Microsoft has confirmed that a September 2025 cumulative update for Windows Server 2025 (KB5065426) introduced an Active Directory (AD) replication defect that can break directory synchronization in mixed-version forests when the forest Schema Master FSMO role is hosted on a Windows Server 2025 domain controller, and that community reporting of a separate DirSync/Entra Connect sync failure tied to very large groups remains unverified by Microsoft at time of writing.
Microsoft’s official KB entry for the September 9, 2025 update documents a known issue where a Windows Server 2025 domain controller hosting the forest Schema Master can write duplicate entries into multi‑valued schema attributes during schema extension operations (attributes commonly observed include auxiliaryClass, possSuperiors, mayContain, and Exchange‑related values such as msExchBaseClass). When those duplicate values are generated, older domain controllers in the forest can interpret the incoming schema object as mismatched and refuse the update, producing the familiar Event ID 8418 (“The replication operation failed because of a schema mismatch between the servers involved.”). Microsoft states the issue is under investigation and that a permanent fix will be delivered in a future Windows update.
Concurrently, several independent outlets and community threads reported a related operational symptom: directory synchronization agents (DirSync / Microsoft Entra Connect) allegedly failing to sync very large security groups (claims generally centered on a 10,000‑member threshold) after KB5065426, and circulating a registry-based workaround that toggles a FeatureManagement override (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Policies\Microsoft\FeatureManagement\Overrides\ 2362988687 = 0). Those specific claims — the 10,000‑member breakpoint and the exact registry DWORD — are not present in Microsoft’s KB text, and at present must be treated as unverified community intelligence.
Claims that KB5065426 deterministically breaks DirSync / Entra Connect for groups above 10,000 members and that a specific FeatureManagement registry DWORD (2362988687) is the sanctioned fix are not corroborated by Microsoft’s KB or official Entra documentation at this time and therefore must be treated with caution. Test any such registry tweaks in an isolated lab, and avoid applying undocumented overrides broadly in production.
This situation illustrates why conservative FSMO placement, robust change control, and an incident playbook that includes vendor escalation are core requirements for hybrid identity operations. The immediate defensive steps — inventory FSMO holders, delay schema changes when Schema Master sits on Windows Server 2025, enable targeted monitoring, and engage Microsoft Support for cleanup — are straightforward and will materially reduce organizational risk while waiting for Microsoft’s permanent patch.
Source: Petri IT Knowledgebase Active Directory Sync Bug Hits Windows Server 2025
Background / Overview
Microsoft’s official KB entry for the September 9, 2025 update documents a known issue where a Windows Server 2025 domain controller hosting the forest Schema Master can write duplicate entries into multi‑valued schema attributes during schema extension operations (attributes commonly observed include auxiliaryClass, possSuperiors, mayContain, and Exchange‑related values such as msExchBaseClass). When those duplicate values are generated, older domain controllers in the forest can interpret the incoming schema object as mismatched and refuse the update, producing the familiar Event ID 8418 (“The replication operation failed because of a schema mismatch between the servers involved.”). Microsoft states the issue is under investigation and that a permanent fix will be delivered in a future Windows update. Concurrently, several independent outlets and community threads reported a related operational symptom: directory synchronization agents (DirSync / Microsoft Entra Connect) allegedly failing to sync very large security groups (claims generally centered on a 10,000‑member threshold) after KB5065426, and circulating a registry-based workaround that toggles a FeatureManagement override (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Policies\Microsoft\FeatureManagement\Overrides\ 2362988687 = 0). Those specific claims — the 10,000‑member breakpoint and the exact registry DWORD — are not present in Microsoft’s KB text, and at present must be treated as unverified community intelligence.
What Microsoft actually confirms
The confirmed defect: schema‑attribute duplication and replication failure
- Symptom: Windows Server 2025 DCs that host the forest Schema Master FSMO role can allow duplicate values in multi‑valued schema attributes when schema extension operations run (for example, during Exchange PrepareSchema / PrepareAD or Exchange cumulative updates). This can trigger AD replication failures indicated by Event ID 8418 and NTDS 1203 warnings.
- Trigger context: Field reports and Microsoft’s notes point to Exchange schema extension operations as a common trigger for exposing this latent behavior; Exchange cumulative updates and PrepareAD steps have been specifically cited in multiple community reports and vendor guidance.
- Vendor status: Microsoft labels the issue “under investigation”, recommends manual removal of duplicate schema entries or engaging Microsoft Support for scripted assistance, and says a fix will arrive in a future update. The KB guidance stresses prevention: do not perform schema‑extending operations while the Schema Master role is hosted on a Windows Server 2025 DC.
Why this matters operationally
AD schema replication is byte‑sensitive — schema objects must match exactly across every DC in a forest. A duplicated attribute value changes the object’s serialized representation and causes receivers to treat the update as incompatible. If schema replication stalls, the results can be severe and immediate: authentication and Group Policy failures, automation and management tooling breakage, mail‑flow interruptions for on‑premises services, and general directory instability across the estate. Real‑world reports show asymmetric replication (2025 DCs replicating among themselves while older DCs refuse schema changes) as a clear diagnostic pattern.The DirSync / Entra Connect large‑group claim: verified, plausible, or myth?
