Microsoft KB Archive/234244

= XFOR: Message Submitted to Pickup Folder with Folded Header Goes to Badmail =

Article ID: 234244

Article Last Modified on 1/24/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q234244





SYMPTOMS
When you are using the Microsoft SMTP service, if a message is submitted to the Pickup directory (Inetpub\Mailroot\Pickup) and has folded header fields, it is placed in the Badmail folder (Inetpub\Mailroot\Badmail).



CAUSE
The SMTP service does not properly parse address headers (From, To, Bcc) that are folded to several lines.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft SMTP service that is included with Microsoft Windows 2000 and Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server.



MORE INFORMATION
The following excerpt from Request for Comments (RFC) 822 explains the concept of folding.

3.1.1. LONG HEADER FIELDS

Each header field can be viewed as a single, logical line  of        ASCII  characters,  comprising  a field-name and a field-body. For convenience, the field-body portion  of  this  conceptual entity can be split into a multiple-line representation; this is called "folding". The general rule is that wherever there may be  linear-white-space  (NOT  simply  LWSP-chars), a CRLF immediately followed by AT LEAST one LWSP-char may instead be        inserted. Thus, the single line

To: "Joe & J. Harvey" , JJV @ BBN

can be represented as:

To: "Joe & J. Harvey" , JJV@BBN

and

To: "Joe & J. Harvey" , JJV @BBN

and

To: "Joe &             J. Harvey" , JJV @ BBN

The process of moving from  this  folded   multiple-line representation of a header field to its single line represen- tation is called "unfolding". Unfolding is  accomplished  by        regarding   CRLF   immediately  followed  by  a  LWSP-char  as        equivalent to the LWSP-char.

Note: While the standard  permits  folding  wherever  linear- white-space is permitted, it is recommended that struc- tured fields, such as those containing addresses, limit folding to higher-level syntactic breaks. For address fields, it is  recommended  that  such  folding  occur between addresses, after the separating comma.

Keywords: kbbug kbnofix KB234244

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