XFOR: Content Conversion Fails with Outbound Internet Message

ID: Q174890

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Exchange Server, version 5.0

SYMPTOMS

When cc:Mail users send messages to the Internet through the Exchange Server 5.0 Internet Mail Service for outbound Internet messages, and the Internet Mail Service is set to MIME, the receiving POP3 client may receive a garbled message that has no attachment. The message takes this path:


   Cc:mail -- [CCMC] -- exchange -- [IMS] --- Other POP server -
   -- POP client

The POP client will receive the following statement appended to the message:

This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not
understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible.

Affected POP3 clients tested are Eudora, IE 3.02, Exchange Internet Mail service (client). The only client that will interpret the message/attachment correctly is the Outlook Internet Mail Service.

CAUSE

cc:Mail attachments do not stop for conversion from CCmail format to Exchange to MIME. They appear to go straight from CCmail format to MIME (content- type: application/ms-tnef). The problem is that the Internet Mail Service is sending rich text.

WORKAROUND

If you cannot apply the fix referenced below, do one of the following:

Create a custom recipient on exchange of the POP3 receiving client and send the message to him or her. It will be received as "content-type: application/octet-stream" and the POP3 client gets an attachment and reads the message properly.

-OR-

Set Internet Mail Service service to send all outbound mail as UUENCODED messages.

-OR-

Set the Internet Mail Service interoperability "send RTF" to Never. It is set to User by default.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.0. This problem has been corrected in the latest U.S. Service Pack for Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.0. For information on obtaining the Service Pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

SERVPACK

Additional query words: CCMail IMS IMC

Keywords : kbusage kbbug5.00 kbfix5.00.sp2 XFOR
Version : WinNT:5.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug