PC Ext: Purpose of CommInOnly Option for External (125328)

SUMMARY

There are two scenarios when using the CommInOnly option for the Message Transfer Agent (MTA), EXTERNAL.EXE, can be helpful.

When setting up two MTAs that will be connected to each other via modem, it is possible that they may try dialing each other at the same time. This will happen if they both have outgoing messages queued and the dialing interval time has elapsed. This will cause the modems to both be busy and not connect to each other, resulting in no mail transferred on that attempt. If you add the CommInOnly option to MTA1, then MTA1 will never attempt to dial out. It will only accept incoming calls. Therefore, outgoing messages queued to be sent from MTA1 to MTA2 will not get delivered until MTA2 dials into MTA1. The External Mail program only dials out if there is outbound mail.
Use the CommInOnly option when setting up an MTA that only remote users dial. This will prevent that MTA from dialing out to another postoffice and keep the modem free for incoming remote users. This option does not hinder the remote users ability to send or receive messages.

MORE INFORMATION

Please see page 252 in the "Administrator's Guide" for version 3.2 of Microsoft Mail for PC Networks.

CommInOnly option

In .INI file : CommInOnly
On command line: /CommInOnly or -KI

Use this option to specify that the remote communications link (CommType of asynchronous modem, X.25 Eicon, or X.25 Atlantis board) is to transfer incoming messages. Do not use this option with the CommOutOnly option. If you do not specify this option or the CommOutOnly option or set one-way mail for the postoffice with the Administrators program (ADMIN.EXE), two way mail transfer occurs.