Specify X.400 Message Formats

An X.400 message contains a body part and a header. The body part makes up the text of the message, and the header contains address, routing, and transport information. You can specify the body part type to use for the content of a message. This body part type must be supported by the foreign system and primarily affects outbound messages. When you choose a body part type, you choose the alphabet used in the text; for example, body part type IA5 includes international alphabet number 5 (suitable for Swedish, Norwegian, German, and western European characters) and body part type International Standards Organization (ISO) 6937 includes a set of 333 characters made up of Latin script and non-spacing diacritical marks. Exchange X.400 connectors can support many text body part standards, ensuring that mail from foreign language messaging systems have a majority of their characters transferred in a displayable format.

X.400 connectors can also support a variety of file attachments as binary body parts:

• BP14 (1984 specification)—simple transport of binary attachments.
• BP15 (1988 specification)—X.400 standard for sending attachments.
• FTBP (file transfer body part) (1992 specification)—for file name, size, properties, and other information.

Exchange converts other X.400 body parts to messaging application programming interface (MAPI) binary attachments.

To specify X.400 message formats:

1. Start System Manager
   On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Exchange, and then click System Manager.
2. Navigate to Connectors.

   System Manager

   1. Administrative Groups
   2. Administrative Group
   3. Routing Groups
   4. Routing Group
   5. Connectors
3. Right-click a connector, and then click Properties.
4. Click the Advanced tab.
5. Select the Allow BP-15 (in addition to BP-14) check box to send BP-15 attachments formatted as a file transfer body part (FTBP), which includes file name, size, and properties. Clear the check box to send all attachments as BP-14 attachments (simple binary attachments).
6. Select the Allow Exchange contents check box to send message content formatted in Exchange Server's internal format—Message Database Encapsulated Format (MDBEF)—when possible. Clear the check box to convert message format to standard P2/P22 X.400 format.
7. Select the Two-way alternate check box to specify that the two communicating message transfer agents (MTAs) take turns sending and receiving messages.
8. In the X.400 bodypart for message text list, select the body part type.

Note   If the remote system is not an Exchange server, do not select the Allow Exchange Contents option.