PC Ext: Inaccurate Non-Delivery Reports or Duplicate Mail

ID: Q136004

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Mail for PC Networks, version 3.5

SYMPTOMS

The file locking timing method used when you run multiple External Mail programs against asynchronously connected postoffices (POs) with two way connection enabled can result in inaccurate non-delivery reports (NDRs) or possible duplicate mail.

The above problem can have the following symptoms:

Misleading NDRs and SYSTEM.LOG entries:

      

External program has detected a mail problem.
      Message data:
        From: /USERONE
        Date: 07-06-95
        Time: 09:01
        Subject: RE: Testing
      [005] Mail retry count exceeded sending to:  MAILNET  /MAILPO
      [016] Message was not sent due to missing message file.
      Missing file is O:MAI\MA4\0006A044.MAI.

However, the SENT.LOG file shows that the message was successfully delivered prior to this attempt.

Messages are received a second time with only the subject line.

Duplicate messages.

With the original file locking method, after sending mail, the MBG .OLK file was deleted before the ATT, MAI, and other associated P1 files were deleted. As a result, the MBG file would be unlocked too quickly. Another External Mail program may attempt to lock the mailbag and process the mail before the previous External Mail program had cleaned up properly, resulting in the above errors.

RESOLUTION

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.

To resolve this problem, 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://support.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/default.asp

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


   File Name      Version
   ----------------------
   Async.ovl      3.5.20
   External.exe   3.5.20
   X25atlan.ovl   3.5.20
   X25eicon.ovl   3.5.20

This hotfix has been posted to the following Internet location as Exty2k.exe:

ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/mail/pcmail-public/All-Y2K/

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Mail for PC Networks version 3.5. Additional query words: 3.50
KBCategory: kbenv kbbug3.50
KBSubcategory: MailPCExt

Additional query words:

Keywords : MailPCExt
Version : WINDOWS:3.5
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbbug