XCON: MSMail Read-Receipts Missing Data Across Organizations

ID: Q159162

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 4.0, 5.0, 5.5
Microsoft Mail for PC Networks, versions 3.0, 3.2, 3.2a, 3.5

SYMPTOMS

When you send a mail message with a read-receipt request from a Microsoft Mail 3.x client to a Microsoft Exchange Server user in a different organization, the read-receipt is returned with missing To and Subject fields.

A mail message sent with a read-receipt request from Microsoft Exchange Client to a Microsoft Mail user across a different organization results in the following returned receipt:


   Your message

      To:   Unknown
      Subject:Unknown
      Sent: Unknown

   was read on 11/8/96 8:36:00 AM

CAUSE

The Microsoft Mail client generates and responds to read receipts using MAPI commands. These commands are encapsulated by Exchange Server in the MDBEF format when they arrive in Exchange Server. However, when going to another Exchange Server organization, these commands are converted to a native X.400 format and the MDBEF properties are stripped out.

The Microsoft Mail client cannot compensate for this X.400 limitation because it does not know how to properly encode the message using standard X.400 flags for the handling of read receipts.

RESOLUTION

To work around this problem:

Have all the computers running Exchange Server in the same organization.

This will ensure that the MDBEF is preserved and the read receipt maintains its proper format.

Additional query words: rr msmail p2 ia5

Keywords : XCON exc4 exc5 exc55
Version : WINDOWS:3.0,3.2,3.2a,3.5; winnt:4.0,5.0,5.5
Platform : WINDOWS winnt
Issue type : kbprb