((MXECHO))

I have noticed a lot of questions come up regarding the severity of the 8275 error on an Exchange 2003 Server.

Event Type: Error
Event Source: MSExchangeFBPublish
Event Category: General
Event ID: 8275
Date: <date>
Time: <time>
User: N/A
Computer: <server>
Description:
SchedulePlusFreeBusy folder could not be opened for duplicate message deletion on virtual machine <server name>. The error number is 0×80040115.
For more information, click http://www.microsoft.com/contentredirect.asp.

This error normally can be resolved by restarting the System Attendant, if this error is being logged on a cluster failing over to the other node (and then back if desired) would also resolve the error.

Keep in mind that restarting the SA will restart your Information Store service as well so you should schedule this during a maintenance window.

When you look up another users Free Busy you may see ////// hash marks. Many Administrators know these hash marks, they can sometimes be frustrating. But, before immediately thinking you have a problem with Free Busy, it is important to know some, valid reasons for seeing these hash marks //////

For example, lets say there is a free busy message in the public folder but no meetings are scheduled in the calendar. You may see hash marks, not just a blank schedule when looking up the user. Below are the different mailbox/client scenarios and what they produce in this type of situation.

Free Busy message exists in Public Folder, but no meetings are scheduled during the clients publishing period (generally 2 months)

MB = Mailbox, CL = Client

MB Exchange 2003 with CL Outlook 2003 or 2007 = ////////////

MB Exchange 2007 with CL Outlook 2007 = <nothing>

MB Exchane 2007 with Outlook 2003 = /////////////

So you can see the only time we will actually see a blank calendar when there are no appointments or meetings scheduled in the users calendar is when we are using Outlook 2007 and Exchange 2007. Otherwise if the users calendar is blank for the entire publishing period we would see hash marks.

So, easy test. Next time you are fighting a ////// Free Busy battle, see if posting a meeting to the users calendar has any affect. Remember to give the entry time to publish and replicate if using multiple Public Folder Shed + Free Busy replicas.

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