XCON: MTA Fails to Start and Logs Event ID 2143

• Microsoft Exchange Server, version 4.0
• Microsoft Exchange Server, version 5.0

SYMPTOMS

The Microsoft Exchange Server Message Transfer Agent (MTA) may fail to start. The following error will be logged in the Windows NT Application Log:

   Event ID 2143 MSExchangeMTA
   Internal Processing
   A fatal MTA database server error was encountered. Call Microsoft
   Product Support.

MORE INFORMATION

This problem usually occurs on high use systems that participate is Directory Synchronization (DXA) with Microsoft Mail PO’s. The issue is the DXA is serviced by an MTA queue that is also used for handling message reports. Whenever a report is handled by the MTA; the queue is reset. If the DXA was in the process of reading or writing into the queue at the time of the reset, the APDU (Application Packet Data Unit) becomes correct and this causes the problem

STATUS

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

For Microsoft Exchange Server version 4.0, we are currently researching this issue and will post more information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

This has been 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):

   S E R V P A C K