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Q111857: SMTP: Missing Attachment Name in Client when Using PMDF Mailer

Article: Q111857
Product(s): Microsoft Mail For PC Networks
Version(s): 
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 30-JUL-2001

SYMPTOMS
========

Upon opening an attachment of a message from SMTP, the attachment name may not
be found if the TCP/IP mail routing host used a PMDF mailer. The attachment
itself is not lost, and is viewable.

CAUSE
=====

The problem is in the RFC 822 header fields, and the order in which they appear.
When using the PMDF mailer on the TCP/IP mail routing host, the
"X-MS-Attachment" header line is re-ordered to appear before the "Encoding"
header line. The SMTP gateway uses the "Encoding" header to build up a link list
to describe the attachments and then fills in the file attributes later when it
parses the "X-MS-Attachment" lines. If these two lines appear in the wrong
order, the link list does not exist when the "X-MS-Attachment" header lines are
being parsed. The gateway then ignores these lines, losing the names of any
attachments.

Looking at a log file generated by starting the SMTP gateway with the "-cd" and
"-lacsy" switches, the incorrect header fields appear as:

13:22:41 - Sending message to Microsoft Mail
13:22:42 - Header: Return-Path: <root@company.com>
13:22:42 - Header: Received: from company.com by smtp-gateway.company.com
13:22:42 - Header: id <2C431991@smtp-gateway.company.com>; Tue, 13 Jul 93
13:22:41 PDT
13:22:42 - Header: Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1993 13:22:00 -0700 (PDT)
13:22:42 - Header: From: Root <root@company.com>
13:22:42 - Header: Subject: Testing word attachment thru SMTPgate
13:22:42 - Header: To: "ROOT (COMPANY)" <root@company.oom>
13:22:42 - Header: X-Mailer: Microsoft Mail V3.0
13:22:42 - Header: X-MS-Attachment: smtptest.doc 1024 07-13-1993 13:20
13:22:42 - Header: Encoding: 2 TEXT, 29 UUENCODE
13:22:42 - Header:

A correct set of headers should look like this:

13:22:41 - Sending message to Microsoft Mail
13:22:42 - Header: Return-Path: <root@company.com>
13:22:42 - Header: Received: from company.com by smtp-gateway.company.com
13:22:42 - Header: id <2C431991@smtp-gateway.company.com>; Tue, 13 Jul 93
13:22:41 PDT
13:22:42 - Header: Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1993 13:22:00 -0700 (PDT)
13:22:42 - Header: From: Root <root@company.com>
13:22:42 - Header: Subject: Testing word attachment thru SMTPgate
13:22:42 - Header: To: "ROOT (COMPANY)" <root@company.oom>
13:22:42 - Header: X-Mailer: Microsoft Mail V3.0
13:22:42 - Header: Encoding: 2 TEXT, 29 UUENCODE
13:22:42 - Header: X-MS-Attachment: smtptest.doc 1024 07-13-1993 13:20
13:22:42 - Header:

RESOLUTION
==========

Obtain the latest version of PMDF, from Innosoft. The latest version no longer
re-orders the headers.

Additional query words: 3.00 attachment pmdf SMTP

======================================================================
Keywords          :  

=============================================================================

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