Employees can't reply to eath other? Not everyone.

[EMFSTL]

Exchange 2003 Version 6.5(Build 7638.2: Service Pack 2)
Windows Server 2003 SP1 - Outlook 2003(10.6515.6626) SP3
Trend Micro Client/Server/Messaging Suite, Version 6.0 Build 1250 - Using EManager Anti-SPAM

I have a problem that some employees can't reply to each other(internal). It is hit and miss. I have determined it is not an attachment issue, or Anti-Virus/EManager issue. Emails do not contain attachments and I have tested with Anti-Virus/EManager turned off. An employee will email another employee with text only. The recipient will reply. The reply status will appear on the original email. A search for the reply will result in no email found. A search of Sent Items will result in no email found. The only corolation that comes close is the timing of Office SP3 install. Removing this SP does not fix the problem. Has anyone heard or dealt with this. I am not a novice and cannot seem to find any documentation on this problem. Any help is appreciated.

 

[xmsre]

Are they stuck in the outbox?

 

[EMFSTL]

No.

 

[xmsre]

On the client side; If I create a message in outlook, and the process is interrupted before sending, the message is saved in drafts. Once I hit send, the message goes to the outbox. When the server receives the message, it moves from outbox to sent items.

On the server side; the message goes into the smtp queue where the categorizer determines if the recipient exists within the org. If the recipient exists, the message either gets queued for local delivery, or goes on to advanced queuing and is routed to the server on which the recipient exists and then ends up in that server's local queue.

If you're doing SMTP scanning, this is usually implemented as an SMTP transport on arrival sink. It would fire when the message hit the smtp queue. Even if this were the case, the message should still exist in sent items on the client because it was received by the server. If it's not in sent items, I would expect to see it stuck in the outbox. In any event, this is clearly a client side issue. You may want to cross post on one of the client lists.

 

[EMFSTL]

I used Outlook Web Access to verify client side / server side problem. If a user uses Web Access to reply to one of the problem emails a "page could not be found" error occurs. This eliminates the client as the problem. Even in Web Access the problem emails state "you replied to this message...". But no response can be found. I did not mention before but users can forward the problem emails (instead of reply). Additional help is appreciated.

 

[xmsre]

Make sure you have message tracking turn on at the server. You should at least see the message hit the categorizer.

Another thought; are you running any file level real time AV on the server? If so have you excluded the locations for the smtp queue and badmail directories? This still wouldn't explain why the message is not in "sent items" folder, but could explain why you don't see it in message tracking (assuming message tracking is enabled).

 

[EMFSTL]

I turned message tracking on this morning. We have not had the problem, yet, today.
Yes, my smtp and badmail directories are excluded.