X400: Foreign MTA Cannot Restore Connection Using PConnect

ID: Q194556

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Mail Gateway to X.400, version 3.2

SYMPTOMS

If you send a message through the Microsoft Mail Gateway to X.400 from a foreign system on which the message transfer agent (MTA) is configured for a checkpoint size greater than zero, and then the connection ends unexpectedly before the message is completely transferred, the foreign MTA may attempt to restore the connection using a PConnect data element. The Microsoft Mail Gateway to X.400 may not allow the connection to be established, and entries similar to the following may appear in the X.400 log file:

13:17:37 ERROR 1 (RTS): Failed to decode PConnect

13:17:37 ERROR 1 (RTS): Protocol error occurred in state 0

13:17:37 ERROR 3 (RTS): Association aborted

The problem occurs repeatedly until the foreign MTA no longer attempts to restore the connection. When this occurs, the foreign MTA may no longer consider the Microsoft Mail Gateway to X.400 computer a valid MTA.

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
   ----------------------
   X400gate.exe   3.2.6

This hotfix has been posted to the following Internet location as X400gy2k.exe:

ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/mail/pcmail-public/all-y2k/

WORKAROUND

To prevent this problem from occurring, use one of the following methods:

Configure the foreign MTA for a checkpoint size of zero.

Configure the foreign MTA so that it does not attempt to restore the connection when the connection ends unexpectedly before the message is completely transferred.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Mail Gateway to X.400 version 3.2.

Additional query words:

Keywords : MailGWX400
Version : MS-DOS:3.2
Platform : MS-DOS
Issue type : kbbug