SMTP Statistics

Explanation: The Statistics screen, which is accessed from the Internet Agent console, lists numbers of error and informational messages. Most of these messages are informational only.
Action: Use the information on the Statistics screen to help you resolve Internet Agent problems.

Messages Sent/Messages Received: These fields display the number of messages the Internet Agent has sent and received.

Send Threads/Receive Threads: These fields display the number of currently active send and receive threads the Internet Agent is using to process outgoing and incoming messages. If the number of send or receive threads currently in use is consistently close to the total number allocated, you might want to increase the total number of send or receive threads.

Send Thr Avail/Receive Thr Avail: These fields display the number of available send and receive threads of the total number allocated.

MX Lookup Errs: This field displays the number of times the Internet Agent queries the Domain Name Server (DNS) for the address of the destination host and receives a SERVER FAIL code message back from the DNS. These messages are deferred and automatically re-queued according to the retry schedule.

Unless the number of MX Lookup Errors is very significant, do not be concerned by these messages. If the number of messages is very significant, you might want to check the DNS to make sure the tables are not corrupted. If you’re using a remote DNS, you might consider setting up a local DNS server. It could also mean that your file server TCP/IP is not correctly configured.

Unknown Hosts: This field displays the number of times the Internet Agent attempted to do a lookup on a destination host and the host name did not exist in either the DNS records or in the host table. The Internet Agent sends back a non-deliverable message to the sender for each Unknown Host message.

TCP/IP Read Errs/ TCP/IP Write Errs: These fields display the number of TCP/IP read or write errors indicating some communication problem occurred. This is a temporary error. These messages are deferred and automatically re-queued according to the retry schedule. Unless the number of TCP/IP read or write errors is very significant, do not be concerned by these messages. If the number of messages is very significant, you might want to contact your Internet service provider to check for anything that could hinder communication, such as network problems or line noise. You might also want to adjust the timeout switches, particularly the /te and /tr switches.

Hosts Down: This field displays the number of times the Internet Agent tried to open a connection with the destination host and received a connection refused status. This is a temporary error. These messages are deferred and automatically re-queued according to the Retry Schedule.

The statistics count the number of times a code or SMTP reply, such as Host Down, comes back to the Internet Agent. It does not keep track of the mail messages causing these replies. If, for example, a message is deferred and re-queued for four days during the Retry Schedule, each attempt the program makes to send the message results in another SMTP reply or error code.

Retry Schedule: If an Internet host is down or the connection is not made on the Internet, the Internet Agent defers the message and re-queues it according to the retry schedule. The Internet Agent program places the message in the \wpgate\gwia\defer directory for 20 minutes. Then it transfers the file to the send directory for another attempt at sending to the Internet. The Internet Agent makes this attempt three times in one hour and then every four hours for four days. After the four days, if the Internet host remains down, an undeliverable status is sent back to the sender.