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            Microsoft Mail EXTERNAL.EXE Version 3.2.16 Update
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ARTICLE-ID:Q111558

Microsoft provides a replacement for the External Mail program files that
are included with versions 3.2 and 3.2a of Microsoft Mail for PC Networks.

The following files are included with this update:

   EXTERNAL.EXE  (57,535 bytes, dated 02-02-95, 4:07 P.M.)
   ASYNC.OVL    (371,946 bytes, dated 02-02-95, 4:23 P.M.)
   X25ATLAN.OVL (376,938 bytes, dated 02-02-95, 4:26 P.M.)
   X25EICON.OVL (395,946 bytes, dated 02-02-95, 4:28 P.M.)
   README.TXT

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SUMMARY
=======

Microsoft provides a replacement for the External Mail program files that
are included with versions 3.2 and 3.2a of Microsoft Mail for PC Networks.

For complete information about obtaining and installing the External Mail
program files, see the "To update your MS-DOS EXTERNAL.EXE file" section
below.

MORE INFORMATION
================

This update contains the External Mail program (EXTERNAL.EXE), a
replacement for the External Mail program files that are included with
version 3.2 of Microsoft Mail for PC Networks. This update resolves the
following problems:

 - NetBIOS notification does not work when the sender and receiver are
   on different postoffices and there are multiple External Mail
   programs running. The only time notification works is if the first
   External Mail program that was started up dispatches mail between
   the sender's and receiver's postoffices.

 - On Novell networks, the RNETWORK.GLB file is not updated at 4:00 A.M.
   on any drives that are dynamically attached.

 - In low-memory conditions, the External Mail program deletes mail
   from the outgoing mail queue without returning that mail to the
   sender. There are error messages in the SESSION.LOG and SYSTEM.LOG,
   but the mail file is still deleted. In most cases, the sender is
   not notified that the mail was not delivered. With the updated
   External Mail program, the mail message is not deleted but remains
   in the outgoing queue, and the External Mail program still attempts
   to deliver the mail. Because there is not enough memory to return
   the message to the sender, there is no entry in the SYSTEM.LOG. The
   administrator can return the mail from the queue.

 - When the EXTERNAL.INI parameter MinKDiskFull is not included in the
   EXTERNAL.INI file, the default value of 0 is used. This causes the
   External Mail program to attempt to deliver mail to a postoffice
   that has no disk space. The default value for MinKDiskFull has now
   been changed from 0 to 100K.

 - When the External Mail program marks a dynamic drive as being full
   (no disk space), it is not checked again until the External Mail
   program is restarted. The External Mail program now checks dynamic
   drives that are full on every cycle and changes their status if
   disk space becomes available.

 - Messages transferred asynchronously or through an X.25 connection
   do not get time stamped. Therefore, when you view the received
   message in Mail for Windows, the received date/time is actually the
   date/time it was composed, not the date/time it was received by
   External. The External Mail program now time stamps all messages.

 - The External Mail program sometimes hangs when CommType=X25EICON.
   The CommType setting can be specified in the .INI file or on the
   command line for External.

 - Versions 3.2.5 and 3.2.6 of the External Mail program mark a static
   drive as being full (no disk space) and the drive is not checked
   again until the External Mail program is restarted. The External
   Mail program now checks static drives that are full on every cycle
   and changes their status if disk space becomes available.

 - Mail sent to Remote Mail users would not be recorded in the
   SENT.LOG file if the LogSent option was specified in the
   EXTERNAL.INI file or if the -ms command-line option was included
   when the External Mail program was started. Version 3.2.9 of the
   External Mail program will correctly log mail sent to Remote Mail
   users in the SENT.LOG file.

 - When the Import utility is run with the autocreate function, and
   the External Mail program is also run against the same postoffice
   across a wide-area network (WAN) connection or in a high mail
   traffic situation, the Import utility may report "Fatal [59] Error
   autocreating postoffice: XXXXXXXXXX." This error occurs because of
   .XTN file contention between the External Mail program and the
   Import utility. Under normal circumstances, the External Mail
   program holds an .XTN file open for a very short interval and file
   contention is not an issue. Version 3.2.9 of the External Mail
   program now allows the Import utility to have write access to the
   .XTN file.

