XCON: MTA Deferred Delivery Message Generates NDR: Maximum Time for Delivering the Message Has Expired

The following Non-Delivery Report (NDR) may be received when sending messages with a deferred delivery time after the message timeout:
The NDR is received on the deferred delivery date, not immediately upon sending.

The Message Transfer Agent (MTA) returns the message if the deferred delivery date is after the message timeout. The default message timeout period is seven days. When the deferred delivery date arrives, the MTA checks the message timeout value, and displays the NDR for this message based on that date, instead of delivering the message.

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Exchange Server version 5.5. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

Component: Message Transfer Agent


Please note that this fix must be applied to all Microsoft Exchange Server computers in the message path, as each MTA on each server evaluates the deferred delivery time and message time-out.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.5. This problem was first corrected in Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack 3.