A message that exceeds the configured size limit is sent to a server that is running Exchange 2000 Server

Consider the following scenario. In Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, a user sends a message that exceeds the configured size limit on a server that is running Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server. Although the message exceeds the configured size limit, the message is sent to the Exchange server if one of the following conditions is true:

• Outlook is configured to use cached mode.
• Outlook is configured to use offline mode.
• Outlook is configured to use a personal folder (.pst) file as the delivery location.

When the Exchange server receives the message that exceeds the configured size limit, the Exchange server generates a non-delivery report (NDR) that has the original message attached. Then, Outlook 2003 downloads the NDR.

When a message that exceeds the configured size limit is sent to the Exchange server, you may experience the following behavior:

• General performance issues occur on the Exchange server.
• Excessive network bandwidth is used between Outlook 2003 and the Exchange server.
• Excessive transaction logs are generated on the Exchange server.
• Excessive database growth occurs on the Exchange server.

To resolve this problem, apply hotfix 885917 to the Exchange server. To enable the new behavior in Outlook 2003, apply Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2) to the Outlook 2003 client computers. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: After you apply Office 2003 SP2 to the Outlook client computers, Outlook users experience the following behavior when they send messages. Note that the following behavior occurs when Outlook 2003 is configured to use cached mode, to use offline mode, or to use a .pst file as the delivery location:

• If the Outlook user's mailbox exceeds the configured size limit, the message is not sent to the Exchange server. The Outlook user receives the following error message:
  Task 'Microsoft Exchange Server - Sending' reported error (0x8004060C) : 'The message store has reached its maximum size. To reduce the amount of data in this message store, select some items that you no longer need, and permanently (SHIFT + DEL) delete them.'
  Additionally, the Outlook user is prompted to use the Mailbox Cleanup Wizard.
• If a message exceeds the configured size limit on the Exchange server, the message is not sent to the Exchange server. Additionally, the Outlook user receives the following error message:
  Task 'Microsoft Exchange Server - Sending' reported error (0x80040610) : 'The message being sent exceeds the message size established for this user.'

To configure the size limits that are described in this article, follow these steps:

1. Use Exchange System Manager to configure the Prohibit send at (KB) limit, the Prohibit send and receive at (KB) limit, and the Sending message size limit.
2. Wait for the Exchange server caches that are described in the following Knowledge Base article to expire:
   327378 Exchange 2000 and Exchange 2003 mailbox size limits are not enforced in a reasonable period of time; fix requires Exchange 2000 SP3
3. When the Exchange server caches expire, restart Outlook so that Outlook recognizes the new limits.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, submit a request to Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

You must install Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Service Pack 3 (SP3), before you install the hotfix. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Restart requirement

You do not have to restart the computer after you apply this hotfix. However, the Microsoft Exchange Information Store Service and all dependent services are restarted.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

Exchange servers that have hotfix 885917 applied expose two new read-only MAPI properties that contain size-limit information. The newly exposed properties are the PR_PROHIBIT_SEND_QUOTA property and the PR_MAX_SUBMIT_MESSAGE_SIZE property.

• PR_PROHIBIT_SEND_QUOTA = 0x666e0003
  
  The limit at which a user can no longer send messages is represented in kilobytes (KB).
  
  The value of the PR_PROHIBIT_SEND_QUOTA property is determined by the following process:
  • If the user account is configured to use custom storage limits, and neither the Prohibit send at (KB) limit nor the Prohibit send and receive at (KB) limit is configured for the user account, MAPI_E_NOT_FOUND is returned when you query the PR_PROHIBIT_SEND_QUOTA property. Additionally, no mailbox size-limit checks are performed.
  • If the user account is configured to use custom storage limits, and either the Prohibit send at (KB) limit or the Prohibit send and receive at (KB) limit is configured for the user account, the limit that is configured for the user account is used.
  • If the user account is configured to use custom storage limits, and both the Prohibit send at (KB) limit and the Prohibit send and receive at (KB) limit are configured for the user account, the lesser of the two values is used.
  • If the user account is configured to use mailbox store defaults, and neither the Prohibit send at (KB) limit nor the Prohibit send and receive at (KB) limit is configured for the mailbox store, MAPI_E_NOT_FOUND is returned when you query the PR_PROHIBIT_SEND_QUOTA property. Additionally, no mailbox size-limit checks are performed.
  • If the user account is configured to use mailbox store defaults, and either the Prohibit send at (KB) limit or the Prohibit send and receive at (KB) limit is configured for the user account, the limit that is configured for the user account is used.
  • If the user account is configured to use mailbox store defaults, and both the Prohibit send at (KB) limit and the Prohibit send and receive at (KB) limit are configured for the mailbox store, the lesser of the two values is used.
• PR_MAX_SUBMIT_MESSAGE_SIZE = 0x666d0003
  
  The maximum size for a message that a user can send is represented in kilobytes (KB).
  
  The value of the PR_MAX_SUBMIT_MESSAGE_SIZE property is determined by the following process:
  • If a Sending message size limit is configured for the user account, the value for the Sending message size limit is used.
  • If no limit is configured for the user account, the organization-level Sending message size limit is used.
  • If the organization-level Sending message size limit is set to No limit, MAPI_E_NOT_FOUND is returned when you query the PR_MAX_SUBMIT_MESSAGE_SIZE property. Additionally, no maximum-message-size checks are performed.

For more information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

For more information about a hotfix that resolves a similar problem in Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: