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Q271600: XCON: In Certain Conditions MTA Erroneously Deletes Data Files

Article: Q271600
Product(s): Microsoft Exchange
Version(s): 5.5
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): exc55 kbExchange550preSP4fix kbExchange550sp4Fix
Last Modified: 09-FEB-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

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

Under certain circumstances, the Exchange Server message transfer agent (MTA)
may delete files that are greater than Db007fff.dat files.

This occurs when the total count of the number of .dat files in the Mtadata
folder is greater than 32,767, or when .dat files that are greater than
Db007fff.dat reference the X.400 application programming interface (XAPI) queues
(Internet Mail Service, Microsoft Exchange Connector for Lotus cc:Mail [CCMC],
MS Mail, or Exchange Development Kit [EDK] Connector) or the Work queue (Site
Connector).

This issue only occurs if the MTA is not shut down properly, or if the Mtacheck
utility is run manually against a database that was not shut down properly. If
the MTA is not shut down properly, when the MTA starts, it runs the database
recovery code and erroneously deletes files greater than Db007fff.dat files.

If the Mtacheck utility is run against a database that was not shut down
properly, Mtacheck deletes files that are greater than Db007fff.dat file, and
when the MTA starts, it logs the following events in the Event Viewer
application event log:

- Event ID: 2171
  Event Type: Warning
  Event Source: MSExchangeMTA
  Event Category: Internal Processing

  Description:
  An MTA database server error was encountered while reading an attribute.
  Called from MTA. Procedure: 423. Database error code: ODXOINIU - Object does
  not exist. Object at fault: [DB######.DAT]. Attribute identifier: 86. Value
  number: 1. Referenced object: 00000000 (00000000 => N/A). Referenced
  object error 0. [DB Server DISP:ROUTER 8 26] (14)

- Event ID: 2175
  Event Type: Warning
  Event Source: MSExchangeMTA
  Event Category: Internal Processing

  Description:
  An MTA database server error was encountered while an attribute length. Called
  from MTA. Procedure: 429. Database error code: ODXOINIU - Object does not
  exist. Object at fault: [DB######.DAT]. Attribute identifier: 11. Value
  number: 1. Referenced object: 00000000 (00000000 => N/A). Referenced
  object error 0. [DB Server DISP:ROUTER 8 72] (14)

- Event ID: 2188
  Event Type: Warning
  Event Source: MSExchangeMTA
  Event Category: Internal Processing

  Description:
  An MTA database server error was encountered while deleting an object. Called
  from MTA. Procedure 118. Database error code: ODXOINIU - Object does not
  exist. Object at fault:[DB######.DAT]. [DB Server DISP:ROUTER 8 9]1 118
  ODXOINIU - Object does not exist 06008C86 DB Server DISP:ROUTER 8] (14)

Note that the object at fault in the preceding events does not exist. the object
refers to database file that is greater than Db007fff.dat file.

This issue does not occur with X.400 connectors.

RESOLUTION
==========

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Exchange Server 5.5.
For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:

  Q191014 XGEN: How to Obtain the latest Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack



STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server
version 5.5. This problem was first corrected in Exchange Server 5.5 Service
Pack 4.


Additional query words: db007fff.dat

======================================================================
Keywords          : exc55 kbExchange550preSP4fix kbExchange550sp4Fix 
Technology        : kbExchangeSearch kbExchange550 kbZNotKeyword2
Version           : :5.5
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

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