I have a client who is using FIM Portal to create users and provision them in AD/Exchange2010. From doing this using classic provisioning in ILM/FIM, I know that I need to populate the following attributes for an Exchange 2010 mailbox to be created: - DN - mailNickname - homeMDB - msExchHomeServerName However, this is my first time provisioning to Exchange using the portal and I'm unable to set the homeMDB. The following error presents when I try to configure the EAF: "The type of homeMDB(String) is not compatible with the type of homeMDB(Reference)" The homeMDB is selected as part of a drop down list on the user creation page, which is then flowed using a direct flow from the FIM MA into a string attribute (homeMDB) in the metaverse. In the AD EAF in the Portal, I then try to create a flow from homeMDB to homeMDB, but the error presents when I try to save the flow. I have confirmed that the Metaverse attribute is a string and that the data is flowing as such from the FIM MA. Also, if I change the EAF to flow a static string (eg, "CN=blah"), I am able to save the flow without issue. In classic ILM/FIM provisioning, I'd just use csentry["homeMDB"].Value = mventry["homeMDB"].Value ... the type has always resolved fine. My conclusion is that homeMDB is a reference field in AD, so I can't flow a MV attribute of type string to it... however, why can I flow a static string to it? Anyone have an idea? - Ross Currie

wow, no replies? I thought this would be an easy one. - Ross Currie

total shot in the dark here.. Maybe you could set the string in the portal to not have the 'cn=' at the beginning Then set up the flow to be - string "cn=" and concat the rest from the attribute you bring over and see if that exports.. -Frank

Hi Ross, I had similar joys with this one. I found that if you hard coded a string value for homeMDB in the Synchronization rule it worked, however if you tried to flow an attribute (that contains the string value) via the synchronization rule you get the error you describe. Sorry no solutions - but that is what I found. Cheers, Andrew.

I'm a little appalled that this works... but the answer appears to be to prepend an empty string to your source homeMDB value. In other words, you end up with an EAF that looks like this: ""+homeMDB=>homeMDB Only by doing that does the UI let you save the flow rule. Given that the metaverse homeMDB attribute is a string type, this would appear to me to be a bug that needs fixing. Anyway, at least i can do my flow now. Cheers for the shot in the dark Frank. - Ross Currie