DOCUMENT:Q214685  20-MAY-2002  [exchange]
TITLE   :XFOR: CDONTS Not Thread-Safe, Crashes Under Stress
PRODUCT :Microsoft Exchange
PROD/VER:winnt:5.5
OPER/SYS:
KEYWORDS:kbWinNT400sp5fix

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The information in this article applies to:

 - Microsoft Exchange Server, version 5.5 
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SYMPTOMS
========

The Collaboration Data Objects for Windows NT Server (CDONTS) Send Mail function
is not thread-safe.

CAUSE
=====

CDONTS initializes the RTF/HTML converter each time it is used. This
initialization is not thread-safe, and is not protected with a critical section.
This permits a race condition where one thread can shut down the converter while
another thread is still using it, causing memory corruption, asserts, and
failures (crashes).

RESOLUTION
==========

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0 or
the individual software update. For information on obtaining the latest service
pack, please go to:

 - http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/ServicePacks/

-or-

 - Q152734 How to Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack

For information on obtaining the individual software update, contact Microsoft
Product Support Services. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support
Services phone numbers and information on support costs, please go to the
following address on the World Wide Web:

   http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;CNTACTMS


STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server
version 5.5. This problem was first corrected in Windows NT version 4.0 Service
Pack 5.

Additional query words: crash hang GPF
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Keywords          : kbWinNT400sp5fix 
Technology        : kbExchangeSearch kbExchange550 kbZNotKeyword2
Version           : winnt:5.5
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

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