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Q140937: XCON: Remote MTA Reports Syntax Error

Article: Q140937
Product(s): Microsoft Exchange
Version(s): 4.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbusage
Last Modified: 19-FEB-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Exchange Server, version 4.0 
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SYMPTOMS
========

When you connect to a remote Message Transfer Agent (MTA) via X.400 1988
conformance, the remote MTA may report a [syntax] error when it receives a P1
PDU sent from the Microsoft Exchange Server.

CAUSE
=====

The element that causes the problem is the per-recipient-indicators inside the
PerRecipientMessageTransferField. The Microsoft Exchange Server encodes it as an
implicit BITSTRING with three unused bits in the last octet. The Recommendation
X.411 Figure 4/X.411 defines that the three bits in the last octet are reserved
and have the value zero.

Microsoft Exchange Server marks them as "unused," violating the size
constraints.


STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server
version 4.0. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Exchange Server 4.0 U.S.
Service Pack 2. 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


Additional query words:

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Keywords          : kbusage 
Technology        : kbExchangeSearch kbExchange400 kbZNotKeyword2
Version           : :4.0

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