XCON: MTA Stops Responding; Event ID 2110

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 4.0 and 5.0

SYMPTOMS

The message transfer agent (MTA) may stop responding; the following event appears in the Event Viewer application log:

   Event ID: 2110
   Source: MSExchangeMTA
   Type: Error
   Category: Internal Processing
   Description: A fatal MTA database server error was encountered. A bad
   list member length is on object 06000044. File offset: 0. Attribute ID:
   4096. Referenced object 00000000 (0=>N/A). Referenced object error: 0.
   (DB Server XFER-IN 15 42](16).

RESOLUTION

To troubleshoot this error, attempt to isolate the problem to a bad local DAT file in the Mtadata directory:

1. Run MTACHECK.

2. If MTACHECK does not correct the problem, try finding the referenced DAT file (06######.DAT) in Mtadata. If it is there, move it to another directory or rename it. Restart the MTA to confirm whether the event ID 2110 recurs.

3. If this error still occurs after you try to troubleshoot the local MTA, find out more information about the topology of the Microsoft Exchange environment.

   Find out whether there is any mail entering the Microsoft Exchange environment through the Internet Mail Connector (IMC), a foreign X.400 system, or a Microsoft Mail Connector. These servers will most likely be the source of the bad message. Troubleshoot those servers that have these connectors installed, and see whether there are actually problems originating on those servers:

         a. Check the Event Viewer Application Logs, and verify that the MTA
            is running fine on those servers.
   
         b. Look in the MTA queue (on other adjacent servers) for mail
            destined for the affected server (that is, the server that is not
            responding and is experiencing Event ID 2110) with an old
            time/date stamp. If there is anything suspicious there, try to
            delete the messages that appear to be old or corrupt.
   
         c. If the MTA appears to be running with no problems on those
            servers, consider shutting down the MTAs (one at a time)
            and running MTACHECK on each of the computers.
   
   

MORE INFORMATION

The portion of the event description in parentheses (DB Server XFER- IN 15 42) indicates which part of the MTA code was executing when the bad message was encountered.

In the case where "(DB Server XFER-IN 15 42)" is shown, there is an increased possibility that the bad message can be found on an adjacent server that is trying to deliver the message to this local server.

In the case where "(DB Server DISP FANOUT 22 42)"is shown, the bad message can probably be found on the local server in \MTADATA.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server, version 4.0 and 5.0.

We are researching this problem in Microsoft Exchange version 4.0 and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

This problem was corrected in the latest Microsoft Exchange Server 5.0 U.S. Service Pack. For information on obtaining the service pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):