Conference 7.286::digital

5320.0. "Mail-Enterprise broken again...aarugh thanks Microsoft mail" by 34937::DANZAK (Pittsburgher �) Thu Jun 05 1997 23:00

    Folks,
    
    I really DO NOT CARE what mail system we use, as long as it works
    consistently, reliably etc.  "I mean what I say and I say what I
    meant..." My word is my bond with my co-workers, customers, who 
    have learned that when I say it gets done, it gets done. Period.
    
    I can't tolerate this junk.  Moving to 'new technolgy' becuase it's
    'wonderful' and 'WINTEL'.
    
    Bottom line is that you can do anything with any technolgy for the most
    part.  Just in different ways, who cares, it's style.   But there are
    some fundamental (and stupid) ways which we're putting our business at 
    risk.
    
    I USED to be able to send reliable mail - for about the past 8 years or
    so.  Now with new technolgoy, it looks prettier but isn't reliable.
    
    Give me reliable and works over pretty and new anyday. I gotta do
    biz.
    
    ----
    p.s. note the prior memo I posted in which CCS stated that 
    "they can not reliably assure restore" of documents on the
    EXCHANGE server and advise maintiaining copies of 'critical' documents
    on your own...pfft.
    
    ---
    Attached is a memo from CCS re:unreliable mail..
    
    *** IMPORTANT ***
    
    CCS Service Advisory
    
    
    WHO:	Digital Mail Users
    
    WHAT:	DIGITAL is experiencing significant mail delivery problems
    with mail flow between the Exchange, MTS, and Internet/Intranet
    environments.
    
    WHEN:	Mail delivery delays and non-delivery problems occurred
    recently and are occurring again.  
    
    WHY:	The cause of the mail delivery delays has not yet been
    identified. Several factors may be contributing to the problem.
    
    CCS understands the urgency this problem and is treating it as our top
    priority.  We are working closely with Microsoft and Innosoft (PMDF
    gateway vendor) to diagnose and resolve the delays.  Until then, we
    will keep you apprised of the status of this critical situation.
    
    IMPACT:	Delays of 8 to 16 hours between internal mail systems and
    the Internet are being experienced.  Mail queues are currently backed
    up with thousands of messages.  Messages that have already been sent
    may time out and generate non-delivery notifications back to the
    sender. 
    
    Exchange gateway parameters were changed to alleviate a looping message
    situation caused by users forwarding mail to mts.dec.com locations.  As
    a result, the feature for Exchange mail auto-replies from Inbox
    Assistant and Out of Office Assistant will no longer activate for
    messages sent to the mts.dec.com domain.
    	
    ACTION:	Please be aware that messages sent to or from DIGITAL
    customers and vendors or between DIGITAL organizations may be delayed
    or not delivered.  Receipt of critical information should be confirmed
    with a telephone call.  Messages that were not-delivered successfully
    can be re-sent.
    
    CONTACT:	If you have any questions, please contact your local CCS
    Help Desk or Client Services Representative.  The telephone numbers of
    the CCS Help Desks can be found on the World-Wide Web CCS Home Page at:
    
    		http://www-ccs.wro.dec.com/ccs/
    
    DIGITAL Internal Use Only
    

    
    What was 'old technology' about ALL-IN-1, you can use the same Exchange
    client to access ALL-IN-1 in just the same way you access Exchange. 
    You can also use Netscape for that matter now too.
    
    Remember the issue is not that Exchange is better, it is that we want
    to go through the pain so we can let our customers make the same stupid
    mistake too.
    
    Mike

    I like the "Critical information should be backed up with a phone call"
    to insure it got to the recipient part.  This is progress?  When I mail
    something via the Postal Service, I usually don't have to call to be
    sure it arrived (sure, occasionally it might be months or years later
    depending on if some postal employee stored it in his/her basement, but
    that's for another NOTES conference.)
    
    BTW, I love Exchange and the ability to attach Word or Excel files. 
    And I don't believe this is a Digital problem, but rather another
    example of betting your business on Microsoft.  God help corporate
    America if everyone changes to such products, and they aren't as
    reliable as they should be.  I also agree - for all its faults (and
    there were some), All-in-1 was a reliable workhorse.
    
    Chuck

    So why weren't you able to attach Word or Excel files to ALL-IN-1?  It
    does this just as well as Exchange can and has done so for years.... and
    oh by the way our Exchange server(s) in Kanata is "experiencing
    problems" for at least the 3rd time in as many weeks.  Hopefully it
    won't be days before it's back as it was a month ago.
     
    Luckily I still have my VMS/A1 system to deliver business critical
    mail.  Loved the part in the CCS message that if the message was
    returned as undeliverable .... you could send it again.  If this
    happened regularly with the postal service I think my next option would
    be to switch to FEDEX or some other carrier!
    
    Pity the CCS folks who have to take the arrows on a regular basis until
    all the bugs get worked out.

re Note 5320.2 by 25536::YANUSC:

>     BTW, I love Exchange and the ability to attach Word or Excel files. 
  
        Remember that the use of Exchange clients and Exchange
        servers are not necessary in order to be able to attach Word
        or Excel (or any other) files.

        Any good internet-based mail client (Eudora, Netscape, etc.)
        can do that using standard Internet protocols (SMTP, MIME,
        POP3, and increasingly IMAP4) to any internet-based mail
        server.

        It is not necessary to use a proprietary system internally to
        do that.  It is not even technically desirable.

        Bob