Q186714: XCON: Cannot Configure MTA to Provide Adequate Message Control
Article: Q186714
Product(s): Microsoft Exchange
Version(s): winnt:5.5
Operating System(s):
Keyword(s): exc55
Last Modified: 06-AUG-2002
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The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Exchange Server, version 5.5
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SUMMARY
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Microsoft Exchange Server does not support the following features:
- You cannot configure the message transfer agent (MTA) so that all messages
with a given importance level time out after a certain period of time.
- You cannot configure a given connection so that messages sent through the
connection are stored in the outbound message queue until a certain number of
messages have been stored in the queue, or until the entire queue has reached
a certain size.
- You cannot configure a given connection so that certain types of messages
cannot be sent through the connection. For example, system messages,
non-system messages, or messages sent with urgent, normal, or low importance.
MORE INFORMATION
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Microsoft recognizes the need for the features described above. We have modified
the Exchange Server 5.5 MTA so that the following features are supported.
NOTE: The override changes mentioned in this article affect the Site and X.400
Connectors using the MTA as their transport.
Priority Time-Outs
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After you obtain this feature, you can configure the MTA so that all messages
with a given importance level time out after a certain period of time. When you
obtain the feature, three new registry values are created under the following
key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeMTA
\Parameters
The following registry values are created:
Value Name: Message timeout (urgent)
Data Type: REG_DWORD
Description: Messages with high importance should time out after the specified
number of minutes.
Value Name: Message timeout (normal)
Data Type: REG_DWORD
Description: Messages with normal importance should time out after the
specified number of minutes.
Value Name: Message timeout (non-urgent)
Data Type: REG_DWORD
Description: Messages with low importance should time out after the specified
number of minutes.
If one of the above values is set to 0 (zero), messages with the associated
importance level are never sent. In addition, note that these values do not
apply to system messages.
Threshold Limits
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After you obtain this feature, you can configure a connection so that messages
sent through the connection are stored in the outbound message queue until a
certain number of messages have been stored in the queue, or until the entire
queue has reached a certain size. You can also specify that messages with high
importance should be sent immediately, even if the queue's threshold has not
been reached. When you obtain the feature, three new registry values are created
under the following key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeMTA
\Parameters\<connection>
where <connection> is the associated connection.
Value Name: Content Length Threshold
Data Type: REG_DWORD
Description: Messages are stored in the outbound message queue until the total
size of all the messages reaches the specified number of kilobytes (KB).
Value Name: Queue Length Threshold
Data Type: REG_DWORD
Description: Messages are stored in the outbound message queue until the
specified number of messages is stored in the queue.
Value Name: Urgent Overrides Thresholds
Data Type: REG_DWORD
Description: If this value is set to 1, messages with high importance are sent
immediately, even if the above thresholds have not been reached. If this
value is set to 0, messages with high importance are not sent until the
threshold is reached.
If the Content Length Threshold or Queue Length Threshold registry value is set
to 0 (zero), the value is ignored. If both registry values are set to a value
other than 0, messages are stored in the queue until either of the specified
thresholds is reached.
Message Type and Priority Restrictions
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This feature enables you to specify which messages can use a particular connector
based on message type or priority. For each connector you can prohibit system,
non-system, urgent (high importance), normal, or non-urgent (low importance)
messages. You can also specify that urgent messages override the schedule for a
connector and are sent immediately; other messages remain in the queue until the
next scheduled time.
The per-connector message limits are set on each connector object by editing the
raw properties of the connector. The limits are set using the Heuristics
attribute. The value of the Heuristics attribute is the decimal integer sum of
the following values for each limit you want to set:
Attribute: Disallow system
Description: If this value is set to 4096, system messages cannot be sent
through the connection.
Attribute: Disallow non-system
Description: If this value is set to 8192, non-system messages cannot be sent
through the connection.
Attribute: Disallow Urgent
Description: If this value is set to 16384, messages with high importance
cannot be sent through the connection.
Attribute: Disallow Normal
Description: If this value is set to 32768, messages with normal importance
cannot be sent through the connection.
Attribute: Disallow Low
Description: If this value is set to 65536, messages with low importance
cannot be sent through the connection.
Attribute: Urgent ignore schedule
Description: If this value is set to 131072, messages with high priority are
sent immediately, even if the connection's schedule indicates that the
message should not be sent immediately.
To set these per-connector limits:
WARNING: If you use the raw mode of the Exchange Server Administrator program
(admin /r) incorrectly, serious problems may occur that may require you to
reinstall Microsoft Windows NT Server, Microsoft Exchange Server, or both.
Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems that result from using raw mode
incorrectly can be solved. Use raw mode at your own risk.
1. Start the Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator program in raw mode by
typing the following at a command prompt:
"c:\exchsrvr\bin\admin /r" (without the quotation marks)
2. In the appropriate site Connections container, click the <connector>
object.
3. On the File menu, click Raw Properties.
4. In the "List attributes of type" box, click All.
5. In the "Objects attributes" list, click Heuristics.
6. In the "Edit value" list, type the value (or sum of the values, if you wish
to implement more than one type of restriction) for the limits you want to
set, and then click Set.
These features are included in the latest Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.5
U.S. Service Pack. 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: connector heuristic admin administrator program raw mode
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Keywords : exc55
Technology : kbExchangeSearch kbExchange550 kbZNotKeyword2
Version : winnt:5.5
Issue type : kbhowto
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