DOCUMENT:Q176440  14-MAR-1999  [exchange]
TITLE   :XCON: Exchange Server MTA Blocked by Very Large Message
PRODUCT :Microsoft Exchange
PROD/VER:4.0 5.0
OPER/SYS:
KEYWORDS:

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The information in this article applies to:

 - Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 4.0, 5.0 
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SYMPTOMS
========

Microsoft Exchange Server may stop delivering messages; no error messages
appear. The message transfer agent (MTA) cannot be stopped by using the Control
Panel. When you look at the MTA CPU time in Performance Monitor, it is
constantly at 90 percent or more. After several hours, the MTA comes back to
normal operation. This is caused by a very large message that corresponds with a
large DAT file in the Exchsrvr\Mtadata directory.

CAUSE
=====

The MTA is very busy while performing content conversion code when dealing with
very large text message body-parts. The issue does not occur when processing
messages with large attachments.


STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server
version 4.0. This problem has been corrected in the latest U.S. Service Pack for
Microsoft Exchange Server version 4.0. For information on obtaining the Service
Pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the
spaces):

   S E R V P A C K


Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server version
5.0. This problem has been corrected in the latest U.S. Service Pack for
Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.0. For information on obtaining the Service
Pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the
spaces):

   S E R V P A C K

Additional query words: stuck silent
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Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbExchangeSearch kbExchange500 kbExchange400 kbZNotKeyword2
Version           : 4.0 5.0
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

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Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1999.