Topic Last Modified: 2007-01-24
If a message cannot be delivered on the first try, the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) service sends it again from the Queue directory after a specified time. You can set the interval between delivery attempts. Delivery attempts will continue at the specified intervals until the expiration time-out is reached. After the limit is reached, the message is returned to the sender with a non-delivery report (NDR) and copies of the message and NDR are sent to the location that you designate. The NDR is put in the Queue directory and follows the same delivery process as messages. If the NDR reaches the maximum number of retry attempts, the NDR and message are sent to the Badmail directory.
Procedure
To configure retry attempt and interval settings
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In Microsoft Management Console, select the SMTP virtual server, and then click Properties on the Action menu.
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Click the Delivery tab.
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In First retry interval (minutes), type a value for the amount of time to wait before retrying message delivery. The default is 15 minutes.
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In Second retry interval (minutes), type a value for the amount of time to wait before retrying message delivery. The default is 30 minutes, which is 30 minutes after the value in First retry interval (minutes).
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In Third retry interval (minutes), type a value for the amount of time to wait before retrying message delivery. The default is 60 minutes, which is 60 minutes after the value in Second retry interval (minutes).
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In Subsequent retry interval (minutes), type a value for the amount of time to wait between subsequent delivery attempts. The default is 240 minutes.
Delay Notification
To allow for network delays, you can set a delay period to expire before sending a delivery status notification (DSN) to the sender of the message. If the message is not successfully delivered before the delay notification time-out interval has passed, a delay DSN is delivered to the sender. The minimum value is 1 minute, the default is 12 hours, and the maximum value is 9,999 days. Use the drop-down menu next to the value field to select minutes, hours, or days.
Expiration Time-Out
The expiration time-out specifies the maximum length of time that the SMTP service will continue to try to deliver a message. If the message can't be successfully delivered before the expiration time-out interval has passed, a NDR is delivered to the sender. The minimum value is 1 minute. The default is 2 days. The maximum value is 9,999 days. Use the drop-down menu next to the value field to select minutes, hours, or days.