Event ID:2080 – Exchange will not run with second Domain Controller

After installing a second Domain Controller your standalone exhange server will become unavailable if the first domain controller goes down. This will be shown in the event log as ID:2080 (Shown Below). This is commonly caused by the SACL right not being applied on the new Domain Controller.

As you can see next to the first Domain Controller the fifth number is a one and shows that the SACL right is correctly applied. Next to the new domain controller the field is a zero and the SACL is the cause.

Event Type:      Information
Event Source:      MSExchangeDSAccess
Event Category:      Topology
Event ID:      2080
Date:            28/02/2009
Time:            6:26:31 p.m.
User:            N/A
Computer:      
Description:
Process STORE.EXE (PID=584). DSAccess has discovered the following servers with the following characteristics:
 (Server name | Roles | Reachability | Synchronized | GC capable | PDC | SACL right | Critical Data | Netlogon | OS Version)
In-site:
dc1.domain              CDG 7 7 1 0 1 1 7 1 
newDC01.domain      CDG 7 7 1 0 0 1 7 1

Solution

• Go to Active Directory Users & Computers
• Click on the View menu and select Advanced Features
• Browse to Domain Controllers OU, right click on the DC which misses the SACL right and select Properties
• Click on the Security tab and select Advanced. Then click on the Permissions tab, click on Add … Select the Exchange Servers security group and click on OK
• A new dialog box will open, select the Properties tab. Scroll down until you find Read nTSecurityDescriptor. Check Allow, click on OK

Alternatively conculst the KB article 316300 Here