XFOR: MCIS 2.0 Caches Mailbox Index Files

ID: Q208217

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Commercial Internet System version 2.0

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SUMMARY

Microsoft Commercial Internet Server (MCIS) version 2.0 caches mailbox index (.idx) files by default. Administrators may find themselves unable to immediately remove users' mailboxes without first having to shut down the mail services or the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) administrator service. This apparent inability to remove the mailbox is rooted in the fact that the file handle associated with the mailbox index file is open and cached.

MORE INFORMATION

This behavior is by design. MCIS will cache the index file handles by default. It will only close the cached file handle when the following two conditions are true:

The cache is 90 percent or more occupied.

-and-

The cached file has been idle for 10 minutes. If the cache is less than 90 percent occupied, the 10 minute time-to-live (TTL) is ignored.

Administrators can control the cache behavior using the registry. Adjustments can be made to the following key:

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\SMTPSVC\Parameters\CachedHandle

The following values are not present by default but can be added.

CacheEnable

REG_DWORD
Default value: 1
Setting CacheEnable to 0 disables caching.

CacheEntryNum

REG_DWORD
Default value: 1024
CacheEntryNum sets the size of the cache.

CacheTTL

REG_DWORD
Default value: 10 (minutes)
CacheTTL sets the time-to-live.

Additional query words: mcis index cache idx


Keywords          : 
Version           : winnt:2.0
Platform          : winnt 
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: May 6, 1999