names, however, supported a character set which included the period, '.' and so there are a number of organization out there who may have had their Netbios domain name set up as DOMAIN.COM, or COMPANY.DOMAIN, or any such combination that included a period or "dotted" notation.

You will need to contact us for an Interim Update that can be applied to resolve this issue. It should also be fixed in Exchange Server 2010 RU4 but at this time, we haven't gotten RU3 out the door so it will be a few months.

I've also seen this resolve issues with ActiveSync to back end E2K3 servers given the same "dotted" Netbios domain. Given that there are a number of potential components in Exchange that this could impact, if you have a dotted Netbios domain and are having some very odd problems with Exchange 2010, please give us a call (or apply RU4 if it's available when you read this).

 Note: You MUST open a support incident with Microsoft Exchange Server Support. To make this as easy as possible, please refer to KB 981033 and provide the Exchange Rollup version you are currently running to get the correct fix.

EDIT: Exchange Server 2010 RU4 is now out, see https://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2010/06/17/455191.aspx. It contains the fix to resolve this issue.

Comments

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  We now have Interim Updates available for RU1, RU2, and RU3 but you will need to call into open a support incident with Microsoft Exchange Support.  Refer to KB 981033 which hasn't been published publicly yet. RU4 is still slated to have this fix included.

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  Hello Stuart We do have the problem you described in your article "Exchange 2010 and Netbios domain with dotted notations". Could you please provide us an interim update for this issue? Thank you for your help Regards Reto

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  We are experiencing the same issue. Where can I get the interim update?    

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  +1..same problem with my lab. Installing E2K10 SP1 the EMC is not initializing and returns the same error. It was fixed in RU 4 for E2K10? I'm recreating my lab with a dotfree netbios domian name.

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  Hi, I have the same problem. I didn't undestand how to get the update 981033. I have to open a ticket to microsoft? Thanks.

• Anonymous
  August 06, 2010
  hi, i am facing the same error but on Exchange 2010 SP1. can you please tell me the solution?

• Anonymous
  August 11, 2010
  I have installed Exchange 2010 SP1 Beta and seeing this error. Even though on same machine and domain setup i didn't face this error with exchange 2010

• Anonymous
  August 28, 2010
  I get this same error in a lab environment, Exchange 2010 SP1, and the NetBIOS name does NOT have a period in it.

• Anonymous
  December 28, 2010
  We have the same problem here with 2008R2 / EXC2010SP1 The NetBios Name has NO dotted notation Test environment DC with 2008R2 Exchange see Above running on 2 VMs on a ESX 4.1

• Anonymous
  December 29, 2010
  Same problem on 2 VMs first VM: 2008R2 second VM: exch2010 sp1 RU 2 no new updates available plz help

• Anonymous
  February 02, 2011
  Hi I had this issue in my test lab of Exchange Server 2010 initialization failed because the user was not find it was running Get-logonuser. This usually happens in Hyper-V or another Virtualization software, when the same Image that was created is used without Sysprep, EMC will not start if the Machine SID conflicts with Virtual Machine or Host. To sysprep try to go to c:windowssystem32sysprep, and make sure you check GENRALIZE. This helped me while i spend a week doing research on this issue. Hope it will help you. Thanks, Lediard MCITP Enterprise Admin, MCSE, MCSA, MCSA Messaging, CIW, MCTS, MCP.

• Anonymous
  February 07, 2011
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  May 17, 2012
  Dear Friends , I Was Also facing a same problem. After struggling a lot ,I  Run a sysprep  (c:windowssystem32sysprep )  as i read on lots of articles and freshly installed  MS exchange 2010 and it work with me . Note : Don't  run sysprep on the same machine or virtual machine where you install a exchange 2010 .take a fresh copy of VM or install a fresh OS . I hope this will Help you all !!! Good day ....:) Thanks

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  August 06, 2013
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