Several news sites and community posts characterized a second, distinct failure: DirSync (legacy) or Entra Connect (current) failing to synchronize very large AD security groups after the September update, with a specific member‑count threshold (commonly reported as 10,000 members) and a registry toggle offered as a quick fix. This narrative spread rapidly because it could impact large enterprise groups that map to cloud roles or distribution lists.- What Microsoft’s public documentation says about group sync limits: Microsoft’s Entra Connect documentation explicitly allows very large groups in the hundreds of thousands in many scenarios and documents a 250,000 member limit for synchronization behavior in the default configuration — far higher than the quoted 10,000 threshold referenced in several community posts. That technical detail undermines a simple, deterministic 10k breakpoint being introduced by KB5065426.
- What the KB does not say: Microsoft’s KB for KB5065426 does not mention a DirSync / Entra Connect bug that drops or truncates very large groups at 10,000 members, nor does it list the registry DWORD (2362988687) as an official workaround. At least two independent service‑health/KB references and major vendor documentation pages omit the 10k claim and the registry fix. This absence in vendor documentation is meaningful; public KB text is authoritative for confirmed behaviors and mitigations.
- Independent corroboration: community forums and third‑party outlets have described Entra Connect sync problems and proposed the FeatureManagement registry tweak. Those reports are plausible in mechanical terms — large group enumeration can stress sync agents and interacting changes in OS behavior can expose edge conditions — but the specific registry workaround appears to be community‑sourced and not vendor‑sanctioned at this time. Treat the 10k/2362988687 story as unverified until Microsoft documents it or publishes a KB or release‑health advisory referencing the same key and behavior.
Technical analysis — what likely went wrong and why DirSync claims circulated
AD schema writes and replication are complex, stateful operations that interact with on‑disk serialization, LDAP object marshaling, and replication change serialization. A plausible engineering summary:- Windows Server 2025’s schema‑writing path appears to have a latent condition that can create duplicate entries in multi‑valued schema attributes during certain schema extension sequences (Exchange CU activity is a repeatable trigger in field reports). These duplicates alter the object definition that must be identically replicated. When a receiving DC (especially older versions) sees the altered representation it may reject the object as a schema mismatch, causing Event ID 8418.
- Directory sync agents like Microsoft Entra Connect read AD objects through LDAP and apply filtering, projection, and batching logic. Long‑running enumerations against extremely large groups can expose timing, memory, or serialization edge cases. A Windows Server update that alters the behavior of Group/attribute enumeration, LDAP referrals, or serialization could, in theory, change observable sync behavior — but the presence of a vendor KB mentioning only schema duplication and not a deterministic group‑size cutoff weakens the argument that KB5065426 directly created a 10,000‑member failure mode.
- The registry key circulation (FeatureManagement Overrides key and DWORD 2362988687) reads like a community‑sourced toggle of a FeatureManagement flag. There are legitimate FeatureManagement overrides used in Windows servicing and experimentation, but toggling undocumented FeatureManagement keys in production can have unintended side effects and is not an approved mitigation unless Microsoft documents and endorses it. Community‑sourced registry fixes should be treated as diagnostic hypotheses, not operational fixes.
Practical, prioritized playbook for AD / hybrid identity administrators
The guidance below distills vendor guidance, community field reports, and standard AD change control practices into a prioritized, executable checklist.Immediate triage (0–2 hours)
- Identify the forest Schema Master:
- PowerShell: Get‑ADForest | fl SchemaMaster.
- Classic: netdom query fsmo.
- If the Schema Master is a Windows Server 2025 host, treat schema extension operations as high risk. Do not run Exchange PrepareSchema/PrepareAD or any Exchange CU that modifies schema while the Schema Master is on a 2025 DC.
- Add SIEM/monitoring alerts for Event ID 8418 and NTDS 1203 and run repadmin /showrepl across DCs to detect inbound replication failures. Collect repadmin /replsummary output.
Short‑term remediation (hours–days)
- If schema changes must be performed: transfer the Schema Master to a vetted non‑2025 DC (for example, Windows Server 2022) before applying Exchange schema‑extending updates.
- PowerShell example:
- Move‑ADDirectoryServerOperationMasterRole -Identity "TARGET‑DC" -OperationMasterRole SchemaMaster
- Verify: Get‑ADForest | Select‑Object SchemaMaster.
- If replication has already failed:
- Collect diagnostic artifacts: repadmin output, Directory Service event logs, and LDIFDE exports of schema objects (ldifde -f schema_export.ldf -d "cn=schema,cn=configuration,dc=contoso,dc=com"). Open a Microsoft Support case for assisted remediation. Microsoft has an assisted cleanup path; do not undertake mass schema surgery without Support.
