PC Ext: Running External and WAN Drives (135487)

SYMPTOMS

When you run the External Mail program (any version) over a wide area network (WAN) using an integrated service digital (ISDN) line, the following error may occur in the SESSION.LOG when you use the DrivesDynamic and DrivesWAN options together in the EXTERNAL.INI file:

Network name not found: Drive in error: <drive letter>

CAUSE

If the postoffices are using routers to establish the connection, they may not be able to connect fast enough when the External Mail program tries to dynamically connect to a WAN postoffice. In this case, External thinks the postoffice no longer exists and marks the postoffice as being in error, even if mail is waiting to be sent to it. The External Mail program will wait a minimum of whatever the IntervalUpdate option is set to, the default is five minutes, before trying to resend mail to that postoffice.

The Mail External program will wait a minimum period equal to the IntervalUpdate value (default=5 minutes) before you try to resend mail to that postoffice.

RESOLUTION

A supported fix that corrects this problem is now available from Microsoft, but has not been fully regression tested and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem.

To resolve this problem, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. 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

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

   File Name      Version
   ----------------------
   External.exe   3.5.23

This hotfix has been posted to the following Internet location as Exty2k.exe:

ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/mail/pcmail-public/All-Y2K/

WORKAROUND

Either remove the DrivesDynamic option from the EXTERNAL.INI file, or lower the IntervalUpdate option so the External Mail program will not wait so long to recheck the postoffice before delivering mail.

IntervalUpdate must be set to a value greater than zero in order for the second attempt to send mail to occur.

MORE INFORMATION

With the DrivesWAN option in effect, checking for updates is the only opportunity the External Mail program has to re-establish the connection. Network traffic should be negligible, because it only checks FLAG.GLB to see if it has been updated.

For additional information about the DrivesDynamic and DrivesWAN options, please see Chapter 12 of the "Administrator's Guide" for version 3.2 of Microsoft Mail for PC Networks.