XCON: Empty Subject Msg Can Cause NDR When Sent Through X.400

ID: Q194651

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 5.0, 5.5

SYMPTOMS

When sending a message with an empty subject field through an X.400 connector to ATLAS, the French X.400 provider, ATLAS generates a non-delivery-report (NDR) back to the originator with the following message:


   diagnostic = Syntax- error

CAUSE

Exchange Server is encoding the empty subject field with:

length = 1

value = 00

In ITU Recommendation X.420, the subject field is defined as following:


   SubjectField ::= TeletexString (SIZE (0..128))

According to ITU Recommendation T0 to T63, the null character is not a valid T61 character.

RESOLUTION

Exchange Server 5.0

A supported fix that corrects this problem is now available from Microsoft, but has not been fully regression-tested and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem. If you are not severely affected by this specific problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.0 service pack that contains this fix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information on support costs, please go to the following address on the World Wide Web:

http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/overview/overview.asp

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

Component: Message Transfer Agent (MTA)


   File Name      Version
   --------------------------
   Address.dll    5.0.1461.72
   Dbserver.sch   5.0.1461.72
   Dcprods.cat    5.0.1461.72
   Ems_rid.dll    5.0.1461.72
   Emsmta.exe     5.0.1461.72
   Infoplog.cfg   5.0.1461.72
   Infotlog.cfg   5.0.1461.72
   Infoxlog.cfg   5.0.1461.72
   Mmiext.dll     5.0.1461.72
   Mtacheck.exe   5.0.1461.72
   Mtamsg.dll     5.0.1461.72
   P2.xv2         5.0.1461.72
   P3.tpl         5.0.1461.72
   P772.tpl       5.0.1461.72
   X400om.dll     5.0.1461.72
   X400omv1.dll   5.0.1461.72

Exchange Server 5.5

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Exchange Server version 5.5. For more information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q191014 XGEN: How to Obtain the Latest Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

Component: Message Transfer Agent (MTA)


   File Name      Version
   -------------------------
   Dbserver.sch   5.5.2428.0
   Dcprods.cat    5.5.2428.0
   Ems_rid.dll    5.5.2428.0
   Emsmta.exe     5.5.2428.0
   Info4log.cfg   5.5.2428.0
   Infodlog.cfg   5.5.2428.0
   Infollog.cfg   5.5.2428.0
   Infotlog.cfg   5.5.2428.0
   Mtacheck.exe   5.5.2428.0
   Mtamsg.dll     5.5.2428.0
   P2.xv2         5.5.2428.0
   X400om.dll     5.5.2428.0
   X400omv1.dll   5.5.2428.0

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server versions 5.0 and 5.5.

Additional query words: ndr

Keywords : exc55sp2fix exc5 exc55
Version : winnt:5.0,5.5
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbprb