You do not receive e-mail notifications after you configure an alert to notify you when Web site content is changed in SharePoint Portal Server 2003 or in Windows SharePoint Services (903044)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003
  • Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services

SYMPTOMS

Consider the following scenario. You configure an alert to notify you when content is changed in a Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Web site or in a Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services Web site. However, you do not receive e-mail notifications when Web site content is changed.

Note An alert is an e-mail notification that notifies you when Web site content is changed. To configure an alert, click Alert me in the left pane of a list item in the SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Web site or in the Windows SharePoint Services Web site.

CAUSE

This issue may occur if McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.0 is installed on the computer that is running SharePoint Portal Server 2003 or on a computer that is running Windows SharePoint Services. McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.0 contains a feature to help prevent mass-mailing worm programs from sending SMTP e-mail messages. By default, this feature stops the Owstimer.exe process from sending alerts in SharePoint Portal Server 2003 or in Windows SharePoint Services.

To determine whether McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.0 is blocking alert notification messages, follow these steps:
  1. Start the McAfee VirusScan Console program. To do this, right-click the McAfee VirusScan icon in the notification area, and then click VirusScan Console.
  2. In the VirusScan Console dialog box, double-click Access Protection.
  3. Click the Reports tab, and then click View Log.
If McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.0 is blocking alert notification messages, information that is similar to the following is displayed in this log file:

<date>	<time>	Blocked by port blocking rule 	OWSTIMER.EXE	Prevent mass mailing worms from sending mail	<IP address>

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, modify the VirusScan Enterprise 8.0 settings to let the Owstimer.exe process send e-mail messages. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Start the McAfee VirusScan Console program. To do this, right-click the McAfee VirusScan icon in the notification area, and then click VirusScan Console.
  2. In the VirusScan Console dialog box, double-click Access Protection.
  3. In the Rule list, click Prevent mass mailing worms from sending mail, and then click Edit.
  4. Click to put the insertion point in the Excluded Processes box, press the RIGHT ARROW key to move the insertion point to the end of the entries that are displayed, and then type ,owstimer.exe and SPSNotificationService.exe..

    Note You must type a comma between each excluded process.
  5. Click OK two times.

MORE INFORMATION

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:7/18/2005
Keywords:kbtshoot kbprb KB903044 kbAudITPRO
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