The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Mail for PC Networks, versions 3.2 and 3.2a
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 twoway 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: <Friendly-Name>
where <Friendly-Name> 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 hoptrace.
- 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.
To download the updated file
You can find EXTUPD.EXE (size: 531665 bytes)
, a self-extracting file, on the following
services:
- Microsoft's World Wide Web Site on the Internet
On the www.microsoft.com home page, click the Support icon.
Click Knowledge Base, and select the product.
Enter kbfile EXTUPD.EXE (size: 531665 bytes)
, and click GO!
Open the article, and click the button to download the file.
- Internet (anonymous FTP)
ftp ftp.microsoft.com
Change to the Softlib/Mslfiles folder.
Get EXTUPD.EXE (size: 531665 bytes)
- The Microsoft Network
On the Edit menu, click Go To, and then click Other Location.
Type "mssupport" (without the quotation marks).
Double-click the MS Software Library icon.
Find the appropriate product area.
Locate and Download EXTUPD.EXE.
- Microsoft Download Service (MSDL)
Dial (206) 936-6735 to connect to MSDL
Download EXTUPD.EXE (size: 531665 bytes)
For additional information about downloading, please see the following
article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q119591
TITLE : How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online
Services
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 <path>:\external.exe <destination>
copy <path>:\*.ovl <destination>
where <path> is the drive and directory where you ran the self-
extracting EXTUPD.EXE file and <destination> 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.
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