Gtwy: Frequently Asked Questions for Microsoft Mail Gateways

ID: Q134339

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Mail Connection for PC and AppleTalk Networks
Microsoft Mail Gateway to Fax
Microsoft Mail Gateway to MHS
Microsoft Mail Gateway to SMTP
Microsoft Mail Gateway to X.400
Microsoft Mail Software Development Kit: FFAPI for Gateways and Applications

SUMMARY

The following is a list of frequently asked questions about Microsoft Mail gateways.

Q. What are the most common gateway issues listed in the Microsoft Knowledge Base?

A.
Q99714: MHS: Connecting Microsoft Mail to cc:Mail
Q103802: MHS: How to Test Whether the Gateway Is Working
Q94468: MHS: Microsoft Mail & NetWare Global Messaging (NGM)
Q96244: SMTP: Err Msg: Socket Error (123) When Starting Gateway
Q99713: SMTP: How REPLY Chooses a FROM Address
Q100455: Using Gateway Address Lists

Q. What is MHS, and how does it relate to the Microsoft Mail Gateway to MHS?

A. Message Handling Service, MHS, is a product sold by Novell. It consists of three components: a directory manager, a connectivity manager, and a transport server. The directory manager is an administrative tool used to define the MHS database. The connectivity manager routes messages within the database. The transport server transfers messages from one MHS database to another. MHS databases communicate with each other asynchronously. Microsoft Mail Gateway to MHS is a gateway application that conforms to the Standard Message Format version 70 (SMF70) specification. It retrieves messages from Microsoft Mail and converts them into the SMF70 format, then deposits them in the MHS database. From here, the MHS connectivity manager is responsible for final delivery to the recipient. The gateway will also pick up mail routed to it from the MHS connectivity manager, convert it to Microsoft Mail format, and deliver it to the Microsoft Mail postoffice.

Q. Does the Microsoft Mail Gateway to MHS work with NetWare Global Messaging (NGM)?

A. Yes. NGM adheres to SMF71. To be compatible with an SMF70 gateway, such as Microsoft Mail Gateway to MHS, a Novell executable file, GWDEMON.EXE, must be running on a dedicated workstation. For more information, see Chapter 8 in the NetWare Global Messaging Administration Manual.

Q. What is required to configure Microsoft Mail Gateway to SMTP?

A. A mail routing host (smart host) in the TCP/IP network is required. The smart host may or may not be using the Domain Name Service (DNS) to handle message routing.


If your smart
       host uses          See this article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base
       --------------------------------------------------------------------

       DNS                Q101459, "SMTP: GW0645: Configuring the SMTP
                          Gateway & DNS"
       Host tables        Q115496, "SMTP: Configuring the Mail Routing Host
                          Without DNS"

If the DNS or host table is not configured correctly, you may experience errors such as "550 Addressee Unknown."

Q. What causes the Microsoft Mail Gateway to SMTP to hang?

A. There are five known network configurations that can affect Microsoft Mail Gateway to SMTP reliability:
- Postoffice (PO) and Gateway should be on the same physical network.
- Use a Mail Relay Host for inbound SMTP mail.
- Have routers use static routing.
- Use a 16-bit Network Interface Card (NIC).
- Use one protocol per NIC (IPX/SPX).
For more information about these configurations, see
Q131150, "SMTP: Causes of Hangs on Mail Gateway to SMTP," in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

Q. What is the optimal way to deploy the Microsoft Mail Gateway to SMTP in my company?

A. A small-volume implementation can process up to 10,000 messages a day, and consists of one SMTP gateway. A medium-volume implementation can process up to 20,000 messages a day, with dedicated incoming/outgoing SMTP gateways or with the purchase of an additional SMTP gateway. A large-volume implementation can handle any number of messages greater than 20,000 a day, and can be multiple incoming/outgoing gateways, or both.

Four possible configurations for small- to large-volume scenarios are discussed in the Microsoft Knowledge Base. For more information, see Q132060, "SMTP: SMTP Gateway in Small, Medium, and Large Organizations."

