SMTP: Date and Time Stamps Different in Inbox and Message

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Mail Gateway to SMTP, version 3.0

SUMMARY

When you view messages received from SMTP through the Microsoft Mail Gateway to SMTP, the date and time stamps in the Inbox sometimes are different than those embedded in the message itself.

MORE INFORMATION

The date and time fields in the Inbox and those in the message are stamped by different hosts, in accordance with RFC 822.

For Incoming Messages

The SMTP gateway stamps the date that you see in the "Date" column of the Inbox. The gateway computer uses the TZ variable to adjust the time for the set time zone. The date field you see when you open the message is stamped by the sender's mail client. The other RFC 822 header fields that include dates in them are stamped by the SMTP hosts that relay the message along to its destination.

For Outgoing Messages

The date field you see when you open the message is stamped by the sender's mail client with the client's local date and time. In this case, the client uses the TZ variable to adjust for the time zone.

The SMTP gateway stamps the date that it gets from the gateway computer in an RFC 822 header field and passes the message on to the mail routing host. Again, all other RFC 822 header fields with dates in them are stamped by the SMTP hosts who relay the message along to its destination.