XCON: MTA Stops Processing While Handling Incoming Mail (248732)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5
  • Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 SP1
  • Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 SP2
  • Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 SP3
This article was previously published under Q248732

SYMPTOMS

Although the EMSMTA process is still apparently running, no work is being done, and no events are logged. If you stop and restart the message transfer agent (MTA), you may receive the following error message:
Windows NT Error 1067

CAUSE

The MTA has received a message from a foreign MTA that contains a trace record with a zero-length Arrival Time attribute. Processing this illegally-formed attribute causes internal context information to be overwritten.

RESOLUTION

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

WORKAROUND

There is no workaround for this issue. If you create a new MTA database (MTAWIPE), it allows the MTA to start again, but the foreign MTA resends the offending message.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack 4.

MORE INFORMATION

With the application of the hotfix, the MTA rejects the invalid message, logs an event, and sends a non-delivery report (NDR) back with a diagnostic of Invalid Argument.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/2/2003
Keywords:kbbug kbExchange550preSP4fix kbExchange550sp4Fix kbfix kbQFE KB248732
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.