Q. Why does outgoing mail work, but incoming mail does not, with the Microsoft Mail Gateway to X.400?

A. If this is the first time you are setting up the gateway, you must add the Microsoft Mail Gateway to X.400 to the "Routing" section in the X400ADM.EXE Administrator program.

Q. How many Eicon X.25 cards can the Microsoft Mail Gateway to X.400 support?

A. The Microsoft Mail Gateway to X.400 can support one Eicon X.25 card and one Ethernet card at the same time. Multiple simultaneous connections can be processed using both cards, or one on the computer running the gateway.

Q. Why am I getting "ERROR 3" errors?

A. Both the Microsoft Mail Gateway to X.400 and the other X.400 mail system must be properly configured for messages to transfer properly. This means that each X.400 system must have defined its own parameters (nsap, tsap, ssap, MTA name and password, and x.121 address) and those of the other X.400 system. Some parameters are not required; for more information, refer to your Microsoft Mail Gateway to SMTP documentation.

Q. With the Microsoft Mail Gateway to PROFS and OfficeVision, why do I get better performance with inbound mail than with outbound mail?

A. The VTAM/NCP parameters and buffer sizes on the PROFS host are not configured optimally. Some suggestions for improving performance are:
- Tailor the attachment card buffer size to host VTAM/NCP parameters.
- Check VTAM/NCP host definitions for token-ring (MAXDATA, MAXTSL, Class of Service).
- Adjust the RU size on MODETAB.

Q. Why aren't free and busy times flowing between Microsoft Mail and IBM PROFS and OfficeVision?

A. There are two main configuration points for free and busy times to flow properly:

Check AdminSch and make sure there is a gateway definition for the VM host that includes the user name, making a complete 10 x 10 x 10 address. AdminSch should also show the fields "Date Sent" and "Date Received," with dates filled in if free and busy times have been exchanged. If these fields are blank, check the SCHDIST.LOG file in the MAILDATA\LOG subdirectory of the Mail database. Remember to fill in a time interval in AdminSch.

On the Host side, MS-CSM, check the file "schdplus control." This file should have comment records, PROFS: records, and PO: records. One PO: record should be present for each Microsoft Mail postoffice. If a PROFS: or PO: record is missing, exchange of free and busy times has not occurred successfully. The SCHDIST.LOG file will contain errors recording why this was unsuccessful.

Q. How do I disable the cover page and distribution box in the Microsoft Mail Gateway to Fax?

A. You cannot disable the cover page or distribution box.

Q. With the Microsoft Mail Gateway to Fax, how do I get inbound faxes delivered to the recipient instead of a designated user?

A. Faxes currently cannot be routed to the intended recipient. Instead, they are routed to a designated user, who forwards them to the recipient. The technology necessary for a computer program to read in a handwritten recipient name and understand the intended recipient is not yet available.

Q. Can I send attachments from a Microsoft Mail client directly to the Microsoft Mail Gateway to Fax?

A. You can only do this with ASCII text attachments. If you need to send other types of documents, use the fax printer driver.

Q. Why isn't my SNADS mail working?

A. The SNADS gateway is not a Microsoft product. If you experience problems sending mail to and from SNADS, contact your SNADS gateway vendor -- either Softswitch or Linkage.

Q. How do I get addresses changed from Microsoft Mail format to my format?

A. File Format API (FFAPI) only provides addresses in the form 10 x 10 x 10. The address lists generated for Microsoft Mail users to send mail to FFAPI users can only be in the 10 x 10 x 10 format. You can use the Import utility to add lists of FFAPI users to the Microsoft Mail address lists. If the FFAPI users have addresses in another format, the FFAPI gateway administrator must provide the functionality to create a table or conversion code to change the addresses from 10 x 10 x 10 format to the desired format; FFAPI does not provide a table or conversion utility to change 10 x 10 x 10 addresses to another format.

Q. Why doesn't mail sent to a group work?

A. Mail messages sent from File Format API (FFAPI) to a group that has members on other postoffices besides the FFAPI postoffice will not receive the message. FFAPI was not designed to resolve group members who receive mail on other postoffices.

