Exchange doesn't process mail at weekends

[wizzer]

I recently updated my Exchange 5.5 system to the latest service packs etc, and now i've found that it stops processing incoming and outgoing mail from midnight on Friday night, until midnight on Sunday.

I've looked round all over the place within Exchange and i can't find any settings that control this. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks very much!

James R Wilson

 

[brianlilly]

Are you sure its a problem with Exchange?? Firstly ensure the Exchange Services are still running at the weekend.. if so, perhaps the messages are actually being processed but being queud up somewhere else?? Firewall?

 

[wizzer]

Hi thanks for your quick response - gotta love this board!!!

I'm using the POP3 Connector for downloading my mail direct from the ISP. It's not the ISP who's holding the mail, as i download my emails at home from the same ISP over the weekend and there's no problem there.

It WAS working fine prior to me installing the exchange updates, and i've not altered anything else (firewalls etc).

I'll check this weekend to make sure that the services are still running, but as far as i know they do continue at weekends, and there are no notifications about services starting or stopping in the event log.

 

[wizzer]

Just checked the server as at 1:22am on a Saturday - all MS Services are running normally. Checking the log i notice that it seems to have stopped receiving mail at 11:30pm on friday night. Does anyone have any further ideas as to what could be stopping this?
Thanks!

 

[ronbn14]

Sounds kind of simple, but have you checked the schedule in the Pop3 connector?

 

[wizzer]

The POP3 connector is set up as "Full-time/Broadband Modem", so the Schedule button is greyed-out and you can't alter it :-(

Any more ideas anyone?

 

[wizzer]

Ok on the back of the previous couple of replies, i've just taken a look at the POP3 connector again. If i switch the Internet Connection mode to Router, the Schedule button is available then, when i click on that i see that the schedule is set to send/recieve every 15 minutes, but not at weekends.... Coincidence??? So i've altered the schedule so it does include weekends, then come out of there, and set the Internet Connection mode back to Full Time/Broadband Modem.
Will see if that makes any difference....

 

[dodgygeezer]

Have you checked the Dial-Up Connections tab on your Internet Mail Service?

Have you got any scheduled tasks running under AT?

And here's a strange one. Check the service account under User Manager and see if it has any time restrictions on it.

 

[wizzer]

Dodgygeezer - we have a broadband connection which is always on so we don't use any connections in the "Dial-Up Connections tab". Nothing scheduled in AT at all.
No time restrictions on the users...

Thanks anyway!!!

 

[FAM]

wizzer,
did you ever get this issue resolved?

 

[wizzer]

No - but we've since upgraded to windows server 2k3 and exchange 2k3 and dont have the problem any more!

 

[FAM]

ok thanks

 

[Nostferatu]

Seems obvious to me...

You need to check that the MTA's contract is set to 24/7 otherwise it is simply using it's given right to enjoy the weekend... 11:30pm it's left the office and heading out to the local club, saturday morning it kicks the dodgy oriental bird called "lotus" out of bed (Always to be forgiven after wearing beer goggles) and spends sunday recovering from saturday night's endeavours...

Have a gentle word about the fact that it is supplying a service and that it needs to have 24/7 operability, threaten it with Oracle Collaboration Suite and see what happens.

Nostferatu

"Yesterday is History,
Tomorrow A Mystery,
Today is a gift,
That's why they call it the Present"

 

[FAM]

Nostferatu (I like the reply but this MTA is tea-total),

There isnt an option to configure 'MTA Site Configuration' in the 'Configuration Container'.

The options are,
- Add-Ins
- Addressing
- Connections
- Monitors
- Protocols
- Servers
- DS Site Configuration
- Information Store Site Configuration
- Site Addressing
- Site Encryption Configuration


Looking in the Control Panel>Services, Microsoft Exchange Message Transfer Agent has started & seems to be working fine....

Any suggestions on how to access it?

Thanks
FAM