message queue filling up

i have a problem with our exchange server, all the external mail keeps getting stuck in the queue, i have managed to clear this once by rebooting the isa server, but it has reared its ugly head, i have checked the DNS settings and all seem fine, we had a company come in to replace the router but they have dialled in and cannot see any issues, any ideas????

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rjbarlow

billybob01 wrote: »

i have a problem with our exchange server, all the external mail keeps getting stuck in the queue, i have managed to clear this once by rebooting the isa server, but it has reared its ugly head, i have checked the DNS settings and all seem fine, we had a company come in to replace the router but they have dialled in and cannot see any issues, any ideas????

Seems like Your server has no SMTP connectivity with the Internet; from Your server try to establish an SMTP connection to a known mail server on the Internet with telnet, if fails try to traceroute it.

billybob01

Thanks for the reply, i really could do with some help on this one.

Telnet to a known email server? not sure what you mean. It happened again this afternoon and so i restarted DNS and 30 mins later the queue cleared, although 60 mins later the queue is filling up again!!

HeroPsycho

You need to determine what the root cause is before you can solve the problem. I'd enable diagnostic logging on the SMTP service on the Exchange server. Wait for the problem to reoccur, and see if you see something in the logs. Lots of things could cause this:

Inability to route traffic to the internet
Inability for your Exchange server to make SMTP connections
Inability for your Exchange server to resolve DNS names for mail domains
Performance issue on your Exchange server

Start determining means to eliminating these possibilities.

Highly recommend you install this on your Exchange server:

Download details: Exchange Troubleshooting Assistant

Run that when the problem occurs again. It might tell you what the issue is or point you in the right direction.

macdude

I would look at spam as a possibility. I had this on a couple of my clients and had get them some new anti-spam software.

billybob01

Many thanks for the replies guys, i will let you know how i get on, thinking about it at home (as you do!) the two main changes i have made are 1. building a new exchange server ready for migration from 2000 to 2003, the public folders are replicating between the two at the moment, and our ISP guys came in to install a new Cisco Router, but they are adament that they have checked and all is ok. Very strange, as my coleague and i have not done anything else!!

billybob01

Well i have finally fixed the fault, (so far at least) i restarted the ISA server and the queues have been fine ever since, not sure why though?

blargoe

If it hasn't been restarted in a long time, maybe something like running out of virtual memory - you'd see this logged in the event viewer. Or maybe a service had stopped running.

billybob01

It`s very strange, but so far it`s behaving itself. I have installed an exchange server 2003 on the network with the view to replace the 2000 exchange server and only the public folders are replicating, this would`nt have anything to do with the problem would it?

HeroPsycho

HeroPsycho wrote: »

Highly recommend you install this on your Exchange server:

Download details: Exchange Troubleshooting Assistant

Run that when the problem occurs again. It might tell you what the issue is or point you in the right direction.

Dude, do that instead of blind speculation. You can even run it now, and it might tell you something that will point you in the right direction.