 - The External Mail program now determines and uses the appropriate
   international date format when the MS-DOS country command is used
   in the CONFIG.SYS file of the workstation running External.

 - The MinKDiskFull and MinKDiskNotFull parameters and their specified
   values are now recorded in the SESSION.LOG file and are displayed
   on screen in the External Mail program's LAN Postoffice Mail
   Activity display area when you use EXTERNAL.INI file entries and
   the undocumented -q1 command-line switch. Previously, logging of
   these parameters and their specified values would only occur when
   you used command-line parameters and the undocumented -q1 command-
   line switch.

This replacement file also resolves the following problems that can occur
when you use version 3.2 or 3.2a of Microsoft Mail for PC Networks:

 - The External Mail program fails to lock the queue when another
   instance of the External Mail program requests two-way asynchronous
   communication, including X.25. If a third instance of the External
   Mail program tries to service the same queue to deliver a message
   that was already deleted by the second instance, the following
   message may appear in the SYSTEM.LOG file:

      [16] Message was not sent due to missing message file.

 - The External Mail program may hang or create incorrect entries in the
   SYSTEM.LOG file if External encounters mailbag contention when it
   tries to deliver a single message to multiple users on a single
   postoffice. Under these conditions, the External Mail program may
   add the following entry to the SYSTEM.LOG file

      [008] Failure delivering mail due to mailbag contention.
      Mail item was not delivered to: <Friendly-Name>

   where <Friendly-Name> may list recipients who actually did receive
   the message, rather than listing only the recipient whose mailbag
   could not be accessed. It is also possible that no entries will be
   added to the SYSTEM.LOG file and External may stop responding.
   Under Windows NT, the External Mail program may return a general-
   protection fault (GP fault) and exit, or External may continue
   processing and add the following entry to the SYSTEM.LOG file on
   the destination postoffice:

      [012] This  corrupt message cannot be delivered. Contact your
      Administrator.

 - Multiple message attachments can now be sent successfully over an
   X.25 connection.

 - Two entries are now placed in the SENT.LOG file for each message that
   is transmitted asynchronously between postoffices.

 - The Echo command for modem scripts now works with EXTERNAL.EXE
   versions 3.2.x and Mail Remote for Windows.

   NOTE: The Echo command is restricted to the Send command and does
   not affect the Display command.

 - The System log now returns the name of the Invalid Address user after
   an error 002 (Unknown Address) occurs.

 - In some instances, External would call Mail Remote for MS-DOS or 
   Mail Remote for Windows, make the connection, retrieve mail, but not
   transmit any queued mail for the user. The External Mail program now
   transmits any queued mail.

 - External was generating an extra P1 file when Mail Remote for Windows
   attempts to receive mail. These extra P1 files were not being deleted
   properly, and they were locked open until External was stopped. 
   Although mail was still delivered, the P1 directory could have several
   stranded P1 files. The External Mail program now deletes the extra 
   P1 files.

 - If a message is sent to another postoffice via asynchronous
   communication with the Useful Life of the message exceeded and no
   connection is made, two entries are added to the SYSTEM.LOG. One
   has valid information, and the other is a blank entry containing no
   message information. 

To update your MS-DOS EXTERNAL.EXE file
---------------------------------------

At the MS-DOS command prompt, type the following and press ENTER after 
each line

   copy <path>:\external.exe <destination>

   copy <path>:\*.ovl <destination>

where <path> is the drive and directory where you ran the self-
extracting EXTUPD.EXE file and <destination> is the drive and directory
where your EXTERNAL.EXE and *.OVL files currently reside.
For example, if you ran the self-extracting file from the TEST
directory on drive D, and your EXTERNAL.EXE and *.OVL files are
located in the MAILEXE directory on drive C, type the following commands:

   copy d:\test\external.exe c:\mailexe

   copy d:\test\*.ovl c:\mailexe

NOTE: The EXTERNAL.EXE and *.OVL files typically reside on the
postoffice server in the Mail executables directory, as well as on
the machine transferring messages to and from the database. Make
sure you update all copies of the EXTERNAL.EXE and *.OVL files.
