3COM: Mail Is Not Sent Through Gateway

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Mail Gateway to 3Com 3+Mail, version 1.0

SYMPTOMS

When using version 1.0 of the Microsoft Mail Gateway to 3Com 3+Mail, the gateway may seem blocked: mail is not passed in either direction, yet the gateway screen or error log shows no error messages related to this.

CAUSE

This may be a result of a message being stuck in the 3Com gateway processing subdirectories.

RESOLUTION

Remove the stranded messages from the processing subdirectories before restarting the gateway.

If you want to try to save the mail messages for later, back up the following subdirectories with their files to a different location. Then delete the message files and subdirectories in these locations:

1. In the gateway-software subdirectory:

         3C-OUT
         MFFPUT
         MFFGET
   

2. In the Microsoft Mail postoffice database directory:

         P1
   

To get the gateway running, you need to clear all files out of these directories and restart the gateway.

Later, you can try to resend the mail by copying the message files back into the original directories.

If the problem persists, try the following:

• Use a faster PC for the gateway, such as a 386/25 or faster with a 16-bit high speed network interface card.
• Increase the interval between firing times from the default of 10 minutes to 20 minutes.
• Use the .INI parameter FIRETIME to selectively increase gateway throughput during peak times if needed.
• Make sure you address mail to fewer than 99 users at any one time.
• If you have large attachments to send, make sure the address list is small. You might have to send the mail multiple times to fit within the memory limits of the gateway.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft Mail Gateway to 3Com 3+Mail, version 1.0. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.