Applies to: Exchange Server 2007 SP3, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007
Topic Last Modified: 2007-01-02

This topic explains how to use the Exchange Management Console and the Exchange Management Shell to change the recipient scope. Recipient scope refers to the specified portion of the Active Directory directory service hierarchy that the Exchange Management Console 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 and all of the containers under it. 

Before You Begin

To perform the following procedures, the account you use must be delegated the following:

  • Exchange View-Only Administrator role

For more information about permissions, delegating roles, and the rights that are required to administer Exchange Server 2007, see Permission Considerations.

Also, before you perform these procedures, be aware of the following:

  • Exchange 2007 management interfaces always start with the recipient scope at the domain level. The default setting for the recipient scope is always set to the domain of the computer that is running the management interface. Neither the user account that is being used nor the Exchange servers being managed has bearing on the default value of the recipient scope.

  • Changing the recipient scope in the Exchange Management Console changes 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 are 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 Exchange Management Console on the same computer, the default setting of the recipient scope is overwritten by the scope that you last specified. However, if you use another computer or a different user account to run the Exchange Management Console, you will need to adjust the recipient scope again.
  • Changing the recipient scope in the Exchange Management Shell changes the set of recipients that are returned for the Get- cmdlets of the recipient. The recipient scope is accessible by using the $AdminSessionADSettings variable.

    Note:
    The fields that are stored in this variable are retained until the Exchange Management Shell is closed and is reset to its default settings the next time that the Exchange Management Shell is opened.

Procedure

How to change the recipient scope in the Exchange Management Console

  1. Start the Exchange Management Console.

  2. In the console tree, click Recipient Configuration.

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

  4. In Recipient Scope, 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, Exchange automatically selects an available global catalog server.

    • 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 do not specify a recipient domain controller, Exchange automatically selects an available domain controller.

  5. Click OK.

How to change the recipient scope in the Exchange Management Shell

  • To set the recipient scope to the Marketing Users OU in the contoso.com domain, run the following command:

    Copy Code 
    $AdminSessionADSettings.DefaultScope = "contoso.com/Marketing Users"

  • To set the recipient scope to the contoso.com domain and use dc1.contoso.com as the recipient domain controller, run the following commands:

    Copy Code 
    $AdminSessionADSettings.DefaultScope = "contoso.com"
$AdminSessionADSettings.PreferredDomainControllers = "dc1.contoso.com"

  • To set the recipient scope to the entire forest and use gc1.contoso.com as the global catalog server, run the following command:

    Copy Code 
    $AdminSessionADSettings.ViewEntireForest = $True
$AdminSessionADSettings.PreferredGlobalCatalog = "gc1.contoso.com"

For More Information

To learn more about the recipient scope, see Understanding Recipient Scope.