XADM: Client Hangs When Accessing a Public Folder (169196)

SYMPTOMS

When you try to access a public folder from Microsoft Exchange Client, the client appears to stop responding for a while before it accesses the public folder.

This normally occurs if the server containing a replica of the public folder is unavailable. In that case, the client then tries to connect to another server that contains a replica of the public folder.

CAUSE

In Microsoft Exchange Server 4.0, the client slows down as described each time the public folder in question is accessed (for example, each time you open a message in the public folder). This is because the client tries to connect to the initial server, even though it has previously tried to connect to that server and failed.

MORE INFORMATION

This problem does not occur in Exchange Server 5.0. The client keeps track of which servers it has tried to connect to and failed and will not try to connect to any of these servers to access public folders.

For example, say Server A and Server B are two servers in a site containing replicas of a public folder, PF1. Consider the connection modulus for the client computer causes the Exchange client to first try to connect to Server A to access PF1. If Server A is down the first time public folder PF1 is accessed, the client will wait while trying to connect to Server A. After waiting for the timeout interval, the client will then connect to Server B and be able to access the public folder. However after the first attempt, every time the client tries to access the same public folder, PF1, it will not try to connect to Server A but will directly go to Server B. This information is only kept in memory and is lost when the client is exited. Thus, the next time the client is started, it will again try to connect to Server A.

For more information on the algorithm that is used to determine which public folder replica is accessed when a user tries to open the contents of a public folder, please refer to the following Knowledge Base article:

154941 XADM: How to Determine Which Public Folder Replica Is Used