We have an automated mail program that sends order-reports. These reports are plain-text and always have one xml file attached. For each order in our system there are at least two reports being send. These e-mail reports look very much alike. The only difference for an e-mail about the same order would be in the attached xml file.
The problem is that some of these e-mails do not show up in my inbox (in outlook 2010). I have tracked the messages from source to destination and the problem points to our local Exchange 2003 server. The Message Tracking Center says "Message delivered locally to Store to email@domain.com..." and shows no errors. But it does not show in my inbox.
The e-mail account was created solely for receiving these messages. It has no spam filter, no rules and it receives 95% of the same messages without any problems. Even messages about the same order are no problem. Sometimes the first out of two fails to show up, and sometimes the second e-mail for the same order fails to show. I do not see any link between the messages that fail.
As a test i created a new pop3 account on another mailserver we administer. This is linux mailserver and has nothing to do with our Exchange server. No order-reports seem to be missing from the linux mailbox so the problem really must lie at the Exchange server.
I googled for this failure but did not find anyone describing the same problem. So the question is: How can a message be stored locally without error, but not show up inbox?
Server information: Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 (version 6.5.7638)
More information about the tracking log. When i check the log-files by hand i can see the messages that do not show in my inbox. When i copy the MSGID and track that MSGID in the Message Tracking Center it shows a different subject. When tracking a MSGID that was that does show up in my inbox it shows me the correct subject.
Question update: We now know a client who seem to have the same problem on a Microsoft Exchange Server Standard 2010 and who uses Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 as a client. Unfortunately i do not have access to the server so i cannot check the message tracking log. This client receives the same e-mail messages as the Exchange 2003 server (it's a Cc recipient).
Things i've checked so far
- The message does not show in OWA either (so not an outlook view problem).
- There are no filtering rules (it's a new account, created for testing this problem).
- The message is not in deleted items or any other folder.
- There is a hosted spamfilter, but it's before delivering to Exchange. No local spamfilter.
- The message is logged by the message tracking log without any error.
- A newly created pop account on another domain (webmail, no Exchange) receives all messages.
- Virusscanner is MS Security Essentials which has no e-mail scanning (or filtering). Also, no log of any virus is available.