XCON: Message Sent Without Message Body Text is not Delivered

• Microsoft Exchange Server, version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

When you send a mail message that has no message body from a foreign X.400 system, it will not be delivered through Microsoft Exchange Server. The message may be returned to the originator with a non-delivery report (NDR). Microsoft Exchange server may log the following event in the Application Event Log:

   Event ID: 210
   Source:  MSExchangeMTA
   Category: X.400 Service
   Type:  Warning

   Description:
   An internal MTA error occured.  Content conversion for message
   C=country;A=ADMD;P=PRMD;L=servername failed.  Conversion error 4096,
   object at fault 060000C2, original content type 56010A00, new
   content type 2A864886F7140501. [MTA DISP FANOUT 15 112] (14)

CAUSE

If a foreign system passes a message and includes a General Text Body Part tag, the Microsoft Exchange message transfer agent (MTA) expects character set information. It is considered non-conformant to include a General Text Body Part without any character set information.

Some systems will still send a General Text Body Part even in the absence of a message body, but Microsoft Exchange Server will do not do this.

STATUS

The Microsoft Exchange MTA has been modified to assume a General Body Text type of IA5 in the absence of character set information.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Exchange version 4.0. This problem was corrected in the latest Microsoft Exchange 4.0 U.S. Service Pack. For information on obtaining the service pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

   S E R V P A C K