Q. What does the error "80 - Bad Gateway Service Type" mean? A. This error indicates you have created a FFAPI postoffice with the same network name as another Microsoft Mail postoffice. You must use unique network names.

Q. How can I give more memory to the Connection Name Utility (CNU) and the Microsoft Mail for AppleTalk Networks server when it is running as an extension or an application?

A. When Microsoft Mail for AppleTalk Networks is running as an extension, the administrator can sign in to mail as a network manager and can increase the amount of memory allocated to the server by choosing the Server Settings option from the Mail menu and setting the server memory allocation. Remember that extensions cannot be granted for more than half the total amount of memory in the machine.

When the server is running as an application, you can select the application and press COMMAND+I. You can then adjust the amount of memory allocated in the preferred settings field accordingly. This same procedure is applied when you want to allocate more memory to the CNU when you are running Microsoft Mail Connection for PC and AppleTalk Networks.

Q. I just installed the Microsoft Mail Connection for PC and AppleTalk Networks and I do not want to wait for the next directory synchronization cycle to propagate the address list. Can I update both the Macintosh and Intel Mail systems' address lists right away?

A. Yes, you can:
1. With the Connection Name Utility (CNU) in the foreground on the Macintosh running the gateway, press COMMAND+S or choose Save To File from the File menu. A standard file Save As dialog appears.
2. Choose Desktop.
3. Open the Intel volume on which the connection store is located.
4. Open Maildata and continue until you reach the MACGATE folder.
5. Change "Untitled" in the "Dump World list into" field to a filename such as MACLIST.DOC. (NOTE: You can use any 8.3 MS-DOS filename.)
  
  The file that is created by this process is in the format required by the Import program (IMPORT.EXE). The R(eplace) PCM:proxynet/proxypo command is included at the top of the list as well.
  
  With this file at hand, all Microsoft Mail for PC Networks users who are downstream of the Mail for PC Networks gateway can almost immediately complete a fresh installation of the connection gateway. The administrator can send the address list, along with the Connection setup disk, to other Mail for PC Networks administrators, who can install the downstream component and the address list in the same session, leaving directory synchronization to its normal task of updating the global address list of participating postoffices.
To import the list into a Mail for PC Networks postoffice
In the steps listed above, you created a file named MACLIST.DOC and placed it in the MACGATE directory in the Mail for PC Networks gateway's Mail database. The Import (IMPORT.EXE) and Rebuild (REBUILD.EXE) files should also be located in the Mail database. To import the list, run the following commands
import admin -p<password> -d<x> -fmaclist.doc
rebuild -d<x> -f
where:

admin is the administrator account for the postoffice
<password> is the password for the account
<x> is the drive letter pointing to the root of the mail database

The Import utility will update the postoffice network list, and the Rebuild utility will update the global address list.
To reverse the procedure
Because it is possible to quickly get the contents of the Macintosh All list to the PC Mail environment, it is also possible to reverse the direction and insert the contents of the global address list into the All list.
1. From the CNU, press COMMAND+I and choose the complete directory option.
2. Watch the Macgate monitor and observe the import request cross the gateway.
3. From an administrator directory on a local computer, run the following commands against the directory synchronization server
  srvmain -r -d<x>
  srvmain -t -d<x>
  external -d<x> -0 -a
  external -d<x> -0 -a
  where <x> points to the drive letter of the mail database
4. Confirm that MACGATE.EXE delivers a message to the network manager of the gateway Macintosh postoffice. The subject of the message will be similar to the following:
  From: $SYSTEM Subject: SrvTx R=(a digit) S=(multiple digits)
5. Do nothing with this message. Bring the CNU forward. Choose Application from the Configure menu and set the receive updates time to 5 minutes ahead of the current Macintosh system time. When that time passes, you will see the system message removed from the network manager's inbox. In approximately 30 minutes, the contents of the global address list will be incorporated into the All list.
6. Restore the receive updates time to its original setting.

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Gtwy: Frequently Asked Questions for Microsoft Mail Gateways

SUMMARY

To import the list into a Mail for PC Networks postoffice

To reverse the procedure