- Avoid applying undocumented registry workarounds in production. If a vendor KB later documents a specific FeatureManagement override, follow the vendor’s exact instructions and test in a lab first. For now, treat community registry toggles as experimental and potentially harmful.
Entra Connect / DirSync specific checks (hours–days)
- Validate Entra Connect agent version and configuration. Entra Connect’s published sync limits show group synchronization behavior permitting very large groups (up to about 250,000 members in the default configuration) and other documented behaviors that do not align with a strict 10,000‑member cutoff. If Entra Connect is showing truncated or failed syncs for large groups, collect Entra Connect trace logs and correlate timestamps with Windows Update/KB install windows before taking action.
- If a large static group is causing repeated problems, consider splitting membership into smaller, role‑based groups or using dynamic groups where appropriate and supported by the tenant design. Test any large‑group changes in a staging tenant or lab first.
Risk analysis: strengths, gaps, and enterprise exposure
Strengths in Microsoft’s handling
- Microsoft publicly documented the schema‑duplication symptom in KB5065426, giving administrators a clear diagnostic signal (Event ID 8418) and a straightforward preventive rule (don’t host Schema Master on Server 2025 while doing schema work). Publishing a KB for the problem is the right channel and provides customers a reliable authoritative reference.
- Microsoft has a support path for assisted cleanup rather than forcing customers to perform ad‑hoc schema surgery, which reduces the likelihood of operator error causing long‑term forest damage.
Gaps and operational risks
- The KB’s language that the issue “appears to have existed since the initial release of Windows Server 2025” implies a latent defect exposed by Exchange CUs — but that phrasing leaves room for ambiguity on root cause and scope. That ambiguity led to multiple third‑party interpretations and an outflow of conflicting remediation advice, increasing operational risk.
- Community circulation of an undocumented registry workaround and an asserted 10,000‑member DirSync cutoff introduces real danger: administrators may deploy unvetted registry edits across production estates, which can cause irreversible configuration drift and unforeseeable side effects. Microsoft explicitly warns that incorrect registry edits can cause irreversible damage; that warning must be heeded.
- Mixed‑version forests remain the highest practical risk surface. Environments that allow automated FSMO promotion or use automated DC scaling without explicit FSMO placement checks are more likely to accidentally host FSMO roles on new OS releases and therefore are more exposed to latent regressions. Updating deployment automation to treat FSMO placement as a guarded change is essential.
Recommendations for executives and IT leadership
- Prioritize the risk: this is a low‑probability/high‑impact event for many organizations, but for estates that run mixed DC versions and plan Exchange schema changes it is high‑impact and immediate. Treat schema extension windows as high‑risk change windows and require FSMO audits and approvals.
- Approve a short change window to:
- Inventory FSMO roles and confirm Schema Master placement.
- Delay Exchange schema work if the Schema Master is on Windows Server 2025.
- Approve Microsoft Support engagement budget for assisted remediation if needed.
- Avoid enterprise‑wide application of community registry fixes. Authorize lab testing only, and require Microsoft validation before any production rollout of registry overrides.
What to watch next / monitoring plan
- Monitor Microsoft update‑history and the KB page for KB5065426 for revised guidance or patch availability; Microsoft has stated a future update will include a fix. Set a release‑health watch and apply vendor KB advisories as they arrive.
- Add SIEM signatures for Event ID 8418 and NTDS 1203 and run repadmin/health checks as part of any schema change window. Collect repadmin traces and LDIFDE exports proactively if planning Exchange updates.
- If using Entra Connect, correlate sync logs and agent telemetry with AD event timelines before assuming the update caused the Entra sync symptom. Validate Entra Connect version support and consult Microsoft’s Entra Connect documentation for group size and sync behavior.
Conclusion — measured actions, not panic
The Windows Server 2025 KB5065426 update contains a confirmed and serious Active Directory replication defect tied to schema‑writing behavior when the Schema Master FSMO role lives on a Windows Server 2025 DC; Microsoft has documented the symptom and provided prevention and remediation guidance while a patch is being developed. Administrators should immediately treat any schema extension work as a controlled event, verify Schema Master placement, monitor Event ID 8418/1203, and engage Microsoft Support if replication has already failed.Claims that KB5065426 deterministically breaks DirSync / Entra Connect for groups above 10,000 members and that a specific FeatureManagement registry DWORD (2362988687) is the sanctioned fix are not corroborated by Microsoft’s KB or official Entra documentation at this time and therefore must be treated with caution. Test any such registry tweaks in an isolated lab, and avoid applying undocumented overrides broadly in production.
This situation illustrates why conservative FSMO placement, robust change control, and an incident playbook that includes vendor escalation are core requirements for hybrid identity operations. The immediate defensive steps — inventory FSMO holders, delay schema changes when Schema Master sits on Windows Server 2025, enable targeted monitoring, and engage Microsoft Support for cleanup — are straightforward and will materially reduce organizational risk while waiting for Microsoft’s permanent patch.
Source: Petri IT Knowledgebase Active Directory Sync Bug Hits Windows Server 2025