Stumped: Delivery timestamps

[Colin chaplin]

Problem

User complains email takes 4 hours to deliver from him to colleague
(different server, same site). 6MB attachment, but fast LAN and powerful
servers

In tracking logs, email is sent and recieved at 1:40, shipping between the
two machines quickly. On the recipients machine, the headers and the outlook
GUI confirm this.

Feeling pretty convinced that the user has sent this email at 1:40, not when
claimed hours earlier. However, I check his sent items, and sure enough, it
has a sent time of 08:30, hours earlier as he claimed.

This is what I can figure out:

* Groupsheild is in use, don't think it was that, nothing in logs and scan
timeout is 10 mins.
* Don't think the customer would do a deferred delivery
* Don't think it's a sync issue offline working etc.

WHY was the sent time stampted so early if exchange doesn't seem it till
four hours later (all other emails are fine, BTW)?

Grateful for any ideas !!

Colin

 

[Guest]

Start with the obvious. Send a regular email (no
attachments) to the same person. See what happens. Now,
if that goes through without a problem, try a much
SMALLER attachment 1 meg or under. See what happens
again. Keep increasing the attachment and see what
happens. It may be the 6 meg attachment is causing some
slow down, but 4 hours is a bit long. I suspect it is
something else.

If you can't send an email to the other party and
experience the same issue more trouble shooting may be
necessary.

Kris

 

[Colin chaplin]

Problem

User complains email takes 4 hours to deliver from him to colleague
(different server, same site). 6MB attachment, but fast LAN and powerful
servers

In tracking logs, email is sent and recieved at 1:40, shipping between the
two machines quickly. On the recipients machine, the headers and the outlook
GUI confirm this.

Feeling pretty convinced that the user has sent this email at 1:40, not when
claimed hours earlier. However, I check his sent items, and sure enough, it
has a sent time of 08:30, hours earlier as he claimed.

This is what I can figure out:

* Groupsheild is in use, don't think it was that, nothing in logs and scan
timeout is 10 mins.
* Don't think the customer would do a deferred delivery
* Don't think it's a sync issue offline working etc.

WHY was the sent time stampted so early if exchange doesn't seem it till
four hours later (all other emails are fine, BTW)?

I guess I should take it as a back-handed compliment that the problems I
post no-one seems to have an answer for!

Well I've got the answer for this I believe so I guess it's only fair to
post for anyone who took the time to read the original.

The email in question was sent from Powerpoint (i.e. file, send email).
Outlook 2003 was setup in caching mode (but not running), and opened up
enough to send the email, but doesn't fire up a MAPI session. Later in the
day Outlook was fired up and the email sent. If Outlook 2003 isn't in
caching mode, the email will be sent.

Looks like another "feature" of Outlook !

Colin