Outlook Calendar files being damaged
Tom Wade
Greetings,
%PMDF-I-VERSION, PMDF version is PMDF V6.2-1
AlphaServer ES40 running OpenVMS Alpha V7.3-2
PMDF_SHARE_LIBRARY version V6.2-1x9; linked 00:00:52, Jul 11 2005
PreciseMail V3.0-2, rule set version: 081202b
AlphaServer ES40 running OpenVMS Alpha V7.3-2
(running as PMDF channel program).
We got a report that Outlook Calendar invitations were being corrupted
when passing through our PMDF system. Having found a mention of the
problem in Google dating back to 2005, I narrowed it down to the
presence of a Content-Disposition header in the message. What works is:
Content-type: text/calendar; name=meeting.ics; method=REQUEST
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
Content-class: urn:content-classes:calendarmessage
BEGIN:VCALENDAR
(etc)
but what doesn't work is
Content-type: text/calendar; name=meeting.ics; method=REQUEST
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
Content-disposition: attachment; filename=meeting.ics
Content-class: urn:content-classes:calendarmessage
BEGIN:VCALENDAR
(etc)
Something was putting in an extra Content-Disposition header by the time
it crossed our PMDF system.
These messages cross the following channels:
- kom_scan (virus filter channel part of vFastScan)
- pmas (PreciseMail channel program)
- tcp_local or l (depending on test destination).
By examining the message before it went through each queue, I concluded
that it was the PMAS channel that was inserting the extra
Content-Disposition field (kom_scan, unless it finds a virus or unwanted
attachment, rewinds the input message and passes it straight through).
Now I don't see why this causes Outlook a problem, but it does. If I
edit out the Content-Disposition line before the final channel,
everything is OK.
I am posting this to both PMDF and PMAS lists, the latter to see if
there is any way PMAS can be configured not to do this, and the former
to see if anyone is familiar with a workaround in PMDF to remove the header.
I was thinking along the lines of CHARSET-CONVERSION which allows you to
change the contents of a Content-Disposition line depending on matching
entries in the PMDF_CONVERSION_FILE (basically look for a bodypart with
Content-Type of text/calendar and strip off the disposition header).
Although you can specify alternative dispositions, it's not clear if it
can remove the header completely. Is this possible, or is there another
way to do it ?
Many thanks.
---------------------------------------------------------
Tom Wade | EMail: tee dot wade at eurokom dot ie
EuroKom | Tel: +353 (1) 296-9696
A2, Nutgrove Office Park | Fax: +353 (1) 296-9697
Rathfarnham | Disclaimer: This is not a disclaimer
Dublin 14 | Tip: "Friends don't let friends do Unix !"
Ireland
Hunter Goatley
> that it was the PMAS channel that was inserting the extra
> Content-Disposition field (kom_scan, unless it finds a virus or unwanted
> attachment, rewinds the input message and passes it straight through).
The PMDF API, which the PMAS channel uses to feed the message back
PMDF after is has been scanned, is the piece adding that header.
> Now I don't see why this causes Outlook a problem, but it does.
Because Outlook is from Microsoft? ;-)
> I am posting this to both PMDF and PMAS lists, the latter to see if
> there is any way PMAS can be configured not to do this,
Since it's not PMAS doing it, there's nothing that can be configured
in PMAS to prevent it.
> and the former
> to see if anyone is familiar with a workaround in PMDF to remove the header.
I believe a D/E to add a configuration option to PMDF has been filed for
this....
Hunter
------
Hunter Goatley, Process Software, http://www.process.com/
goath...@GOATLEY.COM http://www.goatley.com/hunter/