XADM: TEXT/PLAIN Bodyparts Discarded in Embedded Messages (176231)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Exchange Server 5.0
This article was previously published under Q176231

SYMPTOMS

After you apply Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.0 Service Pack 1, TEXT/PLAIN bodyparts may be discarded in embedded MIME messages. Messages which may experience this problem will meet the following requirements:

  1. There are multiple text/plain bodyparts in a message body without MIME encoding to indicate that they are file attachments.
  2. The message body containing the text/plain bodyparts is not the top- level message body.
All but the last text/plain bodypart may be discarded in non-top level message bodies.

CAUSE

A logic error was introduced for a fix in Microsoft Exchange Server, version 5.0 Service Pack 1. The fix is supposed to concatenate text/plain bodyparts into the message body, but only for top-level messages. The logic error caused a mishandling of non top-level message bodies with multiple text/plain bodyparts.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.0. This problem has been corrected in the latest U.S. Service Pack for Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.0. For information on obtaining the Service Pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

S E R V P A C K

MORE INFORMATION

Below is an example MIME message, the second MULTIPART/MIXED Content-Type will be treated as the the start of an embedded message in this case. Of the two TEXT/PLAIN Content-Type bodyparts in the embedded message below, only BodyPart #2 will be displayed. The text for this bodypart will appear in the message body of the embedded message. 
   Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 10:58:00 -0400 (EDT)
   From: "Example"
   Subject: Test Message
   To: Testuser
   Message-id: <01INPI37BQ1M054PIG@COMPANY.COM>
   MIME-version: 1.0
   Content-type: MULTIPART/MIXED; BOUNDARY="Boundary (ID
LY4m2yKIDQ2Q9f6dR6UGlg)"

   --Boundary (ID LY4m2yKIDQ2Q9f6dR6UGlg)
   Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

Enclosed you'll find a message with three bodyparts... 
   --Boundary (ID LY4m2yKIDQ2Q9f6dR6UGlg)
   Content-type: MULTIPART/MIXED; BOUNDARY="Boundary (ID
P6hOhonnruLpzicTo1sWlw)"

   --Boundary (ID P6hOhonnruLpzicTo1sWlw)
   MIME-version: 1.0
   Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

BodyPart #1 
   --Boundary (ID P6hOhonnruLpzicTo1sWlw)
   Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

BodyPart #2 
   --Boundary (ID P6hOhonnruLpzicTo1sWlw)--

   --Boundary (ID LY4m2yKIDQ2Q9f6dR6UGlg)--

For more information about the fix for SP1, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

153464 Unexpected Text Attachment in Mail Received from Internet

Microsoft has produced a fix which allows 153464 to operate as expected and correctly creates text file attachments for all the non top-level text/plain bodyparts.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:9/23/2005
Keywords:kbHotfixServer kbQFE kbbug kbfix KB176231
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