Internal Server Error on FindItems for Public Folders - exception

Question

I've a simple VB.NET application to get all items on a Public Contact Folder. I know that this code works for many years. We upgraded on our OnPremise Exchange 2013 to CU23 for a few month and installed the Hafnium patches (BTW: Our server was not compromised and is not attached directly to the internet).
I think after this upgrade (But I'm not pretty sure) we have the problem that the request "FindItems" on a PublicFolder "Kontakte (Global)" returns an Internal Server Error. Here is the code:
Dim objExchangeService As New ExchangeService
objExchangeService.Credentials = objCredentials
objExchangeService.Url = New Uri(strExchangeUrl)
Dim objFolderView As New FolderView(intBatchSize, intFoldersOffset)
Dim objFolders As FindFoldersResults = objExchangeService.FindFolders(WellKnownFolderName.PublicFoldersRoot, objFolderView)
Dim objGlobalContacts As Folder = objFolders.FirstOrDefault(Function(objFolder) "Kontakte (Global)".Equals(objFolder.DisplayName, StringComparison.InvariantCulture))
Dim objView As New ItemView(Int32.MaxValue)
objExchangeService.FindItems(objGlobalContacts.Id, objView) ' Exception here -> Internal Server Error
We got this Exception:
Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ServiceResponseException: Interner Serverfehler. Fehler bei diesem Vorgang.
bei Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ServiceRequestBase.ProcessWebException(WebException webException)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ServiceRequestBase.GetEwsHttpWebResponse(IEwsHttpWebRequest request)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ServiceRequestBase.ValidateAndEmitRequest(IEwsHttpWebRequest& request)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.MultiResponseServiceRequest`1.Execute()
bei Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ExchangeService.FindItems[TItem](IEnumerable`1 parentFolderIds, SearchFilter searchFilter, String queryString, ViewBase view, Grouping groupBy, ServiceErrorHandling errorHandlingMode)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ExchangeService.FindItems(FolderId parentFolderId, ViewBase view)
Has anybody an idea whats wrong?

Answer 1

What if you try to just get the last item in the folder eg
Dim objView As New ItemView(1)
objExchangeService.FindItems(objGlobalContacts.Id, objView)
You shouldn't be doing
Dim objView As New ItemView(Int32.MaxValue)
as throttling will stop you getting more then 1000 items by default anyways so you should be paging but I would first test just trying to get 1 item. You could also do some testing using the EWSEditor https://github.com/dseph/EwsEditor/releases outside of what your code is doing which is even easier then changing your code.

