MAIL

Setting the message time-out value
When the Router is unable to transfer a message on the first attempt, it continues to attempt delivery at intervals, as specified in the "Initial transfer retry interval" field of the Configuration Settings document. If a message cannot be delivered (or forwarded to the next server on the path to the user's mail server) within a specified time-out period, the Router returns a delivery failure report to the sender. By default, the message time-out value is 24 hours.

In the event that mail files on certain servers become unreachable for an extended period, consider increasing the default time-out value on other servers. A higher time-out value decreases the likelihood of important mail being returned because of transfer and delivery failures.

On the Internet, the time-out value for message transfer is typically five days - that is, if the next hop server is unreachable, the connecting server continues to retry transfer for five days before giving up and generating a delivery failure report.

Increasing the time-out value to n days may result in senders receiving a delivery failure report for undeliverable mail n days after the message was sent.

Because each successive retry consumes server resources, a high volume of undeliverable mail can place a significant extra load on the server. If you notice an increase in the amount of pending mail in MAIL.BOX, examine messages to determine the validity of their origins and destinations. If a large portion of pending messages are addressed to nonexistent users or originate from known or possible spam mailers, consider resetting the time-out interval to a lower value. Using a lower time-out value reduces the time before the server marks a message as undeliverable, thereby decreasing the number of retries.

For information about managing undeliverable mail, see the topic Managing undeliverable mail in MAIL.BOX.

For information about methods for rejecting unwanted mail before servers accept it, see the topic Restricting SMTP inbound routing.

For information about using mail rules to process mail automatically, see the topic Setting server mail rules.

To set the message time-out value

1. From the IBM® Lotus® Domino™ Administrator, open the Domino Directory and click the Configuration tab.

2. To edit an existing Configuration Settings document, highlight and click Edit Configuration. To create a new Configuration settings document, highlight the server for which the Configuration Settings document will apply, then click Add Configuration.

3. Click the NOTES.INI Settings tab.

4. Click Set/Modify Parameters.

5. In the Item field, enter:


6. In the Value field, enter the number of days after which Domino returns undeliverable mail to the sender, click Add, and then click OK.
7. Click Save & Close.

See also