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Here is my setup:
- Active Directory on premises - with no Exchange installed.
- DirSync tool to sync all users to Office 365
Now, I need to use CustomAttributes in Exchange - here is where the problems start:
- I can't find the corresponding attributes in my on-premises AD-Schema
- I can't set them directly on Exchange Online because I get an error saying that since the users are synced with on-premises AD, I can't change the custom attributes directly on Exchange Online and must change them in the on-premise AD.
And as I said, I haven't found a way to do this. Can someone help?
Also, I tried to find the attributes directly on the Azure AD to see if I can change them there, but couldn't.
Update: I tried to configure the FIM to not sync those specific attributes thinking that it would somehow unlock them so that I will be able to directly manipulate them on Exchange Online - but no, didn't work. Looks like my only option left is to extend the schema (which I just don't want to do - too afraid it may break something).
Could you verify if this article solves your problem.
– harrymc – 2014-02-16T12:11:06.147@harrymc - no it doesn't. the stuff described in this article is simple - and already taken care of. it doesn't talk about the custom attributes that exchange uses. as far as I could find those attributes are only created if we add Exchange on-premises - but we don't want to do that and hence asking for help. – Vaibhav – 2014-02-16T12:14:45.443
It looks like O365 does not have the required editor, only on-premises does. One workaround I can think of is to make yourself a temporary on-premises Exchange Server. A Test Drive VHD with Exchange will work only for a predetermined time but may be enough to do the job.
– harrymc – 2014-02-16T12:26:08.690@harrymc - yes - I am currently going along the lines of extending the schema manually (definitely installing exchange may be better to auto extend the schema, but I am paranoid about making sweeping automated changes to our AD at this time since so many different users are already synced to O365).
What I was wondering is why doesn't the Azure AD that O365 uses not have these attributes already - since it does integrate with Exchange. That is the question that bugs me - and if it does and I can find a way to edit those, then I will simply add the attributes in the cloud. – Vaibhav – 2014-02-16T12:28:29.403
I'm getting a bit out of my depth here, but one idea could be to connect Windows PowerShell to the Exchange Online service and use it to modify the Exchange Custom Attributes.
– harrymc – 2014-02-16T14:44:04.100@harrymc already done that - it basically tells me I can't since I am syncing with on-premises AD and so I have to make change there. I already do everything with Powershell - AD, online AD, and Exchange online. Just can't figure this thing out. – Vaibhav – 2014-02-17T00:08:58.690
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It is said that because of these admin concerns, Microsoft Support will upon demand supply you with an Exchange serial for an on-premises installation that can be used only for that (DirSync does sync them), but this will need a heap of calibrations in AD not to louse up your users. A commercial product that pretends to help is 365 Command Active Directory Extensions, that adds tabs in AD that you can use to set the needed properties.
– harrymc – 2014-02-17T08:55:26.610