XCON: MTA Fails to Start and Logs Event ID 2143

ID: Q169656

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 4.0, 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.

Running MTACHECK will produce no errors.

MORE INFORMATION

This problem usually occurs on high use systems that participate is Directory Synchronization (DXA) with Microsoft Mail PO[ASCII 146]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, version 4.0. This problem has been corrected in the latest U.S. Service Pack for Microsoft Exchange Server version 4.0. 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

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server, Version5.0. This problem 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

Keywords : kbfix4.00.sp5 kbfix5.00.sp1
Version : 4.0 5.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug