DOCUMENT:Q221384 09-OCT-1999 [exchange] TITLE :XFOR: Pickup Directory Files w/Single Period Aren't Padded Right PRODUCT :Microsoft Exchange PROD/VER:winnt:2.0,4.0,5.5 OPER/SYS: KEYWORDS:exc55 ====================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Exchange Server, version 5.5 - Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0 - Microsoft Commercial Internet System version 2.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SYMPTOMS ======== When you use Internet Information Service SMTP service to create SMTP mail by copying files to or creating files in the Pickup subdirectory or when you use the Exchange Server Internet Mail Service to create SMTP mail in the Mailroot directory, mail may prematurely end for the recipient. Each line after the end causes the remote system to interpret the text as a command and generate a "500 Command Unrecognized" error message. CAUSE ===== The SMTP service does not explicitly ascertain whether the processed files have a single period on a line by itself in the message contents. Consequently, when a file that contains a single period on a line by itself is copied into the Pickup directory, the period is interpreted as the end of the message, and the message is truncated at the period. Each line after the period causes an error, which produces a "500 Command Unrecognized" error message on the remote system. Unless you run a network trace, the only indication of a problem is that the messages are truncated. WORKAROUND ========== When you copy files to the Pickup directory, ensure any single periods are escaped or padded with another period (that is, when you want a period on a line by itself, type two periods). STATUS ====== Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. MORE INFORMATION ================ To Reproduce the Problem: 1. Stop the SMTP service: "net stop smtpsvc" (without the quotation marks) 2. In Notepad, create the following message and save it in a file called Message.txt in the Pickup directory: x-sender: Sender x-receiver: user1@valid.but.unreachable.host Subject: Testing. Testing . Testing 3. Restart the SMTP service. "net start smtpsvc" (without the quotation marks) NOTE: The remote user will not see the second "Testing" text. RFC 821, Section 4.5.2 states: 4.5.2. TRANSPARENCY Without some provision for data transparency the character sequence "." ends the mail text and cannot be sent by the user. In general, users are not aware of such "forbidden" sequences. To allow all user composed text to be transmitted transparently the following procedures are used. 1. Before sending a line of mail text the sender-SMTP checks the first character of the line. If it is a period, one additional period is inserted at the beginning of the line. 2. When a line of mail text is received by the receiver-SMTP it checks the line. If the line is composed of a single period it is the end of mail. If the first character is a period and there are other characters on the line, the first character is deleted. What occurs is that remote systems interpret the "." sequence as ending the message. Note that this problem also occurs with the Pickup subdirectory of the Imcdata directory in Exchange Server 5.5. Additional query words: ====================================================================== Keywords : exc55 Technology : kbiisSearch kbAudDeveloper kbExchangeSearch kbExchange550 kbiis400 kbZNotKeyword2 kbMCISSearch kbMCIS200 Version : winnt:2.0,4.0,5.5 Issue type : kbbug Solution Type : kbnofix ============================================================================= THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY. Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1999.