Summary: The error with the Event ID 4999 usually occurs in Exchange Server 2016. In this post, we’ve discussed the Exchange Error 4999 in detail. We’ve also mentioned the possible ways to resolve this Exchange error. You'll also find about an Exchange recovery software that can help recover mailboxes, in case the Exchange database is corrupt.
The error 4999 may occur in your Exchange Server 2016 setup. This error will disrupt your Exchange Server email flow – be it internal emails or incoming emails. The only way to resolve the issue is to restart your Exchange Server.
If you open the Event Viewer, you may notice a lot of errors with the Event ID 4999, which would look like the given below.
Watson report about to be sent for process id: 6156, with parameters: E12IIS, c-RTL-AMD64, 15.01.1531.007, edgetransport, unknown, unknown, System.InvalidOperationException, 0-dumptidset, unknown.ErrorReportingEnabled: TrueWatson report about to be sent for process id: 14648, with parameters: E12IIS, c-RTL-AMD64, 15.01.1531.007, w3wp#MSExchangeOWAAppPool, M.E.C.Owa2.Server, M.E.C.O.S.C.OwaMapiNotificationManager.SubscribeToSuiteNotification, System.NotSupportedException, 80d2-dumptidset, 15.01.1531.007.ErrorReportingEnabled: TrueCheck Event Viewer
The first thing to do is to check what happened on the server – from when there was no issue till the first time the issue has occurred. This can be traced and confirmed from the Event Viewer.
This will give a clear indication of when the issue started and what happened at that time. Usually, there could be various reasons for this issue, like a change in the configuration, change in network, installation of patches, installation of third-party applications, installation of Exchange cumulative patches, or software/hardware upgrades. It is important to keep a log of changes so that if something happens, you can trace back or replay the changes done. It is also important to take backups before any changes are done. You should always do the changes in a maintenance window which is decided by the business.
Steps to Fix the Exchange Error 4999
Step 1 : First, you need to identity if a particular event is happening when the error has occurred. You can check if there is any backup or maintenance happening, like a snapshot, virtual machine backup, or backup of databases. Also check if other applications, like antivirus scan that might be happening at that time. If a new antivirus application is installed, you should check with your vendor if the application is compatible with your Exchange Server and its specific version.
Step 2: You need to confirm that all the Exchange Server services are running. If a service is not starting, it might affect several things. You can run the Test-ServiceHealth command to verify and confirm that all the services, which are required by Exchange, are running as expected.
Step 3: It is also important to check the disk space. Disk space will affect a lot of things, especially the delivery of emails. Apart from this, lack of disk space can result in corruption and data loss of mailbox databases and transaction logs, which are crucial for the Exchange Server to operate. It?s important that you have ample space in your operating system drive and mailbox database drives.
Step 4: In the mailbox database drive where you have setup the location during the installation of Exchange, you might investigate the number of transaction log files.
If you browse the location, you will find the logs (see the screenshot above). The screenshot shows the default path where it is created. Now, if you see a huge number of logs, it means there is an issue with the backup. It?s important to check the backups as the backup purges the log files after the transactions have been committed to the database. This process cannot be done manually. It must be done by a backup process. If this is not working, you might end up with no disk space and face performance issues with the mailbox database which could result in data corruption.
If these logs date a long way back, it means that your backup solution is not application aware and is not compatible with your Exchange Server version. You can confirm the last full backup of the database by running the Get-MailboxDatabase command.
Get-MailboxDatabase -Status | select Name,LastFullBackup
This will give you the last date when the database was fully backed up. If it?s too old, then you should either discuss with your supplier for support or upgrade to a version that is application aware and compatible with your Exchange Server.
- Since the issue is with the delivery of the mailboxes, you should also check if there are any custom connectors that have been created and causing these issues. You must check both receive and send connectors from PowerShell or the Exchange Admin Center (see the screenshot below).
- You can also create a new database and move all the mailboxes to it. However, if there is any corrupted data, you might end up with a wall in front of you.
Conclusion
If all this fails, you can use Exchange Database Recovery Software – Stellar Repair for Exchange to recover all the emails and resolve the matter in the minimal recovery time as possible. With Stellar Repair for Exchange, you can open any version of Exchange Server database and granularly export from it to PST and other file formats. You can also export directly to a new Exchange Server mailbox database or Office 365 tenant.
