Microsoft KB Archive/111558

= PC Ext: Microsoft Mail EXTERNAL.EXE Version 3.2.18 Update =

Article ID: 111558

Article Last Modified on 10/30/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Mail for PC Networks 3.2
 * Microsoft Mail for PC Networks 3.2a

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This article was previously published under Q111558



SUMMARY
Microsoft provides a replacement for the External Mail program files that are included with versions 3.2 and 3.2a of Microsoft Mail for PC Networks.

For complete information about obtaining and installing the External Mail program files, see the following sections:


 * To download the updated file
 * To update your MS-DOS EXTERNAL.EXE file



MORE INFORMATION
This update contains the External Mail program (EXTERNAL.EXE), a replacement for the External Mail program files that are included with version 3.2 of Microsoft Mail for PC Networks. This update resolves the following problems:


 * NetBIOS notification does not work when the sender and receiver are on different postoffices and there are multiple External Mail programs running. The only time notification works is if the first External Mail program that was started up dispatches mail between the sender's and receiver's postoffices.
 * On Novell networks, the RNETWORK.GLB file is not updated at 4:00 A.M. on any drives that are dynamically attached.
 * In low-memory conditions, the External Mail program deletes mail from the outgoing mail queue without returning that mail to the sender. There are error messages in the SESSION.LOG and SYSTEM.LOG, but the mail file is still deleted. In most cases, the sender is not notified that the mail was not delivered. With the updated External Mail program, the mail message is not deleted but remains in the outgoing queue, and the External Mail program still attempts to deliver the mail. Because there is not enough memory to return the message to the sender, there is no entry in the SYSTEM.LOG. The administrator can return the mail from the queue.
 * When the EXTERNAL.INI parameter MinKDiskFull is not included in the EXTERNAL.INI file, the default value of 0 is used. This causes the External Mail program to attempt to deliver mail to a postoffice that has no disk space. The default value for MinKDiskFull has now been changed from 0 to 100K.
 * When the External Mail program marks a dynamic drive as being full (no disk space), it is not checked again until the External Mail program is restarted. The External Mail program now checks dynamic drives that are full on every cycle and changes their status if disk space becomes available.
 * Messages transferred asynchronously or through an X.25 connection do not get time stamped. Therefore, when you view the received message in Mail for Windows, the received date/time is actually the date/time it was composed, not the date/time it was received by External. The External Mail program now time stamps all messages.
 * The External Mail program sometimes hangs when CommType=X25EICON. The CommType setting can be specified in the .INI file or on the command line for External.
 * Versions 3.2.5 and 3.2.6 of the External Mail program mark a static drive as being full (no disk space) and the drive is not checked again until the External Mail program is restarted. The External Mail program now checks static drives that are full on every cycle and changes their status if disk space becomes available.
 * Mail sent to Remote Mail users would not be recorded in the SENT.LOG file if the LogSent option was specified in the EXTERNAL.INI file or if the -ms command-line option was included when the External Mail program was started. Version 3.2.9 of the External Mail program will correctly log mail sent to Remote Mail users in the SENT.LOG file.
 * When the Import utility is run with the autocreate function, and the External Mail program is also run against the same postoffice across a wide-area network (WAN) connection or in a high mail traffic situation, the Import utility may report "Fatal [59] Error autocreating postoffice: XXXXXXXXXX." This error occurs because of .XTN file contention between the External Mail program and the Import utility. Under normal circumstances, the External Mail program holds an .XTN file open for a very short interval and file contention is not an issue. Version 3.2.9 of the External Mail program now allows the Import utility to have write access to the .XTN file.
 * The External Mail program now determines and uses the appropriate international date format when the MS-DOS country command is used in the CONFIG.SYS file of the workstation running External.
 * The MinKDiskFull and MinKDiskNotFull parameters and their specified values are now recorded in the SESSION.LOG file and are displayed on screen in the External Mail program's LAN Postoffice Mail Activity display area when you use EXTERNAL.INI file entries and the undocumented -q1 command-line switch. Previously, logging of these parameters and their specified values would only occur when you used command-line parameters and the undocumented -q1 command- line switch.

