XFOR: Some Macintosh Attachments Not Encoded Using BinHex (186182)

SYMPTOMS

Some Macintosh-based programs create files that are also compatible with programs that are not Macintosh-based. When you attach these files to a message and send the message through the Internet Mail Service, the information store may not recognize the file as a Macintosh file. This causes the Microsoft Exchange Server computer to encode the file using UUENCODE instead of BinHex, even if you specified that the file should be encoded using BinHex in the Exchange client or in the properties for the Internet Mail Service.

Because the file is encoded using UUENCODE, you are unable to open the attachment when you view the message in a Macintosh e-mail client. To open the attachment, you must manually decode the file using a program that is able to do so.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.5. This problem has been corrected in the latest U.S. service pack for Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.5. For information on obtaining the service pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

S E R V P A C K

MORE INFORMATION

When you apply the first fix, a MacCreatorTypes registry value is created In the following registry key:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeIS
   \ParametersSystem\InternetContent

NOTE: The above registry key is one path; it has been wrapped for readability.

This registry value has a type of REG_MULTI_SZ and contains a list of Macintosh file types. If the file you attach to the message has an extension that is specified in this registry value, the information store recognizes the file as a Macintosh file and encodes the file using BinHex.

When you apply the second fix, a BinHexAllFiles registry value is created in the above registry key. This registry value has a type of REG_DWORD. If the registry value is assigned a value greater than 0 (zero) and the Internet Mail Service is configured so that outbound attachments are sent in BinHex, all attachments sent through the Internet Mail Service are encoded in BinHex. If the registry value is assigned a value of 0 (zero) and the Internet Mail Service is configured so that outbound attachments are sent in BinHex, Macintosh attachments sent through the Internet Mail Service are encoded in BinHex and non-Macintosh attachments are encoded in UUENCODE.

To configure the Internet Mail Service so that outbound attachments are sent in BinHex, perform the following steps:

Start the Exchange Server Administrator program.
In the left pane of the Administrator window, click the Connections object under the appropriate site. In the right pane, click the Internet Mail Service, and then click Properties on the File menu. Note that the Connections object appears under the Configuration object.
On the Internet Mail tab, select UUENCODE, select the Binhex check box, and then click OK.