XCON: Administrator Cannot Adjust the Filenames of Attachments

- Microsoft Exchange Server, version 4.0

SUMMARY

Attachments sent without a filename (OLE attachments, text, and so forth) are given a predefined filename by Microsoft Exchange that is not configurable through the Microsoft Exchange Administrator program.

Extra text body parts are called X400.txt and Binary body parts are called Att.dat.

MORE INFORMATION

In the Microsoft Mail 3.x X.400 Gateway, the mail administrator could specify the filename and extension for mail attachments that had no previously specified filename. This was done so that these types of messages could spawn external programs to view the data being sent.

For example, you could specify that all binary body parts have the extension .b14 and then create an association for .b14 to open Microsoft Word.

Microsoft Exchange does not allow for modification of the filename and extensions of unnamed attachments. Microsoft Exchange is hard-coded to use the filenames and extensions listed above.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in versions 4.0, of Microsoft Exchange. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.