This replacement file also resolves the following problems that can occur when you use version 3.2 or 3.2a of Microsoft Mail for PC Networks:

 The External Mail program fails to lock the queue when another instance of the External Mail program requests two-way asynchronous communication, including X.25. If a third instance of the External Mail program tries to service the same queue to deliver a message that was already deleted by the second instance, the following message may appear in the SYSTEM.LOG file:

[16] Message was not sent due to missing message file.

 The External Mail program may hang or create incorrect entries in the SYSTEM.LOG file if External encounters mailbag contention when it tries to deliver a single message to multiple users on a single postoffice. Under these conditions, the External Mail program may add the following entry to the SYSTEM.LOG file

[008] Failure delivering mail due to mailbag contention.

Mail item was not delivered to: 

where  may list recipients who actually did receive the message, rather than listing only the recipient whose mailbag could not be accessed. It is also possible that no entries will be added to the SYSTEM.LOG file and External may stop responding. Under Windows NT, the External Mail program may return a general- protection fault (GP fault) and exit, or External may continue processing and add the following entry to the SYSTEM.LOG file on the destination postoffice:

[012] This corrupt message cannot be delivered. Contact your Administrator.

 Multiple message attachments can now be sent successfully over an X.25 connection. Two entries are now placed in the SENT.LOG file for each message that is transmitted asynchronously between postoffices. The Echo command for modem scripts now works with EXTERNAL.EXE versions 3.2.x and Mail Remote for Windows.

NOTE: The Echo command is restricted to the Send command and does not affect the Display command. The System log now returns the name of the Invalid Address user after an error 002 (Unknown Address) occurs.</li> In some instances, External would call Mail Remote for MS-DOS or Mail Remote for Windows, make the connection, send mail, but not receive any queued mail for the user. The External Mail program now transmits any queued mail.</li> External was generating an extra P1 file when Mail Remote for Windows attempts to receive mail. These extra P1 files were not being deleted properly, and they were locked open until External was stopped. Although mail was still delivered, the P1 directory could have several stranded P1 files. The External Mail program now deletes the extra P1 files.</li> If a message is sent to another postoffice via asynchronous communication with the Useful Life of the message exceeded and no connection is made, two entries are added to the SYSTEM.LOG. One has valid information, and the other is a blank entry containing no message information.</li> External may report a "Circular route detected" error in the SYSTEM.LOG. This happens when the PO where mail is processed has a 9 character postoffice name that matches the first 9 characters of a 10 character PO name in the hop trace.</li> External stops delivering mail after it receives a NetBIOS datagram (for a priority 5 mail message) from a user on a PO connected using the DrivesWAN option.</li></ul>

To download the updated file
The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Download Extupd.exe now

For additional information about how to download Microsoft Support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

119591 How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services

Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help to prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

After you download EXTUPD.EXE to a clean directory, run it (by typing extupd at the MS-DOS prompt) to extract the contents of the file. You should receive the following files:

EXTERNAL.EXE ( 57,551 bytes, dated 04-14-95, 5:54 P.M.)

ASYNC.OVL (371,978 bytes, dated 04-14-95, 6:13 P.M.)

X25ATLAN.OVL (376,970 bytes, dated 04-14-95, 6:16 P.M.)

X25EICON.OVL (395,978 bytes, dated 04-14-95, 6:18 P.M.)

README.TXT

To update your MS-DOS EXTERNAL.EXE file
At the MS-DOS command prompt, type the following and press ENTER after each line

copy :\external.exe

copy :\*.ovl

where is the drive and directory where you ran the self- extracting EXTUPD.EXE file and is the drive and directory where your EXTERNAL.EXE and *.OVL files currently reside. For example, if you ran the self-extracting file from the TEST directory on drive D, and your EXTERNAL.EXE and *.OVL files are located in the MAILEXE directory on drive C, type the following commands:

copy d:\test\external.exe c:\mailexe

copy d:\test\*.ovl c:\mailexe

NOTE: The EXTERNAL.EXE and *.OVL files typically reside on the postoffice server in the Mail executables directory, as well as on the machine transferring messages to and from the database. Make sure you update all copies of the EXTERNAL.EXE and *.OVL files.

Additional query words: 3.20

Keywords: kbdownload kbgraphxlinkcritical KB111558

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