SMTP Handles the 4.5.2 Response Code Incorrectly for Too Many Recipients (315119)

SYMPTOMS

In certain cases, the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) service may not correctly deliver mail to a remote server if the message recipient list exceeds the remote server's maximum number of recipients.

CAUSE

Request for Comments (RFC) 821 incorrectly lists the response code that occurs when an SMTP server exhausts its implementation limit for the number of RCPT commands ("too many recipients") as 5.5.2. The revised response code for this condition is 4.5.2. When SMTP receives the 4.5.2 reply code, it treats the response as an error.

For details about specific Request for Comments (RFC), visit the following IETF Web site:

http://www.ietf.org/rfc.html

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

260910 How to Obtain the Latest Windows 2000 Service Pack

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

   Date         Time   Version        Size     File name
   -------------------------------------------------------
   10-Jan-2002  18:33  5.0.2195.4624  321,296  Aqueue.dll
   10-Jan-2002  18:33  5.0.2195.4624   66,832  Mailmsg.dll
   10-Jan-2002  18:33  5.0.2195.4624   38,160  Ntfsdrv.dll
   10-Jan-2002  17:28  5.0.2195.4821  436,496  Smtpsvc.dll

After you install this hotfix, the SMTP service processes the 4.5.2 and 5.5.2 response codes in the same way so that older RFC-compliant SMTP servers are supported.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Windows 2000 Service Pack 3.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about how to obtain a hotfix for Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

265173 The Datacenter Program and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server Product

For additional information about how to install multiple hotfixes with only one reboot, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

296861 Use QChain.exe to Install Multiple Hotfixes with One Reboot