Performance issues and excessive database growth occur on a server that is running Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Server when a user adds a large attachment or a set of attachments to a message in Outlook 2003

Consider the following scenario. A user attaches a large file or several large files to a message in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003. Outlook 2003 is running in online mode. Because of the size of the attachment or attachments, the message exceeds the size limits that are configured in Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 or in Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server. When the user adds the attachment or attachments, you experience one or both of the following symptoms:

• Performance issues occur on the server that is running Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Server.
• Excessive database growth occurs on the server that is running Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange 2000 Server.

This issue occurs because Outlook 2003 does not prevent files that would cause a message to exceed maximum size limits from being attached to messages. When Outlook 2003 is running in online mode, Outlook 2003 sends the data in the attachment to the Exchange Server 2003 server or to the Exchange 2000 Server server even though the attachment exceeds message size limits that are configured on the server.

This problem was first fixed in a hotfix that is now contained in a service pack. If you installed the latest Office 2003 service pack, you do not have to install the hotfix.

Service pack information

This problem is corrected in Office 2003 Service Pack 3. To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Office 2003. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Hotfix information

How to obtain the hotfix

This issue is fixed in the Outlook 2003 post-Service Pack 2 Hotfix Package that is dated November 7, 2005. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Note This hotfix applies only if all the following conditions are true:

• You use Outlook 2003 in online mode.
• You use Outlook 2003 with Exchange Server 2003 or with Exchange 2000 Server.
• If you are running Exchange Server 2003, either Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2) or the hotfix that is described in the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base is installed on the server:
  894795 A message that exceeds the configured size limit is sent to a server that is running Exchange Server 2003
• If you are running Exchange 2000 Server, the hotfix that is described in the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base is installed on the server:
  885917 A message that exceeds the configured size limit is sent to a server that is running Exchange 2000 Server

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

This problem was first corrected in Office 2003 Service Pack 3.

This hotfix adds functionality that enables Outlook 2003 to examine the size of attachments when a user adds an attachment to a message. This functionality is implemented by using a counter that tracks the total size of attachments that are added to a message in Outlook 2003.

When a user tries to add an attachment to a message, Outlook 2003 checks to see whether the size of the attachment that was added to the current value of the counter exceeds the maximum size limit for messages. If the size of the attachment that was added to the current value of the counter exceeds the maximum size limit, the attachment is not added to the message. Additionally, the user receives a message to notify them that the attachment will not be added to the message.

Notes

• The counter is reset if attachments are removed from the message.
• The counter only tracks the size of file attachments. It does not track embedded messages because the size of embedded messages may change.