delay in message delivery...

[dgarner58]

Just recently our Exchange 2k box has started doing something odd. On internal mail occassionally messages are delayed. This is INTRANET email so there should be no delay...all in the same building, but sometimes users report not recieving a message until 20-30 minutes after it has been sent. The logs show now errors and Exchange seems to be running just fine otherwise.

Any ideas?

 

[rtichnor]

Is your anti-virus software scanning these messages before they are sent?

 

[dgarner58]

no. antivirus is not running on the exchange server. it run's on the client level with an outlook plugin and on all other servers.

 

[rtichnor]

Are all of your servers' time synchronized?

 

[ryan010101]

I am having a similar issue. There doesn't seem to be a time issue but emails will not be delivered until something happens in outlook that requires interaction with the server. For example, I can send myself an email and I see my OUTBOX light up (like something is there) and if I just sit there nothing will happen. But the moment I click another email (with preview pane on) the email arrives in my inbox. I've had the person who sits next to me send an email to me. It does the same thing for him (he must touch another email for it to send) and then it won't just appear in my inbox, I have to click an email and then it's there. It definitely didn't used to do this. Very peculiar. I did find this but it's suggestion didn't help me.

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Applications/MS_Office/Outlook/Q_21079481.html

 

[ryan010101]

Well I figured out my problem already. It was the Windows Firewall that was installed with XP SP2. I turned it off and I'm not having the problem. I haven't figured out exactly what about the firewall that is causing this yet.

 

[dgarner58]

i think you are right ryan. that seems to be the main similarity with the machines here as well.


interesting "feature" wouldn't you say?

 

[TheStressFactor]

Hey all,

I recently experienced the same thing and followed your advise and shut off the windows firewall and my email seems to be flowing much better now.

Has anyone found out or gotten an explanation as to why this is happening. Is there a way to prevent it while keeping the windows firewall on?

 

[pauljex]

Hi All

Has anyone checked the firewall log - C:\WINDOWS\pfirewall.log

Its not on by default, but you can turn it on by Nic Properties | Advanced | Security settings....

Look for your IP address of your server, and see which port is being blocked on the affected machines...

Paulj

 

[dgarner58]

i don't think it is being blocked...for some reason it just delays the message until you interact with the outlook client again...like..click on the journal then the inbox.