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Q129706: X400: Incoming X.400 Receipt Notifications

Article: Q129706
Product(s): Microsoft Mail For PC Networks
Version(s): MS-DOS:2.1,3.0,3.2
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 05-NOV-1999

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Mail Gateway to X.400, versions 2.1, 3.0, 3.2 
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SYMPTOMS
========

When a Microsoft Mail user requests a return receipt for a message sent to a
foreign X.400 user, the receipt is not a standard postcard. Some systems (DEC
Mail Works, Memo, Retix Open Mail) return a native X.400 receipt notification.
The Microsoft Mail for Windows user will receive a message with the following
text:

  From: POSTMASTER
  To: Admin
  Subject:
  Date: Friday February 24,1995 14:26

  ** Receipt Notification **
  Receipt: Feb 24 14:26:53 1995 -08:00 relative to GMT

A Microsoft Mail MS-DOS user will receive a message with the following text:

  DATE: Feb 24 14:26:54 1995 -08:00 relative to GMT
  FROM: POSTMASTER

  Reported: 00000261.MAI
  Actual Recipient: root [C=us; A=mci; P=msft; O=x400hub

  ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????
  ** Receipt Notification **
  Receipt: Feb 24 14:26:53 1995 -08:00 relative to GMT

Because the message lacks a subject, it is impossible to know which message was
answered.

CAUSE
=====

This is the content of the X.400 receipt notification generated by the user
agent (UA) of the foreign mail system. The service element called Receipt
Notification is a nonessential option of the X.420 CCITT recommendations.

The Receipt Notification element is composed of three parts:

  Receipt Time
  TypeOfReceipt
  Supplementary Info

Most foreign mail systems only include the first field (the Receipt Time). The
user agent must make the correspondence between the original message and the
return receipt by using the IPMessageID. Microsoft Mail uses the O/R address of
the originator and an identifier. This identifier is the name of the file
containing the message (00000261.MAI). Because Microsoft Mail does not keep this
pointer in memory, there is no way to associate the two messages.

The Microsoft Mail Gateway to X.400 changes the FROM file to POSTMASTER so that
the recipient will not receive a nondelivery report if the return receipt does
not get delivered. SR# SRM950213000003
Status Closed because customer doesn't want to use StripGatewayHeaders=0
Technical explanation:

The fact that the Windows client does not show the Actual Recipient as in the
MS-DOS client is a bug. The StripGatewayHeaders=0 parameter in the MSMAIL.INI
file should add this extended information.

Changing incoming native X.400 Receipt Notifications into MS Mail
"MicrosoftMailv3.0IPM.MicrosoftMail.ReadReceipt" type messages would not give
any more information than the MS-DOS client--i.e., MAI file name, User name, and
time read. The foreign X.400 system would have to add the subject field to the
Supplementary Info field for this to work.

WORKAROUND
==========

To eliminate incoming receipt notifications, do not use return receipts on mail
sent to X.400 users. This solution will not work, however, if the mail is
addressed to both Microsoft Mail users and X.400 users. In this case, a
third-party product such as WinRules can be used to filter the receipt
notification messages.

WinRules is manufactured by Beyond Incorporated, a vendor independent of
Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product's
performance or reliability.

Additional query words: 2.10 3.00 3.20

======================================================================
Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbMailSearch kbMailGateSearch kbZNotKeyword3 kbMailGatex400300 kbMailGatex400320 kbMailGatex400210
Version           : MS-DOS:2.1,3.0,3.2

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

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