Internet Mail Service Queues

The Internet Mail Service queues on each server should be examined when you suspect problems with Internet mail. Using the Internet Mail Service Queues property page, you can view important information about messages in the queues and delete problem messages. However, you cannot reorder messages in the queue.

Use the Internet Mail Service Queues property page to determine the number of messages in each queue, to view message detail, and to delete messages.

For more information about configuring the Internet Mail Service, see Microsoft Exchange Server Operations.

Getting to the Internet Mail Service Queues property page

1. In the Administrator window, choose Connections.
2. Double-click an Internet Mail Service.
3. Select the Queues tab.

Selecting a Queue

There are four queues for the Internet Mail Service. Outbound messages travel from the MTA's Internet Mail Service queue (Exchsrvr\Imcdata\Out) to the Internet Mail Service's MTS-OUT queue in the information store. The Internet Mail Service converts the messages and places them in the Out queue until they are sent. The Internet Mail Service places messages received from the Internet in its In queue (Exchsrvr\Imcdata\In). The messages are then converted by the Internet Mail Service and moved to the MTS-IN queue in the information store.

1. Select the Queues tab.
2. Under Queue Name, select a queue.

Option	Description
Inbound messages awaiting conversion	Incoming messages waiting to be converted or rerouted by the Internet Mail Service and then delivered to the information store.
Inbound messages awaiting delivery	Messages in the MTS-IN folder in the information store. The next destination is the recipient.
Outbound messages awaiting conversion	Outgoing messages received from the MTA and waiting to be converted by the Internet Mail Service. The next destination is the Out queue.
Outgoing messages awaiting delivery	Messages queued for delivery in the Internet Mail Service scheduler, which roughly corresponds to the message files in the Imcdata\Out directory. Because some messages require delivery to multiple hosts, there may be more entries in the queue than there are files in the directory.

Viewing Message Detail

Use the Details dialog box to view additional information about a message. The details can help you isolate the cause of a problem.

• Look for common characteristics among messages with failed delivery attempts, such as a common server or recipient.
• Delivery status and information about failed attempts help to detect corrupt messages.
• Use the message transfer system ID (MTS-ID) and message ID to search for the message in the tracking log and application event log.

1. Select the Queues tab.
2. Under Queue Name, select a queue.
3. Double-click a message.

Option	Description
Originator	The address from which the message was sent.
MTS-ID	A unique identifier for the component that transported the message. It consists of the originating server, the date and time the message was sent, and a hexadecimal identifier. This is blank in messages in the In and Out queues.
Message ID	A unique identifier assigned to the message by Microsoft Exchange Server. It stays with the message from its origination to delivery or transfer from the network. This is blank in messages in the MTS Out queue.
Destination Host	The server computer to which the message is being delivered.
Submit Time	Time the message arrived in the queue UTC.
Size	Size of the message in bytes.
Next Retry Time	The time scheduled for resending the message if previous attempts were unsuccessful.
Retries	Number of times the connector attempted to deliver the message.
Expiration	The time when all retries will be exhausted.
Recipients	The addresses of intended recipients and the status of attempts to deliver the message to that address.

Refreshing the Queues Property Page

The Internet Mail Service Queues property page is a snapshot of the queues taken when you select it. It is not updated automatically. Use the Refresh button to update your view of the queues.

1. Select the Queues tab.
2. Choose Refresh.

Deleting Messages

You can delete messages that are interfering with queue processing. Deleted messages are permanently erased from the disk and a non-delivery report (NDR) is sent to the originator.

Note   You cannot delete messages from the MTS-IN folder.

Undeliverable messages should be deleted so they don't block an Internet Mail Service queue. If a connector cannot transport a message, it continues processing other messages in the queue and attempts to send the undeliverable message later if it hasn't been deleted.

1. Select the Queues tab.
2. Under Queue Name, select a queue.
3. Select a message.
4. Choose Delete.

Forcing a Retry

Use the Retry Now button to force the Internet Mail Service to attempt to transport a message in the queue. For example, you can do this if you want to send a queued message immediately.

Note   You can only force a retry for messages in the MTS-OUT folder.

1. Select the Queues tab.
2. Under Queue Name, select a queue.
3. Select a message.
4. Choose Retry Now.

Using Internet Mail Service Queues for Troubleshooting

Use the Internet Mail Service Queues property page to diagnose and resolve Internet mail problems.

• If messages are accumulating in the queue, check the configuration of the destination server for the first messages in the queue.
• Create an SMTP protocol log for the server. This log is created by increasing the diagnostics logging level for the SMTP Protocol Log category to Medium. For more information, see "Changing Internet Mail Service Logging Levels" earlier in this chapter.
• The Submit Time box displays the time the item arrived in the queue. Compare this time to the time the message was sent to determine at which point delays may be occurring.
• The Delivery column displays "pending" for messages it has not attempted to deliver. If a Submit time is displayed, at least one attempt to deliver the message has failed. The time shown is the scheduled time for the next attempt. Focus on messages that have failed at least one delivery and find common characteristics, such as a destination server.
• To view details on a specific message, select a recipient in the message list displayed in the Outbound messages awaiting delivery window.