Applies to: Exchange Server 2010 SP3, Exchange Server 2010 SP2

Topic Last Modified: 2011-03-19

Recipient scope is the specified portion of Active Directory hierarchy that the Exchange Management Console (EMC) and the Exchange Management Shell uses for recipient management. When you set the recipient scope to a specific location within Active Directory, you can view and manage all recipients stored in that location, including all the containers under it.

The EMC and Shell always start with the recipient scope at the domain-level of the computer that is running the management interface. Neither the user account that's being used nor the Exchange servers being managed has bearing on the default value of the recipient scope.

When you change the recipient scope of the EMC, you change the set of recipients that are displayed in the result pane of the Recipient Configuration node. The dialog boxes that you use to select recipients or OUs (located on various wizard pages) also work within the same scope. For example, if you're mail-enabling an existing contact, the Select Contact dialog box in the New Mail Contact wizard displays only the contacts within the recipient scope that are not already mail-enabled.

Note:
The Microsoft Management Console (MMC) saves any changes you make to a snap-in as preferences in your user profile on the administrator computer. The recipient scope setting is also saved as one of your preferences. As a result, the next time you start the EMC on the same computer, the default setting of the recipient scope is now the scope that you last specified. However, if you use another computer or a different user account to run the EMC, you'll need to adjust the recipient scope again.

When you change the recipient scope in the Shell, you change the set of recipients that are returned for the Get- cmdlets of the recipient. The recipient scope is accessible by using the Set-ADServerSettings cmdlet.

Note:
The default scope is not retained when you close the Shell. The Shell resets to the default domain-level recipient scope the next time that the Shell is opened.

What Do You Want to Do?

Use the EMC to change the recipient scope

You need to be assigned permissions before you can perform this procedure. To see what permissions you need, see the "Active Directory Domain Services server settings" entry in the Exchange and Shell Infrastructure Permissions topic.

  1. In the console tree, click Recipient Configuration.

  2. In the action pane, click Modify Recipient Scope.

  3. In Recipient Scope dialog box, select one of the following options:

    • View all recipients in forest   Click this button to work with all recipients in the forest. To use a specific global catalog server, select the Global Catalog check box and then click Browse. In Select Global Catalog, select the global catalog server that you want to use. If you don't specify a global catalog server, Exchange automatically selects an available one.

    • View all recipients in specified organizational unit   Click this button to work with all recipients in a specific organizational unit (OU) and all OUs under it. Click Browse, and then, in Select Organizational Unit, select the OU that you want to use.

      To use a specific domain controller, select the Recipient Domain Controller check box. If you don't specify a recipient domain controller, Exchange automatically selects an available one.

  4. Click OK.

Use the Shell to change the recipient scope

You need to be assigned permissions before you can perform this procedure. To see what permissions you need, see the "Active Directory Domain Services server settings" entry in the Exchange and Shell Infrastructure Permissions topic.

This example sets the recipient scope to the Marketing Users OU in the contoso.com domain for the current session.

Copy Code 
Set-AdServerSettings -RecipientViewRoot "contoso.com/Marketing Users"

This example sets the scope of the current session to the entire forest and designates gc1.contoso.com as the preferred global catalog server.

Copy Code 
Set-AdServerSettings -ViewEntireForest $true -PreferredGlobalCatalog gc1.contoso.com

For detailed syntax and parameter reference, see Get-AdServerSettings.