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Q183057: XADM: Private Information Store Has High Disk Size Item Numbers

Article: Q183057
Product(s): Microsoft Exchange
Version(s): winnt:5.5
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): exc55
Last Modified: 13-FEB-2000

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Exchange Server, version 5.5 
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SYMPTOMS
========

When you click an Exchange Server, version 5.5, in the left pane of the
Microsoft Exchange Administrator program, get Properties for the private
information store, and click the Mailbox Resources tab, you may see
exceptionally high disk space size occupied by unfamiliar mailbox names. For
example, a mailbox called Admin or Internet Mail Service may occupy a disk space
of 40,967 KB with 520 items. When you check the Internet Mail Service queues,
you find them empty or with very few items.

CAUSE
=====

The Internet Mail Service uses MAPI in much the same way as do user clients, for
delivering and receiving messages to and from the information store. Exchange
creates seven mailboxes when it is started; one of them is for the Internet Mail
Service. These mailboxes are not valid users' mailboxes, and you cannot create a
profile or log on as one of those mailboxes. These mailboxes are for regular
message transactions.

Exchange Server version 5.5 has optimized the way the information store works
with connectors and gateways by using these mailboxes. That the Exchange
Administrator program, however, does not "maintain" current counters for such
mailboxes is the expected behavior of the this function. When the connector's
queues are empty, the messages are not using additional disk space; we only
commit the transactions to the local Information Store that have originated from
or are destined for our local store.


STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server
version 5.5. This problem has been corrected in the latest U.S. Service Pack for
Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.5. For information about 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
================

After you apply the fix, the information store attempts to determine whether
each mailbox listed on the Mailbox Resources tab is a connector mailbox. If the
information store is able to determine that a mailbox is a connector mailbox, it
lists a 0 (zero) in the Total K and Total No. Items columns for that mailbox.

Connector mailboxes are mailboxes used by connectors to send and receive
messages. The following Exchange Server 5.5 connectors use this type of mailbox
to send and receive messages:

- Connector for Lotus cc:Mail

- Internet Mail Service

- Notes Connector, SNADS Connector, and PROFS Connector

Some other Exchange Server connectors send and receive messages by communicating
directly with the message transfer agent (MTA). These connectors include the
X.400 Connector and the Microsoft Mail Connector.

For additional information about a similar problem in which the Mailbox Resources
tab reports information that appears inaccurate, click the article number below
to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q152458 XADM: Mailbox Resources Reporting Usage Not Seen by Client

On rare occasions, disk space counters for regular users, other than these seven
mailboxes, may also become inaccurate. This would indicate a problem with the
Mailbox or with the Information Store; ISInteg has been known to correct many of
these issues.

Additional query words: ims is imc/ims imc

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Keywords          : exc55 
Technology        : kbExchangeSearch kbExchange550 kbZNotKeyword2
Version           : winnt:5.5
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

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