XADM: MSMail Message Body Missing when Received Through the IMS

• Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 5.0 and 5.5

SYMPTOMS

The text of some MSMail messages received through the Internet Mail Service may be incomplete when opened. Some or all of the message body may be missing.

CAUSE

This occurs when messages received through the Internet Mail Service have embedded null characters in the body of the SMTP message stream. RFC1521 discourages the sending of control characters between systems that do not have a private agreement. In Microsoft Exchange Server 4.0 the Internet Mail Connector (IMC) removes all null characters from messages received. Exchange Server 5.0 and 5.5 are written to more carefully preserve the inbound message content, and they preserve null characters in the message body.

The Microsoft Exchange MSMail Interchange (MSMI) is written with the assumption that a null character marks the end of a message body. When the MSMI sees the null character, it stops processing the message body that is created for the MSMail client.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, change the originating mail message so that null characters are not part of the message stream.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Exchange Server versions 5.0 and 5.5. A supported fix is now available, but has not been fully regression-tested and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem. Unless you are severely impacted by this specific problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Service Pack that contains this fix. Contact Microsoft Technical Support for more information.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft has changed Exchange Server versions 5.0 and 5.5 to strip null characters from the message body of received mail as Exchange Server 4.0 did.