Answer 2

I tried it with ItemView(1) and got the same error. I used the EWSEditor but I cannot see any option to get items from the public folders.
In the meanwhile I checked the error log of the EWS folder. I got the exception:
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Data.ApplicationLogic.Cafe.GlobalServiceUrls.GetInternalUrl[Service](String serverFqdn)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Data.ApplicationLogic.Cafe.HttpProxyBackEndHelper.GetBackEndServiceUrlByServer[ServiceType](BackEndServer backEndServer)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Data.ApplicationLogic.Cafe.BackEndLocator.CallWithExceptionHandling[T](Func`1 actualCall)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Services.Core.EwsClientHelper.DiscoverEwsUrl(IMailboxInfo mailbox)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Services.Core.RemotePublicFolderOperations.Execute[T](Boolean writeOperation CallContext callContext RemoteExecute`1 executeEWSOperation)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Services.Core.RemotePublicFolderOperations.GetFolderReplica(CallContext callContext Byte[] folderIdBytes)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Services.Core.Types.IdConverter.ServerInfoFromIdHeaderInformation(CallContext callContext IdHeaderInformation header Boolean isHierarchyOperations)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Services.Core.Types.ServiceObjectId.InitServerInfo(Boolean isHierarchicalOperation)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Services.Core.Types.BaseRequest.EvaluateMailboxMetrics(List`1 ids Boolean isHierarchicalOperation)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Services.Core.Types.BaseRequest.Submit[T](AsyncCallback hostCallback Object hostState)
bei AsyncInvokeBeginBeginFindItem(Object Object[] AsyncCallback Object )
bei System.ServiceModel.Dispatcher.AsyncMethodInvoker.InvokeBegin(Object instance Object[] inputs AsyncCallback callback Object state)
bei System.ServiceModel.Dispatcher.DispatchOperationRuntime.InvokeBegin(MessageRpc& rpc)
bei System.ServiceModel.Dispatcher.ImmutableDispatchRuntime.ProcessMessage5(MessageRpc& rpc)
bei System.ServiceModel.Dispatcher.ImmutableDispatchRuntime.ProcessMessage11(MessageRpc& rpc)
bei System.ServiceModel.Dispatcher.MessageRpc.Process(Boolean isOperationContextSet);
FaultInnerException=Microsoft.Exchange.Services.Core.Types.InternalServerErrorException: Interner Serverfehler.
Fehler bei diesem Vorgang. --->
Microsoft.Exchange.Data.ApplicationLogic.VDirConfigurationMissingException:
Das virtuelle Clientzugriffsverzeichnis-Objekt mit InternalUrl gestempelt für den -Dienst konnte nicht gefunden werden. Letzter überprüfter Server: EXCHANGE. (MEANS: Could not locate Client Access Virtual Directory object with InternalUrl stamped for service)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Data.ApplicationLogic.Cafe.GlobalServiceUrls.DiscoverUrlsIfNeeded()
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Data.ApplicationLogic.Cafe.GlobalServiceUrls.GetInternalUrl[Service](String serverFqdn)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Data.ApplicationLogic.Cafe.HttpProxyBackEndHelper.GetBackEndServiceUrlByServer[ServiceType](BackEndServer backEndServer)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Data.ApplicationLogic.Cafe.BackEndLocator.CallWithExceptionHandling[T](Func`1 actualCall)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Services.Core.EwsClientHelper.DiscoverEwsUrl(IMailboxInfo mailbox)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Services.Core.RemotePublicFolderOperations.Execute[T](Boolean writeOperation CallContext callContext RemoteExecute`1 executeEWSOperation)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Services.Core.RemotePublicFolderOperations.GetFolderReplica(CallContext callContext Byte[] folderIdBytes)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Services.Core.Types.IdConverter.ServerInfoFromIdHeaderInformation(CallContext callContext IdHeaderInformation header Boolean isHierarchyOperations)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Services.Core.Types.ServiceObjectId.InitServerInfo(Boolean isHierarchicalOperation)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Services.Core.Types.BaseRequest.EvaluateMailboxMetrics(List`1 ids Boolean isHierarchicalOperation)
bei Microsoft.Exchange.Services.Core.Types.BaseRequest.Submit[T](AsyncCallback hostCallback Object hostState)
I think there must be something wrong with the Internal URLs and I checked our URLs with:
Get-ActiveSyncVirtualDirectory (No Internal URL set)
Get-AutodiscoverVirtualDirectory (No Internal URL set)
Get-EcpVirtualDirectory (Internal URL set)
Get-MapiVirtualDirectory (Internal URL set)
Get-OabVirtualDirectory (Internal URL set)
Get-OwaVirtualDirectory (Internal URL set)
Get-PowerShellVirtualDirectory (Internal URL set)
Get-WebServicesVirtualDirectory (Internal URL set)
Maybe this error belongs to: https://learn.microsoft.com/de-de/troubleshoot/dynamics-365/sales/issue-when-adding-to-outlook-error-when-deploying-dynamics-365-app-for-outlook - Because I got the same error. I will check the URLs today or tomorrow evening.

Answer 3

I found the solution. In my case the InternalURL of the ActiveSyncVirtualDirectory was not preset. That means if I enter "Get-ActiveSyncVirtualDirectory" it returns nothing.
I found the solution here: https://serverfault.com/questions/916154/virtual-directory-activesync-exchange-2010-its-there-its-not-there
In my Active Directory there was no object "Microsoft-Server-ActiveSync (Default Web Site)" but in the IIS the website exists. I cannot create a new virtual directory because there exists an orphaned configration.
I did this to remove the orphaned IIS configuration (https://serverfault.com/questions/916154/virtual-directory-activesync-exchange-2010-its-there-its-not-there - Second answer):
OK I finally have this one resolved, I want to share the solution in case someone else runs into it. Everything that follows here requires full Admin rights.
Please run from powershell (on the exchange server)
$Site = [ADSI]"IIS://localhost/W3SVC/1/Root/Microsoft-Server-ActiveSync"
and then run
$site
Result:
distinguishedName:
Path: {C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V14\Client Access\Sync}
Next run:
$Site = [ADSI]"IIS://localhost/W3SVC/1/Root"
$site.Delete("IIsWebVirtualDir","Microsoft-Server-ActiveSync")
$site.SetInfo()
This will remove the phantom virtual directory.
Now run:
iisreset
Now run:
New-activesyncvirtualdirectory -websitename "Default Web Site"
it should recreate the new virtual directory.
Run iisreset again, and edit the internal and external URL's
Then go get yourself a cold one.
After these steps I got no errors on the "Apps" Tab and my code works. I think during this problem occurs during the CU update.
Best regards
Rainer