XFOR: IMC Won't Identify Which Server Produced Postmaster NDR

• Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 4.0, 5.0

SYMPTOMS

When a message bounces and a non-delivery report (NDR) is produced, the sender will receive a message from the Postmaster. Exchange Server 4.0 will return an NDR from postmaster@domain.com, and Exchange Server 5.0 will return a NDR from postmaster.hostName@domain.com. Exchange Server 4.0 sends the NDR to the wrong administrator, and causes some confusion in troubleshooting the problem.

CAUSE

This problem was by design and was fixed in Exchange Server 5.0.

WORKAROUND

The perfect solution would be to upgrade computers running Exchange Server 4.0 to 5.0.

If that's not possible, the following workaround will resolve the issue of misdirected NDR replies from users. However, it affects all Exchange Server users and custom recipients on the server. Although this workaround worked in a test environment, it should be tested on a large number of servers before implementation in a production environment.

1. Double-click the Network icon in Control Panel, and click the Protocols tab.



2. Select TCP/IP Protocol, and click Properties.



3. In the DNS tab, add the server name in front of the domain name in the Domain Name textbox. For example, if you enter Server1.DomainName in the Domain Name textbox, the NDR will be from POSTMASTER@Server1.DomainName.com, where Server1 is the hostname of an Exchange Server computer as specified in the Domain Name Service (DNS).

Keywords :
Version : WINDOWS:4.0,5.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb