PC Adm: Err Msg: This Post Office Is a Hub for Other... (86625)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Mail for PC Networks 2.1
  • Microsoft Mail for PC Networks 3.0
  • Microsoft Mail for PC Networks 3.2
This article was previously published under Q86625

SYMPTOMS

With version 2.1 or 3.0 of Microsoft Mail for PC Networks, when you delete an externally defined postoffice with the Mail Administrator program (ADMIN.EXE), the following error may occur:
Notice 53
This Post office is a hub for other post offices.
This error will occur when the internal counter of indirect postoffice connections is greater than 0 (zero). This value is stored with the external postoffice configuration.

CAUSE

There are two probable reasons this error will occur when trying to delete a postoffice:

  1. This postoffice is a hub for postoffice(s). This can be confirmed by creating a report from the ADMIN.EXE program. From the main menu, select External Admin, Report, Setup, All Post Offices, then print either to a printer or to a file. This file will show whether any of the externally defined postoffices are linked via indirect. These links need to be removed before the hub postoffice can be deleted or modified.
  2. The .XTN file has a bad value in the internal counter for indirect postoffices. The .XTN file will be preceded by an eight-digit hexadecimal number such as 000000AB.XTN. The file must be manually corrected using the following process:

    1. Obtain the network and postoffice names of the suspected postoffice.
    2. Type out the NETWORK.GLB file that is located within the GLB directory of the postoffice. This file is not encrypted and is not formatted.
    3. Look for the network name of the problem postoffice and write down the eight-digit number that follows it. This is the ID of this network's associated .XTN file. Make two copies of this file (for example, XXXXXXXX.BAK and XXXXXXXX.TMP).
  3. Use DEBUG on the .TMP file to find the affected postoffice and zero the indirect PO counter.

    The first defined postoffice name will appear at byte offset 101, and the associated location of the indirect postoffice counter will be at 389. These values are offset by 2BAh and 698 (decimal).

    The following chart details the first 20 possible file positions for postoffice names, the associated delete bit, and indirect PO counter locations. 
          Delete Bit   Postoffice Name   Indirect PO Counter
      ---------------------------------------------------------------

        100            101                 389
        3BA            3BB                 643
        674            675                 8FD
        92E            92F                 BB7
        BE8            BE9                 E71
        EA2            EA3                 112B
        115C           115D                13E5
        1416           1417                169F
        16D0           16D1                1959
        198A           198B                1C13
        1C44           1C45                1ECD
        1EFE           1EFF                2187
        21B8           21B9                2441
        2472           2473                26FB
        272C           272D                29B5
        29E6           29E7                2C6F
        2CA0           2CA1                2F29
        2F5A           2F5B                31E3
        3214           3215                349D
        34CE           34CF                3757
  4. Open the temporary XXXXXXXX.TMP file in DEBUG. (Note: The DEBUG command prompt is a hyphen). For example, type:

    debug 00000009.tmp

  5. At the hyphen (-) prompt, type D100 and press ENTER to get the name of the first postoffice in the file preceded by a one-byte delete code. If the delete code is 01 and the postoffice name is the one you want, you are viewing the correct record and you should go to step g.

    If the postoffice name is not correct or the delete code is 00 (indicating a previously deleted record), repeat step f using the next row in the table (-D3BA, -D674, -D92E, and so on) until you find the affected record.
  6. Once you have found the affected postoffice record, type in Exxx of the associated value in the Indirect PO Counter column above. This value will be greater than 00 and will need to be reset. For example:

    -E389

    xxxx:0389 01.

  7. After the period (.), type in 00 00 (zero zero space zero zero) and press ENTER. This will null bytes 389H and 38AH, which hold the indirect postoffice count. Now press W, ENTER (write to disk) and Q, ENTER, to quit DEBUG.

  8. Copy the debugged XXXXXXXX.TMP file over the XXXXXXXX.XTN file. Then use the ADMIN.EXE program to delete the external postoffice definition.

    NOTE: If something went wrong and this didn't work, copy your XXXXXXXX.BAK file over your new XXXXXXXX.XTN file to restore it to its previous state.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/30/1999
Keywords:KB86625
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