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Q178539: XCON: How to Adjust Message Time-Outs for the Exchange MTA

Article: Q178539
Product(s): Microsoft Exchange
Version(s): 5.5
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbusage exc55
Last Modified: 16-AUG-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Exchange Server, version 5.5 
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IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you 
modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore 
the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the 
registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SUMMARY
=======

The Microsoft Exchange Server message transfer agent (MTA) by default will hold
messages based on priority for a set amount of time before sending them back to
the originator as undeliverable.

These default times include:

  Urgent - 2 days
  Normal - 7 Days
  Non-urgent - 10 days

A new feature of Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 is the ability to adjust these
parameters.

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

The default message time-out values for the MTA are effective in most usage
scenarios of Exchange Server; however, there are times when the Exchange
administrator will need to increase the time-out values for slow network links
or server outages or to decrease these values in the case of highly important
and time-sensitive material.

To adjust these settings, do the following:

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems
that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot
guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor
incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

1. Open the Microsoft Windows NT registry using the REGEDIT utility.

2. Go to the following key:

     HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services
     \MSExchangeMTA\Parameters

3. Select Edit.

4. Select New, and then DWORD Value.

5. Make a new entry for each one of the following time-out categories:

  Message timeout (urgent), minutes
  Message timeout (normal), minutes
  Message timeout (non-urgent), minutes

  These must be typed exactly as they appear above. They can be individually
  entered or all used.

6. After the new key is created, enter the desired time-out in minutes. This can
  be anything from 1 to 65536.

  For example, to set normal messages to time out in 14 days, enter 20160.

  The maximum time-out value is 45 days.

Additional query words: time-out expiration expiry

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Keywords          : kbusage exc55 
Technology        : kbExchangeSearch kbExchange550 kbZNotKeyword2
Version           : :5.5
Issue type        : kbhowto

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