XIMS: Internet Custom Recipients Sending Wrong REPLY TO Address (203034)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Exchange Server 5.0
  • Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5
This article was previously published under Q203034

SYMPTOMS

The Exchange Internet Mail Service has the capability to route e-mail for other e-mail domains. Replies from "Internet" custom recipients back to the Internet may contain the wrong Reply To address.

For example: Set up Internet custom recipients on Exchange Server with a target e-mail address of user@remotedomain.com. Then add a new second Internet address of user@localdomain.com. The custom recipient can now receive e-mail at user@localdomain.com, and have it forwarded to the target address of user@remotedomain.com. Now, the receiving mailbox (user@remotedomain.com) can reply to this message, sending it back to Exchange Server to be relayed on to the Internet to the originator of the initial message. This reply message could have the wrong Reply To address.

CAUSE

This was normal for the Internet Mail Service. In this situation, the Internet Mail Service is acting as a relay agent for the reply message. Incoming SMTP mail to Exchange Server will be relayed back to the sender with no modification of the sender's address (the sender being the original recipient of this reply message = user@remotedomain.com). Setting the Reply To address on the custom recipient to user@localdomain.com has no effect because the SMTP message is simply relayed and not compared to the directory.

RESOLUTION

The behavior has been changed in the latest Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack. To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Exchange Server 5.5. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

191014 XGEN: How to Obtain the Latest Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack


For additional information about these changes in version 5.5., click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

238471 XIMS: How to Force SMTP Messages Through the Information Store


For information regarding Exchange 5.0, see the "Workaround" section below.

WORKAROUND

The e-mail system where the user's mailbox resides (user@remotedomain.com) must update the user's mailbox with the correct Reply To address.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:4/28/2005
Keywords:kbprb KB203034
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