"move"ing user's mailbox file -> trouble

HCL Domino Domino Forum
1

Try this. No, wait. Don’t:

  1. Register a new test user, e.g. “Test Entry”.

  2. “Move” the user’s mailbox file (on the Admin Files tab) to a file with a different name in the mail\ folder, e.g. move tentry.nsf to tentryx.nsf.

  3. Seems you have to tell “adminp process all” after each of these “Move” operations or they don’t take right away?

  4. Try sending mail to the test entry account.

You will find (or at least I did):

  • Mail to Test Entry/ORG (the Domino address) will go to the original mail file (tentry.nsf).

  • Mail to address@host.domain.com (the SMTP address directed to the user’s mailbox) will go to the newly created duplicate mail file (tentryx.nsf).

Next:

  1. Delete tentryx.nsf.

  2. Try sending mail:

  • mail to Test Entry/ORG will go through to the original mail file;

  • mail to address@host.domain.com will fail and get stuck in the mail box (mail.box).

  1. “Move” tentry.nsf to tentryx.nsf, creating it again, and tell adminp process all.

  2. “Move” tentryx.nsf back to tentry.nsf. (Interestingly, when I did this it didn’t overwrite the contents of tentry.nsf with changes I made to tentryx.nsf – but the next step still worked.)

  • The mail stuck in the mail box will go through.
  1. Try sending mail to the test entry account.

  • Mail to Test Entry/will go, correctly, to tentry.nsf.

  • Mail to address@host.domain.com will also go, correctly, to tentry.nsf.

  1. Delete tentryx.nsf and all will be back to normal, with mail apparently routing correctly.

BUT. The next day, I find mail still incorrectly trying to go to tentryx.nsf, and failing. So I restore a copy of tentryx.nsf by re-doing steps 7 & 8 above. Now mail gets through to where it should (I think) – but it goes to both mailbox files!

All this tells me there’s a separate entry somewhere in the mail routing system, entirely separate from the People database, that pays attention to operations in the Files system and bases decisions on where to route mail, linking internet addresses (e.g. teste@host.domain.com) with mail files. So the People database links People entries (Test Entry/ORG @ DOMAIN) with mail files; the Thing We Haven’t Found links internet addresses with mail files (if possible).

What I don’t know enough about is how the SMTP routing process works and where these decisions are made. Some year when I have time I’ll cruise through the Domino Directory and mail routing help etc.

Suggestions about what to do and where to look for information about these arcane matters? Please?