'Messages with an unreachable destination' queue is in retry
[This topic is intended to address a specific issue called out by the Exchange Server Analyzer Tool. You should apply it only to systems that have had the Exchange Server Analyzer Tool run against them and are experiencing that specific issue. The Exchange Server Analyzer Tool, available as a free download, remotely collects configuration data from each server in the topology and automatically analyzes the data. The resulting report details important configuration issues, potential problems, and nondefault product settings. By following these recommendations, you can achieve better performance, scalability, reliability, and uptime. For more information about the tool or to download the latest versions, see "Microsoft Exchange Analyzers" at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=34707.]
Topic Last Modified: 2006-10-06
The Microsoft® Exchange Server Analyzer Tool queries the ExchangeLink Windows® Management Instrumentation (WMI) class to determine the value of the StateRetry key for the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) Messages with an unreachable destination queue.
If the Exchange Server Analyzer finds that the value of the StateRetry key for the Messages with an unreachable destination queue on an Exchange server is set to True, the Exchange Server Analyzer displays an error.
If a queue is in retry status, it indicates that at least one error occurred in the previous attempts to process the messages in the queue.
Note
The properties of a queue can indicate a specific reason for a queue to be in retry status.
The Messages with an unreachable destination queue contains messages that cannot reach the intended destination server. For example, Exchange cannot determine a route or a connector to the final destination. Alternatively, all available routes or connectors are marked as down. Messages can accumulate in this queue if any one of the following conditions is true:
No route exists for message delivery.
An Exchange connector or a remote delivery queue is unavailable.
New messages are moved to this queue when an Exchange connector or a remote delivery queue is in a retry status and no alternative available route exists to the connector or the remote destination.
To address this error, change the Retry state to Active with the Force Connection command. This causes the queue to function as if the retry interval had passed. However, this method may not always work. If the error persists, raise the diagnostics logging level of Queuing Engine as described in "For More Information" later in this topic.
For More Information
For more information about how to modify logging settings, see "How to Modify Logging Settings for MSExchangeTransport" in the "Troubleshooting Mail Flow and SMTP" section of the Exchange Server Transport and Routing Guide (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=47579).
For more information about how to troubleshoot SMTP queues, see the following Exchange resources:
"Troubleshooting Mail Flow and SMTP" in the Exchange Server Transport and Routing Guide (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=47579).
Microsoft Knowledge Base article 823489, "How to use Queue Viewer to troubleshoot mail flow issues in Exchange Server 2003" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=3052&kbid=823489).
Microsoft Knowledge Base article 821877, "Description of Fields on the SMTP and X.400 Queue Properties Tabs" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=3052&kbid=821877).
Microsoft Knowledge Base article 264054, "XCON: Understanding Queue States in Exchange 2000 Server" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=3052&kbid=264054).