Microsoft KB Archive/289242

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XFOR: SMTP Service May Respond to Incoming Connections with &quot;5.5.4 Invalid Arguments&quot;

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Q289242

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Exchange 2000 Enterprise Server, used with:
 * the operating system: Microsoft Windows 2000
 * Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server, used with:
 * the operating system: Microsoft Windows 2000
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Server

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SYMPTOMS
Exchange 2000 Server may behave differently than Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.5 when the AUTH command is used as an argument on the MAIL FROM command.

The use of the AUTH command as an argument on the MAIL FROM command is supported in Exchange Server 5.5. The following log is a conversation log between a sending host and an Exchange Server 5.5 computer:

220 serverName.microsoft.com ESMTP Server (Microsoft Exchange Internet Mail Service 5.5.2653.13) ready

ehlo ms.com

250-XEXCH50

250-HELP

250-ETRN

250-DSN

250-SIZE 0

250-AUTH LOGIN

250 AUTH=LOGIN

mail from: user@domain.com AUTH=user@domain.com

250 OK - mail from user@domain.com However, when the same commands are issued to an Exchange 2000 server (or a Windows 2000-based computer), the SMTP service behaves differently, as demonstrated in the following conversation log:

220 serverName.microsoft.com Microsoft ESMTP MAIL Service, Version: 5.0.2195.1600 ready at Sun, 11 Feb 2001 19:13:56 -0600

ehlo hostname.microsoft.com

250-e2kserver.microsoft.com Hello [131.1.1.1]

250-TURN

250-ATRN

250-SIZE

250-ETRN

250-PIPELINING

250-DSN

250-ENHANCEDSTATUSCODES

250-8bitmime

250-BINARYMIME

250-CHUNKING

250-VRFY

250-X-EXPS GSSAPI NTLM LOGIN

250-X-EXPS=LOGIN

250-AUTH GSSAPI NTLM LOGIN

250-AUTH=LOGIN

250-XEXCH50

250-X-LINK2STATE

250 OK

mail from: user@domain.com AUTH=user@domain.com

501 5.5.4 Invalid arguments

CAUSE
This problem occurs because the SMTP service that is provided in Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 Service Pack 1, which is also used by Exchange 2000 Server, does not support the use of AUTH as an argument on a MAIL FROM command.

STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server.

MORE INFORMATION
For additional information about the AUTH argument, see the Request for Comments (RFC) 2554 document.

Additional query words: Parameter extension

Keywords : kbWin2000PreSP2Fix

Issue type : kbbug

Technology : kbwin2000DataServSearch kbwin2000Ssearch kbExchangeSearch kbExchange2000 kbExchangeServSearch