Definition of System Attendant in Network Encyclopedia.
What is System Attendant?
System Attendant is one of the four core components of Microsoft Exchange Server. It includes a collection of subcomponents that work together to proxy Active Directory requests and regulates internal Exchange Server functions.
You can use the System Attendant to do the following:
- Collect information about all Exchange servers in a site
- Maintain the Exchange routing table (GWART)
- Create and maintain message-tracking log files for services and connectors
- Automatically generate e-mail addresses for new recipients
- Monitor links between sites
- Perform diagnostic functions
The System Attendant is implemented as a Microsoft Windows service; it must be running for other Exchange services to run.
Exchange System Attendant is based on a primary executable file that runs as a service and a number of subcomponents that allow SA to perform various tasks. The main executable file is the MAD.EXE file, located in the Exchange server’s Program Files\Exchsrvr\Bin folder. However, most of the subcomponents exist as .DLL files.
System Attendant Mailbox
When the System Attendant is created on a server then, the System Attendant mailbox is created automatically or in other words, we can say that it is associated with the first mailbox store created on a server.
The directory object: It is located within the configuration container.
The location looks like:
CN=Microsoft System Attendant,CN=,CN=Servers,CN=,CN=Administrative Groups,CN=,CN=,CN=Services,CN=Configuration,CN= ).
The directory object is required for hosting the entire directory attributes associated with the system attendant.
It’s very important to have the System Attendant mailbox configured properly and available on your system.
TIP: Before stopping Exchange services
To stop all Exchange services on a computer, stop the System Attendant by using Services in Control Panel. To restart the services, you must restart each service individually, starting with the System Attendant.
