How to troubleshoot an event ID 9318 message in Exchange Server 2003, in Exchange 2000 Server, and in Exchange Server 5.5

This article describes the following known issues that may cause an event ID 9318 message:

• Exchange Server 5.5 servers in a site communicate through a firewall which uses NAT.
• The source bridgehead Exchange 2000 Server server is not a target bridgehead server for the other end of the Routing Group Connector.
• The total number of databases exceeds 50 for Exchange Server 5.5 servers in Exchange Server 2003 clustered environment.

This article describes general troubleshooting methods to troubleshoot this event ID message. This article also describes the following troubleshooting methods:

• Verify the service account that is used by MTA.
• Verify the service account permissions.
• Verify that fully qualified domain name (FQDN) resolution is working.
• Verify that there is enough RAM.

This article describes how to troubleshoot an event ID 9318 message. This event may be logged when you experience mail flow issues.

You may experience mail flow issues in Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5, in Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server, and in Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. When you experience this issue, the following events may be logged in the Application log.

Note The error code in the description of the event may vary.

Event Type: Warning
Event Source: MSExchangeMTA
Event Category: Interface
Event ID: 9318
Description:
An RPC communications error occurred. Unable to bind over RPC. Locality Table (LTAB) index: 41, Windows 2000/MTA error code: %1. Comms error %2, Bind error %3, Remote Server Name SERVER [MAIN BASE 1 500 %10] (14)

Event Type: Warning
Event Source: MSExchangeMTA
Event Category: Security
Event ID: 9297
Description:
The user /o=OrganizationName/ou=AdministratorGroupName/cn=Configuration/cn=Servers/cn=ServerName has caused a security violation. Locality table (LTAB) index: 40. Windows 2000 error code: 0X80070005. [BASE IL MAIN BASE 1 237] (14)

Type: Warning
Source: MSExchangeMTA
Category: Interface
Event ID: 9322
Description:
An interface error has occurred. An MtaBindBack over RPC has failed. Locality Table (LTAB) index: 102, NT/MTA error code: 1722. Comms error 1722, Bind error 0, Remote Server Name EMEA28, Protocol String ncacn_ip_tcp:10.44.150.216[2080] [BASE IL INCOMING RPC 36 507] (14)

Type: Warning
Source: MSExchangeMTA
Category: Operating System
Event ID: 9215
Description:
A sockets error 10061 on a connect() call was detected. The MTA will attempt to recover the sockets connection. Control block index: 1. [BASE IL TCP/IP DRVR 8 274] (12)

Event Type: Warning
Event Source: MSExchangeTransport
Event Category: Connection Manager
Event ID: 4000
Description:
Message delivery to the remote domain 'GUID' failed for the following reason: The remote server did not respond to a connection attempt.

For more information about the Microsoft Windows NT, Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, or Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Message Transfer Agent (MTA) error code, type Net HelpMsg ErrorCode at a command prompt.

Scenarios in which an event ID 9318 message may be logged in Exchange Server 5.5

The servers in a site communicate through a firewall that uses NAT

Consider the following scenario:

• Two servers that are running Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack 4 (SP4) are located in the same site.
• Server1 is in an internal network, 172.x.x.x. Server2 is in external network, 10.x.x.x. The external network is behind a firewall that uses Network Address Translation (NAT).
• NAT is used to translate 10.x.x.x into an internal IP address, 172.x.x.x.

In this scenario, mail may queue on the computer that is behind the firewall until the external server connects to deliver the messages. Additionally, an event ID 9318 message and an event ID 9322 message that includes error code 1722 are logged in the Application log.

The source bridgehead server is not a target bridgehead server for the other end of the Routing Group Connector in Exchange 2000 Server

In Exchange 2000 Server, if a source bridgehead server is not a target bridgehead server for the other end of the Routing Group Connector, MTA may log an event ID 9318 message that contains error code 0. You do not experience mail loss or mail delay. However, you receive confusing warning messages in the Application log.

To resolve this issue, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Service Pack 1.