The Windows Server Essentials Service cannot synchronize the user password to the online identity repository

Jesse Flintoff 236

Hi there.

Recently. I have the below error coming up on multiple 2016 essential servers when doing password changes via the Essentials Dashboards.

I can confirm that passwords are not syncing to 365.

I have tired disabling 365 integration. Then re enabling. Same issue.

Anyone else seen this issue?

STM 1 Reputation point

2021-07-23T08:32:27.86+00:00

... any news?
Franck Gravel 1 Reputation point

2021-07-26T21:36:36.637+00:00

Same here and My users are freaking out! please keep me updated
Manson DeGraw 1 Reputation point

2021-07-29T17:21:15.057+00:00

We are also having this same issue with all clients using Server 2016 Essentials 2016 standard with Essentials Role installed. Password sync to Office 365 stopped working recently. Have not checked clients with Server 2012 R2 Essentials but will check them. I seems very odd that creating a new user with sync to Office 365 and create the password correctly In process of opening a MS ticket.

Manson
Shawn P. Lemay 21 Reputation points

2021-07-31T17:48:50.98+00:00

So glad I found this thread, I was just about to open a case to Microsoft, as I have 3 sites now failing with this error. Hopefully, they get this fixed soon!
Phillip Fielding 1 Reputation point

2021-08-06T09:22:11.563+00:00

Like others, ive now got 4 different customers experiencing this issue.
this is the only thread ive managed to find with any information.
has there been any update on this?
MAC 1 Reputation point

2021-08-06T20:17:26.877+00:00

I am also experiencing this issue. Any update?
Zachary Sigamony 1 Reputation point

2021-09-27T17:53:04.68+00:00

I have a similar issue too with two of my clients on server 2016 essential
Zachary Sigamony 1 Reputation point

2021-09-27T17:53:13.49+00:00

I have a similar issue too with two of my clients on server 2016 essential
Ishtiaq 71 Reputation points

2021-10-08T14:00:25.907+00:00

Good news, Password synch is now working, although I've not yet heard it from Microsoft in response to our support ticket. Just tested on a couple of Client server and it works!
Lets hope its a permanent fix...

45 answers

Richard Botfield 1 Reputation point

2021-10-08T14:15:12.42+00:00

I can confirm this is now also working for myself.
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Daryl Titcomb 1 Reputation point

2021-10-12T13:23:36.533+00:00

what did you do to get it working again, we are on the latest build and still getting errors

Linus Haake 31 Reputation points

2021-10-12T13:49:51.393+00:00

After IshtiaqAIshaq-7109 mentioned that it is working again I can say for sure that nobody here touched the system to make it work again, there was no reboot and nothing else - except from the customer was working. I logged on to the server, changed the password of a test account and checked a couple of minutes later successfully to logon into the related cloud account.

Shawn P. Lemay 21 Reputation points

2021-10-12T14:00:54.453+00:00

It's not retroactive - you have to change the password again to have it sync. So if you're looking at accounts that have failed previously - you have to force them to change their password again - then it will start syncing correctly. We've done this to all of our sites here and can confirm, it's working (although waiting for some users to change their passwords may take a week or longer, due to vacations, etc...).
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Shawn P. Lemay 21 Reputation points

2021-10-08T14:10:20.817+00:00

This is great news - now the question of is this retroactive? Meaning any password changes from the past few months are now being sync'd - or do they need to change their password again for it to sync?
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Richard Botfield 1 Reputation point

2021-10-08T14:15:52.61+00:00

Unfortunately, it seems that users will need to reset their passwords in order for them to be synced.
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Ishtiaq 71 Reputation points

2021-10-08T13:58:48.263+00:00

Good news, Password synch is now working, although I've not yet heard it from Microsoft in response to our support ticket. Just tested on a couple of Client server and it works!
Lets hope its a permanent fix...
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Kevin Gray 1 Reputation point

2021-10-08T14:01:03.627+00:00

Did you have to run any updates or change anything?

Daryl Titcomb 1 Reputation point

2021-10-11T12:09:01.057+00:00

I would like to know this as well as I still have the alert in health monitoring on a customers site after deleting and running again, there is an update queued though so that may resolve the issue when it runs this evening

Daryl Titcomb 1 Reputation point

2021-10-12T13:18:02.86+00:00

the latest build did not resolve the issue, we are still having the same issue

Abel Joasim Marquez Gonzalez 1 Reputation point

2021-10-15T03:31:22.963+00:00

It's not retroactive, so you need to change again passwords of accounts listed on the alert. The problem was on Graph API of AAD, so it was fixed on MS side, not in local server, that's why last cumulative update didn't cleared the alert.
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Will Dreiling 1 Reputation point

2021-10-05T21:02:19.753+00:00

Don't know if anyone else can repro, and it's definitely suboptimal, but we managed to fix this by temporarily enabling user password resets in AAD.
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BP-7667 136 Reputation points

2021-09-23T18:19:01.497+00:00

Just talked with an O365 support rep on this issue. They said I will need to open a ticket with the On-Prem support team, and that it was paid support. They said it was a known issue, and gave me a link to this post (which I had already found and sent the link with my initial O365 ticket request. They also said it was basically the On-Prem teams problem and not O365.

I suspect that O365 changed the Graph segment of Azure AD and failed to coordinate with the Server Essentials 2016 team. Since Essentials 2016 was in that awkward place between SBS 2011 and Essentials 2019 of forcing transition into the cloud and removal of On-Prem services, it is likely this small segment did not seem important. Unfortunately many businesses likely used 2016 because 2019 did not have the Access Anywhere function many have leaned on since SBS 2003/2008.

O365 will likely not make any change that will allow the sync to work, and it will be on the Server 2016 to fix where the password sync tool attempts to connect with a patch or update.
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Linus Haake 31 Reputation points

2021-09-23T20:38:20.383+00:00

Honestly, I expect that a company like Microsoft will be able to coordinate the transfer to another team inside the same enterprise, without anybody needs to open another ticket!
I'm also aware that the focus in the software business is meanwhile almost only on SaaS, but all people affected once paid money for this product and they did not decide not to use AADS as it is possible without any issues for the regular 2016/2019/2019 WSE server.

Since the product did not even reached the Mainstream End Date, there is only one statement to be mentioned:
Microsoft broke it, Microsoft should fix it, and not put people off until Jan 11, 2022 has been reached to find more excuses why it takes ages - full stop.
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The Windows Server Essentials Service cannot synchronize the user password to the online identity repository

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