Installing Exchange 2010’s Hub Transport role throws the error: “$error.Clear(); if ( ($server -eq $null) -and ($RoleIsDatacenter -ne $true) ) { Update-RmsSharedIdentity -ServerName $RoleNetBIOSName } " was run: "Database is mandatory on UserMailbox. Property Name: Database". Database is mandatory on UserMailbox. Property Name: Database”

Problem

You attempt to install the hub transport role for Exchange 2010 but the process errors out with the following error message:

Hub Transport Role

Failed

Error:

The following error was generated when "$error.Clear();

if ( ($server -eq $null) -and ($RoleIsDatacenter -ne $true) )

{

Update-RmsSharedIdentity -ServerName $RoleNetBIOSName

}

" was run: "Database is mandatory on UserMailbox. Property Name: Database".

Database is mandatory on UserMailbox. Property Name: Database

Click here for help... http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/library/ms.exch.err.default(EXCHG.141).aspx?v=14.1.218.11&e=ms.exch.err.Ex88D115&l=0&cl=cp

The application logs of the server also logs the error with event ID 1002:

Exchange Server component Hub Transport Role failed.

Error: Error:

The following error was generated when "$error.Clear();

if ( ($server -eq $null) -and ($RoleIsDatacenter -ne $true) )

{

Update-RmsSharedIdentity -ServerName $RoleNetBIOSName

}

" was run: "Database is mandatory on UserMailbox. Property Name: Database".

Database is mandatory on UserMailbox. Property Name: Database

… and warning with event ID 2937:

Process ExSetupUI.exe (PID=1704). Object [CN=FederatedEmail.4c1f4d8b-8179-4148-93bf-00a95fa1e042,CN=Users,DC=contosonet,DC=com]. Property [HomeMTA] is set to value [contosonet.com/Configuration/Deleted Objects/Microsoft MTA
DEL:8c20a5cb-cbb5-4e6d-b6f8-05427d8c4751], it is pointing to the Deleted Objects container in Active Directory. This property should be fixed as soon as possible.

The warning is logged first then followed by the error:

Solution

The reason why Exchange 2010’s setup is throwing this error is because of the federated built-in e-mail account either no longer exists or has has missing attributes.  The following is an example of a federated built-in e-mail account that has the homeMTA attribute pointed to the deleted items container and the homeMDB attribute not set:

Option #1 – Recreate the Federated Account

The first way of rectifying this issue, which I suggest to be the preferred option, is to perform the steps outlined in the following KB: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/978776 to recreate the Federated object.  The following is what the steps look like:

Execute the following command in the Exchange Management Shell:

New-Mailbox -Arbitration -Name FederatedEmail.4c1f4d8b-8179-4148-93bf-00a95fa1e042 -UserPrincipalName FederatedEmail.4c1f4d8b-8179-4148-93bf-00a95fa1e042@<Default_Accepted_Domain>

Hit the refresh button in ADSIedit a few times and you should see the FederatedEmail account reappear:

Option #2 – Manually correct the attributes

If you’re sure that the mailbox’s attributes were accidentally modified and that nothing else was changed, you can actually manually edit the homeMDB and homeMTA attribute to fix it.  One of the ways to retrieve those values is to open up another Exchange 2010 system mailbox object:

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Once the federated mailbox is corrected, the hub transport role should now install correctly: