Topic Last Modified: 2005-11-18

The Microsoft® Exchange Server Analyzer Tool reads the following registry entry to determine whether the default MaxPendingSearches has been changed:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\SMTPSvc\Parameters

If the Exchange Server Analyzer finds that the MaxPendingSearches registry value has been manually created, changing the default Exchange server binary setting of 60, the Exchange Server Analyzer displays a non-default warning message. By default, the MaxPendingSearches registry value is not created by an Exchange Server installation. However, the MaxPendingSearches registry value can be manually created after the Exchange Server installation in order to change the value. The MaxPendingSearches value sets the number of outstanding LDAP searches the categorizer holds at a time against a particular global catalog server. The maximum number of pending searches per connection was 1024 in Exchange 2000 Server earlier than SP3. The default value in Exchange 2000 Server SP3 and Exchange Server 2003 is set to 60. For example, changing this value from the default of 60 to 30 reduces the overall number of LDAP searches the categorizer holds against the global catalog server.

If the registry value is manually created and the setting for the registry value is configured incorrectly, the Exchange server may experience message transport problems.

It is recommended that the MaxPendingSearches registry value be created or modified only after careful consideration. The default values in the binaries for Exchange server were carefully selected for optimal performance for use in most Exchange server environments. A general best practice is to address the root cause of the problem instead of modifying the default behavior of Exchange by manually configuring the registry. To comply with best practices, if the MaxPendingSearches registry value exists, you may want to delete this registry value to configure the Exchange server back to the default binary setting.

The Exchange Server Analyzer reports this configuration for informational purposes only. However, you may want to change the registry value back to the default setting by editing the registry.

To correct this warning

1. Click Start, click Run, type Regedit, and then click OK.

2. In the console tree locate and then click the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE System\CurrentControlSet\Services\SMTPSvc\Parameters

3. In the details pane right-click the MaxPendingSearches registry value. Change value data to 60.

4. Optionally, in the details pane you can right-click the MaxPendingSearches registry value and then click Delete. Confirm the deletion of the registry value by clicking Yes in the dialog box.

5. Restart the Exchange server.

Before you edit the registry, and for information about how to edit the registry, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 256986, "Description of the Microsoft Windows registry" (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=3052&kbid=256986).

For more information about editing the Microsoft Windows registry see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:

•322755, "How to back up, edit, and restore the registry in Windows 2000" (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=3052&kbid=322755)

•322756, "How to back up, edit, and restore the registry in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003" (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=3052&kbid=322756)

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