TAMA Does Not Create a Parent Object in the Connector Space (259443)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Metadirectory Services 2.2
This article was previously published under Q259443

SYMPTOMS

When you use a Together Administration Management Agent (TAMA) to create connector space objects, the location of the TAMA resource in the metaverse defines and limits TAMA's ability to create the connectors.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur because TAMA does not have access to the same "add parent" logic that is used with non-TAMA Management Agents. The add parent logic automatically creates missing parent objects when you add new connectors, and effectively builds new levels of hierarchy. For each level of a hierarchy that is created in connector space, the corresponding level in the metaverse must have an appropriate resource defined. For TAMA to successfully handle complex metaverse structures, you must configure the resources so that all required levels are included.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, ensure that all expected levels of the metaverse hierarchy are included. To do so, move the TAMA resource up to the top node of the designated structure (or subtree). After you complete this procedure, all expected objects in the subtree are included and subsequently created in the connector space. If you want to exclude levels of hierarchy that are contained in the subtree, create a dummy resource (or profile) and attach it to the nodes that you want to exclude. As TAMA processes the subtree below the real resource, TAMA encounters the new dummy resource. Because the resource is empty, this node and its subtree is not processed.

MORE INFORMATION

This section gives an example of the behavior that is described in the "Summary" section of this article. For this example, assume that the following directory structure exists:

(1) ou=Employees,dc=Microsoft,dc=com
(2) ou=Sales,dc=Microsoft,dc=com

Initially, you attached the TAMA resource to the "ou=Employees" node of the tree because you wanted to process all the people in the organization. After you ran TAMA, some of the structure was missing from the object's distinguished names (also known as DNs)in the connector space of the target MA. Only "ou=Employees" was created, but you expected "ou=Employees,dc=Microsoft".

To correct this behavior, move the resource up the tree to the "dc=Microsoft" node. When you pick up the structures "ou=Employees,dc=Microsoft" and "ou=Sales,dc=Microsoft", everything below "dc=Microsoft" is processed, including all of the objects below both Employees and Sales. To prevent the subtree "ou=Sales" from being processed, attach a dummy resource to it. If there are other branches below "dc=Microsoft" that you also want to exclude, you need to attach an empty resource to each those nodes. To do so, follow these steps:
  1. Open the "F=TogetherAdministration,OU=Applications" folder, and then locate the Sample TA Account resource object.

    In this example, you can assume that the Sample TA Account Resource has never been configured. If this object is not in its default state (for example, it has been configured), choose another object, or create one from scratch, and then go to step five. For more information about how to create TAMA resources, refer to the Microsoft Metadirectory Services Active Directory Management Agent Administration Manual: Creating and Configuring TAMA Resources online manual.
  2. Right-click Sample TA Account resource, and then click Copy.
  3. Right-click a blank part of the window to remove the focus from the Sample TA Account Resource, and then click Paste.
  4. When you are prompted, click Duplicate this Entry, and then click OK.
  5. Right click the Copy of Sample TA Account resource object, and then rename it to "Dummy AR".
  6. In the metaverse, go to the branch that you want to exclude (in this example it is ou=Sales,dc=Microsoft,dc=com), click the Administration action, click Account Profile, and then drag Dummy AR into the Account Profile box.
  7. Click OK to save these changes.
The next time the provisioning agent runs, it attempts to process "OU=Sales". Because the resource is empty, no processing occurs. As a result, none of the objects in "OU=Sales" are created below the target management agent.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:1/25/2006
Keywords:kbprb KB259443
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