Microsoft KB Archive/254818

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XCON: Message Transfer Agent Stops Processing E-Mail over X.400 Connector with Event ID 9156

Article ID: 254818

Article Last Modified on 1/23/2007



APPLIES TO

  • Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack 3



This article was previously published under Q254818


SYMPTOMS

The message transfer agent (MTA) may stop delivering e-mail messages over an X.400 Connector. As a result, the X.400 queues of the MTA may back up. Eventually e-mail messages generate non-delivery reports (NDRs), which contain a reason code that indicates MTA congestion.

This issue only occurs on Exchange Server computers that have a local time zone set to 30 minutes offset. For example, servers in Tehran, Iran are set for + 3:30 Greenwich mean time, which is at a 30 minute offset from the full hour, as compared to servers in Nairobi, Kenya, which are set at + 3:00 Greenwich mean time, which is a complete full hour offset. The following Event IDs from the MTA may be logged in the application event log:

Event ID 4282
An interoperability error occurred. Interface protocol was violated. Error code=8453, Control Block index=96 [POP4 MAIN BASE 1 18] (14)

Event ID 4284
A error occurred during connection/disconnection. Error code: 8511 [0 POP4 POP4 DOWN 6] (14)

Event ID 4287
An internal MTA error occurred. Contact Microsoft Technical Support. Error code=8640 [64 POP4 POP4 DOWN 6] (14)

Event ID 290
A non-delivery report (reason code transfer-failure and diagnostic code MTS-congestion) is being generated for message C=US;A= ;P=Microsoft; L=Server1-000114132344Z-648. It was originally destined for DN:/o=Microsoft/ou=LC/cn=Recipients/cn=mnadeem (recipient number 1) and was to be redirected to DN:/o=Microsoft/ou=LC/cn=RECIPIENTS/ cn=mnadeemC=US; ;P=Microsoft;S=Nadeem;G=M;. [MTA DISP:RESULT 22 136] (12)

Event ID 9156
A resource limit has been reached while attempting to open an association. There are no free control blocks available for network type 1. The configured count is 20. [BASE IL MAIN BASE 1 171] (10)

CAUSE

In MTA build 5.5.2580.0, the MTA was changed to use coordinated universal time (UTC) rather than local time in a number of places, to avoid local time and daylight saving time issues. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

225345 XCON: MTA Mishandles Deferred Delivery Messages After Daylight Saving Time Changes


The Timer Checking routine compared the last time that Timer control blocks (CBs) were checked by using system time. The Timer CB setup routine read the last check time by using local time. Generally this inconsistency did not cause a issue, because the MTA only looks for seconds differences, so any difference in hours was cancelled out.

However, with certain times, for example, Greenwich mean time + 5:30, the system time and local time are out by 1800 seconds. This causes all of the timer CBs to think that they have been running for 30 minutes plus the real run time and they time out in 0 seconds.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, system time must be used consistently when the MTA calculates the time differences. For additional information about the latest service pack for Exchange Server 5.5, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

191014 XGEN: How to Obtain the latest the latest Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack


WORKAROUND

To work around this issue, use one of the following two methods:

  • In the Schedule tab of the X.400 properties, change the connector schedule to the Remote initiated setting, and then stop and restart the MTA.
  • Set the system local time zone to a full hour offset, for example, if the server is in Darwin, Australia, change the system local time from + 9:30 Greenwich mean time to + 9:00 Greenwich mean time. Then restart the server.


STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.5 Service Pack 3. This problem was first corrected in Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack 4.


Additional query words: timezone MTA 9156 congestion

Keywords: kbbug kbexchange550presp4fix kbexchange550sp4fix kbfix kbqfe KB254818