XCON: Zero Byte Attachments Cause NDRs from Exchange 5.5 SP1

SYMPTOMS

Using the following diagram to aid explanation:

   MS Mail ------> Exchange Server A <-----------------> Exchange Server B
                                    '88 X400 - NO D/REP
				

When messages with zero byte files are sent from Microsoft Mail to Exchange Server B, Exchange Server B sends non-delivery reports on the messages.

Typical events seen in the event logs (generated by the message transfer agent or MTA) include:

  Event: 210
   Description: An internal MTA error occurred. Content conversion for
   message C=US;A= ;P=Microsoft;L=SERVERB-980805135302Z-7 failed.
   Conversion error: 4096, Object at fault: 0600002F, Original content
   type: 2A864886F7140501, New content type: 56010A01. PDU dump reference
   1 [MTA DISP:FANOUT 13 112] (14)

  Event: 290
   Description: A non-delivery report (reason code unable-to-transfer and
   diagnostic code content-syntax-error) is being generated for message
   C=US;A= ;P=Microsoft;L=SERVERB-980805135302Z-7. It was originally
   destined for DN:/o=MICROSOFT/ou=SHELLKEEP/cn=RECIPIENTS/cn=MSMailA§
   (recipient number 1), and was to be redirected to
   DN:/o=MICROSOFT/ou=SHELLKEEP/cn=RECIPIENTS/cn=MSMailA§C=US;A=
   ;P=Microsoft;O=ShellMSMI;S=Admin;G=MSMail;. [MTA DISP:RESULT 18 136]
   (12)