Hello,

We have one Exchange 2016 server, which is only used for Recipient Management and successfully navigated the following article to install the Recipient Management Tools on a non-Exchange server in the same site as our Exchange 2016 server and AD FSMO (The server authenticates to FSMO).

Manage recipients in Exchange Server 2019 Hybrid environments | Microsoft Learn

We’d like to install the Recipient Management tools on machines located in a different AD site from Exchange 2016, which do not authenticate to a FSMO domain controller.  However, we receive the error “Active Directory doesn’t exist or can’t be contacted [CannotAccessAD]” during installation.

The two prevailing theories I’ve found are we need to follow the steps in “Prepare Active Directory and domains for Exchange Server”, which I thought was already completed in step 3 of the above article, when installing the Recipient Management Tools from Exchange 2019 CU12 ISO.

Prepare Active Directory and domains for Exchange Server, Active Directory Exchange Server, Exchange Server Active Directory, Exchange 2019 Active Directory | Microsoft Learn

The second is we’re installing the tools on an endpoint that is in a different site than FSMO and therefor the endpoint is authenticating to a DC without that role.  If that is the case, has anyone done this and do we simply move FSMO to the DC we’re authenticating against, run the installer and when the install completes, move it back?  

If neither of those cases are correct, does anyone have any ideas?  Thanks for your help.

​Hello, We have one Exchange 2016 server, which is only used for Recipient Management and successfully navigated the following article to install the Recipient Management Tools on a non-Exchange server in the same site as our Exchange 2016 server and AD FSMO (The server authenticates to FSMO). Manage recipients in Exchange Server 2019 Hybrid environments | Microsoft Learn We’d like to install the Recipient Management tools on machines located in a different AD site from Exchange 2016, which do not authenticate to a FSMO domain controller.  However, we receive the error “Active Directory doesn’t exist or can’t be contacted [CannotAccessAD]” during installation. The two prevailing theories I’ve found are we need to follow the steps in “Prepare Active Directory and domains for Exchange Server”, which I thought was already completed in step 3 of the above article, when installing the Recipient Management Tools from Exchange 2019 CU12 ISO. Prepare Active Directory and domains for Exchange Server, Active Directory Exchange Server, Exchange Server Active Directory, Exchange 2019 Active Directory | Microsoft Learn The second is we’re installing the tools on an endpoint that is in a different site than FSMO and therefor the endpoint is authenticating to a DC without that role.  If that is the case, has anyone done this and do we simply move FSMO to the DC we’re authenticating against, run the installer and when the install completes, move it back?   If neither of those cases are correct, does anyone have any ideas?  Thanks for your help.  Read More

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