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Q159166: XCON: MTA Stops Responding; Event ID 2110

Article: Q159166
Product(s): Microsoft Exchange
Version(s): winnt:4.0,5.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 09-APR-1999

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 4.0, 5.0 
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SYMPTOMS
========

The message transfer agent (MTA) may stop responding; the following event
appears in the Event Viewer application log:

  Event ID: 2110
  Source: MSExchangeMTA
  Type: Error
  Category: Internal Processing
  Description: A fatal MTA database server error was encountered. A bad list
  member length is on object 06000044. File offset: 0. Attribute ID: 4096.
  Referenced object 00000000 (0=>N/A). Referenced object error: 0. (DB
  Server XFER-IN 15 42](16).

When this error occurs, the MTA stops responding because a bad message is being
processed on the affected server. If you run MTACHECK, it reports no errors.
Each time the MTA is restarted, the same error occurs with a different object
(06######) referenced each time.

RESOLUTION
==========

To troubleshoot this error, attempt to isolate the problem to a bad local DAT
file in the Mtadata directory:

1. Run MTACHECK.

2. If MTACHECK does not correct the problem, try finding the referenced DAT file
  (06######.DAT) in Mtadata. If it is there, move it to another directory or
  rename it. Restart the MTA to confirm whether the event ID 2110 recurs.

3. If this error still occurs after you try to troubleshoot the local MTA, find
  out more information about the topology of the Microsoft Exchange
  environment.

  Find out whether there is any mail entering the Microsoft Exchange environment
  through the Internet Mail Connector (IMC), a foreign X.400 system, or a
  Microsoft Mail Connector. These servers will most likely be the source of the
  bad message. Troubleshoot those servers that have these connectors installed,
  and see whether there are actually problems originating on those servers:

  a. Check the Event Viewer Application Logs, and verify that the MTA is
     running fine on those servers.

  b. Look in the MTA queue (on other adjacent servers) for mail destined for
     the affected server (that is, the server that is not responding and is
     experiencing Event ID 2110) with an old time/date stamp. If there is
     anything suspicious there, try to delete the messages that appear to be
     old or corrupt.

  c. If the MTA appears to be running with no problems on those servers,
     consider shutting down the MTAs (one at a time) and running MTACHECK on
     each of the computers.

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server
version 4.0. This problem has been corrected in the latest U.S. Service Pack for
Microsoft Exchange Server version 4.0. 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

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server version
5.0. This problem has been corrected in the latest U.S. Service Pack for
Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.0. 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

MORE INFORMATION
================

The portion of the event description in parentheses (DB Server XFER- IN 15 42)
indicates which part of the MTA code was executing when the bad message was
encountered.

In the case where "(DB Server XFER-IN 15 42)" is shown, there is an increased
possibility that the bad message can be found on an adjacent server that is
trying to deliver the message to this local server.

In the case where "(DB Server DISP FANOUT 22 42)"is shown, the bad message can
probably be found on the local server in \MTADATA.


Additional query words:

======================================================================
Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbExchangeSearch kbExchange500 kbExchange400 kbZNotKeyword2
Version           : winnt:4.0,5.0
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

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